Article

Anna

12 min read

What is RPA robotic process automation

You might look in complete awe at your competitors and wonder: how do they implement such complex processes and tackle repetitive tasks with such speed and accuracy? 

Entering the office at 7:55 a.m., and here is what your team experiences when they push the power button: tickets piling up, three systems open, same task waiting to be typed again. Two screens involve legacy systems, one vendor portal only works through user interfaces. 

That’s where Robotic Process Automation RPA shows its teeth. Bet that they are shiny and super sharp. 

We lift manual tasks off your team with software robotics and unattended RPA that automate repetitive work, handle structured data, and perform tasks across user interfaces and APIs without breaking what already runs. 

Paired with process mining and a clear automation strategy, we cut human error, clean up manual processes that block flow, and give human workers time for higher value tasks. 

When processes involve legacy systems, we build an automation program that can perform tasks day and night, guided by human skills and human intelligence, so your people bring human creativity where it matters. 

RPA uses software robots to take tasks in a reliable, auditable way. 

It’s a key business process automation technology and a practical piece of aid for modern teams. 

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is process-driven and rule-based, so it executes the same repetitive tasks without drift, reducing human error, while freeing human workers to focus on higher-value work. 

In short: Robotic Process Automation provides the execution layer that turns plans into action.

Understanding how bots work in RPA

Understanding how bots work in RPA

Robotic Process Automation involves software robots interacting with digital systems exactly as a person would. 

Well-designed RPA technology lets RPA bots extract data, complete forms, perform tasks, and transfer files across apps through user interfaces and APIs. It can automate tasks end-to-end or assist people mid-flow, and it works with existing systems, including legacy systems that don’t expose APIs. 

Modern RPA software and tools are easy to configure, so teams can automate processes and build RPA workflows without heavy coding. Under the hood, this stack can also call out to advanced components to handle unstructured data and then bring the results back into your applications.

how to automate workflows with RPA

Intelligent Automation and Artificial Intelligence: how to automate workflows with RPA?

People often mix up Robotic Process Automation and Artificial Intelligence. 

RPA is rules and actions, while AI is patterns and learning. 

When you pair them, intelligent automation happens: RPA does the lifting and AI, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, and Computer Vision handle the thinking. That’s intelligent process automation in practice. Insights become actions faster, and RPA can automate workflows that used to stall at messy inputs. 

The evolution is real and clear: earlier waves handled simple data capture, the next waves added models, and now AI agents plan while RPA executes across tools and systems.

what are the rpa benefits

What are the benefits? 

Cut human error and improve customer experience

Robotic Process Automation reduces cost and risk while delivering efficiency gains. Software robots run 24/7, absorb high volume tasks, and automate repetitive steps without fatigue. That consistency cuts human error in calculations and record updates, improves compliance, minimizes the amount of repetitive tasks, and creates measurable cost savings. 

Better yet, it moves human workers toward higher value work that needs judgment and human creativity. Use it to automate workflows like reconciliations or approvals, then optimize processes as data shows where the friction hides. 

The result is faster cycle times and a smoother customer experience across channels.

Types of RPA for human resources and beyond

Implementing advanced technologies such as RPA solutions can deliver more value than you might expect. Most importantly, intelligent automation connects multiple departments (HR, finance, service desk, customer support, and IT) so they work in sync and reduce friction across the business.

Attended RPAAssists people on demand to perform tasks within their desktop flow, speeding tickets and guided work.
Unattended RPA Lights-out execution on schedules and triggers; this is classic unattended automation for back-office queues.
Human in the loop Humans and RPA bots split the load with clear handoffs for human interactions or exceptions.

These modes let you keep repetitive processes consistent while AI services enrich decisions in the same run.

RPA in action across business processes

Across industries, Robotic Process Automation keeps work moving by taking over manual tasks that slow teams down, from copying data between systems and pulling figures from PDFs and emails to invoice matching, order entry, and status updates. 

It handles account reconciliations and close prep, generates and sends reports, updates CRM records and contact details, processes onboarding forms and payroll checks, resets passwords and provisions users, routes and validates claims, updates inventory, builds pick lists and shipping labels, and even manages scheduling, reminders, and room bookings.

Which industries can benefit from RPA implementations?

rpa benefits finance
Financial Services – accelerate onboarding, checks, and approvals with RPA tools and policy rules.
rpa benefits healthcare
Healthcare – automate scheduling, claims routing, and data entry so clinicians get more time with patients.
rpa benefits manufacturing
Manufacturing – orchestrate orders, inventory updates, and quality logging with RPA technology.
rpa benefits customer service
Customer Service – Speed resolutions with guided desktops and queue handling that automate workflows end to end.
rpa benefits hr
HR – handle onboarding packs, payroll updates, and benefits changes cleanly with unattended RPA where appropriate.

Work that RPA should NOT do?

If a task needs creativity, empathy, or a real conversation, keep it human

Coaching calls, negotiations, tricky diagnoses: context matters. When mood, tone, or trust decides the outcome, a person should make the call. Let the bot gather facts and set the stage but leave the final decision to a human intelligence.

Avoid processes that change every other week or have no clear owner

If no one can explain how it’s supposed to run, pause. Fix the process first, then automate. RPA shines when the rules are clear, the data is stable, and the steps repeat across many cases. Moving targets turn into brittle bots and noisy queues.

Watch for low-volume one-offs

Once a quarter, ten minutes, five approvals. You’ll spend more time maintaining that bot than you ever save. Use a checklist for those, not a robot.

Don’t automate high-stakes judgment without a human in the loop

Credit decisions, medical triage, safety approvals, terminations: use automation to assemble evidence and keep records, not to decide outcomes.

Be careful with messy inputs

If the work starts with a free-form email thread, handwritten notes, or screenshots that look different every time, you need better intake first. Standardize the form, the labels, and the rules. Then consider RPA.

Never build on broken upstream data

Duplicates, missing keys, fields that change names mid-month – fix the source or add hard validation at intake. Automation won’t clean garbage; it just moves the garbage faster.

If the system owner forbids automated access, stop

Partner with IT to agree on safe patterns, APIs, or service accounts. RPA should respect controls, not bypass them.

Use a quick test before you build:

  • Are the steps known and documented?
  • Is the data structured and consistent?
  • Is there a clear process owner?
  • Does volume justify the effort?
  • Can a human safely overrule the bot?

If any answer is no, pause and fix the basics.

Exceptions that need people

  • Escalations with angry customers where tone matters.
  • Complex root-cause analysis after a major outage.
  • Strategy choices with many trade-offs and no single right answer.

Keep triage rules in plain English and decide three outcomes before anything runs: the bot retries when an error looks temporary (a time-out, a brief lock), it parks the item when input is missing or ambiguous, and it escalates to a human when the rule set cannot decide or the risk is high. 

Use simple severity bands everyone understands: 

  • Sev 1 for money movement, compliance, or safety with immediate human review; 
  • Sev 2 for customer-facing deadlines due today, reviewed within an hour; 
  • Sev 3 for back-office work, reviewed by end of day. 

When an item lands with a person, give full context so they do not guess: the source file, the steps the bot took, error codes, screenshots if they help, plus payload details, environment, bot version, run ID, timestamps, and any correlation IDs from target systems. 

Present it in a consistent “exception card” that always shows what the bot tried to do, where it failed, why it failed in plain words, what it already retried, suggested next actions, and links to the runbook and logs. 

Set ownership before things break so tickets do not bounce: the business owns data issues and missing approvals, IT owns connectivity, permissions, and platform problems, and the CoE owns design flaws and selector fixes. 

Measure what matters and keep it visible: exception rate, mean time to acknowledge, mean time to resolve, and the share auto-resolved by retry; tag the root cause so patterns stand out. If two fields drive most failures, tighten input validation; if most errors are 2 a.m. time-outs, change the run window or increase backoff. 

Close the loop every week by reviewing the top error types and picking two fixes to ship; add a rule, improve validation, or move the schedule. Exceptions should trend down over time. If they do not, pause new automations, stabilise the estate, and only then press on.

build an automation strategy and an automation program

Your automation journey: build an automation strategy and an automation program

Start with a clear plan.Engage leaders early and agree how you’ll measure success. When implementing RPA, build a Center of Excellence to set standards, templates, and guardrails for your automation program. 
Add process mining for discovery and governance, especially when processes involve legacy systems. Choose vendors that support RPA tools for pros and business users, plus orchestration and security that fit your risk model.Start small with high-return candidates, then scale. When implementing RPA, document each bot, handle exceptions, and define handoffs. 
Track uptime, throughput, and ROI so you can optimize and prune. 

When implementing RPA at scale, align change management, training, and human skills so teams adopt the new way of working.

Overcoming hurdles on the road to digital transformation

How to automate tasks without obstacles? 

This might be the question that pops up in your head quite often. 

To omit the barriers of the implementation of RPA solutions, you have to handle them fast and keep value flowing.

How to do this properly? Here is your ready-to-go process:

  • Expect the usual blockers: weak process discovery, brittle selectors, and data locked in unstructured files. 
  • Tackle them head-on. 
  • Use Document AI to extract and normalize fields, then feed clean data to bots. 
  • Add process mining to spot waste and set priorities. 
  • When interfaces change, rely on self-healing selectors or alerts that surface fixes before outages. 
  • Train people with role-based, hands-on drills, and keep your automations under version control with proper environments. 
  • For what stays manual, define clear handoffs and SLAs so humans and bots don’t trip over each other. That’s how you ship automation with fewer surprises and better outcomes.
What to look for in a modern RPA platform

What to look for in a modern RPA platform?

The one with the most potential for successful digital transformation of your organization

But what does that really mean?  

You should choose RPA technology that covers build, run, and manage in one place, with low-code design, proper versioning, and enterprise controls. 

Your RPA software should integrate through both the UI and APIs, and coordinate many RPA bots at once. Strong orchestration will route work by rules and SLAs, retry intelligently, balance queues, and automate workflows end to end without babysitting. 

Look for RPA tools with connectors plus Artificial Intelligence services such as Natural Language Processing, Computer Vision, and Machine Learning so you can automate processes beyond simple data entry and move into intelligent process automation where models lift value. 

The stack should include testing, monitoring, alerting, and reporting so teams can automate workflows safely and keep improving. 

Expect human-in-the-loop steps where human employees make calls that bots shouldn’t, and design clear handoffs so human workers and bots don’t collide. Finally, ensure the RPA technology deploys where you need it – cloud, on-prem, or hybrid – with encryption, audit trails, and compliance you can prove. In short, choose a Robotic Process Automation RPA that lets you orchestrate many RPA bots, extend with AI, and automate workflows across the business.

The future of intelligent automation with RPA

AI agents are getting better at planning, but RPA still turns decisions into action across real systems. That pairing of Artificial Intelligence with execution is why software robots won’t fade out. They bridge plans and screens, forms and files, APIs and scripts. 

As models improve, RPA will automate workflows across more tools with less human intervention, while people focus on exceptions and strategy. Expect more secure runtimes, better controls, and simpler ways to roll out RPA bots across teams and countries. 

Add two steady beats to your roadmap: business process automation where it’s sensible, and careful governance so the whole estate stays healthy.

rpa implementations

Ready to move from plans to impact? 

We are on for a conversation about RPA implementations. 

The payoff is simple: efficiency boost, cost savings, and a better customer experience as part of your digital transformation efforts. 

If you’re implementing RPA, we’ll bring the right tools, software, technology, and automation to connect your digital systems and move your journey forward.

Our software robotics handles unstructured data, data collection, and routine tasks, while smart systems integration cleans up manual processes that still require the same task done the same way each time. 

You get more money saved and real traction for digital transformation efforts that connect teams and drive digital transformation at scale. 

If you’re ready to act, just hit us up.

About the author

Anna

Event & Marketing Specialist

Anna is responsible for marketing, social media, and organizing events. She manages social media communication, coordinates marketing activities, and ensures the efficient organization of events, supporting the smooth functioning of the company’s operations.

Experience Automation in Action

Sign-up for our periodic newsletter to get the latest updates from RPA, AI and process improvement frontlines. Receive automation tips, learn from case studies and get ideas for your next amazing project.

The automation adventure continues…

Automation isn’t a one-time thing – it’s an ongoing process. Just like good stories, it keeps evolving with every new challenge and improvement. Dive into more articles to see how others keep pushing the tech boundaries and making automation a mindset, not a quick fix.

Don’t let questions hold up your next project

Ask a question or just say hello – we’ll get back to you within a day. It’s quick, it’s free, and it might save you a lot of trouble. During a short call (online/phone), we’ll discuss how we can help solve your challenges. We’ll guide you to the best of our knowledge, even if it means we can’t offer you our services.