ServiceNow is no stranger to Workflow Automation.

From third-party APIs to custom integrations, ServiceNow gives access to an entire ecosystem of innovation for enterprise software. 

The new San Diego release is taking full advantage of the push for automation with a new capability – Robotic Process Automation (RPA).

This new feature will help enterprises to supercharge their digital transformation. 

What is Robotic Process Automation?

This robot will not make for a Hollywood blockbuster but is a user-interface level bot, capable of quickly and accurately handling (and learning from) repetitive, monotonous, and rule-based tasks.

The focus of that sentence is the task-based approach of RPA. It focuses on a small-scale individual approach to automation; therefore, allowing the bot to take the role of a human, utilising the native user interface to perform these tasks. 

Implementing RPA allows employees to move away from resource-heavy, time-consuming tasks and re-focus on more creative and complex problems. 

Some examples of this functionality include copy and pasting information, scraping browsers, and moving documents and files. To reinforce this, let us visit a hypothetical, ‘real-world' example.

You work for a well-known, online stationary company. A customer is returning a mechanical pencil. Your RPA Bots can automate:

• Sending confirmation of receipt of the mechanical pencil
• Updating your external inventory system
• Refunding the customer’s payment
• Ensuring the internal billing system is updated

Notable benefits of employing RPA include improved accuracy, reliable compliance, reduced costs, and increased speed. 

The unrestricted integration potential of RPA is one of the most exciting features; although, as a developer, this may be a biased opinion. Rather than manually integrating with the back end of a system, it can interact with essentially any platform. By utilising the native user interface, an avalanche of data trapped in previously inaccessible systems can be unlocked.

The Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Hub

I know what your next thought is; I have all these awesome bots ready to go, but without an application to monitor, manage, measure, and verify compliance, where is the value?

Luckily for us, ServiceNow is one step ahead with their Robotic Process Automation Hub. This includes an RPA Hub Workspace, a web-based platform helping orchestrate your bots to create, monitor, manage and deploy a digital workforce.

The Workspace will already look familiar to ServiceNow users, minus the ‘Next Experience’ product interface redesign. 

A few of the notable features include bot process summaries, utilisation reports, process job summaries, and license utilisation reports. 

Bot processes and new Bots can be created straight from the landing page as well as accessing all administration. This all-in-one workspace solution is a great example of the consistent experience ServiceNow is championing across all its applications.

Summary

ServiceNow is only increasing its reputation as a workflow specialist. Adding RPA as a central part of its Integration Engine has considerably enhanced its capability and closed a ‘hostile environment’ gap in its portfolio. 

With both new additions, such as the RPA Hub and its included applications, and enhancements to the already capable IntegrationHub and Flow Designer, the potential for ServiceNow users to gain value is greater than ever.

Note: Image credits servicenow.com