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For many years, business owners have looked for ways to run their companies faster and more efficiently. The true boom in process automation and digitization, however, came in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The vast majority of businesses had to switch to remote work almost overnight. Digital transformation proved not merely useful, but absolutely essential. Two years later, we still see enormous potential and growing market demand in this field, so it is hardly surprising that solutions such as intelligent automation are moving to the forefront.
What exactly is intelligent automation?
If you are looking for modern, flexible ways to improve your business, intelligent automation is a term worth remembering. It combines RPA (Robotic Process Automation) with AI (artificial intelligence), making it possible to reduce human workload further and simplify business processes. Intelligent automation is the next step in a company’s digital development. It not only automates simple, repetitive steps, but also adapts to organizational change and learns.
What are the main benefits of intelligent automation?
Intelligent robotization and AI-assisted automation make it easier for a company to integrate and modify existing processes and approach tasks with greater flexibility. Over the long term, the newly available capacity allows the organization to redefine its goals and capabilities, focusing on the wider perspective instead of every individual step. This translates into:
- Lower costs and time savings—tasks suitable for automation no longer have to be performed by paid employees;
- Freed-up resources—employees can use their uniquely human qualities creatively instead of repeating activities suitable for intelligent automation;
- Greater accuracy—eliminating human error in repetitive activities;
- Greater customer satisfaction and an improved user experience—faster responses and greater consistency enabled by intelligent robotization bring a new level of quality to customer service;
- Greater security—AI-assisted automation learns and can detect potential cyber threats far faster and more accurately than a person.
What are the possible disadvantages of intelligent automation?
The disadvantages of intelligent process automation are primarily challenges encountered by companies with legacy software—older software solutions that may be incompatible with the latest market standards. Integrating intelligent robotization with such software can be much more expensive and complex. Introducing intelligent automation itself also requires a larger financial investment. The costs pay for themselves over time, but the initial expenditure can make the first decisions about implementing these solutions difficult. An intelligent process automation implementation must be carefully considered, with a detailed action plan divided into smaller stages. Without this and an in-depth expert analysis of the company seeking to introduce the new solutions, an attempt to automate processes may become extremely difficult and ultimately fail. The human factor must also be considered. When modern technology takes over organizational tasks, some employees may fear losing their jobs. They need help recognizing the opportunities created by no longer having to perform simple, repetitive activities: they can instead focus on more creative tasks and develop further.
How much can intelligent automation cost?
Total Cost of Automation (TCA), or Total Cost of Robotic Process Automation, is the total cost of implementing intelligent automation solutions in a company. It comprises the cost of RPA software, building and testing the solution, and Support and Maintenance. Although a project’s profitability may not be visible immediately, extended use shows that the investment pays for itself by improving business processes and creating a highly efficient workplace. When analyzing a company’s potential for intelligent automation, the process should be approached comprehensively from the outset, with successive work stages and clear guidelines defined for each one. This helps organize the implementation and, consequently, avoid unnecessary costs. If you are looking for specific figures, TCA is very difficult to calculate without a detailed expert analysis. The linked article describes the factors that influence the complete picture of how much implementing intelligent automation in your company may cost.
Is intelligent automation worth investing in?
As already noted, the initial costs of designing and implementing AI-assisted automation are higher, but they are worthwhile if you plan for the long term and want the investment to pay for itself. More and more companies are adopting robotization and intelligent automation. Gartner Group analysts predicted that by 2025, 50% of organizations would use intelligent process automation solutions, compared with 2020, when it was less than 10%. If we want to remain competitive, we must keep pace with change. Intelligent automation processes allow us to focus on what truly matters—objectives, ambitions and long-term changes that benefit the company—instead of minor, persistent activities that intelligent-automation technology can perform faster, more efficiently and more accurately.
RPA and intelligent automation
Intelligent automation cannot exist without RPA (Robotic Process Automation). Combined with artificial intelligence, RPA creates intelligent automation and gains capabilities it did not previously possess. It can understand and learn, plan and solve more difficult problems independently, gaining experience and improving its performance. RPA alone improves and automates simple, repetitive, manual, rule-based tasks. When these capabilities are combined with artificial intelligence, RPA can also operate cognitively and adapt to change independently, working quickly and accurately. This opens many additional possibilities: tasks assigned to robots can become far more complex and comprehensive, while the technology can interpret data, draw conclusions and make decisions.
