What is our primary use case?
We are a reseller. We first implemented it for an auto company and then decided to implement it for other customers as well.
We use it for workload automation. By implementing Automation Anywhere, we wanted to automate processes. We have not had any big problems with Automation Anywhere. The problems are in other systems.
How has it helped my organization?
Before Automation Anywhere, our clients did not have any other tool. Everything was done manually, and now, a lot of processes are automated by this tool. They save lots and lots of money.
We usually use Co-Pilot for approvals in a department. For example, when the accounting department needs to approve an invoice, we can use Co-Pilot and get the data, accept the data, and get the confirmation for the invoice. It can be automated by RPA. There is about a 5% to 10% increase in productivity because it is not so much stabilized for the client, but there is an opportunity to grow up to 40%. We are now playing a little bit with GenAI. We want to use some ChatGPT stuff and approve it through Co-Pilot. We can then use RPA. It could be a nice process. For example, we are building automation to compare the competitors in the market for a retail company. We can use ChatGPT to get some data from the website, and RPA can then make a comparison of these retail companies. We can then give the information to the finance department, for example, to change the price of the product or something like that. This is a really nice and great opportunity for customers.
The biggest benefit is cooperation with the robots. Approvals are great for us and for our clients. It is very nice for this.
We have mostly integrated SAP applications, and then there are also some specific automations for the customers. They usually have some internal applications that they are using. The integration components that we use vary depending on the target application. Sometimes, we are not able to get the data from the application via API, so we can use the UI automation. It is nice for automating the scraping technology for applications.
The main benefit for which we usually start using this solution for a project is to save overtime for employees so that employees are much happier because they do not want to do overtime. However, after that, when we start automating big processes, they are even able to reduce the number of employees. That is an aspect of automation, but overall, companies can save a lot of money because automation tools can help you save working capacity.
What is most valuable?
I like the new GenAI and Automation Co-Pilot, which is something like attended automation. It looks very nice now. GenAI is the most valuable to me at this time.
What needs improvement?
Reporting could be better because there is a little bit of overkill in getting information about the utilization of the bot license. This could be a little bit improved.
We sometimes have a problem with the connection between the control room and the database, but it is not very often.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Automation Anywhere since 2017.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
For a small process, it could be a ten out of ten, and for a really complex process, it could be a six out of ten. That is because there are a lot of different ifs or decisions in the process. If a process is very complex and there are a lot of decisions, that could be a little bit bad for the stability of the bot.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Its scalability is great. You can reuse a lot of processes or roll them into different locations if the process is the same. For scalability, it is very nice. I would rate it a nine out of ten for scalability.
How are customer service and support?
Knowledge-wise, they are great, but sometimes, the timing and the communication with the support can be a little bit crazy. Their knowledge is great, but the timing and scheduling of the calls are not so great.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have worked with UiPath and Blue Prism. For us, Automation Anywhere is the winner. We chose it because we see the most opportunities for this tool. It is much more modern than Blue Prism. From my point of view, Automation Anywhere has a bigger price value than UiPath.
It is easy to learn how to automate processes with Automation Anywhere. It is not as easy as UiPath, but it is still easy to learn. UiPath is a bit easier to use because it has the UI and you mostly use the boxes. Automation Anywhere is more technical. It is a little bit more difficult than UiPath, but I understand why. In a few weeks, a nontechnical person should be able to automate a short or easy process.
How was the initial setup?
We have the cloud as well as on-prem deployments. We now have something like a robot as a service. It is a hybrid with the cloud and on-premises setups.
It is quite easy to install it and connect it to the databases. The deployment is very easy.
The deployment duration usually depends on the client. It can take two or three days to set it up properly.
What about the implementation team?
It could be a one-man job, but you need help from other departments to open the connection between the database and the control room and everything like that. The installation itself is a one-man job.
In terms of maintenance, a little bit of maintenance is required. The maintenance is mostly related to the bots or processes. It is not much related to the platform. Sometimes, you need to do upgrades and sort out some issues with the connections. Maintenance of the bot is a bit of a different story. If there is a change in the target system, we have to change the bots. It depends on the changes in the companies.
The maintenance effort depends on the version because sometimes, it is very easy to upgrade and everything is good, but sometimes, you update the platform and you need to change lots of bots. On average, it is easy to upgrade it. We can upgrade it with just one button.
Overall, we have nine people working with Automation Anywhere. Our clients are mostly enterprises.
What was our ROI?
It can save money and resources. You can save everything. There is a huge return on investment with its license.
I do not have the metrics for the ROI because it depends on the utilization of automation in a company. It could be a 100% ROI in one year. It could also be 1%.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is somewhere in the middle. The price and value of Automation Anywhere are better than UiPath. The pricing is good globally. It could be a little bit cheaper, but it is good.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend Automation Anywhere because there is a price-to-value benefit. There are a lot of opportunities to save money in companies or enterprises. It is a very helpful technology, and it can help you to be a better competitor in the market.
Overall, I would rate Automation Anywhere a nine out of ten.
*Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: MSP