Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
What is Robotic Process Automation (RPA)?
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a technology that automates business processes. Organizations can utilize this by configuring the software to capture, interpret and process tasks within a variety of systems.
Robotic process automation uses software bots to perform rule-based tasks that people would otherwise do by hand in business applications, such as copying data between systems, filling in forms, updating records or generating routine documents. RPA bots typically work through existing user interfaces or APIs, so they can automate processes across systems that were never designed to talk to each other.
In contact centers and back offices, RPA is often used for after-call work, account updates and fulfillment steps. It works best for stable, well-defined processes and can break when screens or rules change. RPA differs from AI agents, which can interpret language and handle variation. Teams usually measure RPA by time saved, error rates and the share of transactions completed without human intervention.
Related: Back office, Digital workers, AI agents.