The Silent Bottleneck: Software Robots’ Efficiency

Introduction

The Silent Bottleneck: Software Robots’ Efficiency

Amidst the digital transformation era, software robots or robotic process automation (RPA)have emerged as game-changing tools for both private and public sectors. For instance, ATP has cut 300,000 work hours by enabling software robots to automate and streamline tasks, according to a report by Computerworld. However, despite these promising results, a significant potential remains untapped. The stark reality is that many organizations achieve a software robot utilization rate of merely 20-30 percent. It's akin to Volkswagen factories, Maersk’s container ships, or the operating rooms at the hospital laying dormant 270 days a year.

It's akin to Volkswagen factories, Maersk’s container ships, or the operating rooms at the hospital laying dormant 270 days a year.

‍From Investment to Return: Understanding RPA Utilization

While software robots can bring substantial rewards, these don't come cheap. They require considerable investment in licenses, IT infrastructure, education, and technical resources. The inefficient utilization of these robots often stems from restrictive and inflexible administration. Suppose a task takes longer than anticipated, or a software issue arises. In that case, this can easily block all the other tasks assigned to the robot, leading to delays until manual intervention.

A significant bottleneck arises from the misconception that a process is automated when it requires constant human supervision. For instance, a human may need to monitor and manually restart robots that stall for various reasons. While humans work for 8 hours a day, robots are available 24/7. The constant manual oversight needed to keep them running smoothly can be costly and adds little value to the organization.

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The Path Forward: Upgrading Management Tools for Enhanced RPA Efficiency

Many organizations overlook the fact that the management tools included in their RPA solution may not be adequate for their needs. Consequently, they miss out on significant gains that can come from a more comprehensive and intuitive oversight of software robots.

Improved management tools can potentially increase the average utilization rate to between 50 and 80 percent, more than doubling the usual rate. Additionally, these tools can provide an overview of all the software robots across the organization. With a comprehensive view of their digital workforce's activities, businesses can prioritize tasks based on their criticality.

Better utilization leads to increased automation and efficiency and reduces the power consumption of unused hardware and cloud services. It also helps in promoting the green agenda. Moreover, a more autonomous robot operation alleviates the need for continuous manual oversight, cutting down on labor-intensive and monotonous tasks.

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The Future of Software Robot Efficiency: A Holistic Management Tool

To fully capitalize on the potential of software robots and ensure their optimal utilization, organizations need to adopt a more holistic management tool. Such a tool would minimize the inefficiencies and help organizations extract maximum value from their robot colleagues.

This is where Optomo comes in. Its goal is to provide the necessary tools to help organizations navigate the path to increased RPA utilization, pushing the boundaries of what's achievable in robotic automation. With Optomo, you can ensure that your software robots don't merely exist, but thrive and deliver maximum productivity.