Among all the technologies that are currently trending, firms investing in digital transformation have mostly explored robotic process automation (RPA). However, many are disappointed when the expected return on investment fails to materialize. Indeed, RPA may not necessarily be the goose that lays the golden egg. We explore the reasons why this is so and what can be done about it.
For decades, evolving technologies have attracted massive investment. In many cases, the payoff has proven more than worthwhile in terms of competitiveness, impact and added value. RPA is not a new technology as its premise started in the late 90s, but recently, it has emerged as a buzzword in the context of digital transformation as it is frequently associated to new technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence or machine learning. From basic e-mail replies to more complex reconciliation processes, RPA refers to the automation of a process that was previously performed by humans, bringing benefits such as speed, accuracy or efficiency. But is it really all that simple?