The three most common mistakes when implementing RPA in companies

Their potential is enormous and their power lies in simplicity. RPA-based automation can significantly reduce the volume of low-value human labor in a company. According to McKinsey research, the CEOs themselves will save up to 20% of their working time.

But when RPAs don’t work as they are supposed to? In practice, we can see three basic mistakes companies make when implementing RPA.

Mistake number 1: Choosing a wrong process

Whether you get the thumbs up to implement automation determines the fact whether you choose the right process for ‘the proof of concept’. At this point, companies often make the following mistakes:

• They choose a process that can be easily automated, but has very little real impact on the business. The benefits of automation simply cannot be properly defined.

• Some companies are trying the opposite. However, trying to automate end-to-end large-scale processes often doesn’t work out. It will not be possible to manage the implementation in a relatively short time, so there is nothing to show as a result.

I recommend choosing a process that is not very complex but is significantly reflected in the efficiency of the corporate business. In companies, these are often simple processes significantly affecting the quality of the output. These are ideal ones ‘for proof of concept’.

Mistake number 2: Not getting IT involved right from the start

RPA is often pushed through to the company by business people. It is relatively easy to start RPA processes even in case of workers with less technical knowledge. But if you omit IT, you may break mutual trust.

The IT department knows which systems will be upgraded and when that will occur. The IT department is responsible for the implementation, security and management of corporate technologies. It also knows timing of another changes. In addition, RPA is likely to scale further into the company. That’s why it’s good to have your IT department on your side.

Mistake number 3: A lack of communication across the company

RPA-based automation can significantly reduce the amount of human labor in a company. Nevertheless, sometimes some insufficiently informed employees are afraid of it and sabotage its implementation a bit. They are worried that RPA will deprive them of their jobs. But the opposite is true.

The greatest added value of RPA is the possibility to move employees performing routine activities with low added value to positions where they make more use of their experience, decision-making, creativity or empathy. RPA also increases the quality of work with data and the resulting processes. It eliminates human errors and improves compliance.