What’s RPA – Robotic Process Automation

RPA, which is short for robotic process automation. Basically it’s a systematic and strategic mindset and methodology to transform any repetitive work that over reply on manual labor into a way putting in robot or we call digital labors who can partly or fully help human being to proceed and make all assignment done automatically, in order to not only increase the productivity and decrease the error rate, but also human being can have much time focused on strategy, innovation and communication with people in business, communities and families.

What does RPA mean to us?

Things are changing much faster and faster, so we need to very skillfully manage and better use 24/7 to keep cutting edge in either of business or career, meanwhile saving time for life, as the true that everyone still only has 24 hours a day is not changed.

Why RPA is so important for us?

More advanced robots and AI are being put into our real world, so RPA is a must-have mindset and skill to work and hug with AI and robots which can help us shift/earn time more focused on People2People (P2P) communication, strategy, innovation which originally human being should do from day on born on earth. 

What’s the difference between RPA(Robotic Process Automation) and AI (Artificial Intelligence)?

AI is nowadays on spotlight, however less people might be aware that in fact RPA is the fundamental of AI built-up and evolution. The reason is AI needs huge amount of data, which is data driven as well as a brain needs experience and knowledge, to learn and grow before becoming a smart and digital intelligent robot. So how and where the data is from?

The answer is RPA

(Of course some people say integrating to a built-up AI software platform on market, just a matter of investment and money, which sound easy only…).

RPA is more focused on process driven like a people physical body, where needs people to set up rules (We also call rule-based robots, which are split into semi-auto - called RDA and full auto - called RPA) to automate the work process and help complete tasks. During the work process, as it keeps generating huge amount of data, no matter unstructured or structured data that can feed AI system to learn from the process, so with more AI system learns, AI is getting more mature in a business, which can predict the trend accurately, make decisions automatically and automate to create a new RPA. Therefore, it is shaping a good cycle to increase productivity and cost efficiency.

(Robotic Desktop Automation – RDA, which is very early stage of RPA that still needs people to optimize the rules on the platforms. The typical case regarding Robotic Desktop Automation is the combination of Online Chatbot + Customer Service Staff Extension Line)

RPA Inspiration for Digital Marketers

We’re aware that hands on repetitive execution and management work are being replaced by RDA or RPA in so many marketing areas. (Like media buy, social monitoring, audience data capturing/mapping/managing, chat bot, marketing automation etc). With more advanced machine learning capacity on handling generated huge amount of unstructured and structured data, AI, for example, enables to create intelligent chatbots to help customers on Q&A, generate leads, convert sales and increase revenue; enable to automate web & App content generation based on audience interest. At least, it can save digital marketers around 50% of daily time on work.

So in terms of work, digital marketers can have and shift much time on what their value is originally – data, content, partnership strategy on business level.

Firstly, end consumers or clients don’t care about the power and beauty of AI tech behind and NOT prefer to communicate with a cold machine. So innovative content generated to communicate in a way of Face-to-Face is invaluable and can keep cutting edge in the future.

Then, AI needs data no matter how powerful it’s, but what is the data of business purpose behind, how the data algorithm to be set, when should to adjust the direction for AI during the process, it requires digital marketers to justify, make decisions and set it up! So more and more sales and marketers learn Python (Relatively easier AI programming language) that is easier for them to understand RPA and AI platform status, no matter on operation and performance, but also easier to set, adjust and communicate with tech staff of course.

Last but not least, marketers' mission it not only to grow brand assets and value with more tech supporting that make it easier, but also aim to enhance the influence in a market and society as acting like an entrepreneur to achieve win-win, triple-win etc. As an entrepreneur, building up a partner network and creating core value in part of business model is a key to succeed. The era of manually developing networks is being challenged, but people is made up of flesh and trusty at the end is built up by communication when the world is becoming more complex with big explosion of information.

RPA & AI Platform Recommendations

Hubspot Marketing Cloud

• Marketing Automation (Lead scoring, social, audience profiling, EDM, App, SMS etc)
• CRM on matching probabilistic and deterministic data

Lytics

• Customer Data Platform can integrate with any advertising, CRM, DMP etc platforms.

Google Marketing Platform

• Automate search, display, video and retargeting ads
• Creative studio cloud and DMP

(Remark: Not limited to Google. Facebook, Tencent, Alimama, Amazon etc is providing marketing platform as well)

Impact

• Partnership automation platform

Narrative Science

• AI generated content platform

Artibot.ai

• Chatbot platform

Sitecore

• Integrate CMS platform and e-commerce solution
• Web and App personalization (Dynamic content and pricing etc)

(Source from: Easy2Digital)