UDig believes the time is right for companies to introduce more automation into their business processes.
And with its new Intelligent Automation offerings, the Richmond-based tech consulting firm UDig, wants to show companies just how to do it.
Last month, UDig introduced two new IA solutions. The first, called IA Discovery Workshop, is a one- to two-day engagement, where UDig will help a company identify the high volume, repetitive processes that might be good candidates for intelligent automation. The goal is to help the company develop an automation roadmap.
The second offering is called IA QuickStart, an up to three-week process to develop a functional robot that’s ready to start automating.
The value of automation can range from cost savings to improving the quality of the employee experience, said Chris Lara, UDig senior director of intelligent automation. It can help companies be more efficient with their employee talent, automating repetitive tasks so that “human brain power” can be devoted to the more complex ones.
The UDig team is quick to stress that they don’t see automation as a way to replace employees.
“We’re trying to get rid of those processes that are arduous for people, that aren’t of value, and to allow them to really go focus on the higher-value activities that require more brain power and more creativity, which everybody wants,” said Andy Frank, UDig founder and CEO.
Founded in 2001, UDig focuses on software engineering, data and intelligent automation, serving mostly Fortune 1000 organizations and some state government entities, including the commonwealth of Virginia.
For the last few years, the company has explored use cases for robotic process automation, or RPA, a method for automating repetitive tasks, as well as other workflow tools.
Now is the ideal time for companies to explore RPA, Frank said. That’s because forces driven by the Covid-19 pandemic have accelerated digital transformation and modernization. Frank believes an upcoming wave of retirements will leave organizations with gaps in their workforce.
“We felt like it was going to create a shortage in the workforce, and companies are going to have to learn to do more with less,” he said.
Use cases for RPA include automating back-office processes, like reviewing invoices for accounts payable, data entry and processing documents.
“The real value of RPA is taking some of the mundane tasks out of people’s lives,” Lara said.