RPA Bots Delivered Intelligent Automation to Empower Back Office Efficiency

Reinventing Efficiency in Back-Office Operations

Handling 10 transactions per customer every month, each requiring 30 minutes and multiple team collaborations, was no small feat for our client—a global leader company excelling in diverse domains. With structured processes and predictable exceptions, their accounting unit was the ideal candidate for transformation.

Despite structured information and defined rules, exceptions in the workflow often led to bottlenecks, increasing handling time and impacting productivity. The need for intelligent automation was clear: to reengineer processes, eliminate repetitive tasks, and ensure seamless operation across all departments.

As a billion-dollar enterprise with a strong commitment to building a sustainable and empowered future, the client turned to Sedin’s RPA expertise to drive meaningful change.

What we anticipated along the journey

The client faced significant hurdles in their month-end financial closing process, a critical operation requiring impeccable accuracy and timeliness. Each month, the accounting team was tasked with reconciling a massive volume of transactions across multiple departments, involving five different desktop applications.

The stakes were high—ensuring precise account balances, generating consistent financial statements, and proactively addressing any potential discrepancies in accounting or banking. However, the process was fraught with challenges: 

Manual Workload

The process relied heavily on manual intervention, with an average handling time of 30 minutes per transaction and a frequency of 10 transactions per customer. This led to extended work hours and exhaustion for the team.

Workflow Complexity

With three departments involved and pre-determined rules and decisions to follow, the workflow was prone to bottlenecks and miscommunication.

Error-Prone Operations

Repetitive manual data entry increased the risk of errors, jeopardizing the accuracy of financial records.

Lack of Scalability

As the business expanded, the increasing transaction volumes made it nearly impossible for the team to keep pace using traditional methods.

Operational Stress

Month-end deadlines created a high-pressure environment, leaving little room for flexibility or innovation, further affecting team morale and productivity.

Breaking down bottlenecks for the road to efficiency

To tackle the client’s month-end financial closing challenges, we conducted an in-depth scope study to analyze their workflows, identify bottlenecks, and evaluate areas where automation could make the most impact. This meticulous research phase laid the foundation for an effective RPA solution tailored to the client’s needs. Some of the key findings from the Scope Study are:

• The existing process heavily relied on manual data collation, reconciliation, and cross-verification across five disparate desktop applications.

• Tedious, repetitive tasks not only consumed valuable time but also increased the risk of human error, which could lead to inaccuracies in financial statements.

• The client’s accounting team was under constant pressure, leaving little room for innovation or strategic planning.

Armed with these insights, our team crafted a blueprint for an intelligent automation strategy. By leveraging UiPath bots, we planned to transform the client’s back-office operations into a streamlined, efficient, and error-free system, paving the way for smarter workflows and better outcomes.

Streamlining processes with UiPath bots

The solution was meticulously designed to streamline the client’s month-end financial closing process and other critical back-office operations. Here’s how the solution transformed their workflows:

• The UiPath bot automated the labor-intensive process of salary accounting, seamlessly integrating data between Datev and SAP. This eliminated the need for manual intervention in data transfer, ensuring both accuracy and speed.

• The automation included built-in validations to verify that bookings in both accounting systems matched perfectly. By addressing discrepancies in real time, the bot ensured data consistency and reduced the risk of financial inaccuracies.

• The bot handled the importing and exporting of large volumes of financial data between systems with unmatched efficiency. This not only minimized human effort but also expedited the data reconciliation process, saving countless hours.

• With automation at the core, the risk of human error dropped dramatically. This was especially critical in handling sensitive financial data where accuracy was non-negotiable.

• By removing repetitive, mundane tasks, the accounting team could dedicate their time to strategic activities like stakeholder management and financial planning. This shift empowered the team to add value to the organization while reducing stress during the month-end rush.

• The automation was designed with scalability in mind, enabling the client to adapt it to additional processes as their business grows.

Empowering the client to make informed decisions for their business

The implementation of Sedin’s tailored RPA solution delivered transformative benefits for the client, addressing their unique challenges and unlocking new efficiencies. By leveraging our expertise in Robotic Process Automation services, we created a ripple effect of operational enhancements that extended beyond simple automation. 

Unparalleled Efficiency Gains

The RPA bots automated 75% of the effort involved in the month-end closing process, reducing processing time by an impressive 65%. This allowed the client’s accounting team to meet tight deadlines with ease while focusing on high-value tasks.  

Accelerated ROI

With a return on investment realized in just 5 months, the RPA solution proved to be a cost-effective transformation that generated immediate and sustained value.

Error-Free Operations

The automation process eliminated human errors, achieving a 0% error rate in financial reporting. This not only improved the quality of outputs but also ensured compliance with stringent standards.

Streamlined Workforce Productivity

Manual work was reduced by 25%, alleviating the workload of the accounting team and enabling them to concentrate on strategic initiatives and stakeholder support.

Standardization Across Processes

Automation brought a high degree of standardization to processes, aligning them with global best practices and ensuring seamless, scalable operations. With a robust and scalable solution in place, the client is now better equipped to handle future challenges and expand automation across other processes.