4 Signs It’s Time to Upgrade Your Bot

A Robotic Process Automation (RPA) bot is a software application that automates repetitive, rules-based tasks within digital systems. These ‘bots’ offer numerous benefits to businesses. They streamline workflows, reduce operational costs, and improve the efficiency and accuracy of repetitive and rule-based tasks. After your first RPA implementation, you might think that process is complete and will remain untouched. However, it’s possible that as your business, systems, or applications change your bot will need to be updated. 

RPA is a solution to long-term business problems. However, like any other software, it must be regularly updated to meet your business needs. This is because RPA isn’t just a quick fix. Instead, it's a long-term solution that can be adjusted to continually add value to your business. Regular meetings and performance reviews ensure that employees and managers are aligned and that goals are being met. RPA bots also need occasional check-ins to ensure they are meeting the needs of your business.  

Whether it's for regular updates and continual optimization or advice about when to build something new, an RPA partner can help you decide the best course of action for your business. An RPA partner can assist you in recognizing the signs that it’s time to update your bot. In this blog post, we will highlight four key signs that suggest it’s time to update your RPA bot.  

#1. Increased Workload 

As businesses grow their workloads increase. A benefit of RPA is that it can help you scale your business. As you scale, it’s important to ensure you are maximizing the benefits you can get from your bot.  

Let’s say you are a smaller hospital. When you implemented your first bot, your hospital had four units. The bot was trained to submit insurance claims for each of the units. Recently, your hospital expanded and added two additional units. However, the bot hasn’t been trained to access the claims for these units. Considering your business’s new workload, you need to update your bot to include the claims of the new units. Upgrading your bot will ensure seamless workload management for your business.  

It is important to consider what impact the workload will have on the bot’s process. If the process is time sensitive, it might be necessary to make adjustments to optimize the bot’s workflow. For example, we had one client whose bot was logging into an online portal through the front-end user interface. When the client’s workload increased, the bot’s efficiency dropped. After a few support sessions, the EnterBridge RPA team determined that the bot could access the portal through a newly developed backend API. This update reduced the time per transaction and maximized the bot’s efficiency. 

If the process the bot completes for your business is time sensitive and the transaction queue for one bot is getting too long, another way to optimize is to add an additional bot to your team.  

#2. Processes Have Changed 

As your business grows and improves, your processes are likely to change with it. As businesses grow, teams expand, workflows increase in complexity, data volume increases, and new systems are added. The most common need for support comes when systems and processes change significantly. When these changes occur, it’s necessary to modify the bot’s workflow. Luckily, updating your automation to account for these changes is a quick process. 

Changing your business processes creates an excellent opportunity to find additional areas where automation can be beneficial. Whether it’s expanding the current workflow or identifying a new workflow that will give your employees more time to focus on what matters most, your RPA partner can help you select the automation opportunity that is right for your team. 

#3. Need New Functionalities 

Business growth often means you have new processes that require unique solutions. For instance, consider you are a lending company with an RPA bot that processes loan applications, verifies applicant identity, and disburses loans. As time passes, you may want to introduce new functionality that helps you with this process. For example, a help desk ticket is submitted whenever an applicant has a question or problem. The number of tickets increases as your business grows. Your team is overwhelmed and having a hard time finding the urgent requests in the sea of tickets, leading to frustrated customers. A bot can help your team by flagging, organizing, and alerting your team about specific tickets.  

As your business needs continue to increase, additional automations and bots may be the solution. However, it might also be time to consider a fully custom software solution. A custom solution is helpful if you’ve integrated new systems into your business, overhauled processes, or are planning for continued growth based on a central platform.  

Custom software applications can be designed with built-in automations and integrations to trigger workflows in any aspect of your business. We’ve created custom solutions for our clients to manage their entire pricing strategy and adjust the pricing of their products based on market trends and changes. For another client, we designed software that manages their semi-truck inspection data collection and triggers service workflows if a vehicle needs to be decommissioned. 

Custom solutions offer limitless possibilities when it comes to adding new functionality to your business. Read more about the Pros and Cons of Custom Software Development to assess if it’s the right option for you.  

#4. Updating Technology 

Businesses update their technology regularly. Whether it’s to increase productivity, enhance security, or to stay competitive in your industry, updating your systems, software, and hardware is vital. As you make these updates, it’s vital to keep your RPA partner updated to ensure these changes don’t impact your automations.  

Before pushing a company-wide change into production, give your RPA partner time to make the necessary adjustments to your automations. Bots are sensitive to changes, but, it’s quick to make the adjustments required when changes and updates happen. It’s always better to handle these changes proactively rather than reactively. 

The Right Partner Goes a Long Way 

At EnterBridge, we’re more than just RPA developers. We’re your dedicated RPA partner. We take the time to learn your business, understand your pain points, and build solutions that positively impact your revenue and operations. Schedule a call with us to see how we can help update your RPA solution so it grows with your business.