What is robotic process automation?
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is software that mimics the clicks and keystrokes a person makes inside an existing application, so routine screen work runs without anyone at the keyboard.
The simple explanation.
RPA is a software robot that drives an application the way a person would: opening the screen, clicking the field, typing the value, pressing save. It does not understand the work, it repeats a recorded sequence. That makes it useful for older systems with no other way in, an accounting package on a desktop, a supplier portal with no integration, an internal tool nobody maintains any more. If a person can do it with a keyboard and fixed steps, RPA can usually copy it.
Where RPA is a good fit.
RPA earns its keep on high volume, low variation work inside systems you cannot change: rekeying orders from a supplier portal into accounting software, pulling a daily statement, updating stock counts across two tools. The rules are simple, the layout never moves, and the value is in sheer repetition. It is also a reasonable bridge while a proper integration is being built, because it needs no cooperation at all from the software vendor.
Where RPA breaks.
Because RPA watches the screen, it breaks when the screen changes. A supplier redesigns their portal, a button moves, and the robot fails silently or, worse, types into the wrong field. It also cannot cope with variation: a document laid out differently or a request phrased unusually stops it dead. That is the line between RPA and an AI agent. RPA repeats steps. An agent reads the situation, decides, and connects through proper interfaces where they exist.
The Voltade take
We reach for an API integration first, and a custom AI agent where the work needs judgement or has to read free text. RPA is the fallback when a system genuinely offers no other door. It is honest work, but it is the most fragile option, so we would rather not build your daily operations on it.
More from the glossary
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