What is our primary use case?
In the retail industry where I work, we need to track our working hours every Sunday. This is because some Sundays have work restrictions in our country, with exceptions. We record these hours to ensure our national system can verify the accuracy of our payroll.
For example, we use Automation Anywhere to automate tasks. It takes changes from an Excel spreadsheet and updates two different systems. Another process involves checking discrepancies between the quantity of items received and those paid for. For our back-office bonus processing, we use automation for transactions in our ERP system, ensuring all necessary data is entered.
We implemented Automation Anywhere to reduce the amount of manual operational work currently required in our company. This decision comes as we are experiencing significant growth, with new stores opening and a corresponding increase in back-office workload. Additionally, Automation Anywhere will help us improve data quality and minimize errors, ultimately reducing costs.
How has it helped my organization?
Since implementing Automation Anywhere, our processes are much better documented. Previously, we lacked process documentation in our company. Now, not only do we have it, but it's also created quickly and accurately. Additionally, we have more control over logs. This means if a robot encounters an issue, it can automatically escalate the task to the responsible individuals. Furthermore, we now benefit from reporting capabilities that were previously unavailable.
There are three scenarios where AI could significantly improve our efficiency. Firstly, we deal with weekly discounts. We offer reduced prices on certain items and advertise them in flyers. Unfortunately, sometimes the printed flyer prices don't match the prices in the original digital tables. This inconsistency is problematic because our stores operate independently, carrying different products and offering varying discounts based on location. Consequently, we create multiple flyer versions for different cities. Currently, this process is entirely manual. Back-office staff print the flyers and then meticulously compare prices with the digital tables. We believe artificial intelligence coupled with advanced OCR could automate price verification on flyers before printing. AI could analyze the flyer images or scans and ensure they match the original data. Secondly, we encounter discrepancies between product names in vendor data and the names we use internally. AI could streamline this process by matching equivalent products and eliminating the need for manual data entry.
Automation Anywhere offers an academy that is helpful for non-technical users to learn the platform. Learning the basics typically takes up to three months.
We implemented Automation Anywhere about a month ago and developed a comprehensive solution for our office. We've already observed a significant increase in satisfaction among back-office workers who previously performed these tasks manually. Automation Anywhere has freed them from repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on more strategic activities like report oversight. Management is also very pleased with the results, rating their satisfaction at eight out of ten. Additionally, Automation Anywhere has helped us improve both speed and accuracy by significantly reducing errors in this process.
In the first year of implementation, we have identified 20-30 processes that could benefit from automation to help us manage our growing volume of office tasks. We are considering incorporating AI as early as this year-end, depending on the success of our current implementation and any unforeseen challenges. Additionally, we see potential in generative AI to improve efficiency for both our clients and back-office staff. We've identified ten HR processes in particular that could be streamlined with this technology.
We have integrated several internally developed HR applications with Automation Anywhere to manage timesheets and vacation planning, and also integrated retail applications for checking product quantities.
I've been using Automation Anywhere for a few years now, and it's addressed most of the issues we had with previous versions. It runs smoothly, especially since our company uses Google Workspace. Overall, I've had a positive experience with Automation Anywhere. It's worked well for me, and I haven't encountered any problems so far. In the past, I also used Microsoft Workspace, and Automation Anywhere functioned well with that too. In my experience, it seems to be compatible with most platforms.
Automation Anywhere has helped save us costs and almost 40 hours per week.
What is most valuable?
In terms of development, we've been relying on the provided operations so far. However, I haven't yet explored Copilot for the discovery phase. I believe it could be a very helpful tool for us moving forward, and I think it's a great feature.
What needs improvement?
The help Automation Anywhere offers during setup isn't great for smaller companies like ours. It could be improved.
Many users in my country lack, for example, advanced Excel skills. This makes using Automation Anywhere a significant challenge for them.
The Automation Anywhere community doesn't seem very active. Additionally, navigating their site can be quite difficult when encountering problems. As a developer and engineer, I found it challenging to locate information. Support could also be improved. For example, I had trouble connecting my Google account, and finding help was nearly impossible.
In terms of variable initialization, I prefer the previous enterprise version. It was simpler and required less code. Object access could also be improved in the current version. Ideally, there would be an easier and more precise way to retrieve objects.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Automation Anywhere for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Automation Anywhere is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Automation Anywhere does a good job of providing automation at scale.
How are customer service and support?
It is difficult to get proper help from the technical support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
How was the initial setup?
Deploying cloud solutions can be relatively straightforward. Therefore, I don't anticipate the initial deployment of Automation Anywhere being particularly complex. It seems the Automation Anywhere salespeople provided excellent information to facilitate the implementation process. In total, three people were involved in the deployment.
What was our ROI?
By implementing processes using Automation Anywhere, we can save up to 3,000 euros within two weeks of development.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is fair and allows for scalability. This means we only pay for what we need, and if our needs increase, we can easily upgrade our plan.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Upon joining the organization, I discovered they were already using Automation Anywhere. However, before implementing this solution, they had evaluated UiPath, Blue Prism, and Microsoft Power Automate. Ultimately, Automation Anywhere won them over due to its competitive pricing, fast implementation speed, and responsive support.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Automation Anywhere nine out of ten.
Understanding the trade-offs between different solutions can be challenging for higher management. While some local RPA solutions offer free or cheap services initially, they may not be as efficient, especially as automation needs grow. It can be difficult to explain to the board that maintaining such solutions becomes increasingly complex as automation demands increase. Additionally, limited vendor support during implementation can be another hurdle.
Upgrading the solution is easy because it is cloud-based so it is all done by Automation Anywhere's people.
Currently, three departments are contributing to the development of automation solutions. We anticipate even more involvement this year. On the personnel side, ten individuals are currently involved in developing Automation Anywhere. Additionally, two people utilize the tool – one developer and one business user. We are experiencing a growth phase and are actively hiring additional staff to develop new processes.
Since it's a cloud solution, maintenance is handled by Automation Anywhere. Our team maintains the custom software and processes we've developed.
I recommend Automation Anywhere, but before implementing it, every user should first identify the processes they have that are suitable for automation. Be critical and optimize everything that can be streamlined without RPA. This is important because automation requires well-defined tasks to plan resource allocation effectively. When nominating a process for automation, evaluate the time it currently takes for a human to complete it. For example, a four-hour manual process won't become instantaneous with RPA, but it will certainly be faster. The goal is to understand the time savings and resource allocation needed for the robot. This includes determining how frequently the robot should run and on what schedule.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.