Sometimes we think that the idea of robots are still so far away in the future when the truth is it is already the present of year 2016. It became a reality in countries who have resources and intelligence to develop and build a colony. The creation of Robotic Processing Automation is now the reality.

In the BPO industry, one of the most talked about topics is Robotic Processing Automation (RPA) wherein robots are programmed to execute repetitive tasks. RPA is a new way of doing business and with the results it has produced so far, BPO employees fear for the day when robots will replace them. That is just one way of looking at it. Another perspective is that, when RPA takes over the bulk and repetitive tasks in business management, the agents in BPO companies will be trained for higher positions and easier work.

Benefits of RPA

According to the Institute for Robotic Process Automation, using RPA can reduce costs by up to 50 percent with a guarantee of a flawless job when it comes to encoding names and number where humans, however, make 10% errors.

Filling in robots for some full-time employees could start with very simple repetitive tasks. As it goes along, company owners can choose to improve the complexity of the tasks it takes. Through proper research and development, companies all around the world can further improve quality and credibility.

According to Mihai Badita, senior business analyst at UiPAth said that “…it (robots) can be up to 100 times faster than a human”. UiPAth is an RPA software.

The future of RPA

Experts say that only 50-60% of tasks can be automated. The remaining 50-40% will still need the human hands. Therefore, RPA can just make the work easier but not completely get the job done without proper supervision and maintenance.

It changes the dynamics of the BPO industry in so many ways. Surely, manpower will be cut down. Perhaps only the well-trained employees will be absorbed if and when RPA will be used across the whole world. And although, the costs is said to lessen 50%, I think that the same budget will be compensated in the efforts to build research teams and engineering teams to manage the robots. Now that the natural human capacity won’t be the working force anymore, robots will have to be maintained efficient and ready for work.

Production might also increase so there will a need to mass produce more robots for the job.

This starts a new era in business. There would be less interaction but leaning more on the accuracy and efficiency of the task at hand. Time can only tell whether how good or how bad RPA can do to the business.