Table of contents
- What is RPA Consulting?
- Why RPA Consulting Matters
- Benefits of Working with an RPA Consultant
- How to Select an RPA Consultant
- RPA Consulting Ecosystem
- RPA Vendor Partnerships
- The Role of RPA Marketplaces
- Key Takeaways
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RPA consulting refers to advisory and implementation services focused on deploying robotic process automation technology within an organization. Rather than building capabilities in-house, partnering with an experienced RPA consultant can help companies swiftly identify automation opportunities, choose the right tools, and accelerate rollout.
With rising adoption of RPA across industries, the need for external expertise has expanded exponentially. This guide will provide a comprehensive look at the world of RPA consulting in 2024.
What is RPA Consulting?
RPA consulting encompasses all activities required to successfully deliver automation, from process analysis through bot deployment:
- Process discovery – Determining which business processes are suitable for RPA
- Process documentation
- Tool evaluation and selection
- Solution design
- Bot configuration/programming
- Testing and piloting
- Change management and training
- Monitoring and continuous improvement
Essentially RPA consultants fill talent and capability gaps within client organizations attempting to harness intelligent automation. They provide the required blend of domain expertise, technical skills, and change management needed for rapid, high-quality RPA deployments.
Why RPA Consulting Matters
Let‘s explore why hiring an RPA consultant has become critical for many businesses:
Surging Interest in RPA
As one of the fastest growing enterprise technologies today, RPA has seen enormous levels of interest and adoption worldwide. More organizations are awakening to automation opportunities, fueling double-digit market growth.
RPA software revenue is predicted to reach $13.74 billion by 2030, indicating the scale of global demand.
Much of this growth is being driven by large consultancies and IT services companies providing RPA advisory and delivery capabilities to their clients. Consulting spend accounts for over 25% of typical RPA budgets.
Consultants Bridge Internal Skills Gap
However, most companies lack internal talent with expertise in intelligent automation. RPA requires a blended understanding of business processes and cutting-edge tools.
Shortage of qualified RPA resources coupled with the need for speed makes hiring external consultants nearly inevitable. They mitigate project risks through specialized skills and best practices gleaned from past implementations.
It would take considerable time and investment for organizations to build such capabilities in-house. Engaging consultants gives quicker ROI on automation initiatives.
Benefits of Working with an RPA Consultant
While cost is often cited as the primary driver, partnering with an RPA advisor can unlock additional advantages:
Identify High-Value Automation Opportunities
The most prolific areas for automation may not be immediately evident within your operations.
Experienced consultants apply time-tested methodologies to pinpoint processes where RPA can deliver maximum ROI.
They focus clients on golden automation opportunities which may otherwise be overlooked.
Vendor-Neutral Tools Evaluation
Myriad products exist in the RPA marketplace with new vendors continually emerging.
An unbiased consultant will assess your functional needs and environment to suggest the most fitting RPA tool, instead of promoting a specific platform.
You avoid getting locked-in to software that serves the consultant over your business requirements.
Proven RPA Methodologies
Each client organization and its needs are unique. So there are no cookie-cutter solutions.
However, following an structured approach allows consultants to tailor RPA in a consistent and repeatable manner.
Certified methodologies compressed years of experience into defined project plans, accelerating ROI.
Faster Implementation
An experienced consultant has completed multiple RPA deployments for clients across industries.
They can foresee potential pitfalls and mitigate risks based on past projects, steering clear of common mistakes.
This results in swifter, higher-quality automation rollouts, often within weeks or months.
Skill Transfer for Self-Sufficiency
While consultants provide vital heavy lifting, their engagements are designed to make clients self-reliant over time.
Through knowledge transfer, they instill internal capabilities allowing company staff to support and enhance RPA post-deployment.
Your personnel gain practical experience managing automation alongside experts.
How to Select an RPA Consultant
Once the need for advisory services is established, how should you go about evaluating providers to understand which is the best fit?
Industry Expertise
Ideally choose an RPA pure-play that specializes in your vertical. They will grasp industryspecific challenges and tailor automation accordingly.
If engaging a generalist consultant, validate if they have relevant domain experience.
Business Process Competency
Automating broken processes magnifies existing inefficiencies.
Select consultants with proven process excellence skills to enhance functions before automating them.
Technical Acumen
Assess consultant experience across leading RPA platforms to determine alignment with your technology strategy.
Review profiles of delivery team members who will work on your engagement. Look for relevant platform certifications.
Cultural Compatibility
The ability to collaborate smoothly is pivotal for a successful consultant relationship.
Gauge cultural fitment through interactions with leadership and project team.
Trust in their capabilities to meet expectations is vital.
Geographic Alignment
If consultant personnel need frequent on-site access, choose a partner with local presence.
Ensure they have adequate regional coverage to support long-term engagements.
Pricing Transparency
Consulting rates can vary widely in line with experience levels and specializations.
Seek clear pricing models – by hour, FTE based, value-linked, or hybrid.
Assess consultants who provide predictable costs aligned to ROI.
RPA Consulting Ecosystem
Myriad types of companies offer RPA consulting today. Let‘s examine key categories:
Global IT Services
Companies like Accenture, Capgemini, and Cognizant have made enormous investments to lead enterprise RPA deployments worldwide.
They offer integrated automationcapabilities spanning advisory, delivery, tools, and support.
Management Consultancies
Firms like McKinsey, BCG, and Bain also maintain dedicated RPA practices to define strategy and guide implementations.
While not directly participating in programming, they advise clients on process selection, tools, governance, and metrics.
RPA Specialists
A growing breed of niche RPA pure-plays like Symphony, EdgeVerve, Exceliance, and DigiBlu focus exclusively on intelligent automation.
They combine domain expertise with depth in leading RPA platforms to deliver client solutions.
Being automation-first, they help embed RPA competence organizationally post-deployment.
Regional Services Companies
Numerous mid-sized regional IT services companies also compete in the RPA consulting space.
While lagging top firms in credentials, they offer value in local market presence, cultural/linguistic alignment and competitive price points.
RPA Vendor Partnerships
Most consultants ally with RPA software vendors through formal partnership programs. Common partnership tiers include:
- Strategic – Large system integrators working closely with vendors on joint go-to-market initiatives.
- Certified – Meet criteria related to number of certified developers or projects delivered.
- Authorized – Gain access to vendor ecosystem including developer communities and marketplace.
Higher tiers indicate wider capabilities to deliver multi-geography and complex automation engagements.
The Role of RPA Marketplaces
Consultants could additionally leverage RPA vendor marketplaces like UiPath Go to publish pre-built solutions. This allows them to:
- Showcase expertise to potential clients.
- Monetize reusable components expediting bot builds.
- Establish credibility based on user community feedback.
However this avenue is still evolving. Today most pure-play consulting is anchored in customized engagements rather than productized IP.
As ecosystems mature, marketplaces promise to become pivotal sales and marketing channels for consultants big and small.
Key Takeaways
The demand for RPA consultancy will continue rising, tracking broader adoption. Choosing the right partner promises immense rewards but also poses potential pitfalls. Keep these guidelines in mind while engaging an advisor:
- Validate if they bring relevant industry and process experience.
- Align culturally and geographically for smooth collaboration.
- Accredit their delivery competency through vendor certification.
- Favor outcome-based pricing models over input-based ones.
- Ensure adequate knowledge transfer for self-sufficiency over time.
RPA enables immense efficiency gains but realizing them requires the right expertise. An experienced consultant helps navigate common obstacles to harness automation‘s full potential while building lasting capabilities.
