EXPERT SPEAK
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE
LOOK LIKE WITH ROBOTIC
PROCESS AUTOMATION?
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is not about industrial automation alone, it is about
eliminating repetitive, onerous tasks to enable employees to focus on more valuable
business activities that require true, human intervention. Bradley McCulloch, Business
Head for IBM at Axiz, a South African value-added distributor, says the future of RPA can
be described as an augmented workplace or one which people and technology join forces
to create something greater than either could do on their own.
O
rganisations of every type are
harnessing the power of technology
to extend and enhance human
capabilities in ways that help employees to
be more productive.
Concurrently, this enables people to
transfer lower-skilled tasks to machines, so
they can focus their efforts on the high-value
and creative tasks, which leads to improved
efficiency, as well as the accuracy and
reliability of work outcomes.
All organisations who are looking to
boost efficiency in their processes should
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be investigating RPA, to reduce cost, speed
up outcomes and have a better customer
service experience all around.
RPA can be defined as a tool that enables
the business to capture employee inputs in
rules-based processes and then use software
to automate those inputs. It is an extremely
efficient way of automating those repetitive
tasks within a workflow in a way that fits in
organically with current working practices
as well as the preferences of employees
themselves. However, not all RPA tools are
created equal. Viewing RPA as a standalone,
technology-only solution is a mistake.
Unfortunately, few vendors have designed
their solutions with a broader view of all the
technologies available to them. While RPA
alone can be valuable, what is infinitely more
so, is a platform that can handle content
management, decision making, tasks, and
workflows. What is needed is a true, digital
business automation platform.
That is what IBM brings to the table.
IBM Robotic Process Automation with
Automation Anywhere, which is part of
the IBM Automation Platform for Digital