RPA in Times of COVID-19

###How Companies are Managing the COVID-19 Situation During this [COVID-19 pandemic](https://www.instagram.com/p/B9zrjzSh2YI/), companies everywhere have started taking the necessary measures to continue working in the safest way possible by activating all channels to provide a 100% active and remote service. At Rootstack, for instance, we’ve decided that to continue delivering high-quality projects, our employees will be working remotely, and we will continue providing our services by videoconferences or calls during our regular business hours. During times like this, where many companies are worried about maintaining productivity levels and about the economic repercussions they might be facing in a couple of months, automating services seems even more important than it ever was. ###What is RPA? [Robot Process Automation (RPA)](https://www.rootstack.com/en/blog/rpa-next-step-process-automation) is a software is aimed to automate business processes, by specifically, automating repetitive tasks, streamlining enterprise operations, reducing production costs, and more importantly, reducing the need for a human in every work. During these upcoming weeks, this solution will become an essential element for any business looking for cost efficiency while increasing productivity levels. ### How does RPA save me operating costs? At first glance, an RPA saves time and money by automating repetitive manual tasks using bots. But it also creates many other benefits, such as: - An RPA brings a savings potential of 20% to 30%, as it handles repetitive tasks, helping the company save significant time and resources. - Improves work quality - Attracts a quick return on investment (less than 1 year) - Since an RPA works through bots, any non-technical staff can modify the bot to automate other processes as the company's needs progress. - Minimizes manual processes, which reduces the probability of errors - Real-time visibility of defect / defect discovery ###Which Uses Can We Find for RPA on Times of COVID-19? Implementing an RPA is a practical option for companies that, like us, have started encouraging employees to work remotely to promote social distancing and minimize the impact of employees who are instructed to remain in quarantine. If your company deals with a lot of human interactions and inputs or just general news, implementing an RPA solution might be just what you need to handle the massive amount of opinions coming from this issue. - Websites like, [Twitter, for instance,](https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/company/2020/An-update-on-our-continuity-strategy-during-COVID-19.html) have released statements on how they are increasing their automated solutions to filter through all the “fake news” surrounding COVID-19. - This is an essential tool as it makes sure the quality and validity of the content represent what your brand wants to distribute and be associated with. Another important use of RPAs during the COVID-19 pandemic, is for [surveys](https://www.automationworld.com/home/news/21122969/urgent-covid19-survey-heres-how-to-help). - With companies with large numbers of employees, being able to successfully keep track of employees’ health as thoroughly as they should, can be a very tedious and demanding job. This doesn’t seem like the most productive job for someone, especially during the current job environment. - With an RPA, this can become easier as all data would be kept systematized where no human employees would need to be sending reminders or checking up every hour or so – this is the job for a robot. - This allows all the human employees in HR to be able to allocate their time and follow-up exclusively with the most needed employees. - Aside from the obvious benefits that this represents for productivity levels, it is particularly crucial at a time when minimizing contact in the office is one of the most critical ways we all can do our part to stop the rapid spreading of COVID-19. These benefits are not only exclusive for in-house services that a company can have, but for healthcare professionals as well and healthcare companies that could benefit from automation in order to provide the best possible care to those in most need. ###Conlusion An RPA has many uses within different industries - the biggest benefit being that same flexibility and adaptability. As we continue in the COVID-19 crisis, it is this flexibility that we must seek in our solutions. As this situation progresses, companies in many different industries will be forced to adapt and change their practices, and the best we can do is find solutions that facilitate this.