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RPA Business Lead at World Bank
Real User
Simple to use and non-invasive, but it would help if they integrated AI and predictive analytics
Pros and Cons
  • "It's pretty simple and non-invasive."
  • "The stability could be enhanced."

What is our primary use case?

We have automated transaction processing, especially accounts payable, as well as document handling on the HR side, document-reading capabilities, and the downloading of reports from websites and sharing them with users.

Transaction processing is our primary use case.

How has it helped my organization?

We started using Automation Anywhere about 18 months ago and it has definitely increased the speed and reduced the total processing time of our transaction processing. It's pretty good.

What is most valuable?

It's pretty simple and non-invasive. Those are the key features. And the bot creation process is pretty easy.

What needs improvement?

OCR capabilities are what we're looking for. We started using IQ Bot but we are not utilizing it to the extent that we would like because of some technical issues. We would like to see some development on that side.

It would also help if they integrated AI and other predictive analytics into this solution.

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Automation Anywhere
October 2024
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For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability could be enhanced.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It provides high scalability. You can implement this across any industry, any sector.

It took us about one year to scale from pilot to the number of bots we are currently using.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I think we have gone through UiPath and Blue Prism, besides Automation Anywhere. I wasn't part of this team then, but when I go through the documents I see things related to UiPath and to Blue Prism.

What about the implementation team?

We used an integrator. 

What was our ROI?

We are focusing on time saved. We have almost 27 use cases in production and, as of now, we have saved almost eight FTEs per annum.

What other advice do I have?

I would definitely recommend Automation Anywhere because it's pretty simple, non-invasive, and easy to handle.

In terms of integrating this solution with other applications, the majority of the ERP vendors are now coming up with built-in robotics. That's something which Automation Anywhere has to look into because currently, with Automation Anywhere, integration is an add-on product. Many other technologies are actually integrating RPA into their products.

I haven't taken courses at the Automation Anywhere University, but my team has. It's pretty simple. It's pretty easy.

I would rate the solution at seven out of ten because of the stability issue. Hopefully they can enhance the product. I heard that in the next release they will have natural language processing, not only for English but for other languages.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Manager, Business Process Integration at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
We can now do root cause analysis and have less noise in the system during the process
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution has removed humans making errors while increasing our time savings. We now have a lot of more efficiencies in our process."
  • "We are making less mistakes and have more metrics available to understand what our problems are. Now, we can do root cause analysis and have less noise in the system during the process."
  • "Understanding what we wanted to do the tool after setup, that was complex."

What is our primary use case?

We have developed apps for accounts payable (finance) to do three-way match.

How has it helped my organization?

We are making less mistakes and have more metrics available to understand what our problems are. Now, we can do root cause analysis and have less noise in the system during the process.

What is most valuable?

The solution has removed humans making errors while increasing our time savings. We now have a lot of more efficiencies in our process.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Our first bot took ten weeks to create. It took six months to create the number of bots that we are currently using.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have take basic courses at Automation Anywhere University, because I an not actually a programmer. I just needed to know the high level of the product. The Automation Anywhere University was very good.

How was the initial setup?

The setup was straightforward. Understanding what we wanted to do the tool, that was more complex.

What about the implementation team?

We used Thirdware for the deployment.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Automation Anywhere was the only vendor because we were told by our private equity company that was who we were using. However, Automation Anywhere is the industry leader, so it was an easy choice. So, we didn't argue too much with the selection by them, and we did not actually go through a selection process ourselves.

We use a different solution for cognitive document processing, not Automation Anywhere, but we are rethinking this.

What other advice do I have?

No tool will ever fix your company. It is always about the stability of processes, understanding your scope, and what your problems are. This tool is a great tool to help with that once processes are stable. It will always be dependent upon people. Make sure you program the bot to help people, not what you think it needs to be. There will be a lot of meetings, scope developments, and data review, which will need to happen first. Then, if you get good with that, then the tool's going to be excellent.

So far, everything has been good with the solution. It is a great tool.

The integration works very well. We have integrated it with four other software tools.

From a developer perspective, the solution is very simple. Our end users don't really see it. They just see the end result.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Automation Anywhere
October 2024
Learn what your peers think about Automation Anywhere. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2024.
814,560 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Kumar Animesh - PeerSpot reviewer
Automation Manager at AMEX
Real User
Top 5
Enables us to integrate with and trigger third-party tools, but OCR needs improvement
Pros and Cons
  • "They've now included the code so we can add some additional code. That's good."
  • "I'd like to see the OCR feature be perfected. Today we get an accuracy ratio from OCR of around 40 percent to 50 percent only."

What is our primary use case?

Generally, it is used in the banking and financial domains for Oracle and Java-based systems. We also use Automation Anywhere for integration where a third-party tool has to be triggered.

What is most valuable?

The are many features and we can do many things with it. They've now included the code so we can add some additional code. That's good.

What needs improvement?

I'd like to see the OCR feature be perfected. Today we get an accuracy ratio from OCR of around 40 percent to 50 percent only. Better OCR would be very useful in the industry because most of the documents in the banking sector are scanned and hand-written and they want to compare them with other documents.

I would also like to see them provide more support: profile documents and guidance. It would also help to have use-case demos available publicly, not on the Automation Anywhere website. Overall, better promotion of the solution would be good for Automation Anywhere.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability depends on the local system. It is good. But when we switch the system, when we go to Citrix or we jump to RDP, the modern stuff, it breaks sometimes.

Comparing Blue Prism and Automation Anywhere, I would go for Blue Prism's stability. It is very stable. Once the coding is done, meaning all the flowcharts are designed, it will work, it will not break. But sometimes, Automation Anywhere fails. It doesn't take the values from the input at times.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is good.

How are customer service and technical support?

Automation Anywhere's technical support is good. They provide it via email. There are no issues with it. They have opened their offices for technical support in India. Usually, within 24 hours, we get a resolution via a reply to our email: "This is the issue, and this is the solution," or, "This is the way to do it." It usually doesn't take longer than that.

How was the initial setup?

The setup is usually straightforward, not complex. If you're doing a basic installation, it takes around one hour. If you're installing MetaBots or any plugins, it will take some more time.

The team we work on develops on the weekend. We have Control Room access so we deploy from there. It doesn't require a team though, an individual person who is working on a given project can also install it.

What was our ROI?

We don't see ROI immediately. It takes from six or seven months to one year to get the ROI from what we develop. The client needs to trust the RPA solution. Once they trust it, the process, etc., they have more confidence and say, "Okay, you can do automate these other things as well." Build a client's confidence takes time.

But at the end of the day or, really, the end of the year, we can see that the ROI is there. There are benefits and they can see the benefits.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Licensing is not done by us but by the server team. They provide the infra and they manage the installation and licensing because licensing is very costly. It's a very confidential thing. They cannot share the license with everyone.

If I compare it with Blue Prism, Automation Anywhere is cheaper. Blue Prism is very costly. Automation Anywhere's pricing follows the market, not less and not more.

What other advice do I have?

It's important that all processes are documented properly.

In terms of maintenance, our policy is that we do two weeks of hyper-care. After two weeks it's over to the client and they maintain it from there on. But for those two weeks initially, if there are any errors we will change the code and deliver it. But the maintenance is good. We don't need to modify many things.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller.
PeerSpot user
Electrical Engineering Trainee at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 20
Helps save time, costs, and increases efficiency
Pros and Cons
  • "The efficiency we get with Automation Anywhere is valuable."
  • "The Automation Anywhere calibrating needs to be more user-friendly to avoid human error."

What is our primary use case?

We use Automation Anywhere to track the travel and locking of our devices.

We implemented Automation Anywhere because we needed a way to track our devices and ensure they were not going beyond their boundaries.

How has it helped my organization?

Before Automation Anywhere we were manually tracking our devices and now it is done automatically.

Automation Anywhere helps to save a full day. Automation Anywhere helps save costs by allowing remote work and not requiring a person to be at the machine. 

What is most valuable?

The efficiency we get with Automation Anywhere is valuable.

What needs improvement?

The Automation Anywhere calibrating needs to be more user-friendly to avoid human error.

Non-technical people can not use Automation Anywhere.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Automation Anywhere for one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of Automation Anywhere depends on the environment it is used in. For example, in hot environments, there can be deviations.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was a little complex until we became familiar with the process.

The deployment took one week and required two people.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Automation Anywhere is reasonably priced because it can sustain us for a long period.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Automation Anywhere eight out of ten. The technology is improving every day.

With the right tools, it is easy to upgrade Automation Anywhere.

Maintenance is required for Automation Anywhere to ensure proper functionality daily. Two people for 20 minutes each day is enough to oversee the maintenance.

I recommend completing some courses and shadowing experienced Automation Anywhere users to gain hands-on experience with the automation process.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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PeerSpot user
Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
MSP
Is cost-effective, integrates well, and increases automation consumption
Pros and Cons
  • "Automation Anywhere is stable."
  • "The customization feature should be made more user-friendly in order to enable the use of external reference components."

What is our primary use case?

We use Automation Anywhere for our Finance department.

How has it helped my organization?

Automation Anywhere is cost-effective.

The ability of Automation Anywhere to provide automation at scale is quite good.

Automation Anywhere integrates well with APIs, RPA bots, and business applications.

Automation Anywhere has helped our organization increase its automation consumption by over 20 percent.

What needs improvement?

The customization feature should be made more user-friendly in order to enable the use of external reference components.

The technical support has room for improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Automation Anywhere for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Automation Anywhere is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Automation Anywhere is hardly scalable.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We are a partner of Automation Anywhere and find the pricing to be reasonable. There is an additional cost for using OCR.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated UiPath, but the cost is higher compared to Automation Anywhere.

What other advice do I have?

I give Automation Anywhere a nine out of ten.

Users of Automation Anywhere should possess programming skills. The learning curve for the solution is straightforward. Training for Automation Anywhere does not exceed two weeks.

If the solution is maintained by the business user, I believe that robot automation processes are better, as they do not require the same skill set.

We use Automation Anywhere in our Finance, Pricing, and Purchasing departments.

Automation Anywhere requires a significant amount of maintenance. The maintenance is performed by me and two of our business partners and requires approximately ten minutes of testing per day to ensure everything is running properly.

Our organization is planning to transition from using Automation Anywhere to Blue Prism Cloud due to our business requirements. I highly recommend Automation Anywhere to other users.

Automation Anywhere is a suitable solution for businesses.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Data Analyst at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
User
Offers a powerful RPA tool, streamlined workflows, and has led to faster company growth

What is our primary use case?

I highly depend on the product for automation processes on most of our organization systems. 

It has been able to simplify most of the tasks and projects from the creation of bots that perform most duties. Our team members have focused on more productive duties that require human input leaving less operative duties to robots. 

Service delivery has improved and our customers are very happy since they can be served at faster speeds by robots. It has created a conducive working environment that has overseen our workforce team increasing production.

How has it helped my organization?

Automation Anywhere has led to faster growth in our organization. We have increased our sales volume and ensured that the current international threshold. We have created robots to undertake critical roles and left some duties under the labor force team. It has streamlined workflow infrastructure and sped things up in our company. The deployment cost of Automation Anywhere is relatively low when compared to other RPA platforms. It has secured our data and given us very effective cloud services. An increase in production has enabled our teams to focus more on quality and fulfilling customer demands.

What is most valuable?

The Robotic Process Automation tool is very powerful and most useful in our organization. It has enabled our system management teams to design robots that fit most programs. Cloud operation features are very convenient and have lead to faster deployment processes. It has created a conducive collaboration feature that has led to better teamwork among our team members. The creation of most applications in our company has been done from the programming interface and they have been very effective in running our business programs.

What needs improvement?

The current version is very effective and I have no recommendation for improvement. Since we deployed Automation Anywhere is has never failed in functionality. It has led to faster growth of our enterprise and lead to increased productivity. 

Automation of most services has led to faster service delivery and given our organization an opportunity to win over many customers. 

The next version could have more data storage capacity that can be customized to sustain different workloads. I am satisfied with most features overall and I am very proud of this Software.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for two years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This platform has has highly increased performance across the entire organization. Production has increased leading to faster growth.

How are customer service and support?

The customer support team has been very supportive since we deployed it.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have not used a different solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented through a vendor and they were very supportive and had a high level of experience.

What was our ROI?

It has contributed to a positive ROI.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The setup cost is relatively low and is affordable while offering a quick ROI. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I explored other options, such as UiPath, but have settled on Automation Anywhere.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1466988 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior RPA+Cognitive Developer at Innova Solutions
Real User
Good support, and excels in automating complex tasks involving unstructured data
Pros and Cons
  • "Earlier users were converting the unstructured data from the PDF into the structured format to process the task but now, this activity is replaced by IQ Bot."
  • "It would be great if there will be a built-in machine learning model available in the AA, so the developer can directly map it with their task and train the model accordingly."

What is our primary use case?

I primarily use Automation Anywhere for:

  1. SAP Automation using DLL MetaBots.
  2. Salesforce Automation using REST APIs.
  3. Citrix Automation.
  4. Teradata Automation.
  5. Oracle Application Automation using MetaBots.
  6. Automate Mainframe application.

Details: Salesforce Automation

Automating the salesforce application to create the case ID and update the chatter field accordingly using the API.

Through the Bot, we are processing the case number with all of the required operations and at last, changing the case status with the API.

Environment:

We are developing the Bot in the dev environment first, and later testing is performed in the UAT environment. If everything looks fine then we move it into production.

How has it helped my organization?

AA brings a lot of benefits for our organization in a number of different ways.

I could say that many of the Salesforce activities are now replaced by bots, like creating the case ID number, uploading the attachment in the Chatter feed object, and many more.

Earlier users were converting the unstructured data from the PDF into the structured format to process the task but now, this activity is replaced by IQ Bot. It reads the unstructured data from the PDF and processes the task smoothly. Basically, we are dealing more with the invoice PDF to read the unstructured data.

I believe everyone is aware of the Jira application, which is used for issue tracking and project management. Now, all the Jira activities are replaced by the bots. Whenever any user is logging any issue through Jira, the Bot automatically assigns the ticket to the respective individuals, which saves a lot of time. In a simple way, I can say the Bot has replaced our Jira monitoring team.

What is most valuable?

From my point of view, IQ Bot is the most valuable feature in AA. It is a type of cognitive bot designed to support, as well as learn from business users and enable them to experience the power of advanced artificial intelligence technologies. Integrated with the Automation Anywhere Enterprise RPA, the IQ Bot offers enterprise massive gains in productivity, as it includes competency in automating complex tasks involving unstructured data.

The REST API is also a very valuable feature in AA. Using this, we can automate the web application through the API and execute it in the background in a fraction of time.

MetaBot is also a valuable feature in AA. Using this, we can run the DLL of any application and also develop the process in offline mode. If there any minor changes in the screen then we can avail of the calibrate feature of MetaBot.

What needs improvement?

It would be great if there will be a built-in machine learning model available in the AA, so the developer can directly map it with their task and train the model accordingly. Training and testing the model can be achieved using these features.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the Automation Anywhere solution for the past five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, Automation Anywhere is excellent.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is excellent.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have had an awesome experience with the service and technical support team.

I still remember that initially, there were four or five times where I had raised a support ticket. I got the optimal solution and each time, I received a positive and quick response from the technical support team. I really appreciate their patience and effort.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Fortunately, I have started my career in the RPA field, and that too with the Automation Anywhere tool.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is average in terms of difficulty.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented using an in-house team.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I feel the cost of licensing is very high for the A2019 version. There is nothing much to say about the setup cost.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have been trained in Blue Prism as well, but I feel a more friendly environment in AA.

What other advice do I have?

As of now, I am using the 11.3v of AA, and whatever improvement is required I believe it is already taken care of in the A2019 version.

We have started doing migration of bot in A2019 and have seen that many new features have been added in the latest version of AA. Nonetheless, I can say that AA can expand its features and functionalities in the Artificial Intelligence area.

Apart from licensing costs, I don't have any concerns. I would suggest everyone go with this product and avail all the features wisely.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1466952 - PeerSpot reviewer
Data Science Intern at Deloitte
Real User
Improved the efficiency and accuracy of processes and reduced manual efforts
Pros and Cons
  • "SAP GUI Integration commands are highly useful while working with SAP applications and facilitate easy use of the software. This feature has been recently incorporated within the software and we have been using it to interface with SAP systems in development as well as production."
  • "Excel functionalities, the macro interface can be improved in the next release of RPA platform Automation Anywhere. Functionalities such as maneuvering on the excel worksheets, increased capability to manipulate formulae, and other Excel functionalities will give Automation Anywhere and edge in the RPA platform category since most financial applications use a lot of Excel and macro sheets for their calculations and postings."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is for building RPA automations on this platform to automate and execute business processes. There are various use cases implemented for various end-users by our firm and the environment infrastructure is complex and stretched across multiple systems. Financial processes such as journal posting, invoice processing, PO and non-PO order processing are automated with the help of Automation Anywhere across a spectrum of applications such as SAP, PeopleSoft, and many other financial applications and across various domains.

How has it helped my organization?

Business process automation has improved the efficiency and accuracy of processes and reduced manual efforts which can be utilized in value addition for the firm. Basically, when mechanical processes are automated with the help of the RPA platform Automation Anywhere, then users are able to reduce FTE hours spent on doing that work and instead can focus on driving the business growth and value addition to self and the firm. Automation Anywhere has been instrumental in helping our organization achieve this for our clients.

What is most valuable?

SAP GUI Integration commands are highly useful while working with SAP applications and facilitate easy use of the software. This feature has been recently incorporated within the software and we have been using it to interface with SAP systems in development as well as production. The Meta Bot feature is also highly useful where the Automation Anywhere platform is able to create scripts with inbuilt error handling capability and can perform the same function over and over without room for technical errors.

What needs improvement?

Excel functionalities, the macro interface can be improved in the next release of RPA platform Automation Anywhere. Functionalities such as maneuvering on the excel worksheets, increased capability to manipulate formulae, and other Excel functionalities will give Automation Anywhere and edge in the RPA platform category since most financial applications use a lot of Excel and macro sheets for their calculations and postings. This will not only help the developer in saving time to develop simple keystrokes but also make the final bot much more stable and robust. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using AA for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable and robust with the latest version.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This solution is scalable.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have had reasonable good experience with technical support team who regularly assist us with any product issues in a timely manner and professionally.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have always been using Automation Anywhere.

How was the initial setup?

Straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

In-house.

What was our ROI?

This information is with project senior leadership.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Licensing is pretty straightforward with Automation Anywhere since creator licenses are unlimited and free if we select a certain package. Setup cost and pricing is also very reasonable which helped us in making all client projects economically viable

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated options such as UiPath and Blue Prism.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Automation Anywhere Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: October 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Automation Anywhere Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.