1. What is the minimum robotic potential to start robotization?
Answer: It is worth planning to start robotization when the processes transferred to automation reach the level of at least 2 FTE. Of course, robots can be built, even if the potential is less, but in this case the benefits will seldom outweigh the costs of creating and maintaining robots.
2. How long do I have to wait for the return on investment?
Answer: In the robot-as-a-service model, the return on investment is immediate. There are no upfront costs and the robot is paid based on the amount of work done. In the classic model, where you pay for infrastructure, licenses and implementation even for the most labor-intensive processes, the return takes place after a few or even several months.
3. What is ROI in robotization and how to calculate this indicator?
Answer: ROI is called return on investment. This means that at the beginning we should estimate all expenses related to robotization, i.e. infrastructure, licenses, development and maintenance costs of the robot. We compare this value to our profits, which is the value of the work done by the robot. The cost of employing an employee should be taken into account here, along with all wage and non-wage elements of remuneration, as well as the cost of infrastructure necessary for the work. The more complex models also take into account the risk of human error.
4. What is the importance of maintenance when choosing an offer?
Answer: Each change of the process path or software interface requires a bot modification. In many cases, it is a separate service additionally priced by the implementation company. It should be remembered that even a well-programmed bot requires monitoring, maintenance and changes. Therefore, maintenance is crucial when creating a budget for Digital Teammates.
5. Who should initiate robotization in the organization – business or IT?
Answer: Robotization in the company can be initiated by both a business and technical employee. It will be necessary to express cooperation and involvement in the project. The robot will work well in the front office of the company, but also in the back office. It can support departments from various industries and automate repetitive tasks.
6. Who should run robotization in the organization?
Answer: We differentiate the person responsible for robotization in the organization depending on the choice of the business process automation model. If the company independently implements the robots using its own Competence Center, then the responsibility center is also located there. In the service model, the business owner of the process is most often responsible for carrying out robotization.
7. How to involve employees in robotization?
Answer: An important factor is sharing knowledge about the automation of business processes with employees. By understanding what automation is and what is the purpose of the analysis, it will be easier for them to explain the supported processes and get involved in robotization processes in the enterprise. Robots are to facilitate work by freeing employees’ time for activities that require their expertise.
8. How to prepare for the robotic potential analysis?
Answer: Robotics potential analysis is one of the first steps towards process automation. Before Robo Shepherds start creating robots, analysts first need to evaluate which processes can be automated. The basic information that analysts need to assess the potential and should be prepared in advance is: the method of logging in to the application, the course of the process, the applications used, the processed volume and the frequency of processing activities.
9. Should the robot handle exceptions?
Answer: The robot can handle exceptions. During the implementation of a robotization project in the enterprise, it should be determined whether and when the Digital Teammate should deal with the exceptions. Keep in mind that programming robots to handle exceptions can often turn out to be simply unprofitable.
10. When to recognize that a given path is not an exception and should be robotized?
Answer: Evaluating the automated path and considering it as an exception or not belonging to the process owner. There are no minimum values that could be considered appropriate to start robotizing the path. If a given exception occurs frequently, and planning its automation will not be time-consuming and labor-intensive, you can try to robotize it.
11. What should be the minimum number of invoices per month to be worth roboting?
Answer: Automating the invoice process is usually one of the first tasks given to Digital Teammates. This task is usually not the most complex and can be automated quickly. There are no minimum amounts that can be considered the limit of effective robotization. It all depends on how many people are responsible for a given process and how much time they spend on the task.
12. What aspects to consider when choosing a robotic platform?
Answer: When choosing the right robotic platform, pay attention to: user-friendly interface, the possibility of design based on a block diagram, low entry threshold in relation to competing solutions, flexible model of integration with applications, supported programming languages, conflict control systems.
