Every company has an IT department that is burdened with several administrative tasks such as password reset, user account setup and configuration, etc. When robotic process automation is deployed in IT services, it enhances process quality, lowers service delivery time, increases staff productivity, and reduces Mean Time to Restore. In this article, we’ll look at five practical use cases of RPA in IT services.
Password Reset
According to studies, almost 20%-50% of calls received by the help desk are for resetting passwords, and the cost of a single password reset done by an employee is $70. To these eye-opening stats, add stricter cyber laws and regulations that are being enforced worldwide to avoid growing incidents of cybercrimes. The result: loss of time and money!
Many companies are turning towards RPA to avoid this costly inconvenience and improve customer satisfaction. The password reset process can be 95% automated since it is highly monotonous. As soon as a user requests a password reset, the bot logs into the directory of active users and resets it. It then sends the updated password to the user and marks the status of the ticket as “completed”. If there are any exceptions, then the help desk team is notified for manual intervention.
Watch the video of the bot resetting password:
Customer Service
Another real-world example of RPA in IT services is the use of bots in customer service. A great customer service and support desk go a long way in building the brand image. By letting bots handle repetitive service desk tasks and offering users instant access to required information, companies can increase service levels and decrease errors and resolution time. When users request any service from the web portal, bots can be programmed to execute the service desk requests. Any exceptions and incomplete or complex requests are sent to the human workforce for further processing.
Send Notification Emails
One of the best use cases of RPA in IT services is automating the process of sending notification emails. The notification process usually includes standard steps and structured information. This process is ideal for end-to-end automation, eliminating manual-back office tasks such as sending hundreds, if not thousands, emails every day at an average handling time of as much as 5 minutes/case.
Moreover, the use of Excel or other ITSM tools makes the entire process more complex and inefficient. A bot, in contrast, can log into the system, run reports, identify pending cases, send emails, update ticket status and forward the audit reports. Like in other scenarios, all exceptions are manually handled and processed by the IT staff.
Also read: 10 Use Cases for Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in HR
User Management
User account management is a process that overlaps both Human Resources and IT departments. Accurately managing user information across various systems can be challenging for both teams and often results in higher operational costs and inefficiency. Likewise, manually creating user accounts during onboarding is a highly repetitive and time-consuming activity.
As companies grow, user account management becomes more complex and negatively impacts the productivity of IT support. RPA can efficiently manage this activity with predefined employee onboarding templates and other information needed for creating a new user account. As soon as the service request is placed, the bot triggers the creation of the new account by validating the incoming request, creating an exchange account, and offering access provisions based on the information given. The bot then notifies the concerned manager and the HR team and marks the request as “completed”.
Automate Data Migration
Data migration between systems is an excellent process to automate with RPA since it can effortlessly connect various systems without any need for time and price-intensive APIs and applications. Data migration can happen due to various reasons, including mergers, strategic decisions of moving to the cloud, etc. Whatever the reason may be, data migration itself has several challenges, such as data in different formats and various sources. Such challenges unnecessarily increase migration costs to a level that seems unjustifiable.
When the bot handles the process, it ensures error-free data transfer from one system to another. The bot can read and copy the input files and enter them into the destination system as per the rules specified. An IT administrator can also track the migration progress with real-time reporting and detailed status.
Final Thoughts
The promise of RPA in IT services goes beyond cost and time savings. RPA ensures the elimination of repetitive tasks, creation of simpler workflows, seamless integration between multiple applications, and improved job satisfaction. It liberates the IT team from such rote work, allowing them to add more value to the company and customers.
Want to know more about RPA in IT services? Speak to our automation experts today!
