what is robotic process automation rpa 
robotic process automation rpa occurs when basic tasks are automated through software or hardware systems that function across a variety of applications just as human workers do this can greatly reduce labor costs and increase efficiency by speeding things up and greatly minimizing human error the software or robot can be taught a workflow with multiple steps and applications such as taking received forms sending a receipt message checking the form for completeness filing the form in a folder and updating a spreadsheet with the name of the form the date filed and so on rpa software is designed to reduce the burden for employees of completing repetitive simple tasks understanding robotic process automationrobotic process automation rpa is designed to help primarily with office type functions that often require the ability to do several types of tasks in a specific order it creates and deploys a software robot with the ability to launch and operate other software in a sense the basic concept is similar to traditional manufacturing automation which focuses on taking one portion of a workflow or even just one task and creating a robot to specialize in doing it office work often requires the same sort of repetitive effort but since it is data being manipulated across platforms and applications a physical robot is not necessary while automation is often sought by companies to streamline processes and cut labor costs there have been some instances where automation has gone awry benefits of robotic process automation rpa the software used in process automation is programmed to do the tasks in a particular workflow by the employees with minimal assistance from human workers the software doesn t learn on its own or seek to tweak out new efficiencies or new insights like big data analysis or enterprise resource management erm software instead rpa works like a digital assistant for employees by clearing the onerous simple tasks that eat up part of every office worker s day as such rpa is a simpler product than an artificial intelligence driven system or enterprise software that seeks to bring all data inside the platform this also makes it a relatively cheaper product than ai or erm software this simplicity and relative cheapness can make rpa a more attractive solution for many companies particularly if the company has legacy systems robotic process automation is designed to be compatible with most legacy applications making it easier to implement compared to other enterprise automation solutions industry research suggests that the global rpa market will grow to nearly 600 billion in 2022 1