Software Robots and Artificial Intelligence are a topic that concerns us all, as press releases and social media discussions are becoming more and more common. It is the case, however, to uncover the SF stories and return to reality. Software robots copy the way people work on a computer and manage to perform faster and more accurately repetitive tasks. This post is the first in a series to learn: How does a company benefit from RPA technology and what workflows can become automated and intelligent.
One of the most specific scenarios is the introduction of courier revenue in an ERP system, SAP Business One, for example.
What is the current workflow?
Company with online store and cash payment at delivery. Customer invoices are collected by the courier at the time of delivery, it transfers the collected money and sends a border (often an Excel file) with the proceeds from a certain period, region etc. In the next step, one or more users have to manually enter the receipts in the ERP system after each customer identification and payment details. In peak times (holidays, BlackFriday, discount campaigns etc.), the workload is very high. Disadvantages: locked human resources, high costs, frequent errors, duration, scalability.
What changes do we bring by going to RPA?
The software robot will act similarly to a human user, from logging into the application until the end of the task. Basically, it will open the SAP Business One Banking module, browse each Excel spreadsheet, look for each client in the database, and enter the revenue or any desired or needed information. It will repeat the operation for all entries in the list without a break regardless of the size of the source file. Finally, it closes the application, the excel file, and optionally can send notifications with the end of the task. The tests performed showed us that about 25 clicks for an entry are required for such an operation. As time, this means about 2 minutes with human operator and 20 seconds with a software robot implemented by System Innovation Romania on UiPath technology. Here's how the robot is six times faster and the risk of error is zero.
To better understand this process, you can watch the video here.
Benefits:
- Employees are not involved;
- Availability 24/7;
- The time required is reduced from minutes to seconds;
- Transcription / copy errors disappear;
- The process can be resumed at any time without a break or program.
The conclusion?
The software robot is based on a logical scheme and will interact with the ERP system according to an employee's work pattern. The robot will learn the sequence of operations and will execute everything much more quickly and without error. The principle can apply to a very broad category of tasks. Modern RPA technology does not exclude the use of an ERP system but complements it, bringing together greater value in terms of efficiency and productivity.
