Almost every industry is harnessing the power of Robotic Process Automation (RPA). Enterprises have been adopting RPA to automate repetitive front and back-office tasks. RPA bots interact with numerous software applications to execute tasks at the user interface level without altering the existing applications. Based on the business need, RPA bots operate in three models i.e., Attended, Unattended and Hybrid.
Let’s dive in to learn how these two models work and which one to choose to automate your business process.
What is Attended (Human Initiated) Automation?
- Attended Automation is the type of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) that runs mainly on the user’s computer. In this form of automation, each robot is assigned to a specific user. This basically means that every employee has an attended robot installed on their desktop or laptop.
- Attended bots operate in a simple manner. An employee can assign their bot tasks as per their requirement and let the bots automate operations accordingly. With attended bots, businesses are provided with accurate results without having to invest a lot of time for the same. Attended automation differs from the other two primarily because every bot is assigned to a specific employee.
What is unattended (Fully automated) Automation?
In Unattended Automation, processes can be prioritized according to rules and levels assigned by the user. These processes can then be monitored and managed with RPA tools. However, the most crucial benefit of Unattended Automation is that it doesn’t prevent users from continuing to work on their computers. This is because each robot runs on a virtual machine.
What is Hybrid Automation?
Now that you are familiar with both Attended and Unattended Automation, what if a time-consuming process requires some user input?
A Hybrid Automation solution is recommended for the same.
In Hybrid Automation, communication takes place between attended and unattended robots. And many times, employees initiate a process by activating the attended robot. The attended robot then triggers the unattended robot to undertake the rest of the process. Meanwhile, in other cases, an unattended robot starts performing a procedure and sends it to the attended robot when it needs an employee to make a decision. The attended robot then alerts the employee to perform the part that requires human input.
Hybrid Automation lets the user automate most of the process without giving up access to their computer. Employees can operate their computers simultaneously while the robot is in action.
Advantages of Attended RPA Bots?
- Agile and user-friendly
- Eliminates real-time data entry tasks
- Improves team efficiency and productivity
- Increases customer satisfaction
- Requires minimal setup, and the deployment is quick and straightforward
Advantages of Unattended RPA Bots?
- Self-triggered and can work without human intervention
- Works 24×7, 365 days a year
- Deploys, schedules, and audits operations
- Effectively gathers, sorts, and analyses data
- Reduces operating costs
- Eliminates errors
- Runs on workstations, servers, and in the cloud.
Which Automation Should Your Business Integrate?
It’s difficult to understand which type of automation to integrate just by going through their names. Moreover, automating operations involves a lot of time and resources. If your business involves small-scale processes which a user primarily initiates, attended robots are suitable. Whereas, for processes that can be automated from beginning to end, unattended robots should be preferred.
For processes that can neither be fully automated nor attended by a user, Hybrid Automation can be employed by businesses. This is because it offers the flexibility of Attended Automation and the convenience of unattended automation even when processes cannot be fully automated. Moreover, these processes require a full-time employee to make a decision.
Conclusion:
Businesses today require employees to perform processes that mainly fall into three categories – processes that can be fully automated, processes that require human input, and processes that require both automation and human information.
For organizations that are looking to scale automation through their business, attended, unattended, and hybrid automation can help in achieving that goal. These solutions enable organizations to leverage RPA tools to automate their operations conveniently. The only thing that matters is choosing the right type of automation.
Here at SOAIS, we provide you with the consultation and help you build the solution, that will reinforce your company in the competitive market.
