Have you ever wondered what the goals of a robot might be? Krasimir Krastev, the founder of RPA Consulting, answers: to release at least 8 people from mundane tasks, guaranteeing a return on investment of up to 9 months.
Peter Herakov
When we talk about robots, we all imagine different things. I remember Marvin, the paranoid android of Douglas Adams, immortalized in “The Galactic Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. And in the eponymous single “Paranoid Android” by Radiohead. But there are completely different types of robots that few people think of while they “dig” quietly and meekly, even now.
Exactly such robots, performing computer-based work, are created by RPA Consulting – a Bulgarian company that develops process automation solutions for end customers. “We use machine learning, artificial intelligence, and visual interaction platforms to create intelligent software that understands and reproduces human work,” said Krasimir Krastev, the company’s general manager.
These robots are trained by RPA Consulting to perform operations based on the same solutions, logic, and rules that apply to people in a company. And just like people, the software robots work with the same software adopted by the company, office applications, and communication tools. Their advantage is that they do not complain about mundane, repetitive, and time-consuming processes that we humans usually go through with boredom, risking mistakes due to carelessness or fatigue. “Robots can take this type of work from people and do it 24 hours a day, seven days a week, without a mistake, without taking breaks, and much faster than a human,” says Krasimir Krastev. This allows employees to focus on activities that can provide additional value to the company. And for employers – to further qualify people so that they can achieve organic growth with all its advantages and without any disadvantages.
Who benefits from RPA most?
The sectors that benefit most from these software robots are the financial (banks, insurers, brokers), FMCG, large chains, companies suitable for automation. The effect of RPA technologies is logically greatest in companies with a significant number of employees, but in practice, there are no restrictions. “We are developing individual solutions so that we can help wherever there is an administrative necessity,” said Krasimir, whose team has direct observations over the attitude of business towards robotic business process technologies in the last year, which was marked by the pandemic. “Many of our customers have realized that those parts of the business that are not automated are lagging significantly or even threateningly behind within the period of adaptation to new realities,” he said. The company offers many different solutions: from robots that use artificial intelligence to dynamically management of overtime costs, through those that plan logistics routes, learning for weeks to outperform professionals with years of experience. The most interesting challenges are those, which have the greatest impact on people’s lives – light speed lending in banking institutions, light speed insurance and claims processing, control of payments and receivables. For example – we have a customer, a food producer, where over 90% of the administration is done by robots”, said the manager of RPA Consulting.
Following the recent closure of an investment round in which, in addition to investors, it acquires a strategic partner, the company will develop in three main directions. “The first is to develop the Bulgarian market more seriously because we believe that local businesses can compete successfully on the European market with our technologies. The second is the development of solutions aimed at small and medium-sized businesses, which with minimal investment can be convinced of the automation benefits. The third is solutions for international banks and financial institutions, especially since we have a team with many years of experience in this field, ” said Krasimir Krastev.
The task of the Bot
Specific cases can give a very good idea of how a company works or how a person thinks. Even more so as they are surprising.
So, RPA experts: you are contacted by a sewing company that imports materials from England and exports clothes there. The materials are about 3 thousand different types, the company sews 30 models, each with a different amount of these materials, but for each model, you know exactly how much it is. How long will it take and what will it cost to make a software robot to take over the import/export data for the customs?
“This is about workflow automation. Such a process can be developed from start to finish within two weeks and cost few thousand euros. The rule we adhere to is that a robot must be able to release at least 8-10 people from the specific task and cost less than the annual cost of one of these employees. In this way, we guarantee a return on investment to our customers within 3-9 months, which even in challenging times, like the current ones is lightning fast, “explains Krasimir.
Our dialogue is fun and interesting and will end the same way – does he really answer, or a robot created by the company does? “Technologies for semantic language comprehension are becoming more accessible. We are also working actively in this direction, which will allow us in the next few months to provide the market with software solutions, that are fluent in Bulgarian text for accounting and legal documents. “But there are things, that are not suitable for automation, RPA Consulting are convinced. Creative work is one of them. “As long as we’re innovative and interesting to our customers, you can be sure you’re talking to a person, but not a robot!”
Krasimir Krastev is the founder and manager of RPA Consulting. For his 35 years, he has serious experience: over 10 years in corporate management and project management in the public and private sector. He has participated in the management and structuring of processes of international companies in the FMCG and IT segment, as well as in numerous projects in the public sector.
Since its launch in 2016, RPA Consulting has developed over a hundred automations for companies in Bulgaria and abroad. RPA Consulting is a certified partner of UiPath and Automation Anywhere, having a resource with the highest degree of accreditation for development on both platforms.
Photo: Julian Donov / Author: Petar Herakov | Source: The text is from issue. 02/21 of the magazine “Manager” – https://www.manager.bg/