Tag: robotic process automation

I Can’t Get No Satisfaction – The CSAT View of RPA in BPS Contracts | Sherpas in Blue Shirts

Everest Group’s latest research shows that while there is growing adoption of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) within Business Process Services (BPS) contracts, customer satisfaction (CSAT) with service providers’ is distinctly average at 3.6 out of 5. Service providers need to do more to achieve better CSATs.

Everest Group’s research titled Business Process Services Delivery Automation (BPSDA) – Service Provider Landscape with PEAK Matrix™ Assessment 2017, which assesses the automation capabilities of leading service providers, shows that the number of automation proofs of concept run by service providers for their BPS clients has on average quadrupled in one year. Furthermore, the number of BPS contracts with automation has gone above 1,000. Yet, the scale of deployments is small; the average number of robots deployed per BPS client hovers at just below 10.

Unsurprisingly, at 85%, the vast majority of deployments are robotic process automation as opposed to automation based on Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The other finding from the report, based on interviews with reference clients of the service providers shows that CSAT with service providers automation services is fair to middling. The average overall score was 3.6 out of 5. Clients rated the need for RPA skills very highly with service providers achieving 3.9 for their RPA related services. The scores were dragged down by the CSAT for AI capabilities that scored only 3.1.

The kind of issues that the reference clients reported were mainly related to the immaturity of RPA in the global services market and the skills for deploying it. Examples of feedback include:

  • It feels like they used us as a training arena for some of their staff
  • They (the BPS provider) should communicate opportunities better. It feels like they were late to bring this to us
  • They took a long time to learn how to code in xyz RPA software. It took a long time to integrate the RPA with our systems
  • The service provider should have done more due diligence on the RPA technology vendor
  • Change management and governance need improving

What can we expect with Robotic Process Automation?

Some of this dissatisfaction is a result of the hype in the market about the ease of robotic process automation deployments and rapid returns on investment. Clients have high expectations from all RPA projects, and this is showing in projects that they deploy for themselves or through system integrators as well.

The good news is that service providers continue to invest in automation. On average, 60% of service providers’ technology staff are working on automation products, solutioning and related services. This will enhance their skills and capabilities in SDA technologies, both RPA and AI.

We expect to see skills grow alongside the market in the coming months. We’ll be watching this space closely to provide our clients with updates over the year.

RPA Implemented! But Where are The Benefits You Were Promised? | Sherpas in Blue Shirts

Consider this situation: the head of operations for the finance function at a leading insurance company had heard from both his BPO provider and several technology companies claims of robotic process automation’s (RPA) ability to deliver significant operational efficiencies and cost savings. He decided to take the plunge, obtained leadership buy in, made elaborate RPA implementation plans, set the investment rolling, and finally directed his team to implement RPA across the function in all geographies. A year after deployment, he was still struggling to see significant evidence of the promised benefits. Have you heard stories like this before? Perhaps experienced it in your own organization? Unfortunately, it’s all too common. Various factors contribute to the glaring gap between expectations and reality. They can be broadly categorized as follows:

  • Process – This includes lack of process standardization and an improper process viability study for automation. For example, process-specific differences due to delivery location-specific nuances require greater RPA tool customization. This drives costs higher, and can significantly impact the automation ROI and expected benefits.
  • Delivery – This includes factors such as service placement across locations that can affect the automation levels in a process. For example, if FTEs are fragmented across different locations, they cannot be released because of minimum FTE requirements to service those locations.
  • Governance – Similar to any major transformation initiative, success with RPA depends upon various governance specific factors like buy in from IT, organization alignment, etc. For example, we have seen IT departments causing considerable delays in providing the prerequisite security clearances for RPA environment setup and deployment.

Automation assessment, or lack thereof, is the most critical factor

The paramount contributing factor to a successful – or unsuccessful – implementation of an automation project in your enterprise is automation discovery, i.e., the assessment of automation potential in your organization’s unique environment. In all too many cases, BPO or RPA tool providers look first just at process viability, e.g., if the process consists of rules-based, rather than judgment-based, activities, and then base their assessment on experiences with other clients or on a pure numeric automation benchmarking exercise provided by an analyst firm. However, mere replication of the same RPA tool across a similar process will not necessarily deliver similar automation benefits.

Our recommendations for enterprise buyers on how to help optimize their RPA investments and achieve the potential ROI include:

  • Make sure your RPA vendor or BPO service provider addresses topics specific to your particular environment, including an assessment of impact of a fragmented technology landscape, regional language-specific nuances to be considered, etc.
  • Obtain a robust automation benefits benchmark mapped to your organization’s context, and safeguard yourself, if possible, with contractual obligations
  • Set the right expectations with internal stakeholders on potential benefits

Our primary recommendation for service providers looking to satisfy their clients’ expectations is to leverage a comprehensive automation benefit benchmarking model that is based on benefits delivered and the underlying context of RPA delivery. This will help them not only better estimate but also realize the potential benefits on their clients’ behalf. Service providers that correctly estimate, communicate, and deliver these benefits consistently will ultimately have more RPA success stories to tell.

Do you work for an enterprise or service provider that has implemented RPA? If so, our readers would love to hear about your automation journey experience, and if/how you were able to achieve the intended benefits!

Building a Business Case for Offshore Robotic Process Automation | In the News

The current rise of robotic process automation (RPA) presents an opportunity for IT organizations to wring more benefits from their offshore delivery centers. The rapidly advancing technology that is used to automate rules-based and repetitive tasks with limited or no human involvement is growing in popularity among the captive center set, says Sarah Burnett, vice president of research with outsourcing research firm and consultancy Everest Group. RPA offers a number of benefits: incremental cost savings over traditional offshore delivery; improved service delivery in the form of process quality, speed, governance, security and continuity; relatively shorter investment recovery periods; and a general ease of implementation.

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