12 Things to Know About Business Process Outsourcing

RPA in Practice – What I Wish I Had Known Beforehand

5 years ago

#1 Robotic Process Automation – Why?

The first question with any change process or innovation should always be: “Why?” For Robotic Process Automation (RPA), this question can be justified by the steadily increasing growth in data or data exchange. A possible analogy can be the switch from the typewriter to the PC. Of course, theoretically, you could still write all invoices by typewriter today, but it is certainly not practical.

The introduction of RPA into business processes has the potential to become such a “must”. The trick is to ideally belong to the “early majority” directly after the so-called “early adopters” in order to be able to use competitive advantages instead of running behind.

#2 Software robots in accounting – What work can I give (my) robot at all?

After the initial hurdle has been cleared and you are determined to tackle the topic, the 2nd question is “What can I give (my) robot in terms of work at all?” Experience has shown that the answer from the departments is “nothing, our processes are too complicated”. Sometimes there is still the fear that the robot will replace human workers. At this point, one can already begin to appease and explain that it is about relief and not dismissal. From now on, you can continue in at least 2 ways:

I start looking in areas where RPA has proven to be useful in cross-section, e.g. in reporting or in the internal control system (ICS). These areas are suitable because many data sources are often involved and/or comparable activities have to be carried out again and again. Alternatively, you can search for “volume”, i.e. identify what or where in the company most business transactions are created. Because here, even partial automation of a small process can achieve major effects overall.

#3 RPA in implementation – Can I do it on my own or do I need a partner?

Now that the direction is clear and you can get to this point very well on your own, the next question is: “Can I realize this on my own or do I need a partner?” The answer to this certainly depends very much on your current company structure. If IT is completely mapped in the company and good motivated specialists are available, one could certainly also look in laboratory tests to see whether one’s own know-how can be built up.

But if IT is running at a faster pace and there is already a large innovation or project backlog, you can’t really avoid a partner. Here there is the possibility of bringing a pure technology partner on board for the implementation or purchasing additional technical expertise. The latter has the charm of increasing acceptance in the specialist department, as it not only runs as a pure IT project in the company, but also means that contact persons are “at eye level” in the project.

#4 Hybrid of man and machine – Is everything automated and I don’t need humans anymore?

A question that is often asked and has already been opened above is usually “Is everything automated then and do I no longer need people?” The short answer to this is a clear “No” in 99% of all cases – the robot does not replace, but relieves.”

As part of the RPA introduction, a process recording is required and here it must be described very precisely what and how the robot has to do. Because in contrast to humans, at least at present, every possible decision still has to be defined. The larger or more complex the process or sub-process, the longer the introduction and the more error-prone the process.

Just like other technologies, e.g. digital invoice receipt with pre-entry of the receipt, the automation of sub-processes with RPA does not lead to a replacement of human work. Instead, the field of activity is shifting to special cases and control.

#5 Outsourcing & Automation of Finance and Accounting Tasks – What Does the Business Case Look Like?

The most difficult question of all, however, usually comes either from the controller, from the finance department or directly from the management. “What is the business case?”

Unfortunately, there is very often no simple answer here. It is rarely possible to calculate the efficiency gain directly with certainty. Especially if the pilot is in the area of reporting or ICS, because here a gain in efficiency usually does not have a positive effect on value creation.

One possibility can be to emotionally sell the pilot project as an investment in the future security of the company. An alternative to this, especially for fast-growing companies, would be to combine RPA implementation with exploration in outsourcing. On this path, digitization goes hand in hand with the outsourcing of unpleasant processes or the search for a partner who can help scale.

If you as a decision-maker in the company feel addressed by the questions and your interest has been aroused, get in touch and let’s talk about how we can implement RPA and/or outsourcing? for you, so you don’t miss the next leap into the future.

Image source: Pixabay, Photographer: Bruno DE LIMA