I started CampTek Software several years ago with one thought in mind: To provide RPA Support.
I have been a developer, implementer, and a support technician for over 20+ years in the Automation space. In that time, I have seen a massive evolution in the scale and reliability of the technology. I have also witnessed, that as the complexity of the technology has grown, companies (regardless of size) have less and less ability to build and scale an Automation practice on their own. As RPA and AI become a must for enterprises to compete and frankly stay afloat, more of them are turning to RPA SaaS (Software as a Service) companies like mine.
That said, there are some misnomers on what RPA SaaS really is.
My interpretation is what we currently offer; end-to-end RPA Support which includes: Analysis, Development, Implementation and Support of the Bots in Production and the Infrastructure that goes with it. We frequently use the term “Business Process Outsourcing” to help our future customers understand the model. Lately, I’ve seen that some companies are offering a similar service, but they miss the key point, SUPPORT. Simply having a bot run in the cloud somewhere isn’t RPA SaaS. Support is the most important component of any RPA program. Its great to build the bots and get them running but they need to be built to be supported.
RPA initiatives are typically heavy on cost in year one. The implementation of the software, preparation of the environment, scoping/analysis, development and hypercare, (0-3 months post production) can be labor intensive and costly. We minimize all of these costs in a variety of ways, they are still the most expensive areas. That is, unless the bots aren’t developed properly to be supported in the fist place.
Those inhibitors tie in to several factors:
- The process wasn’t worth automating in the first place.
- Poorly developed and inadequately documented bots. Logging omissions, improper design with missing framework and other ignored standard coding conventions.
- Poorly constructed underlying RPA architecture both from the delivery standpoint (RPA Software Vendor) or the Virtual/Desktop environment.
There are many more, but these are the most common. Any of these conditions can lead to additional costs after the initial phase is completed. Which isn’t the way its supposed to work! Typically, when we build out a 3- or 5-year total cost of ownership (TCO) the costs plummet in year 2. Ensuring cost containment and predictability is the strongest reason to go the RPA SaaS route. It’s the best way to start and continue your journey.
Written by: Peter Camp, CTO & Founder, CampTek Software
