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With the use of automation technologies, we've come a long way in streamlining our operations and business processes. Companies are gaining their process independence now more than ever due to an increased emphasis on intelligent information management (IIM) practices and the drive to digitalize their core processes across the enterprise.
According to a recent AIIM Industry Watch survey titled “Digitalizing Core Business Processes,” process automation was seen as a “must do” according to 75% of those polled, making it more of a business requirement than a “nice to have” component. One of the key technologies fueling this transformation is robotic process automation (RPA). This same report reveals that 40% of respondents see RPA as a strategic advantage for the future. In fact, RPA is already in use by 20% of the organizations polled, and 32% report that they are currently talking to vendors or actively researching RPA for their organizations.
"This same report reveals that 40% of respondents see RPA as a strategic advantage for the future."
In My View
Process independence is quickly becoming a reality for organizations, as many embrace RPA technologies. There are immediate opportunities to improve and automate those processes that are still often manual or somewhat managed, like records and document management, case management, reviews and approvals, and on-boarding.When approaching your automation efforts, it’s important to remember to align RPA with your business goals, focusing on targeted objectives that support the corporate vision, and operational requirements, such as regulatory compliance.
If you’re considering RPA because it’s the latest technology rage, think again. On the other hand, if you’re looking at RPA as a way to enhance your operations, transform your manual processes (and even take some “automated” processes to a new level), enhance the customer experience, and support your corporate goals, you’re on the right path to gaining your process independence.
Bob Larrivee is Vice President and Chief Analyst of Market Intelligence at AIIM and an internationally recognized subject matter expert and thought leader with over 30 years of experience in the fields of information and process management. Follow him on Twitter @BobLarrivee.
