Software bots -The next frontier for shared services and functional excellence

Vipin K. Suri, Marianne Elia, Jos van Hillegersberg*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionAcademicpeer-review

25 Citations (Scopus)
2 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

A Software Bot is a fundamental element of Robotics Process Automation (RPA). RPA can be deployed to automate repeatable, mundane, rules-based work-flowed process tasks across multiple functions in an organization, including Shared Services. While RPA holds high promise, using Software Bots for process automation is not straightforward. The purposes of this research are to (1) examine where Software Bots currently are being deployed in Shared Services organizations and (2) understand the business case, drivers and challenges. We conducted a survey involving Shared Services leaders, functional leaders and RPA experts and discuss the best practices for analysing and optimizing the business benefits of implementing Software Bots. The majority of the companies surveyed have limited application of Software Bots in automating their business processes and are finding difficulties in quantifying tangible savings and identifying cost of implementation. Based on these results we identify functional processes which are candidates for automation using Software Bots and outline implementation steps to automate processes beyond business process optimization.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationGlobal Sourcing of Digital Services: Micro and Macro Perspectives
Subtitle of host publication11th Global Sourcing Workshop 2017, Revised Selected Papers
PublisherSpringer
Pages81-94
Number of pages14
ISBN (Print)9783319703046
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017
Event11th Global Sourcing Workshop on Micro and Macro Perspectives, 2017 - La Thuile, Italy
Duration: 22 Feb 201725 Feb 2017
Conference number: 11

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Business Information Processing
Volume306
ISSN (Print)18651348

Conference

Conference11th Global Sourcing Workshop on Micro and Macro Perspectives, 2017
Country/TerritoryItaly
CityLa Thuile
Period22/02/1725/02/17

Keywords

  • Functional services
  • Robotic process automation
  • Shared services
  • Software bots

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