What is our primary use case?
We are discussed specifically the IQ Bot from Automation Anywhere which has excited me a lot because of the functions that it brings. They are really commendable because I have seen a lot of other software and solutions which are not giving that much accuracy in terms of the output. But, IQ Bot has been one of the top-notch solutions that I have seen in the OCR field, which covers a lot of the areas where we can transition unstructured data into structured data. This can be utilized in many use cases, like accounts payable, T&E processes, and so on and so forth. That's why I'm very excited to talk about IQ Bot.
How has it helped my organization?
One of the use cases of IQ Bot that I've seen is the claim processing in the insurance industry. There are tons of manual forms coming into the input files. Everyone has to work on those files manually to create a structured database out of them. It takes lot of time for them to really do it. Whereas in IQ Bot, if you run the engine, and have the scanned copies of these claims processing forms, they just get converted into very good structured data in a few seconds. Later on, you can utilize that database the way you want it. You can do a lot of analytics out of this, which would not only save time and create efficiencies, but it also brings in a lot of value for the organization whose data is being analyzed and structured.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable part is that it have the integrated OCR solution within it. All the other solutions do not have the right integration of the OCR solutions. You need to go to two different places to get one solution. Whereas, in IQ Bot, there is one area where you get all these solutions together in one area. That is the most important and beautiful point that I like about IQ Bot.
What needs improvement?
I didn't have anything as such in mind. After listening to the CEO of Automation Anywhere, he has given some very exciting features which are up and coming in the next few weeks or so. One of them is the integration with Microsoft. This will be a game changer forever. Because Microsoft Office 365 or Outlook, these are being used by every individual.
Integrating Automation Anywhere bots with these type of Microsoft solutions will give us so much flexibility. We can utilize so much reach or access to these bots in every type of work that we are doing. They will become like our personal assistants. That is where it's very exciting. I'm looking forward to look it. I believe that it will be a killer in this area.
It may sound a little funny or weird, but one thing that we are thinking is we have to go to various websites and pick up relevant data from various websites using the bot. That is something we have seen that none of the bots have been able to really do it because the back-end of those websites do not allow bots to scrap through all these websites and get the relevant data in one place. We would like to see how the bot companies would crack this idea. But, that's why I said, this look weird because of the legal reasons why this cannot be done. This is something that I am looking forward to.
For how long have I used the solution?
We just started working on this.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
As far as stability is concerned, it is pretty stable. We have seen how it is used in various use cases in the scenarios. It has very good stability. Because in the case of any claims processing, it creates a very defined database. In case it finds any anomalies, which it does not really solve, it red lines all those areas so someone can manually go and correct those. Then, later on, it learns from its own mistakes. Wherein, next time, you don't have to really fix those issues, which it has found in the first place. This means, as the IQ Bot gets more experience, it will learn on its own, and become a better, more stable product over a period of time.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have seen results, and the results are good. But, it will take me another couple of quarters to answer on the overall scalability and consistency of this bot.
How are customer service and technical support?
We did use technical support for troubleshooting and maintenance as well.
Our internal technical support team is not that very big. It's pretty small. One person does it on a very ad hoc basis, whenever it is required.
Wherever we find that our team does not have the right subject matter expertise, that is when we call our customer success manager. They are able to help us out with various automative solutions that bring the solution back in place from that angle.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
My boss and I were both involved in bringing the RPA into our organization. We had been researching RPA for the last six to eight months to see what various functions RPA can work on, how to identify the better candidate in terms of processes, and how we can get the ROI out of the RPA.
We did all types research, reading articles, and talking to Automation Anywhere guys. These guys have been very helpful and flexible in talking to us. Anytime we have asked them for any sort of information. they were forthcoming. Giving the information on their own. They have explained their use cases. That intrigued us to go into this area and try more on the RPA side.
This was the first RPA project that we did.
How was the initial setup?
When you are not aware of RPA solutions, it definitely looks more complex. But once you are done with your first implementation, then it becomes very straightforward. Going forward, this will be even more straight forward, because I learned from the Automation Anywhere guys that going forward all these bots or engines can be created with very user-friendly drag and drop functions. This would become more of a plug and play solution for everyone, maybe for the people who are non-technical as well. So, to begin with, it is really complex because of the knowledge that people do not have. But, later on, after the first implementation, it becomes very straightforward.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did consider other RPA products as well. So, all the competitors of Automation Anywhere, we went through them. I personally looked into UiPath, Blue Prism, NICE, and AutomationEdge. These were a few which we've gone through.
There are lot of reasons why we went with Automation Anywhere, but I will tell you the more practical reasons on the basis of which we recommended and said, "Okay, Automation Anywhere would be the good choice for us."
- One of them was obviously IQ Bot, which I spoke about in the beginning. IQ Bot is one of the unique ideas of Automation Anywhere. When we want to use OCR, because we are a research company, we see that OCR will be the key for us. That is the reason. In all the others, they have outside integration of the AB and other tools. There is only one product with this.
- While working on these products, simultaneously, we have seen that in few cases, there was a duplication of inputs in some of the other ones. Whereas, in the Automation Anywhere, when we were putting inputs in one place, it will just getting replicated in the second place. This was saving a lot of time for us. That was from a modus operandi standpoint. It was much better than the others.
- We have talked to the teams of Automation Anywhere, UiPath, Blue Prism, etc. We found the team for Automation Anywhere was very flexible and forthcoming. They were forward looking and bringing more ideas. They are bringing more alternatives to us. They are actually standing right behind us, in case of any sort of inquiries or questions. Those things, we like a lot. That's the reason we chose Automation Anywhere.
I can write a five-page differentiator on Automation Anywhere, but I think these are the most important ones.
What other advice do I have?
To begin with, since my experience has been excellent with Automation Anywhere so far, I would not shy away from giving them a rating of eight (out of 10).
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.