Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has become a household name in the tech space. It is one technology that got a thrust in the forward direction due to the pandemic.
When the pandemic chased everyone indoors and forced organizations to work with a minimal workforce, it created an acute demand for automation.
RPA with its ability to perform high-volume repetitive and process-based transactions with ease was an obvious choice.
As we glide past the mid of 2022, we can’t help but take a pause and introspect as to how this technology will characterize the near future.
- What RPA trends will catch on?
- How will organizations capture value with RPA?
- Will there be traction amidst small and medium players?
These are some questions that we are trying to answer by observing the trends that are catching up in the RPA space.
Let’s dive into the heart of the matter to learn more.
Key RPA Trends that will Characterize Automation in 2022 and Beyond
- RPA will become a mandate for CIOs
- Intelligent automation for cognitive tasks
- The emergence of CoEs for RPA
- The rise of low-code platforms
- Semantic automation to make RPA bots more capable
- Non-tech industries will increase RPA adoption
- SMBs will increase RPA adoption
- Upskilling of non-tech employees in RPA tasks
1. RPA will Become a Mandate for CIOs
In any organization where digital initiatives are being fast-forwarded, the CIO is entrusted with the responsibility of improving IT performance.
The list of responsibilities also includes identifying the latest technologies and tools that the organization can embrace to become a digital leader.
That makes RPA implementation a mandate for most CIOs.
According to Deloitte’s Global RPA Survey, 53% of respondents have already started their RPA journey. This is expected to increase to 72% in the next two years.
This is sufficient proof that RPA will become a mandate for CIOs keen on digital transformation.
2. Intelligent Automation for Cognitive Tasks
Even basic spreadsheet programs allow users to set up automation at a basic level.
However, the need of the house is intelligent automation that will reduce cognitive labor and workload for human workers.
Case in point: Intelligent automation, which is a product of RPA and AI working together.
It will allow organizations to offload a significant part of cognitive tasks that would otherwise demand excessive interference from human workers.
With intelligent automation driven by RPA workflows, they can achieve significant productivity with negligible errors and downtimes.
3. The Emergence of CoEs for RPA
A CoE or a Center of Excellence is the central group in any organization that is entrusted to act as the pioneers of that particular technology or process.
RPA CoEs will act as think tanks that will recommend best practices, areas where RPA can be implemented for maximizing gains, establish a governing model to ensure that processes are complying with internal processes and external compliance requirements, etc.
The CoE is also responsible for providing training and support within the organization.
In short, they reduce the friction between end-users and the RPA experts.
Due to their ability in maximizing RPA adoption, CoE will emerge in popularity and presence in the coming days.
4. The Rise of Low-code Platforms
A low-code platform enables users and organizations to build apps and systems with minimal coding.
There are even platforms that offer drag-and-drop applications that spare users from the need to do any coding at all.
At the heart of such low-code platforms is RPA. They take the form of workflows that can be triggered with a drag-n-drop action.
The end result will be a drastic reduction in effort for developers and non-tech users.
5. Semantic Automation to Make RPA bots More Capable
The word semantic means adding a meaning to a language or logic. Semantic automation implies adding semantic understanding to programming language.
By incorporating semantic automation, RPA bots will become capable of understanding processes and make internal adjustments within the program to complete the workflow in a faster and efficient manner.
In other words, this would be continuous improvement and optimization of the workflow by the RPA to efficiently achieve the end result.
6. Non-tech Industries will Increase RPA Adoption
Until recently, the common understanding was that RPA is applicable only for limited industries, especially those in the IT and high-tech space.
However, this is far from the truth. RPA can be equally leveraged by other industry verticals where rules-based processes and workflows are commonplace.
Across all non-tech industries like human resource, capital markets, finance, insurance, eCommerce, etc RPA can be used to automate functions like supply chain management, customer support, payroll processing, inventory management, accounts receivable management, etc.
Further, RPA adoption is all set to increase in these non-tech industries in the years to come.
The graph below from Automation Anywhere’s Now and Next RPA report shows hope that industry-wide RPA adoption will fare in the near future.
7. SMBs will Increase RPA Adoption
Compared to enterprises, mid-market and SMB categories represent the highest adoption of RPA adoption. Following are the RPA adoption rates according to Acceleration Economy:
- Mid-Market: $10M-$1B at 48.7%
- Small & Medium Business: less than $10M at 34.42%
- Large Enterprise: greater than $1B at 16.88%
It is also expected that RPA adoption will increase tremendously in the coming years in the SMB and Mid-market space.
The fall in commodity software, easy access to automation software, and the global push towards automation are the factors that have made RPA accessible and affordable for SMBs and mid-market businesses.
8. Upskilling of Non-tech Employees in RPA Tasks
Across all industries, organizations are facing the challenge of upskilling their workforce to become capable of using and handling RPA applications.
If an organization’s workforce can be upskilled to become digital workers, they can act as intermediaries between RPA workflows and human task requirements thus augmenting organizational productivity and efficiency.
Business leaders have identified the need for this and are willing to invest in upskilling their workforce’s RPA capabilities. In fact, a recent study by UiPath found that 86% of employees around the globe demand new skills training from their employers.
The Information Age will Mature with the Rise of RPA
We are currently living in the information age where algorithms and applications think faster and better than human brains.
However, they are no replacement for the cognitive and creative thinking capabilities of humans. RPA strikes a fine balance between automation and human capabilities.
It follows a rules-based approach and ensures that the errors that usually creep in under a human-led process are avoided and accuracy is maintained.
The several benefits that RPA provides have also resulted in a steep increase in its adoption.
There are still more happenings in the making that are indicated by the trends discussed above.
Needless to say, we can be certain that the information age will mature and transcend into the next level of capabilities with the rise of RPA.
Are You Looking to Automate Your Business Processes?
Are you looking to automate your HR, accounting, invoice, or revenue generation processes?
Perfomatix can help as we have the capability to automate your business processes with our customizable RPA solutions.
You can get in touch with our RPA experts to setup a meeting.
