Thinking of investing in automation for your enterprise? You’re not alone. Experts expect total investments in RPA to reach $17.8 billion by 2028 compared to only $2.1 billion at the end of 2021. Largely, this is due to recent developments in RPA, creating offers that are almost too good to be true for companies of all sizes and industries. 



However, before jumping into such an investment, let’s ensure it’s worthwhile for your enterprise. Here are a few questions to answer before investing in RPA.

RPA Definition

Robotic process automation (RPA) is any fully or partially automated process used to increase efficiency in the workplace. 

While your mind may go to robotic arms building cars, RPA isn’t limited to factory operations. You’ve undoubtedly seen countless digital examples of RPA in action, whether it’s robotic call centers, order processing, automated emails, or any other automated business process. If you think that’s right for you, here are some questions to ask yourself.

1. Do These Processes Really Need Automation?

Let’s say you only have a few customers a week and your digital processes don’t take up much time for you or your employees. For example, if you’re running a small clock repair business that’s just you and a couple of part-time employees, then you probably don’t need to worry about automating your processes.

However, if you have several full-time employees and a moderate customer base, you may not realize how many inefficiencies are wasting time and resources within your enterprise. In this case, try to identify the most wasteful processes that can benefit from automation before choosing a solution.

2. Which Processes Need Automation?

The right automation solutions should reduce turnaround times, increase efficiency, and improve accuracy. When determining which processes could benefit most from automation, there are a few key questions to ask for each process, including:

• Which processes have the most errors?
• Where do my employees spend most of their time?
• What do my customers or clients complain about the most?
• Which tasks are the most repetitive or tedious?

If you don’t currently have answers to these questions, ask for feedback from employees and customers. Surveys can offer a lot of insight into pain points for workers and along the customer journey.

For example, a common solution for customers can range from automated password reset emails to chatbots on your website. For in-house performance, common examples include business analytics or financial tracking.

3. Which Processes Will Still Require Human Intervention?

Automation can benefit nearly every digital process to some extent. However, it’s important to know ahead of time how much human assistance is needed for each system. Some processes can be fully automated, but some will still require intervention to operate properly.

For the latter, make sure you delegate tasks appropriately and have the right talent on your team if you plan to explore automation solutions. 

Remember, automation doesn’t have to replace employees but rather work with them. Believe it or not, 89% of full-time workers say that automation improves their job satisfaction. Also, you’ll still need employees to manage your RPA.

4. What Talent Is Needed For RPA?

If you need to hire full-time software engineers to maintain your RPA, you may as well not invest in any automation, as skilled software engineers and data scientists require six-figure salaries and large benefits packages.

Therefore, it’s important to choose a user-friendly, low-code system that can cover your needs. This way, your in-house talent will be enough to maintain your automation after only a few days of training.

5. Which Tools Are Right For My Needs?

One of the key reasons companies automate their processes is to save money, so don’t overpay for your automation solutions. To save money, purchase an automation solution that performs as many processes as possible. The more you bundle, the more you save.

Otherwise, you may have to pay for software that covers each individual process, along with the administrative and overhead costs associated with each. Choosing a BPMS engine with the right features for your business will maximize your return on investment.

Choose the Right RPA For Your Business

Choosing the right automation for your business can save you money, increase efficiency throughout your enterprise, and improve the experience for all of your stakeholders. When it comes to delegating tasks to the appropriate users, user-friendly designing, and integrating your processes throughout a multi-platform workflow, you can’t beat FlowWright’s low-code workflow automation. It can help you optimize your entire workflow for the best results at the lowest price point.

Keep reading our blog for our latest business tips, and check out our pricing to see how much you can save on your digital processes!