RPA and your digitisation strategy

Relentless pressure is forcing organisations to push beyond traditional operational strategies to pursue the accelerated benefits of automation.

Technology is continually evolving and new innovations are transforming the way customers interact with businesses and consume products and services.

Customers expect always-on, real-time service, and increasing shareholder demands, low-growth environments and growing input costs are common themes across virtually every sector. As a result, there is enormous pressure to improve operational capabilities while reducing cost.

Traditional operational strategies are maturing and offer less in the way of future benefits.

The main strategies that have been tried include:

• Automation through core systems upgrades, which has proven costly, risky and time consuming
• Outsourcing and offshoring, which has delivered labour cost arbitrage but has involved complicated transition arrangements
• Re-structuring and process reengineering: where most companies have had initiatives in place for years
• PwC estimates that 45% of work activities can be automated, and this automation would save $2 trillion in global workforce costs.

Accelerating outcomes through digital operations and robotic process automation

The different options for automating operational processes need to be considered based on an assessment of the business needs and the operating environment. Automation tools range from simple applications used to automate minor processes (basic scripting) to tools applying artificial intelligence (cognitive decision management) to manage processing, with Robotic Process Automation (RPA) tools in the middle of the spectrum providing broad business application (enhanced digitisation).

RPA should be considered in conjunction with, or as an interim step towards, a range of other digitisation options, as part of a broader digitisation strategy.

Find out more by downloading a copy of our latest report ‘RPA and your digitisation strategy’.