Robotic Process Automation

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) can automate a variety of manual processes within a utility billing system. This process automation can improve efficiency and accuracy while overcoming resource limitations and reducing operating costs.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is the use of computer software ‘robots’ to manage repetitive, rule-based tasks such as filling in the same information in multiple places or copying and re-entering data. It enables organizations to focus their valuable human resources on tasks that require judgment, creativity and interpersonal skills, while allocating the mundane data entry and admin work to computer robots that can handle it quickly and effectively. Through RPA, organizations can streamline processes and achieve cost efficiencies, while also eliminating human errors such as typos.

On the front end, there are several ways an automation can connect with utility applications and other resources. A front-end automation can read and write data as well as capture events directly from the user interface of the target application, similar to a human.

Unlike humans who look at the screen and identify data elements by how they look and what they are labelled as, RPA recognizes each element by its properties, technology family, structure and hierarchy.

Another way RPA can connect with utility applications is through hidden fields and controls created by the application owner. The hidden fields carry information that is not visible to the human eye – for example, an account number.