How Does Robotic Process Automation Differ From Intelligent Automation?

If you’re looking to automate, it starts with understanding the tools you’ll use to transform your business.    

Spoiler alert: robotic process automation and intelligent automation are not the same things! 

Read this post to clear up the difference between RPA and intelligent automation.   

What Is Robotic Process Automation? 

Robotic process automation is a technology that automates manual, tedious and high-volume tasks. It employs bots, or digital workers, that operate in a manner similar to the way humans do. 

RPA can execute manual tasks with 100% accuracy by being programmed to pull documents, input data, and interact with various programs and systems.  

For a bot to run, a developer or citizen developer has to program it with specific instructions, known as commands.  

The bot follows these commands explicitly and cannot function without them. The bot itself does not “think.” It only follows the instructions the developer gives it—line by line—and does not deviate from them. 

Watch Inside the Bot: Intelligent Automation Top Mistakes and Misconceptions with Kieran Gilmurray 

What Is Intelligent Automation? 

Intelligent automation is a concept that applies to a variety of technologies in the automation space.   

The word intelligence throws many people off and brings up images of robots taking over the world like in I Robot. Automation and AI isn’t what it’s depicted in Hollywood.   

What is meant by “intelligence” is the ability to make minor decisions and improve through experience. Tools like intelligent document processing (IDP) combine artificial intelligence and machine learning to achieve this type of intelligence.   

The algorithms learn by processing large data sets. They can categorize and read various information and become more efficient over time.

How Does RPA and Intelligent Automation Work Together? 

You need IDP for the thinking part and RPA for the automation part—together, they make up intelligent automation.  

Most businesses start with automating simple processes or low-hanging fruit that will give them quick wins, making RPA the logical choice. It’s simple to implement, cost-effective, and fast. You can implement simple to medium complexity bots in a few weeks.   

IDP is complex and involves more nuance to work correctly but allows you to do sophisticated things with data. 

Watch: How Robotic Process Automation Increases Efficiency  

Instead of choosing one tech over another, focus on automating your business at different stages.  

Begin by assessing your manual processes that are rule-based. They are black and white, yes or no processes that don’t require a thought process, only strict rules. Data entry is a good example, like copying and pasting into a spreadsheet.  

The next level of automation will require interpreting data from multiple sources, like patient records that have similar information but come in different formats via fax and PDFs. This is where IDP shines brightest.  

End to End RPA Solution 

RPA is simple to understand, but many companies are behind in automating their business. If you have a successful business, then RPA can help you scale faster and become lean.   

Solution like Automation in the Box, you don’t need developers or have to be the master of technology.  

You get a complete, turnkey solution that will give you everything you need to automate your first process with an investment 60% below other leading platforms.  

Reach out to our team to learn more about Automation in a Box.