TRUSTEE Blog Series #1: Robotic Process Automation 

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a technology that nowadays is rapidly gaining popularity, as it transforms the way modern businesses operate. RPA makes use of software robots (or ‘bots’) that automate repetitive and tasks within business processes. RPA software robots usually mimic human actions, using the computer’s mouse and keyboard or other input devices to interact with various digital systems, applications, and data sources.

RPA robots are dynamic, meaning that they can be constantly trained to execute actions; they can learn and respond to stimuli. It is important to notice that RPA is not AI- as RPA is simply a software robot that mimics humans’ actions, and AI is the simulation of human intelligence by machines.

In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of RPA, how it can help revolutionize the way businesses operate, and how it will be utilized in the TRUSTEE platform.

Background

As RPA technology continues to advance, it is anticipated to have a growing impact on how businesses operate. The integration of AI and machine learning will enable RPA programs to perform more complex tasks, and the ongoing development of RPA tools will make the technology more accessible to businesses.

Benefits

The benefits of RPA are numerous, and include:

Increased Efficiency: RPA software operates by setting up bots to perform tasks that would typically be carried on by humans. It can automate complex tasks, that would normally take hours, allowing employees to focus on more productive tasks. Employees can now apply their skills on tasks that require strategic thinking. 

-Improved Accuracy: Robots reduce the chances of data entry errors or inconsistencies caused by manual input

– Increased Productivity:  With RPA, business can automate process and save time as well as avoid common human mistakes. All repetitive labor can be executed in a quick, efficient way that doesn’t leave room for mistakes. It is accurate and constituent which reduces the potential for human error. 

-Cost savings: 90 % of operational costs can be reduced through RPA! (Source: Forrester). RPA reduces labor costs as it automates tasks that would otherwise be performed by human employees. RPA also has a rapid, significant return on investment.

-Employee Satisfaction: Employees do not need to manually repeat daily tasks and consume their time on things that can be automated. In addition to that, RPA can be a user-friendly tool that is very handy for employees. 

Software Robots

RPA software robots can interact with applications and systems through user interfaces, screen scraping, APIs, or other integration methods. They are able to follow predefined rules and workflows, handle exceptions, and make decisions based on predefined logic. There are two distinct types of automations that the robots usually operate on: Attended automation and Unattended automation. When RPA software robots operates at an attended mode, they typically work alongside human users, where the automation cannot proceed without the intervention of a human (e.g. providing a passphrase). On the other hand, when the robots are performing unattended automation, there is no need for a human interaction, because they typically run in the background, executing a predefined static automation process.

How RPA is automating TRUSTEE

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TRUSTEE is a Horizon Europe project with lots and lots of different tools and functionalities. As one can imagine, this introduces usage complexity that even professionals in IT may struggle to comprehend. Aiming for a user-friendly, easy-to-use platform, even for novice users, TRUSTEE will implement a Virtual assistant chat-bot that will be equipped with RPA capabilities with the purpose of automating the main use-cases of the project, ultimately taking the experience and the ease of use to the next level.