The Past, Present, and Future of RPA

10 years ago, working with one of the original RPA vendors, Phil Fersht, the CEO and Chief Analyst of HFS Research, helped to coin the term Robotic Process Automation (RPA). I sat down with him to discuss the state of the industry and what the future of RPA is shaping out to be.

Watch the whole interview here, or catch a few of the highlights below 👇🏻

Automation's Past, Present, and Future: 10 Years of RPA

3 Automation Trends: The Future of RPA

Phil shares a few areas of evolution he has seen over the last 10 years and what organizations must look for when they embark on a project.

1. Driving Revenue > Number of Bots Running

Companies no longer see having a certain number of bots in production as a “success”. Instead, they are looking to automation to help them drive revenue or fill substantial gaps within their process. It is no longer enough to just save costs on back-office operations.

2. Recognized Outcomes > Headcount Reduction

For years, there was a belief that the ROI for automation would come from headcount reduction. While being able to grow without adding additional headcount, the goal is no longer tied to using bots instead of people. Organizations want to see automation help them reach new heights with productivity and integration, and recognizing these outcomes is the goal.

3. Business Strategy > Simply Automating

Phil shares that organizations realize they need a clear vision and business strategy established before automating. Automation is a tool, or as Phil states, a discipline, that can help organizations execute on their business strategy, but it is not a silver bullet.

What to Consider as Automation Evolves:

Phil says organizations should focus their future efforts on:

Data Management: Build processes to provide pertinent data needed to drive decision-making and give you the customer insights you need to improve your product offering and customers’ experience.

Cloud Migration: Your processes MUST be in the cloud sooner rather than later. If you want to take advantage of the new capabilities within the automation industry, being a cloud-native solution will make an impact!

Change Management: Don’t forget about your people! You need to manage the change associated with any technology implemented. If you don’t, you will not see adoption.

Learn more about Change Management and how it can increase your ROI on automation projects.

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