<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=127469634355496&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">
Let's Talk

Let's Talk

WTF is RPA?
Blog Feature Subscribe
Nicole Lindenbaum

By: Nicole Lindenbaum on April 19th, 2018

Print/Save as PDF

WTF is RPA?

HR Operational Efficiency

Est. Read Time: 3 min.

AI, natural language processing, machine learning, robotic process automation, blockchain…there is no shortage of exciting new technology trends. While it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement, it can be challenging for people who don’t work in the software industry to really understand these deeply technical concepts. For example, what does “robotic process automation” actually mean? And what can it do for HR?


What is Robotic Process Automation?

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) might seem really complex, but essentially, you can think of it as technology used to mimic human behavior. According to Gartner, “robotic process automation (RPA) tools perform "if, then, else" statements on structured data, typically using a combination of user interface (UI) interactions, or by connecting to APIs to drive client servers, mainframes or HTML code.”


Rocket blue and yellow against white

That’s a lot to digest if you’re not in technology…but it basically means that these tools automate repeatable tasks without the need for human intervention. RPA technology uses common user interfaces or APIs to interpret the interfaces of other systems and then deploys bots to take actions, such as processing a transaction, triggering a response or action, or manipulating data—essentially, mimicking the repeatable actions a human would typically perform in a software application.


Some companies look to RPA-specific vendors to help connect different systems in the organization, removing the manual data entry that might otherwise be required for communication between systems. However, most software vendors are starting to incorporate RPA technology into their own platforms, helping to increase efficiency and improve the connectedness between your software. This is added-value that your providers may include in their products.


What are the benefits of RPA?

Just think of all the times you manually perform the same task—data entry, or clicking a button, or generating documents. What if the systems could do this for you? How much time would you save?


By eliminating repetitive work, RPA enables you to complete processes faster. It also reduces potential risk for errors, like data typed incorrectly or a forgotten step in a process. RPA takes over the more boring, routine tasks, so you can actually focus on the important parts of your job.

RPA eliminates repetitive work (like data entry) so you can complete processes faster and focus on the important parts of your job.

How can RPA impact HR?

RPA has the potential to dramatically change how you manage HR processes today. Most organizations have complex HR technology stacks, using various systems for different HR transactions. Even with integration, these systems don’t always “talk” to each other as much as we might like. Using RPA, HR processes can be orchestrated across multiple systems, removing the manual steps you take today as you move between your software applications. By taking over these steps, RPA bots drive HR productivity and efficiency, and your HR Operations team can focus more on value-added activities.


This also means you can deliver HR services to employees much more efficiently and quickly. For example, when an employee requests a Verification of Employment letter, RPA could automatically generate this document for you—instead of you having to transfer all the employee data from your HRIS to a document template. Or, during the onboarding process, RPA could actually take action on your behalf in other systems, like submitting a ticket to your IT system to request a computer or account access. Speedier processes makes for happier, more satisfied employees, and a more productive HR operations team.


Just envision a world where you can rely on bots to lift some of that administrative burden, reduce risk of error, and help you provide services to employees faster. Not so scary, huh?

 

Find out how PeopleDoc Next, the innovation lab at PeopleDoc, is using new technologies to enhance HR Service Delivery: 
Read about PeopleDoc Next
Read about PeopleDoc Next

You May Also Be Interested In:

Agile HR vs. agile HR: More than a difference in capitalization

For a long time, the only people familiar with Agile with an uppercase “A” were software developers. But over the past few years, the Agile methodology has made quite the splash, redefining project management and HR processes across a wide variety of industries.    At a time when change happens fast and HR needs to be more nimble than ever before, Agile can provide a wealth of benefits to any company—but its design does require significant restructuring across teams.   Before determining whether Agile is right for your HR team, it’s vital to first understand what it is, what the key concepts behind it are, and how it will impact the daily lives of your employees.   

Read More

5 FAQs about design thinking in HR

By now, you’ve likely heard of the term “design thinking.” Organizations such as Apple, Coca-Cola, IBM, Nike, and Proctor & Gamble use design thinking and they have been found to outperform their peers by over 200%. To better understand the design thinking process and how HR can apply it, we turned to our partners at NGA Human Resources. Here’s what Emilie Fages, Design Thinking and Employee Experience Manager, and Patrick Gaspardo, Marketing Director for France, had to say in response to frequently asked questions about design thinking in HR:

Read More

Getting started with HR process mapping

It’s fair to worry that the moment you introduce the term “process mapping” into a meeting with your peers, you’ll see vacant stares, glazed eyes, and a glimmer of fear cross some faces. The idea of process design and mapping HR process workflows can be daunting, and most people are unfamiliar with how to get started. But it doesn’t need to be a scary exercise, and can be one of the most effective ways to get everyone on the same page around how a process works in HR—and how it could be better. 

Read More

About Nicole Lindenbaum

Nicole Lindenbaum is the Director of Product Marketing at PeopleDoc by Ultimate Software. Nicole leads the global messaging strategy for PeopleDoc by translating technology into business benefits HR can actually understand. With significant experience in HR technology, Nicole writes and speaks about HR service delivery, employee experience, digital transformation, and the future of work. Nicole holds a BFA from Syracuse University and an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.