Organizations are increasingly investing in technologies like robotic process automation—RPA— and low-code to automate workflows, and replace manual, error-prone tasks. In this blog, we’ll explore a few examples of organizations that are using a combo of RPA and low-code to turn themselves into smarter, more efficient workplaces.
Table of contents:
- Common RPA Use Cases
- A Faster Way to Implement RPA: OutSystems and UiPath
- RPA Examples with Low-Code
- Accelerate Your Automation Strategy
Common RPA Use Cases
Large enterprises today use more than 170 different applications on average. Many of these applications may work well on their own, but they don’t necessarily play well with others. As a result, employees spend far too much of their time bridging the gap: moving information between multiple systems, for instance, and ensuring the consistency of that data.
Enterprises can address this problem by adding an automation layer in their application stack. With RPA, bots mimic human interactions with applications, systems, and software with high predictability and speed.
Common RPA use cases include using bots to:
- Perform time-consuming actions of logging into applications
- Moving files and folders
- Copying and pasting data
- Filling out forms
- Extracting structured and semi-structured data from documents
- Web scraping
— Just as a human would.
This frees employees from manual, repetitive tasks that may not add much value but take up a lot of time. It also frees the organization to reimagine processes built on a new foundation of automation.
Driven by this strong need to automate processes in the midst of digital transformation, the market for RPA is expected to reach $2.9 billion this year, an increase of nearly 20 percent from 2021, according to Gartner. Already, more than half of large enterprises today have four or more simultaneous automation initiatives — a number that is only expected to rise.
A Faster Way to Implement RPA: OutSystems and UiPath
In response to this strong demand, we recently announced a partnership with the leader in RPA — UiPath — to help customers execute a more connected automation strategy and realize greater efficiency gains. The partnership integrates our respective technologies with new connectors that allow UiPath bots to be seamlessly managed from within OutSystems applications.
Now, our joint customers can securely and intelligently automate core business processes and applications while saving time, improving efficiency, and delivering better app experiences. It’s a best-of-breed approach that helps prevent vendor lock-in and maximizes ROI.
Here are four ways our integrated solutions enable smarter, more efficient workplaces:
- Optimize performance: Automate processes end-to-end across departments and systems of record.
- Accelerate operational efficiency, productivity, and ROI: Reduce development times and rapidly deliver composite apps with easy-to-use design interfaces and native integrations.
- Easily incorporate advanced tech: Integrate AI and ML into business processes to automate document understanding, image analysis, language analysis, and comprehension.
- Reduce errors and speed up quality checks: Enrich app testing with enterprise-grade RPA and automate manual application testing.
RPA Examples with Low-Code
Let’s take a look at how two organizations are already realizing the benefits of RPA and low-code for extending legacy systems, orchestrating cross-functional business processes, incorporating predictive models, and implementing customer, vendor, and partner portals.
RPA Example 1: Redington Gulf: Reduced Data Input Time by One Third
Like many businesses, Redington Gulf relies on SAP to unify its core business functions on a single platform. Despite the advantages, the Dubai-based multibillion-dollar IT distributor found that hard-to-change packaged software led to several laborious manual processes, but customizing their SAP software cost too much time and too many resources. As their needs evolved and business scaled, giving users access to the information they required was becoming a struggle.
One example is the company’s rebate management program, which allows distributors to earn rebates for selling specific products to qualifying customers. Redington relied on a team of 11 full-time employees — and error-prone manual data entry — to keep track of the many programs and changing rebates active at any given time. The organization wanted to modernize this complex manual approach, but it had no fast or cost-effective way to change its core systems.
Instead, they decided to build around them. Using low-code, they created an RPA-assisted app to transform the process — reaching first adoption in just three weeks (versus eight weeks using traditional tools).
Now, RPA bots with optical character recognition capabilities read documents like emails and PDFs and automatically enter select data into Excel sheets. Then, the app built with OutSystems takes care of the business logic, validating the data and presenting it through a modern, mobile-friendly UI.
The result is a major gain in efficiency — reducing the time employees spend on data input by a third. The app has also transformed data accuracy, empowering Redington to quickly see and resolve any discrepancies between its records and its manufacturers’.
At the same time, Redington has boosted operational transparency. For example, through its integration with SAP, the app can alert the business team if they’re about to sell more units than a rebate program allows, preventing a loss-making sale before it happens.
You can read the full case study here.
RPA Example 2: Tysers: Gained 400 Hours per Week in Efficiency Savings
Tysers — a leading, independent Lloyd’s of London insurance broker — was looking for ways to bridge gaps within its legacy systems, specifically those that lacked modern APIs. With multiple specialist teams — many of which came from earlier acquisitions — Tysers needed to digitally transform and scale more economically.
With OutSystems, Tysers’ development team launched a new cross-functional, cloud-based platform designed to consolidate processes and automate the end-to-end life cycles of their policies. This includes a modern front end, integration to core insurance systems, and the use of RPA from UiPath to unobtrusively bridge gaps where Tysers’ legacy systems lacked APIs.
Now with its back- and front-office functions seamlessly linked, Tysers’ clients benefit from a more efficient, accurate, and faster service. The average time to resolve customer queries has fallen 60 percent — from fifteen days to six.
At the same time, Tysers’ employees benefit from a modernized, easy-to-use front end, and they no longer need to use slow and cumbersome legacy software. RPA has removed multiple manual steps, making work easier and more productive — saving 200 staff a total of 400 hours per week through streamlined processes.
You can read the full case study here.
Accelerate Your Automation Strategy
More and more, automation is a top priority for many organizations wanting smarter, more efficient workplaces. But enterprise leaders need to automate the right way, ensuring that automation investments fully deliver on their potential to accelerate innovation and drive value.
Backed by Magic Quadrant-leading technology in RPA and enterprise low-code, UiPath and OutSystems help organizations adopt a more connected automation strategy.
To learn more about the partnership visit the OutSystems and UiPath partnership page. Or check out our Intelligent Automation solution page to learn more about how you can securely and intelligently automate core business processes and applications while saving time, improving efficiency, and delivering better app experiences.
