What is our primary use case?
I have been involved in automating several procurement and sales-related processes, and this has been a thorough and rigorous undertaking. The automation process begins with email extraction from the inbox, saving emails during the first week. Following that, data was extracted from email attachments. Once the data was extracted from the files, the IRP monitored and validated the data for correctness. If any data was found to be in an incorrect format, it was transferred to the SAP system, which includes SAP ERP or SAP ECC.
How has it helped my organization?
The introduction of RPA brought several notable improvements for our clients. First and foremost, it eliminated the repetitive manual actions that end users had been performing for a decade or even two. These manual tasks were prone to occasional errors due to human intervention. Another key benefit was the speed of processing. For example, manually processing an invoice used to take three to five minutes, but with RPA, this time was cut by at least 50%, often even more. In financial terms, manual processes require the involvement of three or four people handling different aspects of tasks like purchase requisitions and invoices. RPA streamlined these processes, resulting in cost savings.
What is most valuable?
It proved to be a significant improvement in terms of data extraction. It is remarkably easy to configure and code, and it doesn't require an extensive technical background or coding expertise. The ease of use is a major plus point because the level of technical knowledge needed for initial setup and ongoing support was minimal. The tool provides templates and pre-existing features that simplify the coding process. One of the most significant advantages is its adaptability. Client requirements often evolve, and business departments frequently change their needs, with IRPA, you can easily adapt and make modifications and adjustments swiftly, which is highly efficient.
What needs improvement?
For potential features or improvements, one aspect I would suggest enhancing is the flexibility of the extraction process. Presently, there are some rigid requirements when it comes to templates for data extraction. It would be helpful if SAP IRPA could be more adaptive, allowing data extraction from various templates. This would be particularly valuable since every client, vendor, or business may have unique invoices, purchase orders, and documentation formats. It would be advantageous if SAP IRPA could simplify locating and extracting information from various templates, perhaps by making coding adjustments or changes to the background template structure.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have nearly two years of experience implementing it.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is quite satisfactory, and it's important to note that they are consistently working to enhance it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It offers excellent scalability capabilities. It is applied across various business scenarios, and the number of clients utilizing it continues to increase steadily.
How are customer service and support?
I had a positive experience with their support services. They were responsive and often exceeded my expectations, as I would typically receive a response within one day. I would rate it eight out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
What about the implementation team?
When preparing for the implementation of an SAP IRPA project, there are several key steps to follow. It usually begins by analyzing the client's system and data. Understand the existing processes, especially those that the client wishes to automate. Determine whether the processes are based on SAP standard practices or involve customizations. Then proceed to investigate the format of the data, ensuring it aligns with SAP standards or identifying any variations. It is important to map out the steps involved in the processes you intend to automate and understand how the processes are currently executed manually. After you start building the RPA bot, determine how data will be extracted, where it will be extracted from, and where it needs to be placed. The next step is to conduct a user acceptance test to ensure the bot performs according to the client's requirements. This step is crucial for identifying any issues or discrepancies and ensuring the bot meets expectations and it should be documented. It is mandatory to test the bot thoroughly in different environments, including the development and production server, make any necessary changes, and ensure the bot is ready for deployment in the client's production environment. The number of team members required for this process depends on the complexity and the number of scenarios the client wants to automate. If the client's requirements align with SAP standard practices, the implementation may take four to five months. However, if there are customizations or non-standard processes, it could extend to six months.
What was our ROI?
While there is an initial investment in implementing RPA, the efficiency of the systems improves over time. Within six months to a year, the company's expenses are significantly reduced compared to manual operations, ultimately achieving cost efficiency.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Overall, it is an affordable solution. The initial cost might seem higher, but over time, with continued use over five or ten years, the cost tends to decrease, making it a more economical choice. The pricing is typically fixed.
What other advice do I have?
Before opting for it, it's crucial to analyze which processes should be automated. It is also important to understand that SAP IRPA isn't a one-size-fits-all solution and it can't magically automate every process. It's advisable for the client's technical or IT team to carefully assess which processes are straightforward and align with its standard configurations. These are typically the processes where automation is most efficient and has a higher likelihood of achieving successful results. On the other hand, if a process is highly complex and heavily customized, attempting to automate it might lead to reduced efficiency. In such cases, the client should be prepared for challenges, and the efficiency gains may not be as significant, perhaps only a slight reduction in manual effort. Overall, I would rate it eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: consultant
