Robotic process automation: how to let software robots do the repetitive work
How many hours a week does your organisation spend retyping, copying and pasting? Invoices that go from a PDF into the accounts. Orders that are entered from a web portal into the ERP system. Details of new employees that are entered into four different systems. It is work that has to be done, but nobody enjoys it. Robotic process automation, RPA for short, takes over exactly these kinds of tasks.
What is robotic process automation?
Robotic process automation is software that mimics the actions of an employee on a computer screen. A software robot clicks buttons, fills in forms, opens emails, reads files and moves data from one system into another. Exactly as a person would, only faster, without errors and at any time of day.
The word robot may put you on the wrong track. There is no machine sitting at your desk. An RPA robot is a piece of software that runs on a computer, a server or in the cloud. That is why people often talk about a bot or a digital colleague.
The big difference from other forms of automation lies in the way the robot works with systems. Most integrations talk to each other through the back end, via an API. A software robot works through the front end: the user interface. That means nothing needs to change in your existing systems. A robot can also simply operate older software without integration options, a supplier portal or a government website.
Where RPA comes from
The technology is not new. For years, companies have used scripts and macros to automate small tasks, in Excel for example. RPA builds on that, but works across multiple applications and can be managed as a fully fledged part of your IT landscape. Where you used to need a programmer, you can now often build a robot by recording your own actions and turning that recording into a workflow.
How software robots work in practice
An RPA robot follows a fixed step-by-step plan. You can compare it to a recipe: first open this screen, then read this field, if the value is higher than 1,000 euros send a notification, otherwise continue to the next step. The robot carries out that recipe in exactly the same way every time.
Building such a robot usually happens in three phases:
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Record
You carry out the task yourself once while the RPA software watches and captures your clicks and keystrokes.
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Build
That recording becomes the basis for a workflow. You add rules, exceptions and checks to it.
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Run
The robot runs the workflow at set times, after a trigger such as an incoming email, or at an employee's request.
Attended and unattended robots
Broadly speaking, there are two types of software robot. Most organisations use a combination of both.
What a robot can and cannot do
A robot is extremely strong at tasks with clear rules and structured data. If it has to make a decision based on gut feeling or context, it gets stuck. That is also where modern RPA software increasingly uses AI, for example to recognise text in scanned documents. Further down this page you will read more about that combination.
The benefits of robotic process automation
Most organisations start with RPA to save time. It soon turns out that the gains go beyond just hours. These are the benefits you see most often in practice.
Which business processes can you automate with RPA?
Not every process is suitable for a robot. A good candidate has a few characteristics. The process occurs frequently, follows fixed rules, works with digital and structured data and does not change every month. The more of these characteristics a task has, the more likely it is that RPA will pay for itself quickly.
A handy rule of thumb: if you can explain the task step by step to a new colleague without having to say "it depends", a robot can probably do it too.
Examples by department
To make it concrete, below you will find a few processes per department that organisations often automate first. For more inspiration, also read RPA examples, with detailed real-world cases.
| Department | Examples of processes |
|---|---|
| Finance | Processing purchase invoices, matching payments to invoices, sending payment reminders to customers, compiling reports |
| Sales and order processing | Transferring orders from web portals into the ERP, creating quotes, retrieving supplier prices |
| HR | Setting up new employees in all systems, processing leave requests, generating contracts |
| Customer service | Combining customer data from multiple systems, sending status updates, processing address changes |
| IT | Creating and blocking user accounts, checking backups, reading log files |
The back office in particular offers plenty of opportunities. Invoice processing is a classic example: the robot reads the invoice, checks it against the purchase order and gets it ready in your accounting package. You can read exactly how that works in RPA in the back office: automating invoice processing, order entry and HR.
When RPA is not the best choice
Does a process change constantly, or does it consist mainly of exceptions? Then you will often spend more time maintaining a robot than you save. The same applies to processes that should not really exist at all. Automate an inefficient process and you end up with a fast inefficient process. So always take a critical look first at whether a step is still needed.
RPA use cases for your business applications
A digital worker operates applications through the screen, just like an employee, and carries out rule-based processes the same way every day. Combined with your existing business applications, this creates a chain in which data automatically ends up in the right place.
Retrieving, checking and processing purchase invoices
Accounting software, inventory and purchasing management, document management, integration platform
Purchase invoices arrive by email, through supplier portals or via a scanning service. The digital worker retrieves them, reads the invoice data and compares it with the purchase order and goods receipt in the inventory or purchasing system. It checks amounts, quantities, item codes and order numbers. If everything matches, it books the purchase invoice in the accounting software and sets it ready for approval. The original document is stored in the document management system and linked to the booking. If something differs, an employee gets a notification that includes the discrepancy.
What it delivers
- Your accounts payable team no longer has to retype invoices and only checks the exceptions.
- Price and quantity differences are flagged as soon as an invoice comes in, so you don't pay for what wasn't delivered.
- Every booking is linked to the original document, which makes the audit easier.
- Supplier and item data is recorded the same way everywhere, so duplicate or conflicting master data disappears.
Applying customer and product changes across all systems
CRM system, inventory management, webshop, accounting software, integration platform
A customer moves, gets a new VAT number or changes contact person. A product gets a new price or is taken out of the range. Changes like these have to be made in several systems, including applications without an integration. The digital worker picks up the change from the CRM system or inventory management and applies it according to fixed rules in the accounting software, the webshop and the other applications. The integration platform makes sure the change reaches the digital worker straight away.
What it delivers
- A change is entered once and then applied everywhere automatically.
- Customer and product data is the same in all systems, so invoices, orders and webshop prices are correct.
- Typing errors and forgotten updates in one of the systems are prevented.
- Every change is logged, so you can see who changed what and when.
Retrieving documents from external portals
Document management, CRM system, low-code platform, team chat
Many documents are waiting in external portals: policies at insurers, decisions at government bodies, reports at inspection bodies or invoices at suppliers. The digital worker periodically logs in to those portals, checks whether there are new documents and downloads them. It saves them in the right folder in the document management system and links them to the matching record in the CRM system or a custom application on the low-code platform. The responsible team gets a notification through the team chat.
What it delivers
- Nobody has to go through all the portals every day or week any more.
- Documents are always saved with the same naming and folder structure, so they are quick to find.
- Every document is linked to the right customer, project or file.
- New documents are flagged straight away, so terms and deadlines are not missed.
Connecting applications without an API
Integration platform, low-code platform, CRM system, accounting software and other business applications
Not every application has an API. Sometimes there is one, but an integration is too expensive or too complex for the volume. Think of older ERP packages, industry-specific software or portals of government bodies and chain partners. The digital worker then carries out the actions through the existing user interface. The integration platform or low-code platform sends the instructions and processes the results in the right application. This way, older or closed systems also become part of your automated processes.
What it delivers
- You don't have to wait for an expensive custom integration or a replacement of the old system.
- Data is no longer copied between systems by hand, which rules out retyping errors.
- Your central business applications contain up-to-date data, including from systems without an integration.
- If the old system is replaced later, you only adjust the digital worker and your processes stay the same.
RPA, AI agents and API integrations: what is the difference?
In conversations about automation, terms quickly get mixed up. Yet the technology you choose does matter, because each approach has its own strengths.
| Approach | How it works | Strong at | Less suitable for |
|---|---|---|---|
| RPA | Software robot operates the user interface according to fixed rules | Systems without an API, quick results, rule-based tasks | Processes with many exceptions or unstructured input |
| API integration | Systems exchange data directly via the back end | Large volumes, stable and fast data exchange | Older software or portals without an API |
| AI agent | Language model interprets input and makes decisions independently within set boundaries | Emails, free text, judgement calls and changing situations | Tasks that must run one hundred per cent predictably |
Robotic process automation for SMEs
For a long time, RPA was seen as something for banks, insurers and multinationals. Some of them run hundreds of robots at the same time, with expensive licences and their own automation teams. Those days are behind us. The threshold has dropped considerably, mainly because RPA software is increasingly part of platforms you already use.
For an SME, the gains often lie precisely in the smaller processes. One robot that takes over an hour of retyping every day already saves well over two hundred hours a year. For an organisation with a small back office, that is the difference between falling behind and having your administration under control. Read in RPA for SMEs how to determine whether it pays off for your organisation.
What does RPA cost and when do you earn it back?
The costs of RPA broadly consist of three parts: licences for the RPA software, setting up the robots and maintenance afterwards. Those costs vary widely by platform. Enterprise solutions often charge per robot or per user, with prices that quickly add up for an SME. There are also solutions that are already included in an existing software package, which means the licence costs practically disappear.
The payback period depends mainly on the volume and lead time of the process you automate. A simple calculation will get you started: how many minutes does the task take each time, how often does it occur per month and what does an hour of the employee who currently does it cost? Set the cost of the robot against that and you will quickly see whether it pays off. You will find a detailed explanation with a worked example in RPA costs and ROI.
RPA software: which solution suits you?
The market for RPA software is large, from comprehensive enterprise platforms to solutions that fit seamlessly with the software you already have. At Mobile XL we mainly work with two solutions that are a good fit for SMEs.
What to look for when choosing
When selecting RPA software, look at these points at the very least. In Choosing RPA software we explore these criteria in more detail.
How to implement robotic process automation in your organisation
A successful RPA project starts small. Organisations that want to automate ten processes at once often get stuck. It is better to choose one process, show that it works and build from there. These steps will help you get started.
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Map your processes
Together with the departments, take stock of which tasks take a lot of time, occur frequently and follow fixed rules. Employees usually know exactly which chores they would most like to get rid of.
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Choose a first process
Go for a process with a clear gain and limited risk. A quick win builds support within the organisation.
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Simplify where possible
Remove unnecessary steps before you start automating. That way you prevent the robot from keeping inefficiency alive.
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Build and test the robot
Capture the process in the RPA software, add rules for exceptions and test with real data in a safe environment.
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Go live and monitor
Let the robot run under supervision first. Check the results and adjust where necessary.
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Secure management and ownership
Agree who is responsible for the robot, who picks up alerts and what happens when an application changes.
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Scale up
Use the knowledge you have gained to tackle the next process.
Retyping orders cost us hours every day. Since the robot took that over, the errors have disappeared and the team has time for other work.
Discover what RPA can do for your organisation
Robotic process automation is no longer a thing of the future, but a practical way to save time and avoid errors today. Whether you already work with Zoho One or are still looking for the right solution: the best start is a clear picture of your own processes.
Mobile XL helps you with that. Together with you, we map out which tasks lend themselves to automation, choose the RPA software that suits your situation and build your first robot. Secure, GDPR-compliant and without your existing systems having to change.
Frequently asked questions about robotic process automation
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Robotic process automation is software that mimics the actions of an employee on a computer. A software robot clicks, types, reads data and transfers it between systems, according to fixed rules and without human intervention.
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RPA carries out predefined steps and does exactly what you tell it to. AI can interpret and decide for itself, for example by understanding the content of an email. Increasingly, the two are combined: AI understands the input, the robot carries out the actions.
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Processes that occur frequently, follow fixed rules and work with digital data. Think of invoice processing, order entry, setting up new employees in systems and compiling reports.
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Definitely. The threshold is much lower than a few years ago, partly because RPA is increasingly part of existing packages such as Zoho One. One robot that takes over an hour of work every day already saves well over two hundred hours a year.
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That depends on the RPA software you choose, the number of robots and the complexity of the process. You need to factor in licence costs, setup and maintenance. With Zoho One, Zoho RPA is included in the package at no extra charge, so the setup is the main cost.
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With a well-chosen first process, you often see results within a few months. The payback period depends on how often the process occurs and how much time it takes each time.
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Rarely, in practice. A robot takes over dull and repetitive tasks, so your employees have time left for more valuable work, such as customer contact and analysis. Many organisations actually use RPA to absorb growth without adding to the workload.
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An API integration lets systems exchange data via the back end. A software robot works via the user interface, just like a person. That makes RPA ideal for systems without an API or when an integration would be too expensive or too time-consuming.
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A first, simple robot can be live within a few weeks. More complex processes with many exceptions or multiple systems need more time for analysis and testing.
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Yes, provided you set it up properly. Store login credentials encrypted, give the robot access only to what it needs and log all actions. Mobile XL sets up robots according to these principles as standard.
Curious which processes you could automate first?
Book a no-obligation consultation with one of our specialists.