The opportunities in the red-hot automation market continue to grow. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global robotic process automation market size is expected to reach USD 6.10 billion by 2027 with a CAGR of 24.9% between 2020 and 2027.
Meanwhile, a survey among 136 small and medium-sized companies in Romania also confirms the growing demand in RPA adoption due to the pandemic. 23.7% of survey respondents reveal that they need software robots to accelerate the digitization of the business and increase operational efficiency by automating operations. The survey also finds:
- Almost 53% of respondents believe that the use of software robots would lead to increased operational efficiency, followed by reduced costs (31.6%), the efficiency of remote work (30%), and increased sales (18.4%)
- Almost 48% believe that intelligent software robots are useful to eliminate repetitive actions
- Almost 24% say that employees will be able to engage in more creative activities
To learn more about the future of RPA, what makes it important right now, and what untapped opportunities remain, we asked Mario Popescu (MP), CEO and Co-Founder of Tailent, an RPA technology provider that aims to bring digitalization solutions closer to start-ups and small and medium-sized companies.
Mario Popescu, CEO and Co-Founder of Tailent
What was the biggest reason for the success of RPA in, say, the past decade?
MP: RPA comes with the main added benefit that it is a non-intrusive technology. It comes on top of existing infrastructure, the software bots act on top of existing applications. The time required to automate a specific process is much better than having to design a solution from scratch. If you couple this with our mission to make RPA affordable and approachable, we can envision an outstanding disruption of the RPA technology into the mainstream.
What will be the biggest challenge for RPA in the coming decade?
MP: At the current rate, the biggest adopters of RPA are large enterprises and the biggest challenge is to prove that the technology can help SMEs too. Licensing always comes with a premium which could be a challenge for SMEs. SMEs are the next up in line to make the most use of technology, and an approach that makes RPA affordable, accessible, and ready to use, suitable for any organization must be available.
How do you want to see RPA evolve?
MP: On the digital transformation path, RPA moves from simple automation tasks to more advanced automation where robots can start making various degrees of decisions.
What role will students and universities play in this evolution?
MP: Today’s students are the experts, solution architects, and even the entrepreneurs of tomorrow. Innovation best happens when you build on the knowledge made available by previous generations. As RPA expands to a mainstream global reach, we think that students and universities play a key role. Our competition usually asks their customers to create an internal Center of Excellence inside their company. We believe that if any company has an internal CoE, no one has, it’s just a new mandatory department required just to adopt a technology. Centers of Excellence must be created where they belong, in the academic space, inside universities, with a close relationship with the business environment.
What’s the biggest issue you and your partners are talking about during your partner meetings?
MP: Adapting to the new normal, post-COVID. We think there are a lot of things that will change, for the better after the pandemic. We think the need for digital transformation is accelerating and we are focusing on entering new markets to serve the global SME market. We want to see RPA evolve to a technology used by the mainstream and we are working hard to make it possible.
What has changed the most at your company in 2020?
MP: On the positive side, COVID forced us to be even more productive, with more accurate schedules for each day.
On the other side, we need to socialize with other people, and there is no substitute for face-to-face interaction. But we are optimistic about it, especially as it seems that we might soon get out of the pandemic.
What skill is the most underrated now?
MP: Creativity. The more humankind evolves, the more need for creative people. Education plays a pivotal role as technology advances faster than curriculums. Therefore, the education process should be adapted to center human creativity in the shaping of tomorrow’s generation.
What’s the best piece of advice you could give to someone who wants to land a role in the tech industry?
MP: Young professionals starting their first tech job today have much more opportunities than previous generations. But also, it is much harder to navigate through the ever-increasing number of technologies. I think that it is very important to center adaptability and creativity as core values. Adapting to change is important, especially when changing circumstances occur more often. Being able to solve problems with an unconventional approach is what leads to innovation and makes you stand out.
I think the best advice would be: First of all, you need to be a good listener. Start your first tech job with courage but remember that creativity can make you stand out and adaptability will help you adapt to changing circumstances and guide you throughout your career.
About Tailent
Tailent was founded in 2015 by Mario Popescu and Cristian Oftez to make software automation faster, better, and affordable to any company in the world. From their extensive corporate and technical experience, Mario and Cristian developed “skilled software robots” capable of automating and saving valuable time and resources in the areas of finance and accounting, HR, document management, retail operations, and logistics and distribution.
Their vision is to contribute to the businesses of tomorrow, transforming work as we currently know it, making companies more efficient and people happier.
To learn more about Tailent, visit https://www.tailent.com.
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