Tag: desktop automation

The Beginner’s In-Depth Guide to Desktop Automation

Posted on by Andra P.

With the rise of the latest technological trends, workflow technologies became more complex, especially for people who had never dived into backend programming.

When we think of automation, we usually imagine Artificial Intelligence or some complicated software. However, there is a separate area of automation that is becoming more and more popular. It’s called Desktop Automation. Let’s see what it is and how it works. 

What is automation?

The concept of automation has now exceeded robotics that can supervise industrial development on a high level. Now automation can be defined as a process that requires minimum human effort. 

Any business has processes that can be fully automated from the beginning to the end. However, there are still workflows that require human intervention. And that’s where attended Robotic Desktop Automation (RDA) comes in handy.

RDA includes software robots (they are sometimes called bots) that every employee has on their desktop. These robots can navigate the complexities and dynamism of the desktop environment. This way, bots can provide real-time assistance or guidance to employees when they need it. That includes various things, from copying and pasting information to inputting data or even opening applications and doing specific actions.

Also, they can gather and analyze a more significant amount of data than a human being with 100% accuracy. These automated activities can be triggered by any type of event, such as switching tabs, a button click, or even a complex combination of several events.

To sum up, RDA makes it easier to work faster and more efficiently, simplifying routine workflows. It automates the most essential tasks that give the employees more time to focus on the things that matter most. 

How has COVID-19 influenced the adoption of automation?

There are many ways to describe what the world is going through right now: defining a moment, turning point, or crisis. Whatever name seems fit, it means change, a long-term change. 

According to the Forrester Consulting study ‘Pandemic Impacting Future of Work,’ the pandemic has sped up digital transformation and “forced the world of work to balance the dichotomy of employees seeking assurance and stability with organizations themselves pursuing resilience and agility.” The study also states that “Automation will define the post-pandemic world of work.” 

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations were faced with revenue disruptions. And with time, those disruptions only got worse, creating unprecedented financial pressure. This made businesses implement changes and move to digitalization and fast.  

Such major digital transformations may have been projects for the future, but the COVID-19 pandemic moved it to the top priority. The Forrester study also claims that the world won’t just go back to the old ways of doing things when the pandemic reaches its end. Nowadays, automation is an essential asset to do business in this new world. Moreover, employee’s pre-pandemic anxiety of losing their jobs to automation became real.

57% of participants stated that their employees are pretty stressed out regarding their ability to succeed in their careers. And 14% claims that their employees feel intimidated by the increasing complexity of tasks. 

These findings mean that businesses have to come up with a post-pandemic employee experience. As stated by the study: “Providing opportunities for education in the workplace and increasing employees’ transferable skill sets will help organizations sustain a growth mindset and make them fit for the future of work.”

What is Desktop Automation?

Desktop Automation is designed to automate actions or transactions in and across applications, simplifying and optimizing employees’ work. 

For example, the world’s largest home furnishing retailer found an RDA solution to optimize the work. They used to have issues with order entry and automatic delivery systems. Applying Desktop Automation helped the company realize that they could display callouts on the agent’s screen — to fetch information about the open delivery slots. Eventually, the company saved a lot of time and improved its accuracy.

The use of automation leads to instant business benefits:

  1. Error reduction
    Automate desktop applications eliminating possible errors, which results in a higher level of processing quality. 
  2. Work optimization
    Desktop automation users can spend more time on value-adding activities and rely on bots to process data and complete the tasks in no time.
  3. Immediate response
    Setting up triggers to set off responses to the events completing the entire process allows you to move things on to the weekend.

Desktop Automation versus RPA: what is the difference?

The main difference between RDA and RPA is an operations extent:

  • RDA interacts only with the applications a user works with on their desktop.
  • RPA can cover multiple applications, departments, or users.
  • RDA is excellent for businesses that just start automating their processes. It helps people to reduce manual tasks and focus more on other activities.
  • RPA works with applications used by the entire organization. Numerous users with different permissions can work together on the same process. These processes can cover multiple departments and will gain something with multiple moving parts.

What is WinTask?

Being the oldest company on the market, WinTask helps companies improve their productivity by minimizing costs and manual errors. It automates the repetitive tasks you need to accomplish, such as periodic reports, data collections, downloads, form filling, etc. 

By making these tasks automatic instead of having to do them manually all the time, you can:

  1. Save time. The tasks are done for you. 
  2. Improve quality. The tasks are performed correctly every time with no errors.  
  3. Avoid repetitive and tedious tasks. Free you up for better things to do.

Which industries can benefit from RDA?

Almost any industry can benefit from RDA if the target processes fit the set of essential requirements. One of the most common Desktop Robotic Automation examples is call centers because they have highly structured processes to make sure that a customer receives a consistent experience.

Usually, they need to access different systems such as CRM and perform several actions switching from one screen to another. But with RDA, they can complete these actions in one click.

In general, any industry with repetitive workflows can benefit from RDA automation.

  • Medical workflows
    Medical staff can automate the patient intake process, administer patient data, and archive medical records to cloud storage.
  • Sales processes
    Sales professionals automate recurring invoice generation, CRM updates, and client reminders.
  • Real estate and insurance contracting
    With RDA, you can automate processing client data, extract client information from fillable forms, generate and archive invoices, and even client contracts.

Another example of RDA adoption is one of the leading financial organizations, BNP Paribas. Back in 2015, they implemented a desktop automation tool, and it changed the way of doing things.

Paribas tried the RDA solution which led to excellent results. The company reduced the average handling time to 80% and end-to-end delivery time to the customer by 90% with ROI in 3 months. 

If you’re looking for an easy-to-use and reliable RDA solution, WinTask is the best choice. 

You will get…

  • Resource optimization. WinTask automates repetitive tasks and reduces any mistakes, saving hours of time and employee productivity.
  • Compatibility with legacy systems. Implement RDA with no need to make any changes to the existing system.
  • Adaptability & flexibility. No matter what happens, RDA programs will act on these changes automatically, making the business processes go smoothly.
  • Compliance management. RDA removes data gaps between unrelated sources and logs all completed actions, making it easy for employees to notice and act upon any compliance issue.

Sign up for a free trial or simply contact us to discuss the best options for your company.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Its Role in Desktop Automation

Posted on by Andra P.

Long gone are the days of digitizing text by hand. Since the early 70s and the advent of personal scanners, the OCR industry has experienced a boom in growth. Today, scanners are available to everyone directly from their mobile phone. However, until recently, optical character recognition (OCR) technologies required human input. With the rise of automation, everything has changed. Let’s take a look at what role OCR plays in desktop automation. 

What is optical character recognition (OCR)?

OCR is a technology that converts various types of documents, such as printed documents, PDF files, or photos, into searchable and editable formats like TXT, DOCX, and so on. 

The first step in the process of running OCR is to use a scanner to process the physical shape of your document. After every page has been copied, the OCR software converts the document to a black-and-white version. The program then analyzes the bitmap for the presence of light and dark areas. Next, the OCR app identifies dark areas as characters that need to be recognized and light areas as background. Then, OCR processes the dark areas to identify letters and numbers.

OCR uses feature detection rules related to a particular letter or number (ICR). The software evaluates the document data according to rules about how a letter or number is generated. For example, the capital letter “A” is stored as two diagonal lines intersecting with a horizontal line in the middle.

After OCR identifies a character, the app converts it to ASCII code that computer systems can use. The last step is to copy all recognized characters as words into an editable document, such as a Word doc or other formats.

OCR use cases

Here’s a list of the most common OCR technology use cases:

  1. Scanning printed documents and saving them in an editable format
  2. Indexing printed materials for search engines
  3. Automated processing and data entry
  4. Transcribing documents into text that can be read aloud for visually impaired users
  5. Archiving of historical information (newspapers, magazines) and enablement of text searches
  6. Data extraction and transfers to accounting software (receipts, invoices)
  7. Archiving critical legal documents in an electronic system of record
  8. License plate recognition with speed camera and backlit camera software
  9. Sorting letters for mail delivery
  10. Translation of words in an image into a given language
  11. Providing searches for scanned books

As you can see, most of the uses mentioned above are repetitive processes. If so, they can be easily automated. In this blog, we will not dwell on all the possible applications of OCR in automation. Let’s consider the most popular way OCR helps to automate repetitive tasks in Windows.

How does OCR benefit desktop automation tools? 

OCR allows companies to automate business processes that depend on scanned paperwork, such as application forms, contracts, bills, and invoices. For this, a user can also include various operations such as researched website data and photo images.

The three most common operations where intelligent automation needs OCR are: 

  • Reading and searching through PDF documents. It could be essential for business as most PDFs come in an un-editable format. 
  • Extracting data from images. This kind of extraction can be critical when you are analyzing website data. A lot of information is placed on images that are not available for analysis by automated bots if they don’t have OCR.
  • Transcribing sensitive information from printed documents. Such transcripts help to eliminate data transfer errors by up to 99%. 

Through the use of OCR, automation achieves nearly total control over the content of websites and documents. The ability to recognize text on graphical objects allows you to automate those processes that were prerogative of a human in the recent past. Another plus here is that it is not difficult to configure OCR for automatic operation. Let’s look at how the optical character recognition technology works using WinTask automation.

OCR and desktop automation

Let’s imagine that a bank has automated the process of opening a new account for a business client. What will this process consist of? 

The process of opening a corporate account involves several steps. First, the customer must select the type of account they intend to open. Then, the client fills out a particular application form and sends it to the bank. Usually, a clerk for that bank collects additional personal information to confirm the client’s profile. This can be information from public social networks, a client’s website, and photographs of the business itself, collected from sources such as Google Maps. Here’s how WinTask automation would do that without any human involvement.

  1. A new client logs in to the bank’s website and chooses the type of account they want to open.
  2. Once their application form is submitted, WinTask automation extracts the data and begins the research process.
  3. First, the automation script creates client records in the bank’s CRM system. 
  4. Then, it searches for a LinkedIn profile of the company and all its employees and enters this information in the company’s CRM profile. 
  5. Then, the automation bot opens Google Maps, searches for the business address indicated on the form, and analyzes the signs and shop windows on the street to locate the desired business’s name. This is where OCR comes into play. By recognizing textual information, the bot can confirm the presence of the expected sign.
  6. Suppose the desired images could not be obtained from public sources. In that case, automation sends an email to the client to send the photos by mail. These photographs are then analyzed in the same way by the bot until the desired name is established.
  7. After the information is collected, the bot creates the customer’s PDF profile and saves it to the bank’s local system of records. After that, automation sends a notification to the manager, who performs the final approval. 

To set up this type of automation, you’ll need to run the process through WinTask Developer manually and create a new automation script. Then, use Runtime to run the script on each new machine of your organization. It would help if you had a couple of hours to set up a workflow of that complexity. 

Easy, right? Want to try it yourself? Don’t hesitate to contact us for more details. We can schedule a free consultation and customize a demo just for you.

Top 6 Use Cases for Web Automation in Accounting

Posted on by Andra P.

Today is an impressive time for accountants to learn about and envision the impact of the growing tech presence in the CPA space. It may seem like too much, but the numbers are in.

Let’s talk statistics

  • Technology poses the threat of replacing 94% of accountants and auditors.
  • 94% of accountants have adopted cloud accounting.
  • 60% of small business owners feel they aren’t knowledgeable when it comes to accounting.
  • Accounts payable desktop automation can save a business $16 or more per invoice.
  • The newest reports show a $71,550 median salary for accounting workers.

With these statistics in mind, to deliver on new client demands, having the right web automation software and on-the-money data are musts. This data gives you near real-time financials so you can:

  1. Move into other services like cash flow or tax planning
  2. Show clients the business impact of their financial data
  3. Charge a premium for the high-value services you’re providing

Imagine if you could advise your restaurant customers on the best online ordering and delivery methods based on national and regional data.

You could transform their businesses by applying data analytics and tech. This goes on top of all the internal enhancements your firm could make by incorporating machine learning (ML), workflow technology, and smart data.

Data validation and transaction identification are time-consuming, robbing you of otherwise valuable hours. Yet, there is task automation software. For those who are still software resistant and have no clue how web automation tools work, let’s talk about automating web applications in accounting and in general.

Generally speaking, developers write algorithms to tell machines how to look at multiple data points, find the similarities and apply probability to collect the data. Probabilistic modeling is one of the critical layers of intelligence applied to client data, which aids in identifying the process.

Probabilistic models are more thriving when the information they’re looking for has occurred many times in a firm’s historical data. You need a lot of data for this to happen. Fortunately, more prominent CPA (Certified Public Accountant) firms (like the Big Four) have more than enough data to provide solid grounds for probability. 

Unlike RPA (Robotic Process Automation) that works with the entire company’s applications, web automation is excellent for organizations just starting out automating web applications.

It is scaled down to a single user and assists people with tedious tasks during their daily activities. For example, web automation can scrape data, automate Excel processes, transfer files or generate reports. For more information, check out our previous article on ‘RDA versus RPA: what’s right for you?‘

Benefits of web automation

Customer experience improvement. Web automation helps you provide front-line customer service and address customer needs faster, providing personalized service while the software completes the tasks on demand. The result is a higher level of service and significant customer experience.

Operational performance improvement. You are gaining the support you need with web automation, resulting in increased processing speed and greater output and productivity for individual users.

Processing quality improvement. You get significant levels of accuracy, process adherence, and compliance for requested tasks. Eventually, processing quality is higher for minimal costs associated with error rates and reducing risk exposure for compliance requirements.

Web automation use cases in accounting

Web automation using WinTask takes the most manual elements of an accountant’s workday and does them automatically, often instantly. Also known as computerized accounting software, they do the number crunching and transaction tracking for you.

Let’s look at the core use cases for web automation in the accounting industry.

  1. Time saver. Most users turn to automation to take slow, dull tasks off their plates, giving you extra time for more valuable (and more interesting) work.
  2. Improve productivity. Deliver more in the same period. For external accountants, this likely means less billable hours – which may be scary. The same goes for staff accountants who think that they will lose their jobs. But in fact, automation opens more time for partnering with and guide clients towards financial health. And you can now do this more often, for more clients.
  3. Data accuracy. Humans are great, but we make mistakes, and that’s okay. The more papers and data you process, the more likely you will slip errors in without noticing. On the other hand, the software is designed to repeat tasks endlessly in precisely the same way. So mistakes are far less frequent.
  4. Retrieve information with no hassle. Accounting automation tools are digital. This means that any documents or data you need are available to you anytime, anywhere — no need to look through old books.
  5. Secure file storage. We’re all a little worried about data leaks and hacks these days. However, digital file storage is far safer than moving stacks of paper from one place to another. You won’t have to email scans to people anymore; they can log in and see themselves. Secure file uploads are a huge success.
  6. Work remotely. During the top of the COVID crisis in early 2020, we were shocked to hear from companies that accountants couldn’t help because they couldn’t go to the office. Using web automation, finance teams and external accountants can access the correct files and dashboards from anywhere. Undoubtedly, remote-friendly work is now a necessity. 

Conclusion

Automated processes may seem a bit terrifying. You’ve heard about the upcoming robot takeover, where jobs will be replaced, and experience won’t matter anymore. But the automation tools don’t replace accountants. Your employees will have more time to use that experience they’ve developed to guide and contribute strategic insights.

Today, they spend hours every month only copy and pasting or updating spreadsheets. Tomorrow, they could be changing your finance structure or finding creative ways to save the company time and money. 

Most importantly, those hand-operated tasks aren’t making anybody happy. They cost the company money, and they drive accountants crazy. The use cases for web automation in accounting that we talked about earlier show why the software was created. It’s time to use it and work more effectively.

Top 9 Desktop Automation Features

Posted on by Andra P.

    Robotic Desktop Automation (RDA) automates critical tasks and workflows so that any employee can concentrate on the things that matter most. RDA can mimic various human actions, from copying and pasting information to entering data and even performing tasks.

    If you’d like to know more about the type of tasks RDA can automate, check out the article Top 5 Tasks to Automate with Desktop Automation.

    In this blog post, we will focus on the core desktop automation features.

    What is WinTask desktop automation software?

    Here at WinTask, we make it easy for you to save time and enhance employee productivity with RDA. WinTask automation is flexible and easy to scale. Suppose the demand overshoots or the processes evolve. In that case, RDA programs can automatically act on these changes, making it seamless for the company to scale its workflows.

    One of the Desktop Automation software examples is WinTask Developer. It saves time and increases productivity allowing businesses to automate recurring tasks.

    Then there is Runtime that works parallel with WinTask. It helps to run the script generated by WinTask to automate your repetitive tasks. And for advanced users, there is a WinTask Pro that can create a stand-alone .exe file that can be run on an unlimited number of machines. With the latter, you get a сustom-built application that fully integrates with and automates your processes.

    Main Desktop Automation features

    1. Web automation
      You can use automation software to fill out the web forms with data from an Excel sheet, Google Spreadsheets, or any other records system, including SQL if needed. Web automation allows you to log into websites, record web actions, test websites, and download/upload files.
    1. Excel and database automation
      Manipulate and transform data for excel or database automation. Automate data entry, transfer data between spreadsheets or different databases. To make setting up more accessible, you can record your actions and let the automation software replay them for you. Also, you can automatically run queries and extract data from the web to Excel spreadsheets. 
    1. Easy to use
      Some RDA’s such as WinTask, use programming languages that are easy to read and understand. And it doesn’t matter whether you’re a pro or a newcomer. You can create automation scripts that help you do your work faster without knowing a developer. For example, you can easily automate software installation, server maintenance, mass data entry, and more.
    1. Image recognition
      Use image recording to identify any visual element that exists on the screen. You can develop automation scripts using features such as record & replay, Optical Character Recognition, image recognition, and others. In this way, your employees will be able to reduce time spent on repetitive tasks.

    The image recognition feature will also allow you to retrieve data from captured elements, distinguish UI elements with the same name, identify buttons or other elements and control your apps remotely.

    1. Macro recorder
      You can automate your repetitive tasks with the macro recorder feature. Start the recording, choose what actions you’d like to record, and then let the desktop automation tool replay them for you while your employees gain free time.
    1. Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
      This feature allows you to convert different types of documents into editable and searchable data. For example, WinTask uses its own OCR to click properly on non-HTML objects/non-pure Windows objects, just using the object’s text.

    This way, you can look for the thing anywhere in a window, so it can be found even if it is not at the same place at the replay. If an object under automation is not seen, WinTask uses mouse coordinates automatically.

    1. Task scheduling
      That’s a great feature to keep everything under control: you can schedule logins and automate other web tasks. Create a list of actions to automate and stick to it. This feature can save you hours by running scripts automatically. Set it up (Windows logins, for example) and comfortably go about your business. Desktop automation tools will do everything for you.
    1. Web UI automation
      Create custom frameworks to automate Windows or web applications. For example, WinTask provides a set of more than 300 functions that incorporate conditions, loops, and event triggers. Use these functions to record actions on a website, recognize text embedded in an image, or automatically run queries.
    2. Web data extraction
      With this feature, you can easily extract unstructured data from web pages and convert it into an Excel file or database. Thanks to RDA, you can do it error-free and much faster than a person could do it manually. 

    Is Desktop Automation suitable for you?

    Suppose you are struggling with repetitive tasks spending too much time completing them. In that case, desktop automation is the right solution for you. Businesses that run automation software report high customer and employee satisfaction.

    With no complex integrations or modifications to your current systems, any company can deploy RDA in a matter of days. Desktop automation tools give immediate benefits realization, fast payback, and high ROI.

    So how exactly does RDA impact business processes? 

    Resource optimization. By automating repeated tasks, you let your employees focus on the things that matter most. This leads to increased productivity in critical business areas. And you can reduce the resources that you spend on low-skilled work.

    Process flexibility. When it comes to business, it’s super important to be flexible and adaptable. If demand overshoots or processes change, RDA programs hosted on servers can act on the changes, making it seamless for businesses to scale. You don’t have to hire programmers every time there is a slight change in the process. You can quickly reconfigure the script yourself, and in most cases, you won’t have to do this at all.

    Legacy systems compatibility. RDA communicates with data within the presentation layer of programs and applications. That means that companies do not need to make any changes to the current systems while implementing desktop automation.

    Compliance management. RDA helps to eliminate gaps between data sources that are not connected. The software registers all actions completed by the applications during the whole automation process. That helps your business to identify and execute any compliance issues efficiently.

    You don’t have to think a lot about whether automation is right for your business. Contact us today, and we’ll help you figure out which solution will benefit your business the most. You can also sign up for a free trial and see how RDA can change your business for the better.