What Is RPA? How Robotic Process Automation Works and Which Tasks It Can Take Over
What is RPA and how does it work? Learn the 6 criteria for choosing processes, how RPA differs from APIs and AI, real examples and a 7-step project plan.
11 min read
RPA Process Automation
Robotic Process Automation (RPA): Let a Robot Do the Copy-and-Paste
RPA (robotic process automation) means a software robot carries out the rule-based tasks an employee repeats on screen, such as invoice entry, copying data between systems and preparing reports. We build our robots with open-source Python; they work through the user interface where a system has no API, log every action and hand exceptions to a person.
Accounts keys the same invoice layout into the ERP line by line. Sales support copies each order from one system into the courier's portal. Someone spends Monday morning pulling a report together from three sources. The rules are clear, the work repeats, and it goes wrong as soon as attention slips, while the hours it takes come out of the job people were hired to do.
RPA (Robotic Process Automation) carries out those steps the way a person would on screen. We build automations tailored to your processes using Python-based bots, API integrations and workflow rules. The robot runs outside office hours, so your team can spend its time on exceptions and on the work it was hired to do. The robot does not replace anyone; it takes on the tedious, error-prone part of the job.
Example Scenario: Supplier Invoices
Supplier invoices arrive as PDFs in the accounts team's shared inbox every day. The robot collects the attachments, reads them with OCR and checks them against orders and supplier accounts; invoices that match are posted to the ERP, and those that do not are placed in the accounts manager's approval list with the reason. When the team arrives in the morning, they deal only with the exceptions instead of keying in line after line, and the log shows when and how each invoice was processed.
Work We Commonly Automate
Invoice & Document Processing
Invoices, delivery notes and bank receipts are collected from email or a shared folder, read with OCR, checked against orders and supplier accounts, and posted to your ERP or accounting system. Anything that does not match goes for approval.
Data Transfer Between Systems
Moving orders from the ERP to the courier system, or from the web shop into accounting, happens automatically. Where a system has no API, the robot works through its web interface.
Email Sorting & Routing
Incoming email is sorted by content and attachment and passed to the right team. An order email opens a record in the ERP, so nobody has to triage routine messages by hand. For company email itself, SmartMail AI classification sorts incoming mail into content types such as invoice/payment or quote/tender without writing rules, and summarises each message.
Automated Reporting
Daily, weekly or monthly reports are compiled from several sources and sent to the right people as Excel, PDF or a management dashboard. The report is ready in the morning without anyone spending hours on it.
Keeping Platforms in Sync
Your web shop, accounting software and courier are linked: when an order is confirmed the invoice is issued, a tracking number is created and the customer is notified.
Price & Stock Monitoring
Supplier websites and B2B portals are checked on a schedule. When a price drops or an awaited item comes back into stock, the buyer is notified.
How We Work
01
Process Discovery
We list the candidates and measure how often each task is done, how long it takes and how often it goes wrong, then start with the process that has the clearest rules and the biggest payoff.
02
Robot Development
The robot is built with Python, browser automation (Selenium) or APIs. For every scenario we define what happens on error and who the case is handed to.
03
Testing on Real Data
The robot is tested on your data and signed off by your users. We agree who is alerted when something fails, and every action is logged in detail.
04
Go-Live & Monitoring
The robot moves into production and its status is visible on a dashboard. When the process or the screens it uses change, we update it.
No Separate RPA Platform Licence
Commercial RPA platforms usually charge an annual licence per robot or per user. We build on the open-source Python ecosystem and hand the source code over to you, so adding robots does not add licence fees. If your process is mostly about reading data from documents, see document OCR; if your systems can be connected directly, see API integration.
Concerns We Often Hear Before Starting
- “Will we have to change our existing software?” No. The robot works through the screens your team already uses; where systems can be connected directly, we recommend the more robust API route.
- “Who notices if the robot gets something wrong?” Every action is logged, exceptions are handed to a person and the agreed contact is alerted when something fails. The robot never runs unchecked.
- “We don't want a big project.” You don't need one. Start with a single process that has clear rules and a clear payoff, then extend once you have seen the results.
- “Won't the robot break when the screens change?” When the process or screens change, we update the robot; its status is visible on a dashboard and technical support is available 24/7.
If the problem is only incoming email and attachments, you may not need a robot at all: SmartMail extracts the parties, issue and due dates, VAT and grand total from an invoice PDF without the file being downloaded. To use this in your company email, buy SmartMail. A robot comes in for the steps beyond the inbox: posting the data to your ERP, accounting or courier system. If the system itself needs building around your process, see custom web software.
For more depth, read RPA explained: how software robots work, which processes to automate first, or browse our software and automation guides.
Why Digital Bridge? We have been developing software since 2013, and the team that builds your robot is the team that monitors and updates it in production. The first step is a process review: tell us which repetitive tasks take up most of your team's week, and we will recommend in writing which suit a robot and where to start.
Questions we hear most often
Frequently Asked Questions
What is RPA (robotic process automation)?
RPA means a software robot carries out the rule-based tasks an employee repeats on screen, such as invoice entry, copying data between systems and preparing reports. The robot works the way a person would on screen, runs outside office hours, logs every action it takes and hands the case to a person whenever something falls outside the defined rules.
Which office tasks can be automated with RPA?
Tasks with clear rules that repeat often are the best candidates: reading invoices, delivery notes and bank receipts with OCR and posting them to the ERP, moving orders between systems, sorting and routing incoming email, compiling and sending periodic reports, keeping web shop, accounting and courier platforms in sync, and monitoring prices and stock on supplier websites.
Does RPA work with legacy systems that have no API?
Yes. Where a system has no API, the robot works through the same web interface your staff use, so your existing programs do not need to change. Where systems can be connected directly, API integration is the more robust route, so during discovery we check which approach suits each process. When the process or screens change, we update the robot.
What happens if the robot hits an error or an exception?
For every scenario we define during development what happens on error and who the case is handed to. When something does not match the rules, the robot passes it to a person; an invoice that does not match its order, for instance, goes for approval. The agreed person is alerted, every action is logged in detail and robot status is visible on a dashboard.
Do we need a separate RPA platform licence?
No. Commercial RPA platforms usually charge an annual licence per robot or per user. We build on the open-source Python ecosystem, using browser automation with Selenium or APIs where appropriate. The source code is handed over to you, adding robots does not add licence fees, and you decide who develops the automation in future.
How does an RPA project start?
We list the candidate tasks and measure how often each is done, how long it takes and how often it goes wrong, then start with the process that has the clearest rules and the biggest payoff. The robot is built, tested on your data and signed off by your users before it goes live. The first step is to request a process review.
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