Automation Anywhere Reviews

I am using IQ Bots for invoice indexing for many clients.

My primary use case is extracting invoice details from different vendors for validation purposes. We convert CSV files to Excel for formatting and before A2019, I used to do all validations with VBA script. Now, with AA A2019, it validation very easy using Python. It is also very fast and efficient.

I have created Task Bots for many finance-related clients and they are also working very well. Recently, I converted all of my bots to A2019.

Automation Anywhere has improved my organization, OMFYS Tech.

We have implemented many processes in the organisation with RPA, as we had done with HR bots for different HR processes. From these, we made most of the demo videos that we show to our clients. It helps to discover new processess to automate and use in new projects.

The A2019 version is very stable for the processes that we make. On the other platform, we have projects using Java, Oracle, Python, and HTML, where we had automated processes when required.

I found the new feature of integrating Python and HTML the most valuable. Using this, we can get the DOMXPath dynamic for every HTML property.

On the other hand, Python scripting is very helpful nowadays. We just create a Python script and integrate it with the bot, which makes the work very easy and fast.

I like the IQ Bot very much, as most of my projects use it for invoice indexing purposes.

The recorder in the A2019 version is way ahead, as it allows us to use Chrome and other browsers to capture the object properties. 

The UI can be improved a little bit to make it easier for beginners to understand.

There are many commands called Actions that are very good but sometimes, I feel that it should be more comfortable to find and search for specific commands. There should be some type of hint or notification system about what actions are useful, according to the situation or part of the process that it is in while creating the bot.

The speed of the bot processing on a whole can be improved so that the bot can run in less time than the task or processes.

We have been using Automation Anywhere for one year.

Stability-wise, it is a ten out of ten.

I would rate the scalability a ten out of ten.

I did not use another RPA solution prior to this one. I started my RPA journey with automation anywhere only because it is the best available solution in the market.

This is a value for the money product.

I evaluated UiPath and Blue Prism but neither one had IQ Bot-like features. That's why I rejected them and choose AA.

My advice is not to think too much. Just compare the features then you will get to know why AA is the best solution of all.

Our primary uses for this product are:

1. We are using Automation Anywhere to automate client processes.
2. The processes are ranging from SAP automation, Oracle automation, and mainframes like AS400. RPA has been implemented for a few of the legacy applications as well.
3. Both the Attended automation and Unattended automation have been implemented for many of our clients and they report satisfactory results.
4. We are using Automation Anywhere IQ Bot to scan documents for clients, as well as for internal processes.
5. The automation solutions provided to our clients them are running seamlessly.

Automation Anywhere has increased the overall standing of our company in the RPA market. Because of the successful automation for the client, we are getting more processes, which leads to more revenue.

Apart from the regular pricing model, the Gain-Sharing model provides a win-win situation for both WNS as well as its customers. This means that our customers will start getting the benefits up front, and leverage the benefits right from day one.

COE licensing is also beneficial, to reduce the effective cost of ownership 

All the features are very good, although what I like best is RPA-as-a-service. This drastically reduces the infrastructure setup time and, at the same time, it can be utilized for productive project work.

The multi-tenant and scalable architecture is the main advantage when you have a cloud service. While RPA is the cutting-edge technology to bring digital transformation, the RPA as a service will reduce costs and increase efficiency with ease of deployment, less maintenance, and cheaper upgrade costs.

Even our customers are happy with the RPA-as-a-service model.

Intelligent automation is currently a buzz and I would love to see more innovation in this segment. I am looking for artificial intelligence and machine learning to be tightly integrated into the cloud platform and I hope that they enhance this segment in the upcoming releases. 

Clients are eager to see AI and ML implemented, and thus leverage the technology to its maximum. We can bring more processes into automation, which is what I want to focus on. 

In a nutshell, more innovation in AI and ML will bring more potential and capabilities to the product.

We have been using Automation Anywhere since February 2018.

The solution is stable but again, it is dependant on the underlying client applications. I am confident the AA solution is very stable.

The RPA-as-a-service model helps to scale the solution beyond the limit. 

The customer service is excellent. Since we have a dedicated AA account manager for WNS, in case of any urgent issue or requirement, we can reach to the manager. So far, the help extended by the account manager is very good. 

Our main focus has been on using Automation Anywhere as the primary tool for RPA.

The initial setup is quite straightforward

We implemented it through our expert, in-house team.

Since I am not directly involved in the ROI calculation, I would not comment on this.

We generally follow the Gain-Sharing Pricing model, which enables the customer to start getting the RPA benefits right from day one of their implementation.

The other options that we evaluated were Blue Prism, UiPath, and others. 

The primary use case of this solution is that we are automating repetitive processes such as daily currency calculation, data entry in the EPR system, email reading and sorting data, extracting data from webpages, and extracting data from invoices.

We also use automation for data massaging on Excel data, database connectivity, PDF data extraction, scheduling bots, and the validation of extracted data from webpage or invoices.

We use error handling to point out which of the bots are failing. 

We are using v11, A2019, and IQ Bot. 

With the help of Automation Anywhere, our organizational efficiency has increased. We have automated HR-related tasks such as CV shortlisting and salary slip generation processes. This has decreased our time consumption for these tasks.

We have also improved our clients' organizations by automating repetitive processes. With this, the ROI has increased and the overall time consumed by processes is reduced. We now use this manpower for other important tasks.

Human intervention is not required for most of the processes and also, they are auto-scheduled.

The most valuable features are data extraction and entry into webpages, extracting data from unstructured invoices, email sorting and attachment downloading, Excel actions, database connectivity, IQ Bot for extracting data from invoices, connectivity with ERP applications, as the REST and SOAP web services.

With the help of these features, we can automatically fetch data from invoices and websites, which is followed by the automated data entry into the webpage and ERP system.

Excel actions help us for automating work on Excel workbooks.

The A2019 Community version does not fully support Mozilla Firefox, as it has problems when you try to capture data from the Firefox window. 

I would like to see more features added in the Community editions to improve developer hands-on practice. 

When you try to capture an error snapshot in A2019, it's not capturing the proper data compared to V11. 

The Recorder action in the A2019 Community edition is not supported. 

If we refresh the window then it does not show the Chrome window title in the list. This only works on Internet Explorer.

I have been using Automation Anywhere for the last two years.

The technical support team was helpful at the time of installation and setup. Whenever we are stuck, the support team's help is very important.

I haven't used an RPA solution other than Automation Anywhere.

The initial setup was straightforward. With help of the Automation Anywhere technical support team, it is easy to set up.

We implemented using the vendor team. The level of expertise is very good, and they help very well.

The setup cost for this is onetime and licensing is based on your choice of product.

We evaluated Blue Prism and UiPath before choosing Automation Anywhere.

Overall, the product is very good where the repetitive tasks are more in manufacturing industries and the finance department. It is the best solution for any type of industry to automate their repetitive process, leading to increased ROI and reduced time consumption.

We mainly use it for Financial Documents processing to conduct payments to registered Vendors. Invoice reception via a central mailbox on the server; Extraction of said PDF invoices via the IQ Bot cognitive platform using the ABBY OCR, as it is by far the most effective for our processing requirement; Consolidation of each individually extracted file into a central Batch processing file; Upload of central batch processing file into a stand-alone approval system, developed on IBM Xpages; Approval of uploaded files, from a central batch file, for payment; Upload of each invoice record in a third-party processing system such as Sage Evolution / SAP. Payment is done via a batch file generated by a third-party payment application.

AA has enabled faster processing of a series of manual operations and/or procedures. Cognitive capabilities are severely reduced or highly inaccurate, the Cognitive platform requires major attention regarding how data is captured, retained for future extractions as well as how these extractions are validated. There is a somewhat problematic functionality for various commands within AA, these commands do not have a consistent functionality one execution within some external third-party software such as Sage Evolution, XBRL for CaseWare, and CaseClient.

The MetaBots are by far the most effective system within AA. Due to the fact that no scripting is required and only the passing of variables or values to get a definite result. IQ Bot with the ABBY OCR is a powerful component to do multiple extractions in the shortest possible timeframe in comparison to human execution of similarly identified tasks or operations. 

The Recorder functionality is extremely useful and relatively straightforward enough to use, albeit a bit restrictive in its functionality.

IQ Bot requires a significant improvement for its data detection and data retention, mainly from the previously trained documents: regarding the document's format, layout, data contained within the document, the type of data that needs to be extracted. Object cloning commands require a significant improvement in its functionality. It is far too inconsistent with execution within the same application. Plugins for web browsers should be a single plugin that allows for the connectivity and functionality of both the v11/v12 and A2019 software, or at best, allows for both the A2019 and v11/v12 plugins to run on the same client browser simultaneously.

I have been using Automation Anywhere for roughly two years.

The current solution is not very stable due to multiple developers working on the initial development, it would be far more efficient if a small group of developers had worked on this specific project.
The solution should be more stable with a limited number of developers working on the current project. The current project would become more accurate and efficient if the functionality of the current commands could be updated to function more effectively and not stop working on a bi-weekly basis. Soe days the commands work without any problems and some days these same commands stop working and breaks the current processing cycle.

Scalability in our current solution is low but has massive room for growth.

The technical is relatively fast to respond and guidance offered is oftentimes sufficient. Time-zone difference is a major issue as this delays the response from an available technician. No guaranteed solution for cases raised, oftentimes workarounds are the only suggested action with multiple of those resulting in no success on the issue raised.

No previous solution used, as a manual process previously.

The initial setup was extremely complex as no assistance or guidance could be found online for my system.

The setup was done through an in-house team consisting of the current developer and a single IT technician.

Know ahead of time what capabilities you are going to require and plan accordingly to determine the total number of user licenses and development licenses required.

Other options were considered such as Blue Prism and Ui Path, but the capabilities of AA far surpass those platforms based on cost.

Documentation online is severely lacking, have commented on this before in support cases. The online documentation is far too generic, with no linking to relevant or in-depth forums on similar topics.

I am a Digital Transformation Consultant & my role revolves around suggesting, recommending & implementing the best automation solution across to my clients. Some of them also include:

a) Lower operating costs

b) Faster ROI

c) Ability to be more competitive

Giving the right automation solutions can reap major benefits. Understanding these benefits—and some obstacles—will help us develop support for an operations automation project. The primary benefits of operations automation cited most often were cost reduction, productivity, availability, reliability, and performance.

Automation Anywhere (AA) has helped me in suggesting, recommending & implementing the best automation solution across to my client

AA is a better and more intelligent approach to cost containment and reduction. The greatest opportunity is to increase service to the customer (end-user) while systematically reducing costs. Management often overlooks this potential for savings. Most modern servers have a low operating cost and the total cost of ownership has been declining. AA solution has helped to streamline operations in businesses of all sizes.

The benchmarking scores, the latest technology improvements & the use cases are the most valuable aspects. 

• Intelligent automation for business and IT tasks.
• Uses SMART Automation Technology.
• Rapidly Automates complex and complicated tasks.
• Create automation tasks like recording keyboard strokes and mouse clicks.
• Distribute tasks to multiple computers

AA allows you to create processes using 3 types of robots: Task Bot, Meta Bot, and IQ Bot. Instead of rewriting redundant code for processes, a meta bot can be used instead. This type of robot is best used for complex scalable processes. IQ Bot: The most powerful of the 3 types of robots is the IQ Bot.

With more demo recordings and positive real-time reviews from the clients. AA should provide a free evaluation period so it is easy to attract new customers. It is not able to use OCR effectively and has limited usability. Handwritten documents are still a drawback. 

It is also difficult in terms of control room management. The debugger is also a weakness of the tool, forcing the developer to use error handling or message box to map errors. Few applications take more time for loading when integrated.

I have been using AA since 2017.

• It is highly accurate and gets up and running in a very short period of time.
• You can keep the BOT learning by feeding more and more data sets, which makes the whole process highly efficient.
• It is very cost-effective when deployed and when scaling out to the limit.

• Using Automation Anywhere's tool we can automate window and Web-based processes. It is very easy to use.
• It can automate rule-based and repetitive processes.
• It can work 24*7 without taking a rest.
• Time-saving. It is very fast in comparison to doing something manually.
• Cost-saving.

They are always up to mark and ready to help out when in need.

The initial setup was straightforward.

We used a vendor team, they were great !

It has been fair to be honest.

The setup cost, pricing and/or licensing of AA sounds reasonable considering its capability.

Keep up the good work & keep improving as you grow.

It is primarily used for automating manual processes in Project. Automation was carried out in a two-way process, downloading files from client email and scanning values from PDF file. Post these values were compared with thresholds and return mail is sent. Most of the process is carried out in the Windows environment and the Gmail suite is used as the target output location. It also included SAP application BEx for downloading the file as an Excel sheet and sent as an attachment to an email. This was all implemented in AA, and saved a few man-hours in Project.

It was helpful in managing manual task automations and innovative ways to be introduced to projects. It most benefitted us in converting daily routine tasks into automated processes at minimal cost with available infrastructure. This was the most valuable use, that it didn't cost clients infrastructure. Also, a daily status update of the process is sent through an email easily, updating all stakeholders with daily status. The overall features proved a profitable deal in implementing AA in Project.

AA control room is one central system to manage our tasks. We found it excellent to administrate. It was used for easy scheduling of process/task in Remote desktop. This helped to avoid manual intervention to trigger tasks. 

Also, various features like easy email and file reading eg: PDF, XML, etc were innovatively helpful to scan out values and use as variables in code. 

Another helpful feature is the easy command sidebar provided, where we can easily drag and drop a required command.

The accuracy in Web Recorder needs to be improved, defective outputs found most of the time(not sure if is a website side issue). 

You cannot add dynamic variables in PDF scanned values, hopefully, this can be added as a new feature in future.

Integration with most-used email applications eg: Gmail, Outlook, etc for ease in sending mails without any configuration of port or hostname. This could help to concentrate on actual problems, instead of spending time to figure out port and hostname for sending or receiving emails.

I have been using AA for the last five months. 

Recognizable stability observed in tool with various tasks performed in parallel.

Scalability may vary situation with each situation. According to me, most of the time we will get expected results with substantial capacity of computation in the process.

Customer and technical support both were supportive and were able to provide solutions quickly.

We used Blue Prism and the reason we switched was because we found more ease in using features and less documentation required compared to Blue Prism.

Complex, since there are multiple applications involved, SAP, EMail through Gmail suite. Setting up an application in remote desktop with access to SAP and emails. 

In-house.

Our ROI is 22.81%.

License for AA, before investing in infrastructure list out and analyze the current setup, since AA can be implemented at a minimal cost as well without extra infra/setup.

We previously used Blue Prism.

Our primary use is to provide a digital solution with a view to delivering robust, time-efficient, and error-free solutions to business customers. The requirements for every customer are quite different depending upon their return on investment measures, the need for automation in their organization, etc.

Other than that, I as an individual have found a fondness towards the product, which helps me automate all of my day-to-day activities. They are monotonous and the bot can jump in and make my work life such that I can breathe a little easier.

My environment varies from customer to customer.

Automation Anywhere has not only my organization but several customers as well. Particularly the organizations from the automobile industry have benefitted from AA in their vision to transform their business objective towards the path of digital transformation. 

In fact, there are more than 25 customers that we have or will have partnerships with. These groups are willing to invest more in automation so that their valuable resources are not wasting their time and energy with monotonous work. Instead, they are better utilized in improving their employee value and thus helping the organization grow.

It is very difficult to automate Telnet and Terminal screens using Java or Python. Automation Anywhere has made the automation of these processes pretty much hassle-free and easy to use.

The robust and flexible nature of the product gives it the capability to automate almost all rule-based processes in each and every ERP application that is currently available in the market.

Another added advantage of this product is its capability to automate web-based processes and its ability to automate all processes without compromising a single bit on security.

As a developer, I would like to have copy commands available from one bot to another. It is a tedious task to write the same snippet of code in different bots again and again, whereas I could simply copy and paste the patch of code, like in the older versions.

As a business user, I would like to have a feature wherein the bot is run on demand, whenever an email with a specific keyword or whenever a specific person sends an email to the bot's email address. Thereby, I need not worry about setting up a schedule in the WebCR.

We have been using Automation Anywhere Enterprise for two years, and the A2019 version for five months.

The software can automate almost all web based or desktop based applications. Its wide range of commands makes it possible to automate almost any rule based process with ease. 

Scalability is pretty good as it covers pretty much all of the applications and almost all processes can be automated.

More often than not, I have a quick response from their support team. Hence, I would say I am pretty much happy with the way they are organized as a support team.

I have always been a user of Automation Anywhere and did not work with another RPA product.

The Express mode installation is pretty straight forward. However, the SSO (Single sign-on) enablement, which is a requirement for many customers, is a bit complicated because the certificate needs to be installed.

For customers, we have the Automation Anywhere team to support us in case we need any assistance. Otherwise, we do the installation on our own.

As far as the expertise of the Automation Anywhere team, I must admit that they know their product and are very skilled at it.

I think the organization has been making some real profits with the help of this product, although I don't really have access to the numbers.

My organization had a partnership with Automation Anywhere and hence did not have much of a choice.

We have so many use cases. One of them is in finance. We have a finance portal where the team updates the billing records. Based on the Excel input, the file bot creates entries in different modules based on conditions. One error bot maintains a log. It takes value input dynamically and the tool is very flexible so in case of any changes in the future, the developer or user doesn't have to change the code. They can do it with the help of configurable files. At the end of the process, the bot sends an intimation mail to the end-user with the bot execution status.

With the help of Bot, it has increased the productivity of the current process and we do not need to spend more time on error resolution and rectification.

While doing processes manually, the user has to manually open all the Excel files and needs to check each and every row one by one to check a few validations and conditions. For that, the user has to filter all the unique records that were very time-consuming. In case of invalid records, the user has to manually update a few fields into that. Now, with the help of Automation Anywhere Bot it's being handle automatically, and work that would take one week is now being completed within an hour.

There are many valuable features available but the Automation Anywhere learning portal has very good learning materials and videos in place which is very user-friendly and can be learned easily.

From a Commands perspective, below are some most valuable features:

1. Metabot (User can develop the code offline just after capturing the screen, easy to drag and drop commands, reusable, and easy to use).

2. Object cloning (helpful to capture most of the controls with its Object properties)

3. Excel operations, Emails, Default Error handling features, Version control, etc...

Many clients use the Citrix environment but AA has very low functionality to automate a Citrix environment.

I would like to see improvement in advance Excel commands like lookups, Pivots, etc. 

After changing the name of the ATMX file, the developer has to remap all the variables again manually at all place and it does not auto handle the renaming of ATMX or variable. In older version 10 it worked fine but from version 11 due to enhancement, this function does not work and faces issues during the development.

I have been using AA for the last three years. 

Automation Anywhere is the best in terms of customer service/technical support. 

We have used Ui Path, Python with Selenium. Automation Anywhere provides effective training videos and material which helps users to understand the tool easily and we can easily drag and drop commands to automate with a user-friendly user interface. Automation Anywhere also has better customer service support.

The initial setup was easy with the help of Automation Anywhere team support.

They're very flexible around pricing and licensing.

We have evaluated Blue Prism, Ui Path, and Workfusion.

Within just a few years Automation Anywhere has different versions and closing their support to the older version soon. Migration of each bot to a new one becomes a bit difficult for clients.

Automation Anywhere should have a single and stable version which can be easily accessible and easily migrate the processes.