Automation Anywhere Reviews

The tool is used to automate any business process. Some examples are:

• If you want to download some data from a website or push some data onto a website.
• If you work with an Excel application and want to automate it, or any Windows-based application, you can automate it as long as you know what the business process is.
• If a person is doing a day-to-day activity and you want to automate that activity, you can use the Automation Anywhere tool to do it.

I have worked with the Windows, Excel, and web applications, along with some SAP automation and how to automate that SAP data. I use Automation Anywhere to determine automation for how to:

• Distribute the process. 
• Schedule the process. 
• Run the process. 
• Design the process.
• Distribute the data for 1000 to 10,000 data points (in Excel).

I have automated the invoicing in a finance department, where the finance department wanted to automate the invoicing process. They wanted to do the following:

• Invoice the data.
• Create the invoice.
• Mail the invoice.
• Download the invoice data.

If you have 10 operators currently performing these activities everyday, then you automate the process, by removing the 10 operators and having only one operator required, this will decrease costs. It will also increase the efficiency of your company.

In the automatic invoicing system, we created a file which pushes onto a shared folder. The bot will pick up the file automatically from the shared folder and process the invoice. Therefore, if tomorrow, another bot were to be created, we could just create a file and copy it to the shared folder, then it would pick up the file and process the invoice.

I utilize all the commands provided by Automation Anywhere, such as all the recorders. I use these commands to develop my processes and bots.

Automation Anywhere has a drag and drop process.

Automation Anywhere needs to improve Excel and its commands. In Excel, if you want to add a sheet, you cannot add a sheet. There is no command for adding a sheet. Also, if you want to rename something in Excel, you cannot rename it. You always must keep a list that you can rename through your keyboard, but there is no specific command in Automation Anywhere. 

The email automation command also needs to be improved. The email automation command sometimes is not working properly. When you connect the mail server, it is not being done properly.

The OCR feature is not that reliable.

With the PDF command, you can only read structured data. If your data is in an unstructured format, there is no command for it in Automation Anywhere. Then, people need to use Python coding if their data is in unstructured format. Therefore, Automation Anywhere needs to improve in the PDF area.

I have been using the product for the last two years.

I didn't have any stability issues. 

I haven't found any scalability issues with it. If the volume increases tomorrow, another bot can be added from the Control Room.

I worked with a single deployment model, which didn't have a load balancer requirement. Higher availability deployments require load balancers.

I haven't dealt with Automation Anywhere's technical support.

For the implementation, you just follow the proper process on how to deploy the proper hardware configuration on the production environment. The process does not take that much time as you push files to the Control Room, then from the Control Room, you can download the client. It does depend on how many bots you are implementing and how you are scheduling them.

Automation Anywhere is deployed from a deployment guideline in a step-by-step process. Automation Anywhere provides some deployment guidelines, which can be referred to.

Only one person is required for deployment: the Control Room administrator.

The number of people required for monitoring the solution depends on the amount of bots deployed.

It saves time and money. If a bot does the same work as nine out of 10 people, then you are saving money through wages. Also, a bot will work all hours without interruption, whereas FTEs may need time off or vacation. 

I believe it is $10,000 for Bot Creator. 

The Automation Anywhere automation tool is user-friendly, especially compared to UiPath and Blue Prism. Automation Anywhere's deployment is also easy compared to other RPA tools.

The solution is good for people who want to do their job quickly without any delay or problems. 

The future of IT will require every organization to need automation.

The Control Room is good in version 11, as compared to the previous versions of the Control Room.

We use it for every aspect of our company: Financials, purchasing, HR, etc. 

It has taken a lot of manual Excel manipulation that we have previously did, and removed that work away from people who did that for ten hours a day, five days a week. We now have a robot doing this manual work, allowing us to refocus those our resources into more value-add activities, simplifying our landscape.

The flexibility: If there is anything the tool cannot do, we have the ability to make a MetaBot to achieve that functionality. The overall flexibility of the tool makes it very useful for us in our landscape.

We have integrated it with everything from standard off-the-shelf products, like SAP and Oracle, to custom apps that we built within our landscape. The integration to other applications is very good and easy.

I would like more integration into the entire Microsoft Suite of products, not just Excel. Companies use all of Microsoft products at the same time, and being good at just one Microsoft tool is a limiting factor. Being able to use Microsoft Excel, Access, and Outlook together and have them integrated (as standard) into the tool would be very useful, especially when you go into attended automation.

They keep rolling out more features in selected areas. They should broaden their scope.

We intentionally took a long time to scale up to our current number of bots because we focused on using large processes, instead of small ones. For us to grow to scale, it took us about a year and a half. However, we have been focusing on processes with tens of FTEs per year, instead of about processes that are one to two hours per day.

The technical support is good. Whenever we have issues with the product, the support team gets back to us normally within half a day, or sometimes even sooner, with direct answers of how we can solve our issues. If they don't have documentation for it, they have somebody call us, and we have the issue resolved in a day or two.

We did not have a previous solution.

The initial setup was in-house.

We did the deployment in-house.

Do your homework on your use cases. Knowing which use cases are really good for RPA is crucial in getting the program started. If you don't have your use cases identified, or have your functional processes identified, that want to automate, then it makes the scaling aspects more challenging.

I am RPA professionally certified through Automation Anywhere and have taken multiple classes through the Automation Anywhere University. The courses are good. They are just like any other online training courses, which I have taken through other vendors, like Microsoft or SAP. It is on par with those vendors who have been doing this for a long time.

As long as a person has a semi-technical mindset, the product is very simple to use. Even for the traditional business user, with just a little training, we are able to bring them up to speed on how to use the tool fairly easily. The tool is very good, as far as ease of use.

As long as you have a technical mindset or are able to think in a certain manner, the creation of a bot is very intuitive, especially since the tool is drag and drop. For example, I am able to take any of the commands that I need and put them in the right sequence of orders. This makes it very intuitive to create a bot from start to finish.

We are evaluating the cognitive document processing as something to use in the future, but are not currently using it.

I use Automation Anywhere to automate the data input process and produce the forecasting output.

We store our data in Databricks, which is sometimes shared via email. To automate this process, I've created a pipeline using Automation Anywhere that extracts CSV files from emails, uploads them to Databricks, saves the resulting table on a selected AWS page, processes the data, and feeds it into the model.

Automation Anywhere is user-friendly, with drag-and-drop features for nontechnical users.

The learning curve is no more than one month.

It integrates well with other tools.

Automation Anywhere saves us one month per year.

Automated data processing is the most valuable feature of Automation Anywhere.

I have been using Automation Anywhere for 16 months.

Automation Anywhere is stable.

Automation Anywhere is scalable.

Automation Anywhere supports automation to scale.

The technical support is good.

Positive

The deployment is straightforward and can be completed within one and two weeks.

Before implementing, we want to ensure we have all the support and collaboration.

Automation Anywhere is affordable.

I would rate Automation Anywhere eight out of ten because it is practical and user-friendly.

My business Analysis team describes the cases, and my architect team works based on that. I look into how this architect team is working to fulfill the requirements of my client.

Our use cases mainly are for the financial domain. We are working for an international organization. The automation that we are building is going to be utilized in various projects for tracking the expenditures of projects, managing the budget, and maintaining the planning. The information is then returned to the core finance providers. 

We have integrated it with TMX and the public finance model. Government Resource Planning or GRP is integrated. We have implemented a lot of triggers to give all the information to various points.

We have our own architecture. It is able to take the information from the core engine, API engine, or triggers from databases or data pipelines and execute the process based on the defined logic. It is able to give information to various process owners using the workflow.

In most places, the processes are scheduled automatically, so it saves time because we are not executing any process manually. For example, we are able to get information about the utilization of the funds given to a particular country for a specific purpose. It triggers an alert if the funds are being spent in a particular area that is not allowed based on the business logic.

Being able to implement automation is valuable. We take the business logic and provide a solution to the client. Defining the intelligence pipeline is the most interesting and challenging aspect for me.

For us, nothing is complicated. It is quite easy. We have a competency and learning team that gives training to clients. It does not seem very difficult for them.

The approval process needs improvement.

We have been using this solution for approximately one and a half years. I do not directly use it, but my team uses it.

It is a private server farm where we have implemented AWS because the governments do not allow hosting on the cloud in most countries. This is a restriction from the government side.

We have two teams. One is the technical team, which is involved in network security and the server side. I am from the functional team where we are involved in all the services, all the applications, and all the databases. The technical team takes care of the software installation, maintenance, patches, and upgrades. We are only working on the application side.

I did not evaluate any other solution. I got the instructions from my company to use it.

We have a full-fledged deployment of automation in our organization, and we have a number of projects in the pipeline. There are definitely a lot of possibilities inside the organization, not only for me but also for my team members.

The main challenge currently is that we do not have proper resources, and the requirement of the client is very specific. Apart from that, I have not felt any problem with my team in deploying any of the solutions at the client site, so at this point in time, I cannot say that a specific technology is the best technology or that Automation Anywhere is the best. We are facing some challenges, and we are working on that. We are getting references of some of the other solutions, and we are working. We are doing the research every day and providing the solution to the client. Every day, it is a new challenge, and we are implementing the solution on the client site and understanding how to overcome those challenges.

At the moment, a person like me who is only working on one particular technology cannot compare it with other available alternatives in the market.

I would rate it an eight out of ten.

I have used AA to automate window-based applications like SAP, Microsoft Dynamics AX, Database, Microsoft Office (Excel, Access), CSV/TXT file, folders based operations, etc. When it comes to web-based applications, AA really shines. Automation applications Share-point, Blackline Reconciliation, Agile point submissions, and Web-based reporting exercises are in real-time.

When it comes to the database AA also works pretty well with SQL and Oracle by executing CRUD queries.

Automation Anywhere has improved my organization by automating many rule-based and nonjudgmental processes in domains like telecommunications, human resources, financial services, and daily or monthly reporting. The deployed bots/automation helped the organization in terms of errorless progress, meeting SLAs in time, 24/7 working hours, reducing dependencies from the human workforce, and FTE realization.

The realized FTE was deployed in more of a complex process and the employee utilization also improved. 

Out of all the features from Automation Anywhere version 11, IQ Bot, is the most valuable feature because it helps us in the conversion of semi or unstructured data to structured data which made it possible to automate a lot of complex processes.

Other than the IQ Bot, the below commands in the task bot also shine in a very useful and reliable way:

Excel Spreadsheet Commands, Database Commands, API Integration, Credential locker management feature and Workload management feature.

The Automation Anywhere Control room component features can be improved, as of now it contains too many roles and rules which makes it confusing to use it.

They should make it more simple because a lot of times I have to go through the user manual while dealing with the Automation Anywhere Control Room.

I always wanted a python and javascript editing console in version 11, which I later found in A2019. Earlier, only Run script command was there to directly run the scripts which somehow creates one additional dependency to the solution.

I am using AA v11 for three years and A2019 for the last two months.

Its pretty nice actually. AA is very stable with Windows-based applications.

When it comes to scalability, the mini bots comes into the picture and helps us to scale the automation. 

It was very satisfying.

I have used Blue Prism as a primary automation tool but due to the limitation of commands/stages the organization considered AA as a primary tool. 

It was very easy to install since it automatically validates if all required files are installed in the machine or not.

My organization is partners with Automation Anywhere.

I am just a developer so I have no idea about ROI.

I do not have that much knowledge about cost/pricing or licensing details.

I worked with Blue Prism also.

I am pretty impressed with the A 2019 version.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Stability-wise, Automation Anywhere is excellent.

The scalability is excellent.

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.

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

The initial setup is average in terms of difficulty.

We implemented using an in-house team.

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

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

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.

Automation Anywhere has been useful to implement business solutions that were previously performed manually by the business Team.

We have been using it to automate applications such as Excel, PDF, Web applications, Windows applications, Outlook, Word documents, and more. Using it will help reduce the time and improve the efficiency of the project, and also to reduce FTE.

Our organization also uses IQ Bot and Metabot for projects that require cognitive capabilities. Also, the OCR extraction helps in reading data from PDF.

Automation Anywhere has helped customers to reduce the time and manual effort required in day to day business by automating multiple projects.

The features like IQ Bot and Metabot have helped our organization to gain business trust and provide a greater number of unique solutions to our clients for complex projects. Also, Automation Anywhere is very easy to learn and implement solutions by any developer. That gives organizations the power to automate complex and unique solutions to bring a change and drive to automation projects quickly.

Solutions which require cognitive abilities can easily be implemented using Automation Anywhere. It's great to have a tool that gives the power to automate ML/AI requirements. 

Also, the features like the terminal emulator and Active Directory that are provided by Automation Anywhere are great to implement solutions.

For improvements, I would like Automation Anywhere to add new default mail operation commands, which might help developers to automate Outlook solutions easily and effectively.

Similarly, some PDF commands can help developers to automate complex PDF automation projects and help developers to extract the PDF data more accurately and precisely. IQ Bot has some limitations that should be improved in future releases.

It would be great if the work items concept is improved; that would help the developers and support team.

The AI and ML features should be more fully explored in the future.

I have been using Automation Anywhere for one and a half years.

The stability is good.

Automation Anywhere's scalability is good. We are planning to use the cloud infrastructure for our project. We hope to implement projects with 100 and 200 bots in the upcoming days. 

Automation Anywhere is the best tool to scale up and increase the bots without facing many issues in the production environment. 

The customer service and the technical support team are doing good work. Whenever we face issues, the Automation Anywhere team helps and supports in resolving them.

Because of this, we have not faced many issues in the implementation of projects. I hope this continues into the future, as well.

I have also used the Blue Prism solution but it does not allow you to implement cognitive requirements. Because of this, we switched to Automation Anywhere to help clients build cognitive and AI solutions.

We had an expert team who helped with the installation and set up of the infrastructure, without any major issues. Hence, the initial setup didn't require much effort and was easier to implement.

We have implemented Automation Anywhere with the help of an expert team. 

We have saved around 90% of the time that would be required to perform tasks manually.

Now, with the implementation of the solutions, the clients are really happy to see that the time and the cost are being saved due to the automation of their projects, without any variations in the results.

The same results are being achieved in other automation projects using this product. Our company has also partnered with Automation Anywhere to deliver more solutions to different clients.

I hope other clients also get the same benefits that we have achieved in our project. In our project, we have reduced the manual effort by 90% and have also reduced the variations in results achieved using automation by 40%. I hope this percentage should increase over time so as to benefit the team more.

The environment is within a Citrix environment. Our primary use case is for interaction with mainframe applications along with web links and Excel spreadsheets. The bot interacts with the Excel spreadsheet, captures the task, go to the mainframe application, and pastes it with searching details of the task if it matches different details. It populates in the Excel spreadsheet if it is matched or not matched. There are numerous logics used in it. AA bots do the verifications and give an output in the Excel spreadsheet which becomes an input for the agents on the production floor. 

We have used more than 30 bots in our healthcare vertical and are going to use many more bots. We have a very resourceful pipeline to use AA bots in our RPA projects and we are looking to be more engaged with the AA team in deploying these bots. We have very strict cost efficiency savings to be shown to the client and AA has helped us to meet this to a great extent. We have lined up a huge list of RPA projects and are waiting to partner with AA to a great extent which will help us to achieve these cost efficiencies in a great way.

AA has a bouquet of features that can be used in our projects. We have utilized all the features in our existing projects. It may be task bots, meta bots, or IQ bots. The features in the AA bots may be object cloning or security features where the bots can be triggered only from the control room and will help clients to maintain their security concerns. The number of commands is more which will help us to achieve different types of details being captured, verified, and executed in the project for us.

We have a challenge in our front office automation where capturing details from a table within a table does not happen in the existing AA Enterprise client version 11.3.4. The AA team tries various methods like using an Excel spreadsheet to capture the tables. Using object cloning it recognizes only the top line items and not the table which is in an HTML format then they asked to use Python codes within AA to identify tick boxes as a windows box. If this gets improved then we should be able to work on all the voice-related projects for a particular healthcare payer.

I have been using Automation Anywhere for more than three years.

Automation Anywhere solutions used in our RPA projects were easy to deploy for multiple projects, stable from a bots running continuously for close to 18 hrs each day. We will give a 9 out of a scale of 10 for the stability point of view.

The scalability of this solution is high as we can scale it in a very limited time and replicating the codes is easy.

The customer service/technical support is very good with AA and they are very supportive and listen to our issues patiently and give possible solutions wherever available.

We have not used any different solution as it is a client mandate to use only Automation Anywhere.

The initial setup was a bit complex as the control room was maintained by our clients and we had to approach them for each and every thing whenever there was an error/issue.

We implemented in-house but the control room was maintained by our clients and they helped in moving the codes to the control room and we have specific access to run from there.

Our ROI is very good by using AA. There are some projects where we can get close to 1:10 ROI.

We would advise going for Automation Anywhere as it is cost-efficient and easy in-terms of licensing form.

We did not have an opportunity to evaluate other options.