What is intelligent automation?

The intelligent automation, also known as cognitive automation, consists of applying technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the robotic process automation (RPA) and the business process management (BPM) to optimize, scale and streamline decision-making within organizations.

What is Robotic Process Automation (RPA)?

The RPA (Robotic Process Automation) It is a technology that allows you to create
"Agents" that mimic human actions within digital systems to
automate repetitive, rules-based tasks.

They are not physical robots, but programs that work on digital interfaces as a person would:
clicking, copying and pasting, filling out forms, extracting data, etc.

What kind of tasks can an RPA robot perform?

An RPA robot can perform tasks such as:

Read emails and download attachments.

Copy data from an Excel to a system.

Complete web forms automatically.

Extract data from websites or PDFs.

Move information between systems (ERP, CRM, etc.).

Generate and send reports automatically.

Some examples

Finance

  • Download invoices from an email
  • Read the data (number, amount, supplier)
  • Upload them to the accounting system
  • Send automatic confirmation by email

Human Resources

  • Process new job applications
  • Create a profile in the internal system
  • Send automated emails with steps to follow

Customer Service

  • Read incoming tickets
  • Classify them by urgency or topic
  • Refer them to the corresponding area

E-commerce

  • Monitor orders
  • Check payments received
  • Update the shipping status in the system

Logistics

  • Extract pending orders from an ERP system
  • Generate shipping guides automatically
  • Register the data on the logistics provider's platform (such as DHL or FedEx)
  • Notify the customer with the tracking number

Marketing

  • Collect leads from web forms or advertising campaigns
  • Automatically upload that data to the CRM
  • Send a personalized welcome email
  • Assign the contact to a sales agent based on the geographic area

What is Business Process Management (BPM)?

Business process management (BPM) enables:

  • Analyze, design, optimize and automate business processes within an organization
  • Making processes more efficient, effective, and adaptable to change

What exactly does BPM do?

A business process A process is a series of steps or tasks that a company performs to achieve a specific goal. Some common examples include processing a customer order, hiring a new employee, approving a budget, or handling a support request.

Let's look at a practical example of BPM.

Process before BPM:

A customer places an order. The salesperson records it in an Excel spreadsheet. The Excel spreadsheet is emailed to the logistics team. Errors and delays are common.

Process after BPM:

  • The order enters a centralized system automatically.

  • The order is generated and assigned to the corresponding area.

  • The entire process is monitored in real time.

  • Errors are reduced and delivery is faster.

Process before BPM:

An employee requests a quote by email. The manager reviews it when possible; sometimes, he or she forgets. The email is forwarded to the finance department for validation. The process stalls due to lack of follow-up or communication errors.

Process after BPM:

  • The application is made through a digital form in a system.

  • The process starts automatically and is assigned to the manager.

  • The manager receives a notification and approves or rejects with a click.

  • The system keeps track of status and response times.

  • Finance is automatically notified to continue the process

Process before BPM:

HR receives an email with the new employee's information. They manually send the information to IT to create accounts. They then coordinate separately with Finance and other departments. There are delays, forgotten steps, and duplication of efforts.

Process after BPM:

  • The process begins with an HR form.

  • Parallel tasks are automatically triggered:

    • IT creates the accesses.

    • Finance records the employee.

    • The system sends a welcome email.

  • The status of each step is monitored on a centralized dashboard.