Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is the use of technology based on either software robots (bots) or artificial intelligence (AI) to emulate the actions of a human interacting with a computer to perform business functions.

Using RPA tools, companies can develop or configure a robot or team of robots to interact with any application or system the same way a human would. These robots can launch and log into applications, input data into spreadsheets, perform calculations, copy and paste data, send or receive emails, navigate websites, and perform many other types of interactions.

There are many benefits for deploying RPA in your business such as an increase in productivity through the use of a non-stop, around the clock robot, greater accuracy than a human counterpart, and a reduction of operating costs for the company.

RPA can be used to automate tedious, repetitive tasks, freeing corporate workers to focus on higher value work. Robots can be deployed to perform basic tasks all the way to performing complete end to end solutions. There are two main types of robots, Attended and Unattended:

• Attended Robot: An automation that runs under human supervision on a worker’s computer to assist in aiding the worker with cumbersome or repetitive processes. Attended robots are very useful for smaller tasks, as the user still has control of the computer.
  
  
• Unattended Robot: An automation that runs with no human interaction and on a computer with no user logged in. Unattended robots are very useful for larger, more complex tasks as well as performing end to end processes.

RPA can also be used to bridge the gap between legacy software used by the company and modern applications. Robotic Process Automation can be used to link these applications by orchestrating the data flow between them.

A driving force behind companies’ engagement in RPA is the low barrier of entry. There is a minimal amount of coding or programming experience required to develop Robotic Process Automations, therefore any worker at a company is able to learn and utilize these great tools.