Automate Reviews

We use it for running reports.

It gives us a central place to schedule tasks and run them distributed. 

It's fairly important to us that it's based on a drag-and-drop, form-based development. It required very little training.

It has helped to reduce human errors. I can't provide the metrics, but humans are prone to creating errors when doing things manually.

It hasn't recently helped reduce our organization's need to hire more people to process repetitive tasks. That's because it's a mature instance that we're supporting.

Some of the monitoring features and the dashboard are valuable.

The workflow for variables could be better. The input and output of task-level variables could be made a little clearer in terms of passing those around from one task to another upon success, etc. Things like that could be a little easier potentially.

I've been using this solution for about four months.

It's fairly stable. We're seeing some issues. I'd rate it a seven out of ten in terms of stability.

It seems scalable to an extent. We've 15 users using this solution.

I've contacted them. They were very helpful. I'd rate them a ten out of ten.

Positive

I've used other solutions, but there wasn't another one I know of doing this work at this company.

I wasn't a part of the deployment process. It was done several years ago, and I joined the team just this year.

In terms of the setup and the environment, it's virtualized on-premises. We have three EXE servers, one service box, and one server that we run the client on.

In terms of maintenance, I'm not aware of any maintenance requirements.

To those evaluating this solution, I'd advise having your migration plan in place.

I played around with a few of the things, and it seems like a viable option for building and creating automation using no-code automation, but it also depends on the use case.

I'd rate Fortra's Automate an eight out of ten.

With Automate, as an example, if I have a supplier that provides me with items in bulk, the bot of the system will take the bulk order and divide it into individual units for sales. If the company that supplies me also charges for transportation, the system will divide those costs among each item so that I am invoicing and charging correctly when I am selling items on an individual basis. It does this based on the rules I set up on my end. It basically takes the work of many people and automates it.

The solution integrates well with Microsoft Azure. We get AI, artificial intelligence, resources from the solution and it's working very well for us. 

The pricing is excellent. I would give them perfect marks in that regard.

The deployment is not too complicated. It's pretty easy.

The forms are very good.

The technical support could be better. We suffer from language barriers, as we are in Argentina.

The OCR (optical character recognition) capacity could be improved a bit.

I have about two years of experience with the solution. It hasn't been too long.

The stability is very good. As far as I know, we haven't had any issues so far. It's very reliable. The performance is good.

The scalability has been very good so far.

We have been using it in a Home Depot-like organization in Costa Rica. It's deployed in over 42 stores there, across different servers, and it is working very well for them. They love the solution and plan to use it more and to increase usage as well.

Typically, we work with medium and large-sized organizations.

Technical support is a bit of an issue.

We have our technical support team from Argentina. We can't even speak the same language. That aspect is quite bad. 

However, we have been trained by them, and we had some RPA experts. We were given very good training and they provided it to us.

I found the initial setup to be quite straightforward. It's nice and easy. It's not an overly complex process.

The deployment is pretty fast. We got it done in under one day.

The pricing of the product is reasonable. We don't find it overly expensive. It's very competitive.

We've compared the solution to, for example, Automation Anywhere, Blue Prism, and UiPath. And we have done a lot better with HelpSystem. It offers much better pricing, for example, and offer very good forms.

We are a representative of the company. We are integrators and HelpSystems partners and we sell the platform to companies in Costa Rica, Central America, and Puerto Rico. We do the integration for clients. Therefore, we do the mapping, and we do the bots also.

We are using the latest version of the solution. However, I'm not sure what the exact number is.

I would advise others to have an expert that understands the solution assist in the onboarding process. The platform can be very good. It is really good. However, if you don't have experts to train your people and also to implement the solution properly within your company, it's likely the project will fail.

Overall, I would rate the product at a nine out of ten.

We primarily use the solution either for uploading and downloading files on vendor SFTP sites, reading data and files and looking at files to alert and take action, and internally moving files such as data extract and reports from one destination to another, including moving into a network folder or server.

We also use it for data transformation and manipulation, such as converting files from text to Excel or CSV, unzipping files, leading rows and columns, reformatting rows and columns, and combining files.

And then we also use the solution to connect them to databases to execute SQL statements to produce reports.

We've automated all the vendor processes so that we don't have to manually load any files. Basically, it just automates the entire process for over 70 vendors, which is great.

The file interaction features are the most valuable aspect for us. We use them a lot and data interaction is our main use case.

Technical support is responsive.

The initial setup is straightforward.

The stability is very good.

We have found the pricing to be very reasonable.

The OCR needs improvement. 

The solution needs image recognition to integrate front-end and back-end workflows. They need to offer better organization of image capturing for image recognition.

The documentation is not that great. There have been times where I've had to reach out to HelpSystems to just try to accomplish what we're looking for. I've used other solutions that have much better documentation available.

I've been using the solution for five years. It's been a while. 

The solution is stable. It's reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.

We haven't really tested the scalability. We haven't tried too many integrations, for example.

We have six full-time users on the solution right now.

I've used tech su[pirt in the past and I have found them to be helpful and responsive. I'm satisfied with the level of service they provide. 

The initial setup is probably pretty straightforward, or, at least, that's my understanding. We had people System Engineers that we're able to set up pretty easily.

The biggest part about deployment is setting up the dedicated servers, which we're actually installing on the services, and therefore it is pretty painless.

We have seen ROI in terms of saving and cutting down on resources related to specific workflows. You don't have to have IT staff to manipulate files or pick them up or automate some things for end-users. Since they don't have to perform those actions, we get ROI savings there.

We pay the licensing fees on a yearly basis. The pricing is good.

We're just a partner and an end-user.

We don't really use the reporting or the dashboards within the product, although they are available. 

There are other solutions that companies can use to integrate with AutoMate. I would recommend that organizations also look to pair it with other solutions like the AutoMate Intelligent Capture Solution as that can integrate very well with the RPA product.

I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten. We've been very happy with its capabilities.

Before we started using Fortra's Automate, we developed a business case in collaboration with the enterprise to determine how to implement the solution in our business. 

We explored ways to monetize our automation efforts and considered whether to create a specialized automation department or have multiple employees across various departments working on automation. We decided to appoint one dedicated person to focus on teaching and troubleshooting issues related to the Fortra Automate solution, while employees from different departments would engage in building and refining the RPA processes.

We automated processes across security, IT, and credit cards, addressing numerous time-consuming manual tasks such as modifying credit card parameters and managing user passwords within the IT department. With Fortra's Automate, we've significantly streamlined these processes, enabling a much faster and more transparent workflow for both the IT team and the employees involved in these processes.

I find it very user-friendly. Our IT department and other departments can seamlessly collaborate without requiring extensive training. As a business department, we particularly value this aspect, as our team doesn't consist of many IT users. However, we couldn't solely rely on a drag-and-drop approach to implement and utilize the solution within our departments.      

I believe we need to test various OCR tools that assist in evaluating six different customer resyncs. We analyze their spending patterns and documentation, but current OCR support has limitations, requiring highly standardized documents, which isn't always the case. With a more advanced OCR system, we could improve processes related to credit risk management and legal matters.

We're exploring how to integrate Fortra's Automate with our CRM platform, taking cues from instances where Salesforce seamlessly merged with Automate. However, we use a different CRM, Insight for New Enterprise, and we're seeking ways to connect the automation process within our CRM. We aim for the automation to continue smoothly, even in instances where traditional automation methods might face hurdles.

I have been using Fortra’s Automate for more than a year.

It's a distinct challenge. We lack a direct path to the internet; instead, our server connections pass through Argentina, and our Microsoft server is situated in Brazil or the United States. This setup sometimes causes connectivity issues, leading to timeouts. We're actively addressing these concerns within our cloud environment, but overall stability relies heavily on our internet infrastructure, which currently impacts the functioning of our entire setup.

Based on our records, I'd rate it around nine to ten, which is excellent. However, our on-premise servers need improvement, consistently posing challenges, prompting our decision to transition away from this setup. I'd rate on-premise performance at around five at most.

They are good.

Positive

This is our very first solution in this category.

The initial setup was challenging as we, being the first bank in the country, had limited knowledge about transitioning to the cloud. Obtaining authorization from the central bank was a critical step. With significant assistance from the enterprise and Microsoft, leveraging Azure, setting up on the cloud posed its difficulties. Although Fortra's Automate is on-premise, our CRMs are cloud-based. We're in the process of using APIs to bridge our CRM with the on-premise database, creating a hybrid solution, although the CRMs are entirely cloud-based.

Regarding the return on investment, I may not have the exact figures at the moment, but our primary focus is on enhancing efficiency. We are actively measuring and analyzing the efficiency gains we've achieved, and the results have been quite promising.

We are currently engaged in several automation projects, and we are closely tracking the benefits and returns generated by our automation efforts.

I believe the price falls within a reasonable range, which significantly influenced our decision regarding the product. This aspect is crucial for any technological solution, especially in our country where enterprises might be hesitant to invest heavily in something untested or uncertain about its practicality and potential returns.

We conducted research on various solutions, but we were already familiar with Fortra as we had previous positive experiences using it in different organizations.

Firstly, it's crucial for individuals to understand the essence of automation and why it's necessary for their tasks. Many express the need for automation without a clear vision of their existing processes or the roadmap towards automation. It's essential to have a clear understanding of current workflows and the desired destination before considering solutions to facilitate that transition.

Overall, I would rate it 8 out of 10.

We are a solution provider and this is one of the RPA products that we have evaluated for our clients. We do have experience with it because one of our clients has been using it. However, this is not the right tool for our clients and I would not be comfortable bringing it up.

It is used for very rudimentary stored-procedure automation. Basically, it is for running scripts.

The most valuable features for my client are timing and scheduling. They are not using it to its full potential, so this is what is most important for them.

There are many things that need to be improved.

The security needs to be improved. They do not encrypt passwords, so this is an issue with HIPAA compliance.

They don't have an auto-recording capability, which means that you have to program everything.

The impression that we had and the feedback that we received is that the interface is confusing and there are too many things that you have to do. It can be a very intimidating UI for a lot of people. They have drag-and-drop features, but they are not all that great. The interface needs to be streamlined and if they want broader adoption in a company then they need to do a better job at taking the technology out of it.

Unlike many of the larger competitors, they do not have a Community Edition where you can deploy it and test it out. You might be able to run it for a month or a couple of weeks, but that is not enough. I think that this is something they could improve on.

My client has been using HelpSystems AutoMate for more than a year.

Scaling this product can be very complicated and confusing.

We only have a single client using it.

We had Professional Services included and from a service perspective, I think that they are good. However, they are definitely focused on the smaller scale, technical RPA work, rather than the holistic, large-business process market.

I would say that the support is fine and the knowledge is there, but they have a very technical skillset.

The licensing fees are comparable with the other products in the market. It comes with a package that costs approximately $20,000 USD per year.

HelpSystems Automate is a niche player in the RPA market and not very well known.

One key difference is that more mature tools will have an auto-record feature, where you can press a button and it will record what you're doing. The security is also better in other products.

Competing products have better drag-and-drop capabilities.

One of my clients recently implemented UiPath, rather than this product.

HelpSystems is a smaller company, so they are able to give their customers a lot of attention. I would say that on a small scale, this is a good low-code alternative. On the other hand, if you are looking for something more mature then it is not the right company.

I would rate this solution a four out of ten.

Our use case for this solution is in the HR department. We are a company that has external consultants that perform services for other companies, and each employee has to give us reports describing their hours each month. Based on these reports, we charge the customer accordingly.

We have PDF files that are scanned and sent to us by phone. These are from our employees on the customer's site, and our human resources personnel review them afterward. The reports are compared with our in-house system, the files are reviewed, and the hours are approved. Once this is complete, an invoice is sent to the customer.

Prior to using AutoMate, our process of collecting reports from employees was manual.

The most valuable feature is the ease of use. The interface is simple, user-friendly, and very intuitive. We have a software development group and we expected to have to do some programming, but we didn't have to. Everything was already built-in, within the system.

This solution is very efficient. It took us only four hours to develop our bot that automates the process, and two people were involved in the development.

It would be nice to have an EBI connector for AutoMate.

The OCR for Hebrew text needs to be improved. The recognition of Hebrew characters is not the strongest part of AutoMate.

I have been using HelpSystems AutoMate for about six months.

We have only implemented the process in the HR department, which has approximately 400 employees. Our intention is to implement it for other uses, as well.

I contacted technical support when we had an issue with a PDF file. They responded very quickly, within six or seven hours. After speaking with them, they provided us with a solution to the problem within two hours.

We also use UiPath, although this is for other departments in the company. For the HR department, everything was done manually.

I think that the main purpose of this tool is the automation of internal processes. This is unlike their competitors, who deal mainly with business processes. If this were a customer service application, for example, then I would probably use a different product.

The initial setup was easy. One person is required for deployment and maintenance.

Our in-house team handled the deployment.

We save more than 200 person-hours per month.

Everything that I used was already built into the system, so we did not have to pay any costs beyond the standard licensing fees.

There are third-party applications that integrate with AutoMate, although we did not have a need to use any of them.

Overall, this is a pretty nice product and I really recommend it because it is very easy to use. We also save a lot of money, just with one bot.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

We primarily use this solution in order to automate manual processes in our operations. 

This tool has machine learning and voice recognition and computer vision, which are both quite useful aspects. These aren't available in other tools. It's a good addition to this tool and it gives the solution an edge on the market.  

The initial setup is easy. The deployment doesn't take too long.

Technical support is helpful. We use them a lot and they are quite responsive. 

The stability of the studio client could be improved upon. Currently, sometimes it slows down and occasionally it will force the program to close completely - which is unexpected. 

The interface could be more user-friendly and easier to navigate.

It would be helpful if the solution was available in the cloud as well as opposed to just being available on-premises. On-premises infrastructure offers limited scalability.

We started using the solution about two years ago now, and therefore that is the amount of experience I have with it. 

We aren't completely satisfied with the stability The system can slow down and the program occasionally crashes and closes. 

As the solution is on-premises, the scalability is limited. 

Just last month, we bought a new license, and therefore we do have plans to continue to use the product.

We have about 30 people currently using the product.

We use technical support a lot and we find them to be quite helpful and responsive. We are very satisfied with their level of service. 

We found the initial setup to be easy. It's not overly complex or difficult. It's straightforward for the most part.

The deployment is pretty fast. It takes about two hours to deploy the solution.

We are just a customer and an end-users.

I would recommend the solution. It's one of those solutions that are helpful in terms of reaching our goals and we've mostly been quite satisfied with its capabilities. 

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten.

We are a service provider and we use this solution to automate processes for our clients. Our customers are in a variety of businesses including banking, insurance, energy, and healthcare. There are lots of use cases, especially in the insurance and banking industries, but we are expanding into other industries as well.

An example use case for our clients is the automation of invoice payments.

This product is quite easy to install, learn, and use, with our new employees being able to start using it in projects for clients after only two weeks of internal training.

Compared to other products, the pricing model for this solution is much more convenient, flexible, and adaptable to the Portuguese reality.

Key automation features: email, FTP/SFTP, OCR, ODBC, terminal emulation. 

Main benefits: Full Client-Server Architecture, Multi-Machine Execution, Centralized Management Interface, Graphical Workflows, Intuitive Task Development & Debugging.

While this solution is continually improving, as it is now, the user interface could use improvement when I compare it to a product like UiPath. Specifically, the Automate Enterprise interface needs improvement. 

When you are promoting packages within the environment, it is easy to extract an import, but it would be better to have it all in the same console. As it is now, you have to extract the package separately. The environments should be able to communicate; you push the button, click on deploy, and it goes straight to the production environment.

Increasing the integration with other databases would be an improvement.

Sometimes my team reports situations where there are some unexpected errors from the tool. For example, if a Java error is reported then it doesn't mean anything at all to the end-user. This is an area that may also have room for improvement, although, at perhaps two or three times in a project, this does not happen often.

In my opinion, so far, the scalability seems to be good. However, I would not say that the scenarios I have seen are very difficult.

We have seven or eight clients using this solution, and only one or two have more than fifteen or twenty processes that have been automated. Having this number of processes with three to four robots, running twenty-four hours per day, is not a difficult test.

The roles of the people using this product vary depending on the client. In the Portuguese market, it is common to have one department that manages the robots for the entire organization. Normally, this is not the IT department. I know of only a few cases where robots are spread across different departments. Usually, a dedicated team or four to five people will manage, evaluate reports, corrects errors, and implement new requests.

So far, I am really happy with the technical support. The delay is between one and two days.

In all of our requests so far, we have had a response in one day's time. Sometimes the response is not final, but then they put us in contact with somebody who has the right knowledge, so it is good.

At my previous company, I worked with UiPath and Blue Prism. My experience with UiPath is between two and three years, and I worked with Blue Prism for a long time as well.

My reason for switching was one of personal opinion. In my previous company, we always used one of the big four. In my current company, I wanted to approach things a bit differently. I believe that there are many players in the market that also have good tools, and are more competitive. All of these tools are growing together, and we ultimately settled on this solution.

The initial setup is quite easy for us, although this is in part because we have been working with the partner for a long time. We have lots of direct connections for support, so if we have a problem that is a show-stopper, or something urgent, then we have a direct channel that bypasses the usual help desk.

We handle the integration of the solution from beginning to end.

The pricing model is the biggest advantage of this solution, and it is opening a lot of doors.

This solution is quite easy to install and to manage for most processes between environments. Everything related to usability and automation is really quite close to the leading candidates, and using this product has been a good experience.

My advice to others who are implementing this solution is to start small. This is something that we always tell our clients. Rather than look at the larger responsibilities, start small to test and to gain confidence from several areas within the organization. Once you have three, four, five, or even ten processes automated, start looking at everything that is related to governance. At the same time, do not be afraid to start, even if you don't have everything planned from the beginning.

I would rate this solution an nine out of ten.