So how much does a software robot actually cost?

There is no simple answer as it depends on a number of factors, such as the number of robots, the amount of infrastructure deployed to enable their operation.

With robots capable of working 24 x 7, they deliver a large amount of capacity which then raises the question about utilisation. If the robots were only used 8 hours a day while staff are working the costs are the same but the utilisation is very different.

In developing Ether Solutions’ Return On Investment (ROI) calculator for RPA implementations, we considered many scenarios. Looking at the spread of results, the effective costs of the software robot are typically in the range £1 to £4 per hour.

RPA for Free, does that sound too good to be true?

RPA, Robotic Process Automation, has had a lot of hype and press coverage over the last few years. The software vendors such as UiPath have become Unicorns, companies with valuation of over $1 Billion, so how could RPA be free?

Ether Solutions will provide you with RPA for free. No Ether Solutions staff have not gone mad and the company has not suddenly become backed by a philanthropist who sees other businesses as charity cases. RPA is free to anyone?

RPA has been implement by Governments and big global corporations as they have had the message from the leading management consultants like Deloitte, PWC and McKinsey & Co, that RPA is free. Although it has not been reported like that in the press.

Let me explain.

With the holiday season over and everybody back working, are you starting to “Feel like a Robot”?

You know the tasks you are doing are part of the business activity. They need to be done, but the repetitive activity makes the tasks seem boring or dull.

It is work, so what do you expect?

The hours of the day pass and you act like a robot completing the tasks, hopefully without the more extreme feelings of depression that would require medical support.

Morning newspaper articles talk about the “Future of work” but that can seem like a dream as the pressure to get another load of tasks complete during the day continues.

Things can be changed. Instead of businesses expecting people to act like robots working on computer systems, software robots can be deployed to complete the routine, predictable and “Boring” tasks. This can free your time to work on handling the exceptions and using your business knowledge to add more value to the business.

When a business is operating its processes on computer systems there is the potential for automation.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is a common thought process for mangers operating businesses. Of course, any change introduces disruption and an element of risk , as all changes have positive and negative elements. But what is the “Cost of doing nothing”?

The major costs of maintaining the status quo are hidden. They are:

• the on-going costs of operating the process has become standard, built into the budget, it is just accepted. Typically, the cost will have been consistent since implementing the process.
• If it is possible to perform the same process more efficiently and cheaper, the nature of competition means that some organisation will already be doing it or working to achieve that higher efficiency and lower cost.

The news of pregnancy is great. All the excitement of planning for a new baby.

Businesses of all shapes and sizes have to manage the challenge created by news of pregnancy. Whether it is maternity or paternity leave, the challenge is what to do about the work that the person would normally do.

The normal options for a manager are:

• Distribute the work to other team members and expect them to cope with the increase
• Bring in a temporary person to undertake the work

Given that there is the expectation that the employee will return to work after the period of leave, the option of recruiting a replacement is not normally available.