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RPA Supply Chain & Logistics

BPM vs. RPA: Which One Suits Your Business?

Sky is the limit for these evolving technological advancements, and in recent days process automation is at the top of the heap. The power of process automation has made it possible for businesses to deliver faster and more reliable services. But the success of implementing process automation depends on the type of process automation you choose.

Yes, you’ve heard it right.

There are different types of process automation like RPA, BPA, DPA, and BPM.

Among these, there is always a confusion between RPA and BPM and how it impacts business.

While RPA and BPM have diverse features and functionalities, they band together for a single purpose, that is “improving business efficiency”.

If you are confused about the benefits and applications of RPA and BPM, then this blog is the go-to resource for you!

So, hold your horses throughout this blog to leave no words unturned about key differences between RPA Vs BPA and its real-time applications.

What is RPA?

RPA, also known as Robotic Process Automation, is a software technology which makes use of virtual robots to automate tasks which are repetitive, rule based and the tasks that could be typically performed by employees.

One of the examples for RPA in financial operation includes automating the extraction of invoice details from emails or PDFs and entering them into an accounts payable system. Bots can match invoices with purchase orders and initiate payments.

What is BPM?

Business process management (BPM) is an approach of streamlining, reengineering, analyzing, and optimizing business processes to boost business efficiency. It is applicable for end-to-end business processes such as order-to-cash cycles, customer service workflows, and supply chain management.

For instance, A company can opt for BPM to improve its employee onboarding process. It can be performed by automating document collection, integrating system access, and using a centralized portal.

This redesign reduces delays and coordination issues. The new process, tracked for efficiency and satisfaction, speeds up onboarding and enhances new hire integration.

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Key Differences Between RPA and BPM

Aspect	RPA	BPM
Definition	Automation of repetitive, rule-based tasks using software robots or “bots.”	Management and optimization of end-to-end business processes to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
Focus	Task-level automation.	Process-level management and improvement.
Scope	Narrower, focuses on specific tasks or functions.	Broader, focuses on entire processes across the organization.
Implementation	Often quicker to implement with less organizational change.	Often quicker to implement with less organizational change.
Technology	Uses software robots to mimic user interactions with applications.	Uses process modeling tools, workflow automation, and analytics.
Flexibility	High flexibility for automating individual tasks or functions.	Requires a structured approach to redesign and optimize processes.
Measurement	Focuses on task-specific metrics such as time saved or error reduction.	Measures overall process performance, including cycle times and process outcomes.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Scenarios

Data Entry and Extraction: Automating repetitive data entry tasks from emails or forms into systems or extracting data from various sources.

Invoice Processing: Automatically capturing invoice data, validating it, and entering it into an accounting system.

Customer Onboarding: Automating the process of gathering and verifying customer information, setting up accounts, and sending confirmation emails.

Report Generation: Scheduling and generating routine reports from different systems and distributing them via email.

Employee Onboarding: Automating the process of setting up new employees in HR automated systems, including data entry, account creation, and sending welcome messages.

Real-World Applications of BPM

Customer Service: Analyzing and redesigning customer service workflows to improve response times, resolve issues more efficiently, and enhance customer experience.

Supply Chain Management: Streamlining supply chain processes from procurement to delivery, improving coordination, and reducing bottlenecks.

Product Development Lifecycle: Optimizing the product development process from ideation to launch, ensuring that cross-functional teams work efficiently together.

Regulatory Compliance: Implementing processes to ensure that business operations comply with legal and regulatory requirements, including continuous monitoring and reporting.

Human Resources Management: Redesigning HR processes such as performance evaluations, training, and employee development to improve efficiency and employee satisfaction.

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Merging RPA and BPM for Better Outcomes

1. Claims Processing in Insurance

RPA: Automates the extraction of claims data from various sources such as emails, forms, and documents, and inputs it into the claims management system. RPA bots can also handle routine tasks such as validating information and updating records.

BPM: Manages and optimizes the end-to-end claims processing workflow, from claim submission to approval and payout. BPM ensures that the process is efficient, adheres to regulatory requirements, and includes checks and balances for accuracy and fraud prevention.

2. Employee Expense Management

RPA: Automates the data entry of employee expense reports into financial systems, including extracting expense details from receipts and invoices and verifying them against company policies.

BPM: Oversees and enhances the entire expense management process, including approval workflows, compliance checks, and reporting. BPM ensures that the process aligns with financial controls and improves overall efficiency by streamlining approval steps and integrating with other financial systems.

3. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Integration

RPA: Automates data synchronization between CRM systems and other business applications, such as updating customer information, transferring leads, and generating automated follow-up emails based on predefined triggers.

BPM: Manages and refines the customer interaction processes, including sales workflows, lead nurturing, and customer support. BPM ensures that customer interactions are tracked, analyzed, and improved for better engagement and satisfaction.

RPA vs BPM: Which One Is Right for Your Organization?

I hope the above insights on RPA and BPA have helped you to gain deep insights for deciding the right technology for your process automation.

Choosing RPA would be an ideal choice in the cases where you need to automate processes that are not going to change frequently and don’t need any integration. You can opt for BPM in the scenarios where major processes are executed by humans and it requires third-party integration to perform the task.

However, implementing RPA and BPM together helps you build a robust platform that goes extra mile to achieve smart digital transformation throughout your organization. To say it in a nutshell, make use of BPM for automating the entire business process, and opt for RPA for one or two steps process that is typically repetitive, and rule based.

Whether it is RPA or BPM, implementing process automation can help your business improve operational efficiency and drastically save time on trivial tasks. In terms of cost, process automation can significantly impact ROI by reducing labor cost, better resource allocation, quicker turnaround times, improved customer service- the list goes so on. Besides, RPA and BPM also have direct influence on contributing to sales growth, higher productivity, and great market reach.

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Take Away

Having known about it conceptually, would you like to read a real-time scenario where we helped a logistics business automate their process and achieve stunning outcome? Take a look at our Case Study.

Now, you’ve read about every nook and cranny about RPA and BPM.

Still, are you in fence about deciding on choosing the best one for your business? Take a chill pill, we’re here to help you out. Being an ideal automation solution provider, we help to Automate Your Business that stems for staggering outcome in enhancing productivity and operations.

Want to discuss your automation needs? Schedule a Demo right away!