Intelligent automation is a new generation of tools based on cognitive technologies that can be used to automate complex processes.
In this post, you will find the answers to all of your questions about intelligent automation:
- The definition of intelligent automation
- Intelligent automation beyond RPA
- Real-world examples of intelligent automation
The definition of intelligent automation
Intelligent Process Automation (IPA) allows you to automate non-routine tasks that require a certain level of thought.
Intelligent automation uses Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technologies and various branches of artificial intelligence (machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing etc.).
Intelligent automation beyond RPA
While RPA is already an integral part of the digital transformation of companies, intelligent automation is still in its infancy. Nevertheless, intelligent automation can be used to boost purchasing performance even further.
Among other things, intelligent automation solutions can process both semi-structured data (purchase orders, invoices etc.) and unstructured data (voice messages, emails etc.), and can learn from observing human behaviour. This enables IPA tools to automate one-off tasks that require intuition, analytical thinking or even creativity, while RPA is only able to automate routine tasks.
Real-world examples of intelligent automation
To really understand the role of intelligent automation, we can look at different scenarios:
- As well as following a defined process, chatbots can also understand the meaning of questions and/or recognise the emotions (satisfaction, anger etc.) of the person they are interacting with. This enables chatbots to provide answers that are even more relevant and refer certain cases to a human.
- Robots can classify incoming documents according to a defined process, but can also observe human behaviour and use it to deduce specific rules (for example, files sent by certain parties are automatically stored on a shared server).
Finally, intelligent automation generates added value by optimising specific processes. This enables companies to improve the efficiency of their services and become more competitive.
