Software Robots in Shared Services Centers. Deploying. Robotic Process Automation

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1 Software Robots in Shared Services Centers Deploying Robotic Process Automation

2 Robotic Process Automation Let people do what they do best We can no longer deny that technological progress with regards to information, communication and all kinds of intelligent process control has changed our way of working forever. This has been going on for decades and developments are taking place at a rapid pace. Now that the internet enters its next phase of linking systems, the administrative tasks and transactions will be highly automated. Decision-making processes today can also be prepared and executed by intelligent software robots. All this brings us to the point whether this is the next step forwards in robotic workplaces. Workplaces where financial administration, service departments, procurement, production, sales and planning of transport is carried out without any human intervention. With some imagination, this thought of humanless offices will be far ahead of us, but it would not be impossible. In fact, all organisations are responsible to deal with these issues at some point. Creativity will be seized to shape the development and cooperation between man and machine. However, humanity remains an undisputed factor. Unlike robots, people interact metaphorically and interactively. 2 Deploying Software Robots in Shared Services Centers

3 Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a software application that performs recurring, routine tasks, typically performed manually by the user in existing IT systems, business applications, websites, databases and social networks. This makes people creative and innovative. Fortunately, art, science, commerce, technology (including robots) are all shaped by the hands of humans. The emergence and use of software robots will, therefore, provide new opportunities for people and society as a whole. The future of workplaces will look significantly different. Although humans will play a predominant role in business, many manual tasks will come redundant as the will be executed by software robots. A robot can emulate the actions (key-strokes) of a human. Contrary to what is often assumed, robots do not take the form of a human, but they are able to perform serial recurring actions independently. Robots offer the following advantages: Robots work 24/7 at a consistent pace; Robots use algorithms to deliver highly accurate output; Information driven robots are efficient in supporting employees in standard administrative data and task processing; Robots are scalable and you can configure them entirely as needed even temporarily. Robots are cost effective for any budget as the period of payback will be instantly clear. COFORCE ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION Robotic Process Automation 3

4 Robots follow the set of standards Work performed by robots is transparent, standardised and retrievable. In addition, it complies with (legal) standards and conditions. The agility and scalability of robots can be found in the application of RPA software. Software-based robots are not depending on the availability of the IT department, they are a rewarding addition to the infrastructure. Robotic Process Automation has been built without having to be programmed. The composition of a robotic process can be created easily in a visual workflow diagram and will not interfere your existing current operational processes. The technology is flexible, works with your existing systems, and does not necessarily require adjustments to your current business process. For your non-technical employees, the RPA software is user-friendly which reduces training time. The qualitative value of Robotic Process Automation will result in increased operational quality. Consider areas where knowledge workers spend a lot of time gathering large amounts of data from different external sources e.g. IT systems, business and office applications to make the right decisions. Where it is costly, time-consuming or risky to customise or replace systems, the potential is to deploy software robots. They can perform administrative tasks, so your employees can focus on consumer-oriented and interactive tasks. Where are robots being used? Decades ago, the vision was that services, including financial services, had to be organised, in such way that came closer to the consumer. The level of customer orientation and commitment to the fact that customer would benefit of this. The reorientation of customer-oriented processes has taken off since. The corporate culture, tone-of-voice, interactivity and collection of customer data has become well-known. 4 Deploying Software Robots in Shared Services Centers

5 Robotic Workforce It is, therefore, no surprise that another trend has emerged to what was once outsourced. It is currently on the agenda of many organisations. The disadvantages of the so-called offshoring can be captured by the use of software robots. They can retrieve administrative tasks in, for example, Shared Services Centers. But they can also assist in accountancy tasks, asset analyses, data management and reporting. Operational Excellence in Shared Services Centers In line with the objectives of Operational Excellence, Shared Services Centers are subject to continuous improvement. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) can contribute to making processes more transparent. Data processing by software robots is stored, provided with features and makes retrieval of information simple, even automatic. This ensures that processes are implemented according to companies guidelines or legislations. Shared Services Centers Offshoring With the establishment of Shared Services Centers, a trend towards offshoring was taken. Many business functions were centralised under the control of ICT resources. In addition, Shared Services Centers were also transferred to other parts in the world where labour was still relatively inexpensive. It also ensures that decision-making processes driven by data is possible. This makes Robotic Process Automation not an IT project, but also a Human Resource Management affair. As with the use of knowledge workers, a thorough introduction training is sufficient, where software robots being trained in the tasks they need to perform. Robots are instructed to perform specific tasks previously performed by your employees. The introduction of software robots can be done relatively quick and easy. It will reduce the total operation cost to a mere fraction of the previously outsourced labour. Offshoring has its downsides however, far-reaching legal regulation regarding data integrity and security, the cost of travel and patent issues (intellectual property), corporate and brand image, cultural differences, etc. made it that customer-oriented processes had to be brought home in order to comply with customer demand, levels of service delivery and operations. COFORCE ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION Robotic Process Automation 5

6 Coforce is the Dutch Robotic Process Automation specialist who supports multinationals and national companies and institutions with knowledge and guidance in its transition to new and efficiently automated forms of cooperation between people, processes and technical systems. Coforce Oortlaan WD Ede The Netherlands +31 (0) contact@coforce.nl