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reviewer1466973 - PeerSpot reviewer
Application Support Associate at Accenture
Real User
Easy to use, the IQ Bot greatly assists in processing data, and the Bot Store has many helpful bots to choose from
Pros and Cons
  • "I like all of the product features, but I mostly like to work with IQ Bots because they have cognitive automation capabilities."
  • "I would like to see a global error handler introduced, which will explicitly handle errors over the entire project."

What is our primary use case?

We have automated desktop applications, web applications, SAP applications, invoice processing through IQ Bot, as well as other projects. We have been achieving high accuracy with a maximum success rate.

How has it helped my organization?

The product is simple to use and provides a good base of functionality out of the box to cover most automation scenarios. It is also very extensible in that additional functionality can be added through the use of class libraries and APIs.

What is most valuable?

I like all of the product features, but I mostly like to work with IQ Bots because they have cognitive automation capabilities. We simply train the Bot by uploading sample files, and it then begins classifying, processing, and extracting the data within a short span of time. We can easily train the bot to extract the required fields, and we are processing tons of invoices using IQ Bot in a fraction of the time. This has saved our company lots in terms of both costs and manpower.

Working with Automation Anywhere is very easy in my environment. The automation is built with easy workflows and commands, which are user-friendly, even for people without a programming background.

The biggest advantage that Automation Anywhere provides is the Bot Store, where we search the existing bots and download relevant ones for our own use. These are very helpful in our automation because they are done very fast and deploy in a short time.

What needs improvement?

They bring out new or enhanced functionality on a very short cycle, which is great, although a criticism would be sometimes new features are released so quickly they can sometimes be a little buggy.

We have been faced with inconsistent error handling during the bot development stage, which is something that should be improved. The error handling is generally good, but the problem arises when developing multiple tasks within the same project. Specifically, I want to handle the error that occurs in a sub-task, as we have to ensure that all of the relevant tasks are completed properly in order to continue the process.

I would like to see a global error handler introduced, which will explicitly handle errors over the entire project.

I would like to have a Project Sharing Hub, similar to that of GitHub, but inside the tool. This would help with consolidating all of the project files at the end of the deployment.

Buyer's Guide
Automation Anywhere
October 2024
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For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Automation Anywhere for one year.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
reviewer1466970 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sap Sales Distribution Consultant at Accenture
Real User
Clean interface, image recognition works well, and it is easy to integrate with other systems
Pros and Cons
  • "I really like Screen Recording because it is used to record a task or a series of actions."
  • "Had we had access to the RPA bots in advance, we would have practiced before fully implementing."

What is our primary use case?

We have used Automation Anywhere in SAP Automation, Billing Block release, sales office creation, generating reports, and daily monitoring activities.

Regarding business flexibility and scalability, once a series of instructions are given to a software bot, as many bots as required can be quickly deployed to perform the process. This includes processes of any complexity, thereby increasing scalability and flexibility overall.

How has it helped my organization?

It has helped our organization in many ways, starting with reducing manual efforts.

We have automated reports and daily monitoring tasks. Our team and client were impressed.

We have also automated monotonous tasks. It increased the speed of our work, making us more efficient.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are Screen Recordings, Smart Recordings, Task Bots, and IQ Bot. I was really impressed with how MetaBots work. I really like Screen Recording because it is used to record a task or a series of actions. It was running an automated process on the same computer that was recorded.

Web Recorder is an awesome option. The way it automates processes (tasks) that involve a web application or a browser, is very good.

Image Recognition is also an important feature. It checks for an existing image within another image. It is a beautiful feature, as it specifies the minimum percentage match for the image captured.

We can quickly and effectively drag and drop commands, which is helpful. It has a clean and friendly interface.

It is easy to integrate with other systems and it plays nice with them. Users are able to create automated processes that utilize all of the lines of the business system, without a single group.

What needs improvement?

Had we had access to the RPA bots in advance, we would have practiced before fully implementing. This is something that should be changed in the future.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Automation Anywhere for two months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, Automation Anywhere is good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is excellent.

What was our ROI?

A software Bot can cost one third the price of an offshore FTE and as little as one fifth the price of an onshore FTE.

What other advice do I have?

Basically, to be frank, most of the features are awesome. Of course, we were able to understand it easily because it was neatly explained.

We have excellent business benefits and it also supports SAP, Oracle, Java Applications, Mainframe/Terminals, Unix, Email Applications, Window Applications, Legacy Applications, Google, etc.

The best thing is that the platform can be used to automate any applications.

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?

Other
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.
814,528 professionals have used our research since 2012.
PeerSpot user
Development Consultant at Infogain
Real User
Increased the productivity of the current processes
Pros and Cons
  • "With the help of Bot, it has increased the productivity of the current process and we do not need to spend more time on error resolution and rectification."
  • "Many clients use the Citrix environment but AA has very low functionality to automate a Citrix environment."

What is our primary use case?

We have so many use cases. One of them is in finance. We have a finance portal where the team updates the billing records. Based on the Excel input, the file bot creates entries in different modules based on conditions. One error bot maintains a log. It takes value input dynamically and the tool is very flexible so in case of any changes in the future, the developer or user doesn't have to change the code. They can do it with the help of configurable files. At the end of the process, the bot sends an intimation mail to the end-user with the bot execution status.

How has it helped my organization?

With the help of Bot, it has increased the productivity of the current process and we do not need to spend more time on error resolution and rectification.

While doing processes manually, the user has to manually open all the Excel files and needs to check each and every row one by one to check a few validations and conditions. For that, the user has to filter all the unique records that were very time-consuming. In case of invalid records, the user has to manually update a few fields into that. Now, with the help of Automation Anywhere Bot it's being handle automatically, and work that would take one week is now being completed within an hour.

What is most valuable?

There are many valuable features available but the Automation Anywhere learning portal has very good learning materials and videos in place which is very user-friendly and can be learned easily.

From a Commands perspective, below are some most valuable features:

1. Metabot (User can develop the code offline just after capturing the screen, easy to drag and drop commands, reusable, and easy to use).

2. Object cloning (helpful to capture most of the controls with its Object properties)

3. Excel operations, Emails, Default Error handling features, Version control, etc...

What needs improvement?

Many clients use the Citrix environment but AA has very low functionality to automate a Citrix environment.

I would like to see improvement in advance Excel commands like lookups, Pivots, etc. 

After changing the name of the ATMX file, the developer has to remap all the variables again manually at all place and it does not auto handle the renaming of ATMX or variable. In older version 10 it worked fine but from version 11 due to enhancement, this function does not work and faces issues during the development.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using AA for the last three years. 

How are customer service and technical support?

Automation Anywhere is the best in terms of customer service/technical support. 

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

We have used Ui Path, Python with Selenium. Automation Anywhere provides effective training videos and material which helps users to understand the tool easily and we can easily drag and drop commands to automate with a user-friendly user interface. Automation Anywhere also has better customer service support.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was easy with the help of Automation Anywhere team support.

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

They're very flexible around pricing and licensing.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We have evaluated Blue Prism, Ui Path, and Workfusion.

What other advice do I have?

Within just a few years Automation Anywhere has different versions and closing their support to the older version soon. Migration of each bot to a new one becomes a bit difficult for clients.

Automation Anywhere should have a single and stable version which can be easily accessible and easily migrate the processes.

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?

Other
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1458450 - PeerSpot reviewer
RPA at XLnc
Real User
Good support, user interface, and reliability in a tool that provides value for the money
Pros and Cons
  • "I love its reliability, ease of use, and the vast customer support that are always present to help us."
  • "Especially while using v11, I often experience freezes with OCR extraction from PDF files."

What is our primary use case?

I started my career in RPA and the first tool I learned was Automation Anywhere v11.3. Within a month, I learned the tool and was Master Certified in it.

I had noticed that the majority of clients for my company demand developers who know AA well. I wondered why, with so many other tools available, why clients are so interested in AA as the only RPM. This is when I realized that AA is much easier, more reliable, and has value for money also with good and vast customer support.

How has it helped my organization?

In the past two years, I have become somewhat of an expert with Automation Anywhere. As a senior RPA developer, I deal with clients alongside my project manager and I always suggest AA. It is worthwhile to know that most of our clients are already aware of this tool, its market popularity, and its capabilities. This makes it easier to solidify a business relationship with them.

Thanks to the benefits of Automation Anywhere, 90% of our clients trust and use this tool.

What is most valuable?

I love its reliability, ease of use, and the vast customer support that are always present to help us.

In the new cloud-based version, A2019, some good upgrades have been added. I feel that everything has been covered in A2019 that was missing in the older v11.3. These advancements have helped to impress our clients and create new business opportunities with them. As a cloud deployment, it saves clients problems with desktops that occurred with the previous version, v11. There are also more commands and features that have made it more awesome for me to explore and play with new commands.

I love the user interface and the automation commands they have provided in the AA 2019 version.

What needs improvement?

Especially while using v11, I often experience freezes with OCR extraction from PDF files. It just didn't work properly. I had to work around this using Python scripting. It would be a big improvement to have the inbuilt OCR capability work seamlessly. A perfect OCR would be awesome. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the Automation Anywhere tool for the last two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The new version offers no compromise regarding stability. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I will rate this product a ten out of ten for scalability.

How are customer service and technical support?

I had contacted technical support two or three times and they solved my problem on the same day. I will rate them a ten out of ten on support. In my opinion, they are the best and I hope that they maintain the same.

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

I started working with AA and have moved to the A2019 version. I never switched to another tool, as AA is one that I have found reliable, and has everything that I need for RPA.

What was our ROI?

ROI is something my management knows, but as a developer, I cannot say for. However, I am pretty sure that AA has benefited our company.

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

The cloud-based version comes at an increased cost, although our clients are happy with the new features and have not complained about the pricing. Precious things are valuable, and they know that.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I started with AA and have not evaluated other RPA products.

What other advice do I have?

It has now been two years and I have migrated to AA 2019. I now consider myself an expert in Automation Anywhere. Thanks, AA, for providing such a big and powerful platform to us.

I always recommend this product, and that clients implement AA first.

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: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1458453 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Program Analyst at WNS Global Services
Real User
Provides easy conversion of PDF files to CSV format
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the conversion of PDF Invoices to CSV and to PDF Boxes."
  • "The conversion time of invoices to JSON File should take less time using AA2019 IQBot, the report file creation feature should be added into IQ Bot A2019."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is the comparison of field-level capture status of English invoices done using UiPath Document Understanding, with a converted CSV header and table-format CSV file of invoices done using IQ Bot A2019.

How has it helped my organization?

Automation Anywhere (AA 2019) IQ Bot has improved efficiency and is very useful for the Conversion of Invoices to CSV files and JSON files to PDF boxes.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the conversion of PDF Invoices to CSV and to PDF Boxes.

What needs improvement?

The conversion time of invoices to JSON File should take less time using AA2019 IQBot, the report file creation feature should be added into IQ Bot A2019.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Automation Anywhere for the past four months.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1249008 - PeerSpot reviewer
RPA Developer at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Flexible, helpful scheduling and triggers, saves us time and eliminates errors
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the screen recorder, which helps to automate processes easily."
  • "We need more commands for PDF integration to make it more flexible."

What is our primary use case?

I am using this tool to automate one process in a Citrix environment. The process is used to launch one website from which data is captured. After this, another application is opened and the data is pasted into it. The result is our final structured data.

How has it helped my organization?

Using Automation Anywhere saves us time, money, and eliminates errors. When the same process is done by humans there are a lot of errors that require us to doublecheck and cross-reference all of the work.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the screen recorder, which helps to automate processes easily.

There are a lot of other helpful features such as schedulers and triggers to do things like sending emails after a task is completed. 

MetaBots and IQ Bots are also good features.

There are a lot of options and commands, making this a flexible tool.

What needs improvement?

We need more commands for PDF integration to make it more flexible.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Automation Anywhere for the past three years.

What other advice do I have?

Automation Anywhere is the leading RPA tool in the present market.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
RPA Developer at Accenture
Video Review
Real User
IQ Bot has helped us process a lot of unstructured data into structured data
Pros and Cons
  • "We use IQ Bot for invoice processing. It can be any type of document. It could be a PDF or any sort of document. It will convert those PDFs into CSV files, which is a structured format. It takes it from an unstructured to structured format. That is why we use IQ Bot."
  • "The Excel command has some limitations that they are working on."

How has it helped my organization?

One thing that we have used it for is uploading reconciliation files. These files usually come in hundreds. Previously, users used to do this work manually everyday. There were around 1,000 users, so that process has been completely automated. Now, these users can focus on more valuable work other than this manual task. This has really helped them.

Apart from this, we also have invoice processing where we are using IQ Bot. For that, even if the invoices are in different formats, the IQ Bot learns, then it works on them. That has helped us a lot.

What is most valuable?

Apart from the thing which Automation Anywhere is meant for: To automate manual tasks. I feel IQ Bot is the cherry on top, as it has helped us process a lot of unstructured data and it learns over a span of time. So, it has really helped us.

The IQ Bot is the latest feature of Automation Anywhere. It uses cognitive abilities to learn over a span of time, in which we have to train the IQ Bot. It will eventually learn after about 10 files, then it will start learning on its own and it will be able to do the task on its own. 

We use IQ Bot for invoice processing. It can be any type of document. It could be a PDF or any sort of document. It will convert those PDFs into CSV files, which is a structured format. It takes it from an unstructured to structured format. That is why we use IQ Bot.

What needs improvement?

The Excel command has some limitations. They are working on it. Now, from what I have heard, it has 40 plus commands in the Excel operation, so that is a very good thing. Once that comes up, it would be a 10 out of 10 for Automation Anywhere.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability will come down to how the code has been made up. It should definitely handle the code. If anything fails, like the website is not working, it should inform the users. So, it depends on how the code has been developed and it should be able to handle the code if any error comes along. The stability depends on the factor of the developer's coding. Otherwise, the tool is pretty stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

There have been problems with scalability. It comes down to how we handle the code. It should be handled properly, then there shouldn't be any problems.

How are customer service and technical support?

Automation Anywhere has very strong game because it is always up for asking feedback. It doesn't just ask for feedback. It actually works upon it. So, every time it releases a new version, we always see that feedback being implemented into their tool. That's a very good thing from Automation Anywhere which I have seen. They actually take the customer's feedback very seriously.

I was working on a workload feature called Workload Management, where I was facing a few issues here and there. For that, I raise a ticket and in the next release it was actually implemented. It was glitch type of thing, and it was handled in the next release.

What about the implementation team?

For evaluating, there is a visibility team which does a visibility check for how the tool should be implemented. I haven't been a part of that.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I wasn't part of the decision-making process since I am the developer. Management sees the tool visibility and checks.

What other advice do I have?

I would give it an eight (out of 10) because there is still scope of improvement which I see in the upcoming tools they have already implemented. I'm still waiting for it. Maybe after that, it could be a 10 (out of 10), but for now it's an 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.
PeerSpot user
Technical Architect at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Automates data entry for clients, but the HTML capability needs to be improved
Pros and Cons
  • "The automation of data entry is the most valuable feature for us."
  • "Built-in HTML features are lagging in this solution, whereas in UiPath, they are very good."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution for application automation in both web-based and Windows applications.

Our automation is specific to the insurance and hospitality industries and has to do with automating email, PDFs, and updating them inside our ERP application.

How has it helped my organization?

This solution allows us to more fully automate our clients' specific tools.

What is most valuable?

The automation of data entry is the most valuable feature for us.

What needs improvement?

Built-in HTML features are lagging in this solution, whereas in UiPath, they are very good.

We would like to see more improvements in the ability to retrieve region data because, currently, this is the reason that some of our automations fail.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of this solution is good, but it still needs to improve. We are not confident with its capability to automate in every case.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This is a scalable solution. For us, we will be scaling more into the future.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have not used technical support for this solution.

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

We have used UiPath, and some of the features in that solution are superior.

What about the implementation team?

My backend team handles the implementation of this solution.

What was our ROI?

There is a return on investment. The automation and scalability provide benefits in terms of reinvesting or reusing what we have developed.

What other advice do I have?

This is a good tool to work with.

Our automation is running well, but there is a lag in features when compared to other Windows tools that are coming out.

My advice for anybody who is considering this solution is to consider the type of automation that needs to be done. If it is not overly complex then this is a solution I recommend.

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner.
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.