How to Choose a Right RPA Software: 10 Key Things to Consider

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is one of the most fascinating technologies that has made the business world stunned with its unparalleled benefits. It enables digitalization and empowers organizations to automate their business processes to achieve greater efficiency and productivity.

Though its popularity and adoption are increasing with each passing year, still countless organizations across the world feel confused when it comes to choosing the right RPA software. Many are unclear about what things to consider while buying RPA software.

Well!! All such people do not need to worry anymore. This blog will solve this query. We are presenting you the top 10 factors that help you choose the right RPA software.

One of the critical challenges that enterprises face is during the RPA implementation stage. Your RPA software thus should be compatible enough to adjust with the existing IT infrastructure. New RPA system should not require massive infrastructure changes to the company as it increases operating costs. Moreover, there should be unique ways to set up RPA bots for different end-users. Business people should be able to set up RPA solutions using click applications, citizen developers using low-code, and professional programmers using high-end actual automation code.

Once upon a time, enterprises used to work mostly on structured data but in today’s fastly evolving digitalized world, more and more new formats are emerging to store data electronically. Mostly in the unstructured data formats. Normal RPA bots do not work well with unstructured data. You need something more. While choosing the RPA vendor, always ensure that your RPA solution must have machine learning capabilities. Deep learning enables enterprises to extract information from unstructured data with ease. Moreover, it adds an extra layer of complex decision-making as well into RPA applications.

Several applications are being used in almost every mid to large-sized enterprise to execute their daily tasks. Be it ERP System, HR System, Accounting System, or any other. All these systems contain various crucial information related to business processes and should be utilized properly to gain a deeper understanding of the organization and find meaning patterns using AI. Your RPA software thus easily integrates with all such existing systems. Unless you get information from applications on one unified platform, new RPA software will not bear any sweet fruit for your organizational success.

One of the key factors for rolling-out RPA implementation is to bring pace to existing business operations. Faster the process, shorter becomes the project turnaround time. Faster the project turnaround time, more beneficial it becomes for business success. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to analyze & check the expected speed of execution of RPA bots as compared with the existing non-automated system. Your RPA software must execute business processes faster by noticeable percentage to provide you with real business benefits.

The RPA software should be designed keeping the adaptability of the targeted audience in mind. It must have easy-to-understand functionalities, compelling graphics, hassle-free navigation between different modules, easy-to-understand text, and flexible enough to automate basic automation processes at ease. It should require less training, provide reports & analytics in a hassle-free manner, and can be controlled easily. Always remember that ‘easier the user experience, the better would be its adaptability’. That too with negligible resistance from employees and other stakeholders involved.

One factor that you must check before finalizing an RPA tool is undoubtedly the total cost of ownership. It includes various financial angles that are directly or indirectly involved in the successful roll-out and effective execution of RPA software. You thus check all such things like development fees, implementation fees, license fees, training & maintenance fees, and more. Calculate all such costs in totality and analyze whether it is feasible to implement that solution. The business value (in terms of revenue) should be much more than the total cost of ownership. It is only then that it will prove useful.

Change is the only constant and thus a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) system must be adaptable with time. As per the changing requirements of the business, RPA software should be capable enough to expand its scope to add new functionalities and modules. It helps in running smooth automation uninterruptedly without any trouble and assists enterprises to gain big in every situation. Moreover, it should have the characteristic to easily integrate with newer technologies as well.

Your RPA tool must be smart enough to inform you about expected errors, well before manual detection. It should have the capability to auto-correct errors and at places where complex decision-making is required, your tool should pass such errors, well in advance to RPA experts. This functionality helps enterprises to limit the chances of failures and ensures ‘Zero Downtime’, a vital KPI that is directly linked with RPA software performance.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a leading-edge technology that is developed to make business tasks easier. It works in tandem with many applications and always deals with data. If you ask any entrepreneur about the most valued asset, undoubtedly, ‘data’ will top the list. It is considered as a modern-day ‘Oil’ without which a company’s business machine can’t run. Your RPA software thus understands the importance of data and must protect it from all vulnerable threats. Maintaining robust data security, access control mechanisms, and precise data management are very much required in any RPA system. These facets define and ensure security of your most vital asset.

RPA is a newer technology. Not all are well aware of it. If you check at the office level then you will find that there are many stakeholders involved that find it very difficult to work in a technical environment. Therefore, the role of RPA vendor plays an important role in the successful execution of automation in any enterprise. You need their support at the time of implementation, training employees, maintenance work, and so on. It is thus vital that you should pick such a vendor that does not leave you alone post-deployment of RPA software. You need to have a healthy and comprehensive relationship with vendors. Those who are ready for a long-term commitment with assured support on listed things, pick any of those RPA vendors.

There are various RPA tools available in the market. So are the increasing number of RPA vendors. Every RPA tool like Automation Anywhere, Blue Prism, UiPath, etc., adds unique value to the RPA software but you should be careful about the vendors and their expertise. Ultimately, your vendor provides you with a customized automation solution as per your business needs. Therefore, apart from verifying the above-listed facets, you must check the credibility of the RPA vendor as well.