We live in the Cloud...
It’s not the beginning of a science fiction story as you might have thought at first. Things we are going to observe in this article are way too prosaic and earthbound. Yet there's no denying that the opening statement has never before sounded so true.
We do live in the Cloud, as Software as a Service (SaaS) is a technology the business world cannot do without nowadays. However, every story has two sides. On the one hand, Cloud computing has opened up a whole new world, but on the other hand, it has brought additional operational challenges.
In this article, we will define SaaS and its advantages for businesses, touch upon some challenges it may bring, and demonstrate how Robotic Process Automation, and ElectroNeek RPA in particular, may optimize SaaS performance by showing up real automation use cases.
What is SaaS
SaaS, or Software as a Service, is a cloud-based service that allows users to obtain access to software without installing it on the desktop, i.e. via a browser. It may be any software you would like to use in your daily routine, from a messenger app to an office application that serves your business needs.
SaaS has a vast number of advantages for users. Among them are:
- Ease of access
Since SaaS applications run from the Internet browser, no matter which browser you use, Windows, Linux, or Mac, you can always access your SaaS applications.
- Scalability
SaaS applications do not require huge initial investments in IT infrastructure services (quite a common thing for on-premises software that may need additional servers in order to be fully functional). This makes SaaS a scalable and affordable solution for small to big businesses.
- Updates
Since SaaS platforms operate in the Cloud they are updated centrally with no negative impact for users. It is something that gives SaaS an edge over on-premises solutions that require a meticulous approach to testing even before minor updates.
- Data storage and analytics
Default cloud storage with SaaS allows companies to eliminate huge investments in backups, something that is inevitable when it comes to on-premises software. The centralized cloud platform also takes corporate data analytics to a higher level, provides more intelligent tools and visualization opportunities.
What is RPA
RPA, or Robotic Process Automation, is a technology that is used to automate mundane business tasks, involving repetitive actions with data fields, switches among numerous business applications, or any copy-paste activities.
RPA bots work on the surface of applications and bring no modifications into the current IT environment, allowing businesses to streamline their operations, that, while executed manually, may take hours or even entire work days for employees.
In this article we will observe the ElectroNeek RPA platform as a powerful yet an easy-to-use tool that helps businesses significantly increase their operational efficiency and productivity.
Here are at least 3 positive outcomes ElectroNeek bots may bring to your organization:
- Elimination of errors
Since bots are great performers when it comes to error-prone repetitive tasks, implementation of ElectroNeek in such processes becomes a win-win opportunity for a company. For instance, usual data mapping activities that previously led to multiple human errors, become seamless when done by a bot.
- Added value
When your employees do not struggle with tedious tasks they have time and energy for more analytical tasks, such as estimating sales teams’ performance, analyzing market trends or marketing funnels, elaborating strategies to improve operational efficiency, etc. ElectroNeek adds value to employees’ roles and opens up more opportunities for growth for them.
- Fast ROI and scalability
RPA projects are usually fast at ROI. It may take you up to 3 months to see your investments paying off that will allow you to start upscaling the results. It is, in fact, another big opportunity with ElectroNeek RPA - having built the first bots for one of your business areas or functions and seen the first results you can implement similar scenarios to other processes. It would lead to overall operational excellence and accelerate digital transformation on various operational levels.
SaaS challenges: why ElectroNeek RPA may come in handy
Let’s face it: we live in the era of SaaS solutions.
And despite all the advantages of SaaS mentioned above, there is one tricky thing about it: the more SaaS platforms we use, the more challenging it becomes to keep all the data stored there relevant and up-to-date. Additionally, though SaaS solutions work much faster than on-premise legacy systems, it takes an enormous amount of time to just switch among multiple Cloud applications to guarantee all requirements across business units and functions are met.
The good news is that there is a way out. And an experienced tech enthusiast would suggest: 'Consider automation, my friend'.
There is no secret that traditional RPA was deployed on-premises. However, with increasing automation demands and more businesses turning to Cloud-based, RPA has also matured. Now you can leverage ElectroNeek Cloud RPA solutions that meet every whim of the business world. It means that you may forget about spending hours transferring the data from one SaaS system into another or struggling with mad sequences of applications just to have your reporting routine done. Automation of countless application switches by implementing ElectroNeek RPA may save you hours of productive time and guarantee that all the operational, management and analytical tasks are delivered on time and are error-free.
It sounds revolutionary especially when you think about the combined 'SaaS - On-premises' automation where RPA may become a magic stick for businesses by completing complex tasks involving various legacy and cloud applications.
4 use cases of RPA + SaaS automation: Zapier integration
Below we will reveal some use cases of SaaS automation. All the cases listed above are enabled through the ElectroNeek and Zapier integration, mostly due to the fact that Zapier combined with RPA is a powerful tool to achieve end-to-end business automation.
Let’s see step-by-step automated solutions for simple yet important daily tasks.
Use case 1: Project management system automation
- A manager creates a task in a project management system (Trello) to copy data from a customer card in a CRM (Hubspot) and paste it into a Google Sheets file, then to notify the relevant stakeholders via email (Gmail) upon completion of the task
- The task creation triggers an RPA bot
- The RPA bot opens the relevant customer’s card in the legacy CRM system and copies the relevant data
- The RPA bot inputs the extracted data in a Google Sheets file
- The RPA bot creates an email with the pre-set text on the task completion
- The RPA bot sends the email to the stakeholders
Use case 2: Spreadsheets management automation
- A new row with a deal details is created in a spreadsheet (Google Sheets file)
- The new row creation triggers an RPA bot that recognizes the row data
- The RPA bot logins to a corporate CRM under a relevant user credentials and creates a new comment/task under the relevant deal card
Use case 3: Messenger automation
- A new message is created in a private messenger (Slack) channel
- An RPA bot is triggered by a new message
- The RPA bot recognizes the relevant keywords in the message
- The RPA bot executes the task inserted in the initial message: runs applications, transfers data or creates documents
Use case 4: Social media analytics automation
- A social media group members daily publish various social media (Facebook) posts in the relevant group
- A new post triggers an RPA bot launch
- The RPA bot recognizes Facebook post content
- The RPA bot categorizes all the posted content based on specific tags or keywords they contain
- The RPA bot daily updates analytical system with categorization data
In the use cases above, implementing RPA may save up to 2 or 3 hours daily to businesses and significantly boost the efficiency of the employees when handling sales, marketing, or management routine.
Moreover, with ElectroNeek and Zapier integration these processes can be streamlined in a matter of minutes. Just choose the relevant processes and applications, create your zaps, and see how bots do the SaaS routine for you!
Conclusion
Contrary to the common belief that SaaS solutions could not be optimized more, the good saying of ‘sky being a limit’ sounds more than ever reasonable when it comes to RPA.
In this article, we have demonstrated how simple yet effective SaaS-based ElectroNeek+Zapier automations may break work patterns and revolutionize the ways we used to work with Cloud applications. Taking all this into account it is fair to say that using RPA for SaaS automation may become a real game-changer. It will simply fill in the gaps in the most ambitious digital transformation projects.
Want more proof? Try building your first automated SaaS workflow now!