Robotic Process Automation

Automating Accounting Processes With RPA

Aravind Nallasivam | Last Updated on : January 28, 2022

RPA in Accounting

Robotic process automation uses software bots that recognize and emulate communication between human beings and key legacy systems. It uses the web and other applications, to implement the processes. It can automate tasks that are repetitive and requires a lot of manual labor, thus relieving the employees from such boring tasks and enabling them to focus on tasks that require more human attention and intelligence. 

There are numerous transaction processes in the accounting and financial industry that follow similar patterns – repetitive, regular, and time-consuming. As mentioned in the above paragraph, RPA excel at automating such tedious tasks and function in huge transaction values. Above all, these tasks are data sensitive, and a small error can cause significant losses. Utilizing RPA to automate transaction process steps has helped the accounting and finance industry. It enhances the efficiency of the company, especially in the areas of treasury, accounting and reporting, tax and regulation, governance, compliance, and investor relations.  

In this article, we are dealing with major use cases and the benefits of implementing Robotic Process Automation in accounting and finance. Let us start with the benefits of RPA in this area. 

Benefits of RPA in accounting  

Here are some of the main benefits of using Robotic Process Automation in the accounting and financial sector. 

Scalability

In the early times, organizations were forced to bear a certain cost for laborers whenever there was an increase in the workload or when the workers demand it. Nowadays, with proper guidance and a dependable, authentic RPA service provider, organizations are free to automate all processes related to accounting and finance within a few weeks. RPA bots are very much scalable and can be trusted to manage a huge amount of data, and answer a large number of questions in record time. 

Efficiency

The process of accounting involves endless calculations and numbers. Moreover, working on them is a tedious and time-consuming task based on rule-based processes. With the deployment of Robotic Process Automation, financial institutions will be able to speed up the transaction processes along with reliable, efficient, and error-less data.  

Competitive advantage

The significance of having a competitive side cannot be underestimated because corporate culture is advanced and continuously evolving. A slight difference in cost or upgrade determines whether the organization will be able to take benefit from lasting success, or will struggle to sustain its operations. RPA automation in the accounting sector transfers directly into these subtle but significant benefits, with low cost for integration, high accuracy, and easy scalability. 

Innovation in data

Implementing Robotic Process Automation is an added benefit to the financial and accounting industry as it provides in-depth insights into business functions through a clever combination of legacy and new data. Unique integration of data into one system provides excellent reporting and statistics for the growth of the business. 

Address compliance issues

Humans are serious and organized when it comes to work, but at the same time, they can make errors unknowingly or knowingly. In and accounting and finance sectors, digits play a crucial role. Therefore, any slight error even in a single number can invite big trouble; sometimes the entire system can go wrong. But this is not at all happening or possible with RPA bots as their functioning lies on are rule-based tasks. Moreover, RPA software offers top-notch standards and assures financial success.  

Use cases of RPA in accounting 

Accounting is one of the most difficult areas in the finance sector. Deploying an efficient technology like RPA is the only solution to make the entire process stable, accurate, and of high value. Below are some of the major use cases of Robotic Process Automation in accounting.  

Procure to pay

On the basis of pre-set rules, RPA enables smooth and easy collection of invoices from vendors and allocates them to workers automatically. Deploying RPA bots against full-time equivalents (FTE) drastically eliminates the number of manual workforces, and double-checks vendor invoices and payments to eliminate errors. 

Order to cash

RPA bots can perform audit trials, which allows them to analyze sales quotes, orders on products, and more in detail. This data can be utilized to monitor the orders and invoices of customers, process payments, and optimize customer credits. 

Record to report

Using RPA bots, it is possible to skip manual labor and imitate human interventions to record journal entries. Since RPA copies human interaction with core legacy systems, it also helps to coordinate accounts, manage transactions, and collaborate. Apart from all this, it also keeps a detailed record of audits for regulatory purposes. 

Financial close

Financial close refers to a process that relies on all the previously mentioned processes in order to prepare a report describing the financial condition of the organization. RPA bots enable companies to finish their financial close cycle speedily and precisely by importing spreadsheets from various sources to gain access to every data related to accounting, using reconciliation tools and depositories to compare financial data, identifying issues through monitoring progress in the financial close processes.  

Wrap up 

Robotics Process Automation (RPA) uses software to automate specific types of human activities. RPA makes rapid changes in accounting and finance operations, faster than any other modern technology. It is crucial to develop a detailed plan, form a complete team, and focus on the project in detail when implemented in the finance and accounting department.  

It is no secret that early investment in Robotic Process Automation offers your business a competitive advantage by reshaping the finance and accounting processes. The entire industry can be transformed in a very short period of time with the advent of new competitors.  

Read more about RPA

Aravind NallasivamSolutions architect at ClaySys Technologies.
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