Top 10 RPA Tools? What is RPA?

With the world becoming fast-paced with each passing day due to innumerable upcoming technologies, innovations, and procedures, businesses need to embrace newer inventions to stay ahead of their competitors. Due to this, Robotic Process Automation has been gaining momentum and will prove to be disruptive in future. There has to be something that drives this automation, and using RPA tools can be a path-breaking idea.

RPA is becoming the need of every business. With the pandemic hitting the globe in 2020, more companies have been implementing Robotic Process Automation (RPA), and it shows no signs of stopping in 2021. Organisations that were hesitant to adopt automation earlier are now turning their heads to using RPA tools to cope with the competition and become more resilient.

Gartner predicts the RPA software market to make a mark up to $2 billion this year, and expand at a doubled pace by 2024. By 2022, 90% of large organisations worldwide will be adopting RPA. This is because RPA projects improve process quality, speed, and productivity, which is prominent in meeting the cost reduction demands during COVID-19.

Forrester Consulting says that nearly 50% of organisations are looking to incorporate RPA for countering COVID challenges.

Hence, there is a lot of scope of growth in this area if you wish to become an RPA developer.

In this article, we will discuss the top RPA tools used for enhancing the convenience in the corporate tasks, along with the benefits of RPA. 

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Let us first start by knowing what RPA is.

What is RPA?

RPA is the acronym for Robotic Process Automation. It is artificial intelligence and machine learning-based technology that allows anyone to configure computer software, and integrate human actions interacting with digital systems to carry out business processes.

RPAs automate tasks at a fraction of the cost and time, as compared to traditional IT solutions, due to lesser manual intervention. The RPA robots utilise the user interface for capturing data and manipulating applications the way humans do with a set of defined instructions.

They interpret and trigger responses, and communicate with other systems to perform a variety of repetitive tasks with greater accuracy, higher volumes, and speed using RPA tools. RPA automation encourages creating bots by observing human digital actions.

RPA can automate mundane actions that were operable by humans once and can boost efficiency for organisations. As David Landreman, CPO of Olive opined:

“In layman’s terms, a software bot uses a combination of automation, computer vision, and machine learning to automate repetitive, high-volume tasks that are rule-based and trigger-driven in RPA.”

The Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technology automates voluminous and rules-based tasks and connects systems without modern APIs. RPA software robots can work 24x7x365, making employees free to work on valuable activities, breaking down data silos, and driving value from legacy systems.

In the next section, we will look at the top RPA tools that industries consistently employ and are the best software tools in the market.

Top 10 RPA Tools that Ease the Industry Tasks

Robotic Process Automation, or RPA Tools, are primarily used for task automation. We are drawing up a curated list of the top ten, handpicked software with features that make them popular. There are some free as well as paid RPA tools. 

1. UiPath

UiPath tops the list of the best RPA tools and is the leading automation tool in the market. It flawlessly enables robots to learn skills using AI and machine learning.

Features

• UiPath offers free and open training and brings digital skills to millions of people around the world.
• Improves business productivity and efficiency, employee engagement, and customer experience.
• UiPath’s RPA provides a full suite of capabilities enabling the organisation to scale digital business operations at an unleveled speed.
• The company has automated approximately half of the Fortune 500 companies.

Companies using UiPath: Accel, Capgemini, PWC, and Piramal

2. Automation Anywhere

Automation Anywhere is a global Robotic Process Automation (RPA) leader that offers the industry’s web and cloud-based intelligent automation platform.

Features

• It combines RPA, AI, ML, and analytics assisting organisations in scaling business process automation.
• Automation Anywhere bot store is the world’s largest marketplace, with more than 1,000 in-built automation solutions.
• It automates and distributes complex tasks to multiple computers without using a script.

Companies using Automation Anywhere: Aworks, KeyBank, GLT International

3. Blue Prism

Blue Prism is the global leader in enterprise intelligent automation. It helps business operations be agile and cost-effective using automated and rule-based, back-office processes.

Features

• Blue Prism is a free RPA Tool that automates business processes using provides a flow chart like drag and drop feature.
• Easy implementation.
• Robust analytics suite.

Companies using Blue Prism: Coca-cola, Shop Direct Group, Walgreens

4. Nice Systems

The NICE is a Virtual RPA tool that contains software robots that automate end-to-end processes in an unattended manner.

Features

• NICE houses a unique Automation Finder called NEVA for desktop process mining.
• NEVA empowers desktop Analytics and machine learning.
• It pinpoints the optimal business processes to automate with accuracy.

Companies using Nice Systems: American Airlines, GoDaddy, Siemens

5. Another Monday

Another Monday inhibits a complete automation ensemble that covers the automatic process analysis using its RPA tool. 

Features

• Split & Pull architecture for attaining optimum efficiency and scalability.
• Text recognition using OCR.
• Pulling tasks from the database offering task transparency. 

Companies using Another Monday: Exide technologies, Care.com Inc.

6. Kofax

Kofax is a virtual RPA application tool. It can process data from any website, application, or portal. It seamlessly integrates applications with the presentation, API, or database application stack layers.

Features

• Offers an intelligent tool for monitoring and process optimisation.
• Easily integrable with Kapow Katalyst Platform.
• It is faster and efficient.

Companies using Kofax: Allianz, Orange, Starbucks

7. Pega

The Pega Platform supports digital transformation by amalgamating artificial intelligence, intelligent automation, and customer engagement capabilities.

Features

• Offers a model-driven, unified approach to deliver an enterprise-grade, agile application with no coding.
• Provides cloud-based solutions or services only.
• Does not store any execution data in a database, but a memory with an event-driven approach.

Companies using Pega Systems: Accenture, oi, Cisco

8. Outsystems

OutSystems offers advanced enterprise mobile and web apps capabilities. It offers full-stack visual development in the business processes, logic, and data models.

Features

• Helps in creating complex apps using the latest AI/ML, IoT, and microservices technologies.
• Offers an extendable platform.
• Offers a DevOps-ready environment for production.

Companies using Outsystems: Atos, Deloitte, Schneider Electric

9. WorkFusion

WorkFusion’s Saas Automation Cloud brings the capabilities to implement intelligent automation in a unified platform without third-party tools or custom coding.

Features:

• Deploy bots to operate for enterprise-scale automation.
• Collaborates with several users across different workstations.
• Offers team automation.

Companies using WorkFusion: Axis Bank, McKinsey & Company, Hp

10. Linx

Linx is an RPA platform that connects backend systems, apps, and customers that helps create new services and automate processes, and much more with less coding.

Features:

• Easy build processes for manipulating and orchestrating data across multiple systems.
• Low-codes IDE to create & debug processes, integrate databases, applications, web services, and files.  

Companies using Linx: JP Morgan Chase, Liberty, Metropolitan

How Using RPA Tools can Benefit You?

No doubt, bots are the versatile assets any company can have and can gain numerous benefits when incorporated. This is why most of the top companies have been using them already, as mentioned above.

Which Industries Use RPA Tools?

RPA tools are efficient to relieve human workers while performing repetitive tasks. They emulate human interaction with a computer interface in the CRM system and spreadsheet, to input data, collect information, and execute multi-step processes. RPA implementation can offer cost savings of 20 to 30 per cent by improved efficiency, lesser errors, and raised compliance.

Any business can have a greater impact on RPA, and here is how the industries can apply RPA tools for their betterment:

1. Accounting

Confirming customer appointments with their information from CRM systems, and suggesting financial products using ML algorithms.

2. Customer Service

RPA chatbot completes the customer request instantly. RPA also provides customers with a self-service option by accessing backend applications.

3. Finserv

Manages risk and meet compliance by collecting the compliance data into a single system and identifying any anomalies. 

4. Healthcare

Automating virtual tasks such as extracting relevant information, partnering ecosystems, EHRs, finance systems, payer portals, and accounting systems. 

5. Human Resources

RPA tools can help in recruitment, vetting, and processing employee absences or claims. RPA combined with machine learning and Natural Language Processing (NLP) help in creating purpose-oriented chatbots to interact with a virtual assistant to register claims.

6. Supply chain

RPA redefines the supply chain process and helps in minimising the inefficiency across the business.

Closing Thoughts

RPA tools have been revolutionising businesses with their virtues and endless automation. This article entails the topmost RPA tools and how they can aid organisation growth by enhancing the productivity rate and ROI. Deloitte has reported that 53% of organisations have pedalled their RPA journey. Likewise, its importance will grow with more and more organisations favouring it.

With more companies using  RPA tools to attain cost savings of automation, RPA becomes a recommended career choice, and more companies are looking for people with good RPA skills to fill their job positions. This has resulted in RPA salaries increasing more than in other IT sectors. upGrad’s PG certification in full-stack development course opens the pathways to enter this lucrative career field.

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