Automation Anywhere Reviews

I have been running Automation Anywhere since 2017 at Experian. The main use cases for it primarily focus on citizen development. Back then, Power Automate was not mature, and Microsoft did not offer the features that Automation Anywhere provided. We aimed for self-service automation for business units, unlocking citizen development across various company areas, like HR, finance, auto, and health. We implemented it as part of our continuous improvement mindset, akin to our Six Sigma, called the empowered program. When exploring improvement opportunities, automation naturally fits in. We use it for our mailing processes to assist those familiar with macros or scripting. Automation Anywhere has become the preferred tool for seasoned developers, enabling them to build their automation. I report to the Smart Automation CoE, the intelligent automation program at Experian. We govern the technology and train citizens to build their automations.

Nowadays, the tool is unique as it offers various automation capabilities in one platform, which once required different vendors. Even with Automation Anywhere's acquisitions, like FortressIQ, users can directly access features for document automation, process discovery, or RPA. From a technical standpoint and an end-user perspective, the platform is user-friendly and doesn't require complex setups like IDEs, unlike Power Platform. I've also observed changes in processes, as people are now more familiar with interacting with bots. This familiarity changes the way they do business.

As a customer, not just a user, I desire a better understanding of translating traditional RPA into newer features like Copilot and Majentik, leveraging API tasks. We've been running the program for eight years, with team members having their own frameworks. Helping them transition to advanced features is crucial. With over four hundred bots live in Experian, requiring recoding for Copilot involvement would lead to pushback. Automation Anywhere could assist in this transition.

I have been running Automation Anywhere since 2017 in Experian.

It is pretty stable. Especially with SaaS, it is always available and up and running. I can't think of any disruptions in the environment.

My impression links back to the initial point about integrating agentic AI and process automation features. I'm eager for the upcoming summit to see advancements towards scaling the product. Currently, Power Platform already offers seamless GenAI integration. I look forward to Automation Anywhere achieving similar seamless integration for broader-scale automation.

I think that customer service is a question because we didn't have the Orange plan previously. Last year, we gained access to this tier, simplifying case resolution. Previously, resolving issues required navigating through various layers before reaching an architect or expert. Now, support quickly assigns technical resources, improving the experience.

Positive

Thank you for that. You mentioned experience with other RPA solutions like Power Automate. We don't own the Power Platform program at Experian, but it's accessible to all employees under the Office 365 licensing. This includes Power Automate flows and Power Apps. It's common for Copilot agents to be utilized, providing full capability and access to these features.

I would say setup is straightforward as long as full access to prerequisites and features is available. We don't have access to spin up databases or servers, relying on different teams, which delays deployment or upgrades. For companies where the COE has full control, setup is straightforward.

Usually, our team involves one or two people as the process is straightforward. We plan maintenance outside business hours and coordinate with groups owning the database or servers. This organizational structure may differ for other companies.

Absolutely, we classify ROI as time saved. It doesn't generate revenue directly, but focuses on unlocking productivity, allowing businesses to concentrate on value-adding activities. Automation Anywhere aids in handling repetitive tasks, contributing to productivity and enhancing customer service, especially when combined with methodologies like Six Sigma.

I don't have visibility on setup costs, but renewal discussions are underway. Currently, costs involve paying a fixed amount for licenses rather than a consumption-based model. This contrasts with other providers like Microsoft, which uses a subscription model.

For instance, Microsoft already has Microsoft Copilot Studio, making them key players in this realm. If someone wants an RP bot connected to CoPilot or GPT, Automation Anywhere requires setup and authentication. In contrast, Microsoft offers seamless connectivity, integrating RPA to GenAI with minimal effort.

Good things aside, on the other hand, what would I like to see improved or enhanced in Automation Anywhere apart from the AI functionality that we discussed previously? I'll give it a seven as they are among the top competitors. Their offering of diverse automation capabilities in one platform is notable, but there are still areas for improvement.

I use Automation Anywhere for a range of automation tasks, including desktop, web, and SAP automation, as well as handling PDF exceptions and facilitating application-to-application automation. Additionally, I establish database connections to perform database automation.

Automation Anywhere is easy to learn and use, even for individuals without technical skills, due to its user-friendly interface.

The learning curve for non-technical users of Automation Anywhere is relatively gentle, allowing them to grasp the basic functionalities and build simple automation quickly.  

Our goal is to reduce manual labor by 200,000 to 300,000 hours over the next five years. We are currently saving approximately 20,000 hours each year through automation, which will result in a total of 100,000 hours saved over five years. The benefits of using Automation Anywhere can be observed within two weeks of implementation.

Generative AI is used in some of our automation processes to eliminate paperwork within a three-hour timeframe.

I have integrated Automation Anywhere with various applications, including SAP, MySQL, and numerous desktop and web-based applications. My experience spans desktop applications, web-based applications like SAP Ariba and other portals, and automation of buying processes. I am confident that I have worked with the full spectrum of applications available in the current market, from desktop-based to cloud-based solutions.

Automation Anywhere can be easily integrated into our automation workflows.

Automation Anywhere saved directors five to seven hours of manual work daily and, from a business structure perspective, more than five times the savings.

Automation Anywhere is easy to use and user-friendly due to its intuitive interface and straightforward implementation architecture, making it accessible even for those without a technical background. Its community edition and clear process workflow make it easier to learn and develop on compared to UiPath or Power Automate, requiring less technical knowledge overall.

The AISense recorder in Automation Anywhere needs improvement in resilience and OCR capabilities, particularly in comparison to UiPath's superior OCR functionality. Furthermore, expanding the Automation Anywhere packages to include a wider range of desktop-based applications would enhance its utility.

Automation Anywhere needs to expand its reach across more industries by strengthening its sales team and increasing its market presence in India and globally. This broader approach will allow them to capture diverse sectors, increasing demand and creating more job opportunities within the company. This expansion is crucial, especially since the current client base utilizing Automation Anywhere remains limited.

I have been using Automation Anywhere for approximately five years.

Automation Anywhere is highly stable, and I rate its stability a ten out of ten.

Automation Anywhere allows for automation at scale, and I rate its scalability as a nine out of ten.

Automation Anywhere has good support features.

Positive

Before using Automation Anywhere, manual methods were used.

The initial setup was easy and took about a week. Two to three people were involved in the deployment.

The deployment was handled by the IT department which involved two to three people.

Automation Anywhere offers competitive and affordable pricing. However, a slight adjustment to align more closely with Power Automate's pricing structure could help them capture a larger share of the market.

I would rate the price of Automation Anywhere a six out of ten, with ten being the most expensive.

Other solutions evaluated include UiPath and Power Automate. UiPath provides better OCR and capture capabilities.

I would rate Automation Anywhere nine out of ten.

When I first became interested in the automation market, Automation Anywhere held a significant presence, especially during its expansion into India. While they continue to grow in the Indian market, they need to increase their market share compared to UiPath. From a developer's perspective, UiPath offers far more job opportunities. To be more competitive, Automation Anywhere should proactively expand its presence in industries like healthcare, telecom, and energy. This would lead to increased adoption of their product and create more job opportunities within the Automation Anywhere sector, ultimately benefiting the entire automation industry.

We have over 25 users of Automation Anywhere in our company.

The maintenance is done automatically by Automation Anywhere.

I would recommend using Automation Anywhere to others. It is a user-friendly tool, and developers can learn it quickly. Implementing automation often requires proof of concept, and Automation Anywhere is a viable option.

We have a lot of use cases for Automation Anywhere. We have some use cases at the customer experience department, we have some for the HR team, and we have more than a few for our billing department. We have quite a few across our different business units.

We have not yet used Agentic AI. One of the main reasons I wanted to come to AA Imagine was to see the demo. What has been stopping us from choosing AI is our company's governance aspect and getting the approvals.

AI governance is quite important for my company in general because I work for a government contracting company. That is one of the challenges that we would need to solve before we integrate any AI capabilities.

What I appreciate the most about Automation Anywhere is how easy it is to use. One thing I noticed in the beginning when we first started using Automation Anywhere was how quickly we were able to learn it. It is very simple and straightforward to use, which is probably the main advantage.

The simplicity of Automation Anywhere has benefited us as we have been able to train our internal employees. It has been very easy to train someone internally versus hiring someone outside of the company.

Overall, I am pretty satisfied with Automation Anywhere. The UI is pretty straightforward. However, the customer service could be improved.

I have been using Automation Anywhere in my company for two and a half years.

It can be improved. When we have issues or problems with the software, which is not common, that is one area that could be better. We have had issues in the past where we have had problems with the application, and it has taken a while for someone to get back to us. Overall, we are pretty happy with the application.

Neutral

We were not using another solution prior to Automation Anywhere. This was the first automation tool that we integrated at our company.

My experience with the bot deployment is pretty straightforward. I have an RPA admin who takes care of the deployment. While I cannot speak on his behalf, I would say that the deployment process, from what I know, is pretty straightforward. It is not anything too complicated or complex.

The main challenge we were trying to solve by bringing Automation Anywhere was automating different processes and manual tasks that our employees do. We wanted to help the company save money, and we have been able to do that.

It's justified because we have saved quite a bit of money at the company and many manual hours. Overall, it justifies the cost.

When I joined, my company had already decided on Automation Anywhere. I do not know what other tool they had in mind, but this was the only one.

I would rate Automation Anywhere a nine out of ten. I am happy with the company and my Automation Anywhere journey. There have not been any major issues or problems since we started using it about two and a half years ago. Our leadership at the company is very happy. Our RPA team always gets recognized, and it is because of this tool. This tool has helped us significantly.

We mostly started using Automation Anywhere for RPA projects. Now, we have a lot of intelligent automation. A few of our cases are using document automation since we have a lot of technical documentation in our engineering enterprise. 

Automation Anywhere brings a lot of value, not only via automation but with citizen developers. People who do not have the ability to create technical solutions are now able to do it. We are doing some things like hackathons with Automation Anywhere. It's another way of adding value to the business.

The document automation is the most valuable aspect of the solution. The new enhanced version is a game changer. We have gained lots of improvements by extracting data, including unstructured data from images to structured data. With the quality and accuracy, we are now able to bring lots of value. We've using generative AI with this data and making the automation more intelligent.

The processes and tasks automated by Automation Anywhere versus how they were done prior to implementation are much more streamlined. We get a lot of efficiency. We get precision. We're able to free up labor tasks and gain efficiency and productivity. There are some processes that need special attention or there are concerns about governance. In finance, an error can be an obstacle. It can be a pitfall also. Confidence is always a thing we are looking for. We must be confident there are no errors. With Automation Anywhere, we can remove mistakes.

It is easy for business users who don't have technical skills. When we communicate properly the opportunity or challenge to people, and when we can show the value of automation, they embrace it. It brings those even without technical skills a lot of opportunities. Even we are surprised with what people can do. People know best what they need to do with their tasks. If they can automate a solution by themselves, it brings a lot of value. 

The learning curve is very short. We have started a few hackathons. We've noticed, in one week, that we were able to do 40 cases. We did it twice. So in two weeks, we have almost 80 cases from idea to construction. We did it in two different cities in Brazil, and it was an amazing opportunity to bring value to people who did not have technical skills in such a short time frame.

We are starting to use Automation Co-Pilot, and we are very enthusiastic. We are very happy with this new tool and expect many more use cases from it in the future.

Co-Pilot helped accelerate automation adoption. It's an easy way to do more with the automation. People feel free to focus on the problem and not on the technical skills. This is a big game changer when there's a person without technical skills. 

Co-Pilot has also helped increase productivity. Even those without technical skills can automate tasks and develop things very quickly. They can have an idea and come up with a solution in a very short timeframe. It can free up staff time. They can automate tasks to free up time to work on other things. It helps speed up work significantly.

There are applications we can embed Automation Co-Pilot into a few websites. We have a lot in the enterprise. Things like Salesforce and Teams can be integrated. We can do a lot by activating Co-Pilot from Teams. We can use it as an assistant in Teams for our team. We've also integrated Google Cloud and AI to add in more AI solutions. 

The integration is helpful. We have quite a few use cases where we've integrated with Microsoft tools and local record systems, such as SAP and Vertex AI. 

The labor costs have been lowered. It's always a concern and the proper use of our staff, and their capacity and competency, is important. With automation, we can help them focus on more high-value tasks. Automation gives them the ability to move away from repetitive and boring tasks and move them to more important areas.

We've been able to save a lot of time and costs by replacing repetitive and boring labor tasks with more important ones. 

We're leveraging other Automation Anywhere programs. There's a lot of value when using professional services. We can look at similar use cases and learn from those. 

Automation Anywhere can be improved by offering more integration with many more applications. While it is very integrated nowadays, the complexity is a key issue. Common users must have the opportunity to integrate it with many more environments. 

We've been using the solution for four years.

The stability is very good. It is a robust solution. We haven't faced any issues within the four years or use. Stability, combined with innovation, has been invaluable. The product is never static. We always have access to more enhancements and products with updates within a very short timeframe.

Automation Anywhere provides automation at scale. It's realized mostly when we combine many technologies and use them in the same process. When we use it in conjunction with other things, we can gain the most value out of each technology. The limits nowadays are almost zero as there is so much integration possible. 

We have Gold Service with Automation Anywhere. Support has been a big advantage for us. We have many assets and 8,000 employees. It's a big operation. That's why we need proper support that can help us with multiple automation. Any change or mistake can be rapidly managed with the level of support we are provided. 

We did not previously use a different automation solution. We started from scratch with Automation Anywhere.

We've been able to deploy the solution easily. We've been able to integrate it with our systems of record and other tools. 

The experience has been good. It's important to do it with the proper partner and proper team. When we merge product and project teams, it helps make the deployment process seamless.

We do have some partners that help us with the deployment. 

We've witnessed an ROI not only on the automation but in the integration with Google, Microsoft, and other platforms. The net value we receive is across many aspects. Now, we have an average of more than 30,000 hours saved per year on labor costs. We've also seen more cost reductions related to automation. 

The pricing of the solution is okay. We've bought licensing via a big bid. It was hard to define as it was the first time we were using the solution. Of the second round, we were very focused on what we needed. We understood the process better. It's provided a lot of value these days. 

We did evaluate other options, including solutions from Microsft and SAP. The difference is that Automation Anywhere can integrate different platforms. That way, we are not limited to just one platform. We can combine many different technologies while having the liberty to scale across many different processes. 

The Imagine Conference by Automation Anywhere has been helpful. It's a good event for everyone - for both technical and business people, as well as students. It helps everyone realize the opportunities of automation and unlock value in the face of challenges. We're seeing automation become simpler and user-friendly, which is allowing us to be more productive. 

I'd rate the solution ten out of ten. It brings a lot of innovation to our company. It's great for technical and non-technical people. 

The main use cases that we have currently for Automation Anywhere are for our finance department, where we tend to have a lot of manual labor regarding the whole process of paying for everything within our company. We use Automation Anywhere in order to streamline these processes and make it really efficient for the department to do their internal processes.

What I appreciate the most about Automation Anywhere is that, from a development and developer side, it is really intuitive to do the whole automation, which also makes it easier to do all the support side of the code. It is really great for the user to be able to see everything that is happening in the code, such as what could be wrong or right. 

At the end of the day, the effort that you put in has exponential benefits, giving you many advantages from your lines of code, which is amazing.

One of the problems we have found with Automation Anywhere is that the rollout of new upgrades or tools is not readily available for everyone to know about the new benefits offered. For example, the Imagine event is a great way for everyone to learn about what is coming and the new benefits, but outside of Imagine, it can be difficult to know what is new.

The whole company has been using Automation Anywhere for around four years; I have been using it for around two and a half years.

At Volkswagen Mexico, we just use Automation Anywhere. However, I believe that Volkswagen Germany uses another tool. The decision to implement Automation Anywhere at Volkswagen Mexico was made by Volkswagen Germany. I do not know what considerations they took into account, but they chose to go with Automation Anywhere.

Since Automation Anywhere is intuitive for the developer, it is easier for them to express to the business side of the company what the benefits and opportunities are, making that communication really easy so we can get ideas from the business and then develop them from our knowledge. It is also easier to onboard people onto this tool.

The main challenge with agentic process automation that we are trying to solve is the whole implementation of artificial intelligence within our company, which is crucial because everything that has to do with security and all our databases requires us to be super careful. We are currently facing the issue of ensuring careful implementation while realizing the opportunities for implementing these agentic solutions within our company, which I expect will happen in the next couple of years.

In the age of agentic AI, understanding what all the things that agentic AI can provide for our company means focusing on translating AI technology into actual use cases. The challenge lies in prioritizing and making the link between actual use cases and the tools available, especially since AI technology presents many options but can leave us uncertain about which to tackle first.

We are currently migrating to document automation; we previously used an older version before starting this migration, but we are just at the beginning. In Mexico, where our company is based, we face issues regarding obtaining new licenses, as this has to be done through a third-party company. This limitation affects what we can get because there are certain packages we have to purchase, restricting our ability to acquire specific licenses, such as for testing AI agents, since we must buy the entire package to get just one license. Therefore, that presents challenges when trying new things.

I would rate Automation Anywhere a nine because we want to try new things and incorporate more innovations into our company that Automation Anywhere offers; however, the nervousness about testing them poses challenges, which is the only reason I would not rate it a ten.

I am working as an RPA Developer, and I am expected to create bots that simplify people's jobs, allowing them to focus on more important tasks. I am tasked with creating robotic processes.

Business analysts come to us with their problems and want to find out if we can address them with robotic process automation. My role is to confirm whether we can do it with Automation Anywhere. They handle the metrics calculations in terms of the impact on the business, but I am informed that with Automation Anywhere, we have streamlined processes, eliminating errors and reducing time. Previously, these jobs were performed manually, but with Automation Anywhere, they can concentrate on more significant tasks.

Its integration with Outlook and SharePoint was easy with the help of the Automation Anywhere team. After we got information about the connection strings and other things from them, integration was easy.

I like web automation and SAP application automation. 

It has a good interface. Those who do not have programming experience can easily use Automation Anywhere. It is very easy to learn. Within three months, they can start creating basic automation.

Sometimes, I find that Excel automation is not as expected. Excel automation can be enhanced. For instance, to accomplish tasks faster, I use scripts. However, if I could achieve the same speed without scripting, that would be ideal. 

For web automation, the recorder package can be improved. It is sometimes hard to catch certain elements on the web. 

The Automation Anywhere community is less active than the UiPath community, which is a downside. When I ask questions in the Automation Anywhere community, responses take a longer time. I have checked the UiPath community, where there are more active participants.

I have used this solution for a bit more than four years.

It is stable. I would rate it a nine out of ten for stability.

It is scalable. It is being used for automation for multiple departments. I am working in the RPA team. My company has more than 100 people, but the RPA team has seven people using Automation Anywhere. I would rate it a nine out of ten for scalability.

When I encounter difficulties, I raise a ticket with the Automation Anywhere team. They respond promptly and are willing to help, but some team members seem to lack the necessary skills. As a result, problems that typically should be resolved in one day may take three days.

Neutral

I only have experience with Automation Anywhere.

I have not installed Automation Anywhere.

The deployment of automated tasks is easy. I can do it in two minutes. I have used both on-premises and cloud models. In terms of maintenance, the bots usually require updates when there is an issue or there is an update from Automation Anywhere. It is usually once every three months.

I do not know the price, but I am told that it is cheaper than UiPath.

I would recommend this product to other users because it is user-friendly, and I appreciate its features, such as SAP automation and web automation. 

We have not yet used AI in Automation Anywhere, but there is an upcoming course on integrating AI, which I will attend. 

Overall, I would rate Automation Anywhere an eight out of ten.

I am from the Mechanical Department at a college of engineering. We utilize Automation Anywhere with our students in the mechanical block. I am using it for educational purposes, and we are providing hands-on experiences.

Automation Anywhere is very useful. With Automation Anywhere, we can do any task in the easiest way. If there is any repeated task, then we can replace it with Automation Anywhere to the same work in a short period of time. It helps minimize the work. 

Automation Anywhere is very helpful and interesting to learn for students. It is very user-friendly, so they can easily learn it.

Automation Anywhere is very easy to learn for people who do not have any technical skills. It is very user-friendly. There is no learning difficulty. We can easily drag and drop the required components and make the model we want. We can automate and deploy a function. After one or two attempts, it becomes very clear. It does not take a long time to understand it. We can understand a simple process within thirty minutes, whereas a complex process can take two to four hours.

Automation Co-Pilot is an advanced feature that helps with finding out the next step. It also provides information about more efficient usage. Both Automation Anywhere and Co-Pilot improve productivity. 

Automation Anywhere saves time. The attendance automation that we have saves about two hours each day. We are also able to easily scrape data from structured and unstructured files and write it in the CSV format. IQ Bot does this very well. 

The AI collaboration is the most impressive feature of Automation Anywhere. We can use IQ Bot to extract data from structured and unstructured sources into a CSV file. It is very useful, and my university uses it for the attendance system. With AI integration, we can easily take attendance. 

Other features include easy deployment and automation of repetitive tasks. If we want to automate any repetitive task, we can record it, which is very useful.

It is secure and user-friendly. Automation Anywhere minimizes human effort and time, facilitates learning, and supports automated tasks efficiently.

There are areas of improvement needed, such as complex decision-making skills. When updates are made, the IQ Bot's actions can be affected, leading to decision-making failures. If it had the ability to make decisions in complex situations, the bot would perform more smoothly. More advanced decision-making skills are needed for improvement.

I have been using Automation Anywhere for more than two years.

Automation Anywhere is very stable. I would rate it a ten out of ten for stability.

Its scalability is very good. I would rate it a ten out of ten for scalability.

In the mechanical department, we have more than 130 students. On average, there are 700 users. 

Technical support is easy to access with various communication channels, including emails and personal calls. However, the community forum is sometimes unresponsive. Despite this, personal calls and quick fixes are very useful, providing good technical support.

Neutral

I have experience with Blue Prism from four years ago. Initially, I used both Blue Prism and Automation Anywhere, but Blue Prism required coding, making it challenging. Automation Anywhere's no-code environment made it easier, and I preferred it. My students also favor it for its user-friendliness and affordability compared to Blue Prism. Automation Anywhere allows for easy drag-and-drop actions and is cost-effective for medium and large-scale enterprises.

The cost is high for small-scale businesses but it is fine for medium and large enterprises. Its high licensing cost may affect small-scale businesses. Reducing licensing costs would benefit many users.

Learning Automation Anywhere prepares our students for a better future because the future belongs to RPA Automation. It helps build their automation skills, and we also provide certification to them after learning Automation Anywhere. 

It involves understanding the structure, and once two or three models are deployed, it becomes easier. Using Automation Anywhere is more straightforward than other RPA tools. Bot deployment typically takes three to four hours depending on the process. A simple process can take about thirty minutes and complex ones take two to four hours. There is no time wasted during deployment.

Bots require updates only if there are any changes. Generally, five to ten minutes are enough to maintain the bots. It does not take a lot of time.

I would recommend Automation Anywhere to others. I actively create awareness about it in our classes and recommend it to other institutions for future RPA developers. 

I would rate Automation Anywhere a ten out of ten.

It can simply reduce the time taken for various tasks. People get tired of doing the same mundane and repetitive work. They also end up working beyond work hours. With a product like Automation Anywhere, you can develop automation that can work after office hours and assist you 24/7. It provides ease to a company.

When it comes to integration, Automation Anywhere and all other RPA tools majorly work through the user interface. I have used Automation Anywhere with some Microsoft products, cloud-based products, and desktop-based applications, so I have used it in all the fields. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to roll it out to the whole organization. However, I have done RPA implementation for many organizations, and I have been working for more than eight years in this field. The basic structure of all the RPA tools is the same, so I know that this tool can be used in production for all types of applications, such as ERP applications like Oracle EBS or Fusion, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, and other Microsoft tools, and, lastly, the desktop applications or terminals. I have done the training of Automation Anywhere. I am certified in Automation Anywhere, and I have experience working with all applications and tools using Automation Anywhere. The integration is very simple. One should only know which feature of Automation Anywhere is to be used to integrate with any of these applications. With the help of the training, one can automate any document or application process using Automation Anywhere.

For me, the best feature of Automation Anywhere is that it is totally cloud-based. We do not need to set up anything in VMs or other machines. It can directly work on the cloud. The orchestration and the control room are well-defined. For development, it provides drag-and-drop activities and automated workflow. In a nutshell, two things that are very helpful in Automation Anywhere are the control room and drag-and-drop activities.

If someone honestly and sincerely completes the basic training available on the portal of Automation Anywhere, one can be a good RPA developer, architect, or engineer. The training available on Automation Anywhere's portal is very helpful for getting someone started with it quickly. One can start using it within one week of dedicated learning.

A standardized improvement area for any RPA tool is making it more user-friendly. This can be done by allowing users to give instructions in their language. For example, one should be able to say in his or her language to automate the login page of the XYZ application. It should be able to create a flow based on the information or screenshots that the user provides. This is the next step that Automation Anywhere should be able to achieve. Based on the information given by a user in the dialog box, the tool should be smart enough to prepare a workflow that the user can simply play and test. It is more related to AI than RPA.

Its stability can also be better.

I started using it eight to nine years ago. 

I would rate it a seven out of ten for stability. Sometimes, things are not updated in real-time.

I know companies that are using Automation Anywhere in a global environment across different countries. It is a very good product in that aspect.

In our organization, there are 10 to 15 people working with Automation Anywhere. For maintenance, there are around three people, but they are also doing the development. There are weekly meetings to manage the bots and target applications.

I did not get a chance to work in the production environment, but for my personal grooming, I requested help a couple of times, and I got a good response from them.

Neutral

I have experience with other products such as UiPath, Blue Prism, and Power Automate.

Previously, Automation Anywhere was not very user-friendly in comparison to UiPath, but now, it is totally cloud-based. It has all the drag-and-drop features, and any nontechnical person can work with Automation Anywhere. However, at that time, this was not the case. We had a team from the fields of IT, accounting, and business consultants. We wanted a product that could be used by everyone instead of just a technical person. That was why we selected UiPath, whereas now, Automation Anywhere has improved a lot. It has all the features and functionalities of other RPA programs, and it is quite easy to use. At the time, Automation Anywhere required a bit of query writing, whereas UiPath was simply drag and drop. Now, Automation Anywhere is a good product, and it has all the features that other RPA products have.

Among all these three products, UiPath is the most stable and has the least number of bugs. Automation Anywhere is at the second number. It has the same functionalities and features as UiPath, and it can do all the things in the same way as UiPath. Automation Anywhere and UiPath are almost on the same page.

I am not sure about the cost of Automation Anywhere, but UiPath starts from $420 per month. I believe Automation Anywhere is more expensive than UiPath, so UiPath has an edge over Automation Anywhere.

Microsoft Power Automate has almost all the RPA features. It can automate semi-complex robots, but it is not suitable for more complex processes. However, its cost is not even a quarter of other products. It has a cost of $15 per month. It is the best tool. If a company wants to buy a product with the lowest cost, I would always recommend Microsoft Power Automate. As the head of automation, I handle the automation strategy. I do a comparative analysis of all the products. I also inform customers or vendors about what they can achieve from the RPA technology.

The deployment is straightforward. 

Process Automation takes from one week to six weeks depending upon the complexities of the process to be automated. In terms of maintenance, whenever the interface of any product or website changes, it is a nightmare for the developer. When you automate your tasks, there should be a maintenance activity at least every month so that no complaints come from the business users.

I first used it to do a PoC. I had to do a comparative analysis of the leading RPA products such as Automation Anywhere, Blue Prism, and UiPath. At that time, I decided to go with UiPath. UiPath was cost-effective compared to Blue Prism. Automation Anywhere was a bit lower in cost than UiPath, but UiPath was more user-friendly, so we decided to have UiPath in our organization.

We first explored the functionalities and features of the product instead of doing some kind of use cases. Later on, when we selected the product, we developed the use cases in different areas, such as in the area of master data management for the recording of transaction authorizations in the ERP system. We tested Blue Prism, Automation Anywhere, and UiPath. The use case was related to master data. At that time, in 2016 or 2017, Automation Anywhere was not that user-friendly in comparison to UiPath. Since then, I have seen a lot of improvement in Automation Anywhere. In some aspects, I feel it is far better than UiPath.

If you are starting with RPA without any prior knowledge, you should focus on the training available on Automation Anywhere's portal. Previously, UiPath's training material was the best, whereas now, Automation Anywhere's training material is the best. It is like spoon-feeding a baby. Anyone who is new in the field of RPA can easily learn from the Automation Anywhere website. It would take you a dedicated one week to learn Automation Anywhere.

I have not used the Automation Co-pilot feature. I believe that the future of any RPA or AI product is where a business user can give requirements in his words or language, such as English, Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, German, or Norwegian, and the product is smart enough to develop the code for the user. The user can simply use that code. I see this feature in some of the RPA products, but they are not very good at it now. They can understand some of the things, but the output is not very good and impressive.

I would recommend other RPA solutions because of the stability part. It sometimes does not update itself in real time. Sometimes, there is also a factor of cost. I would then recommend Microsoft Power Automate.

Overall, I would rate Automation Anywhere a seven out of ten.