Alexis

Free Robot for CFOs: Automate Salesforce Report Extraction Today

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At Capto, we believe in empowering businesses to focus on what matters most—strategic growth and decision-making. That’s why we’re thrilled to share our Python-based robot designed to automate Salesforce report extraction, no string attached.

Whether you’re managing financial operations or simply looking to streamline reporting, this robot eliminates the repetitive, manual process of pulling data from Salesforce. It’s easy to use, highly effective, and available for you to download and implement today.

Access the Robot Here

The problem

Faced with complex Salesforce data, a client’s finance team hit a roadblock—it was impossible to extract and manage daily reports manually without delays, errors, and significant resource strain. These reports were critical for compliance and decision-making, yet the manual process consumed hours, increased risks of inaccuracies, and diverted focus from strategic tasks. A more efficient solution was essential.

Why Automate Salesforce Reporting?

Manual Salesforce report extraction is complex, require a lot of dirty copy/paste and error friendly. CFOs and finance teams spend countless hours preparing data for financial reporting, which can slow decision-making and increase operational costs. Or worse, they don’t use the information in Salesforce because to hard to get.

This is where automation steps in:

Save Time:  Automate repetitive data extraction tasks, giving your team more time to focus on strategy.

Improve Accuracy:  Minimize errors in financial reporting with a reliable, consistent data pipeline.

Boost Productivity:  Free your team from mundane tasks and let them focus on high-value activities.

Why We’re Sharing This Robot

At Capto, we thrive on driving innovation and helping businesses embrace automation. By sharing this Salesforce extraction robot, we aim to:

Foster Collaboration

We believe in open sharing and helping the broader community automate better.

Demonstrate Value

Automation isn't just a concept; it's tangible measurable results.

Build Relationships

If this robot sparks interest, we're here to support you with expertise to scale it up.

What Does the Robot Do?

Our Salesforce extraction robot is a Python script built with simplicity and scalability in mind. Here’s what it can handle:

1. Automated Report Extraction

The Python robot simplifies the entire report extraction process by automating every step:

 

  • Secure Authentication: The robot logs into Salesforce using secure protocols to ensure your data remains protected.
  • On-Demand Access: With just a few commands, you can retrieve specific reports instantly, eliminating the need to navigate Salesforce manually.
  • Scheduled Retrievals: Set up the robot to pull reports automatically at specified intervals—daily, weekly, or monthly—ensuring you always have up-to-date data without lifting a finger.

2. Customizable Data Outputs

We started Capto with the  understanding that every business has unique automation needs. This robot is designed with flexibility in mind:

 

  • Multiple File Formats: Export data in your preferred format, such as CSV or Excel, to integrate seamlessly with your existing analytics tools.
    Filter and Tailor
  • Data: Define parameters to extract only the most relevant data, reducing the noise and ensuring you get actionable insights.

3. Easy Integration

Designed for simplicity, the robot can be deployed without overhauling your current systems:

 

  • Plug-and-Play Functionality: Whether you use Excel, Google Sheets, or a sophisticated BI tool, the robot outputs data in a format that fits effortlessly into your workflow.
  • Minimal Setup Required: With clear instructions and an intuitive structure, you can deploy the robot quickly, even with minimal technical expertise.

4. Ready for Scale

This robot isn’t just for small tasks; it’s built to grow with your needs:

 

  • Handle Large Volumes: Whether you’re extracting a handful of reports or thousands, the robot can be scaled up to meet increasing data demands.
  • Adaptable Architecture: Its Python-based code is easy to modify, allowing you to add features like advanced filtering, dynamic scheduling, or even integration with other platforms.
  • Enterprise-Grade Potential: With additional support from Capto, this robot can be transformed into a robust, industrial-grade solution tailored to your organization’s unique requirements.

By combining ease of use, flexibility, and scalability, this Salesforce report extraction robot is a powerful tool for CFOs and finance teams looking to optimize their reporting processes.

The Value for CFOs and Finance Teams

Time Savings

Save up to 30+ hours per month by automating report extraction.

Error Reduction

Reduce reporting errors by 75%, ensuring data accuracy and compliance.

Enhanced Efficiency

Cut operational costs by 20%, reallocating resources to higher-value activities.

Ready to automate your Financial Reporting

Reach out to us today to discuss how we can meet your specific needs with a tailored solution and usher in a new era for finance and payment processing 🙂

DM us on LinkedIn

Free Robot for CFOs: Automate Salesforce Report Extraction Today Read More »

eFlow Processing and a Top Tier Bank: Pioneering Fraud Automation

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In the accelerating landscape of finance and payment technologies, automation emerges as a transformative force.

 

Leading this charge is eFlow Processing, renowned for its customer care and advanced technology in enhancing financial operations. Their latest project, a robot designed in partnership with Capto to manage daily fraud and chargeback information from their partnered bank, marks a significant stride in financial automation. A top tier acquiring bank, acclaimed in the finance sector and recently acquired by a payment processing giant, is at the heart of this initiative.

 

This cutting-edge fraud robot is a testament to the power of automation in business optimisation. This article explores the impact of this automation tool, shedding light on its capabilities, advantages, and the wider implications for the finance industry.

The problem

Confronted with vast financial data, the business had a roadblock … it was impossible to handle 800,000 values a day and filter through 6 categories of reports entirely manually on a daily basis. Performing this process means delivering live fraud & chargeback information to clients which is key to ensure the correct process of merchant payments. Operating those tasks manually meant also a higher risk of errors, delays in payment analysis & a real strain to the company resources in managing these critical operations effectively.

The Solution

Enter Capto’s solution:

 

A custom-designed robot that automates the process while leveraging Capto’s experience in the payment industry. The robot securely manages the data flow and reports the data coming from the payment processing partner in minutes, enabling near-to-live analysis of all merchant transactions.

 

The process is simple:

 

The robot autonomously starts every morning, connecting to the bank’s online platform and gathering all reports published on the previous day. Once all the reports are collected, the robot categorizes the different types of transactions and sorts them per merchant before importing them into one single database.

BEFORE

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Step 1: Initialization and Secure Connection

Activity: The Daily “Bank” Robot starts automatically on each business day at a pre-set time.

Process Detail: It establishes a secure connection to the bank’s web-based platform using advanced encryption protocols to ensure data privacy and security.

 

Step 2: Data Retrieval

Activity: The robot identifies and retrieves the latest financial transaction reports generated for the previous day.

Process Detail: It focuses on comprehensive transaction data, including but not limited to sales transactions, refunds, chargebacks, and fraud alerts. These reports are critical for financial reconciliation and all fraud management processes.

 

Step 3: Sorting and Categorization

Activity: Upon retrieval, the robot sorts the reports based on predefined categories such as merchant ID, transaction type (e.g., sale, refund, chargeback), and fraud status.

Process Detail: This step is vital for organizing the data in a manner that simplifies analysis and reporting. The categorization is customized to meet the specific needs of eFlow Processing and its financial operations, ensuring that all relevant data points are efficiently segmented.

 

Step 4: Data Cleansing and Preprocessing

Activity: Before further processing, the robot cleanses the data to remove duplicates and corrects any discrepancies.

Process Detail: This includes validating transaction details, standardizing data formats, and reconciling transaction amounts. This step is crucial for maintaining data integrity and reporting accuracy.

 

Step 5: Data Integration and Database Update

Activity: The robot then integrates the sorted, categorized, and cleansed data into a central database.

Process Detail: It uses sophisticated algorithms to ensure that each piece of data is accurately matched and integrated with existing records. This database serves as the foundation for all subsequent financial analysis and reporting, enabling real-time access to up-to-date financial information.

 

Step 6: Distribution and Notification

Activity: Finally, the robot sends the integrated data to designated stakeholders within eFlow Processing and, if applicable, to external partners.

Process Detail: These notifications include but are not limited to daily activities, status and error handling (if any). The notifications are tailored to the specific requirements of eFlow Processing, providing insights into financial performance, operational risks, and areas for improvement.

 

Why bother automating your Fraud Management Process?

Time Savings

Reports are prepared in mere seconds, dramatically reducing the manual work required.

Error Reduction

Automation minimizes human error, ensuring accuracy in data entry completion.

Enhanced Efficiency

Secure, automated operations streamline the entire process.

Ready to automate your Fraud Management & Reporting

Reach out to us today to discuss how we can meet your specific needs with a tailored solution and usher in a new era for finance and payment processing 🙂

DM us on LinkedIn

eFlow Processing and a Top Tier Bank: Pioneering Fraud Automation Read More »

Urbanism Certificate: Capto’s Revolution in Public Administration

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En Francais?

In the realm of public administration, the automation of urbanism certificates process stands as a beacon of progress. Capto, dedicated to pioneering innovative solutions, transformed the cumbersome process of urbanism certification in Listrac-Médoc, France. 

 

This advancement is not just a technological leap; it represents a new era of efficiency and precision in local government operations – a leap forward in administrative efficiency 🚀.

The problem

“Every time a change happens in the city, from a house extension to a new district, the urbanism team of the city hall manually processes a high volume of very specific information in order t to prepare the required urbanism certificate – a repetitive task leading to delays, errors and a lot of boring work. Each month this process requires a significant amount of work, burdening staff and causing frustration among the teams of Listrac-Médoc city hall.”

The Solution

Enter Capto’s solution: 

 

A custom-designed robot (RPA), called the Urbanism Robot. This advanced technology leverages our expertise in web-based interactions, automating the preparation of urbanism certificates at an accessible cost for local administration. 

 

The process is simple: 

 

The city hall staff provides the robot with the request number, and the robot autonomously completes and stores the certificate, revolutionizing administrative efficiency.

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In-Depth Look at Capto's Automation

1. User provides request number & relevant files

To start the automated process, the user provides the robot with the request tracker file that contains all information about the urbanism requests and provides the request number that a certificate needs to be prepared for. 

 

2. Robot extracts all required information

The robot picks up all required information from the file and checks whether any necessary information is missing. This is pre-configured in the robot’s logic so it knows exactly what details to extract every time it runs. 

 

3. Robot connects to the public administration website

After the data is extracted, the robot connects to the urbanism repository platform. This platform tracks all the urbanism information of the public administration, i.e. contains all historic data about every plot on the territory, and has all the information required for the preparation of urbanism certificates.

 

4. Robot explores website and extracts data

To complete the certificate, the robot navigates through the platform. It explores all available categories in order to capture all information required for the certificate preparation (i.e. is the plot part of a protected area? Is it part of the city center? Is it part of a natural zone?).

 

When required, the robot even goes into the archives of the last ten years, extracts any relevant information, and adds it to the certificate. The level of detailed information the robot is able to handle was the reason why, at first, the urbanism team could not believe it was possible to completely automate the process. 

 

5. Robot prepares the certificate

Once the robot has collected all the information required to prepare the certificate in full, it copies an empty certificate template and one by one, it completes all lines within the form. It modifies as needed, answers all questions, and checks that all data has been added in order to prepare the certificate in full.

 

It takes the robot 15 seconds to open and complete one certificate in full.

 

6. Robot saves the certificate for review

Job is done so the robot saves the newly prepared certificate to a shared location of the urbanism team for anyone available to review it and share it with the relevant administrations and notaries.

 

Why bother automate your Urbanism Certificate process?

Time Savings

Certificates are prepared in mere seconds, dramatically reducing administrative workload.

Error Reduction

Automation minimizes human error, ensuring accuracy in data entry and certificate completion.

Enhanced Efficiency

Secure, automated operations streamline the entire process.

“Today we would not be able to work without the robot which allows us to respond to those administered more quickly but above all without any error.”

Ready to automate your Urbanism Certificate Process

Reach out to us today to discuss how we can tailor our solutions to meet your specific needs and usher in a new era of administrative efficiency 🙂

DM us on LinkedIn
In english?
france

Automatisation du Certificat d'Urbanisme : La Révolution de Capto dans l'Administration Municipale

Dans le domaine de l’administration publique, l’automatisation du processus de délivrance des certificats d’urbanisme se présente comme un progrès significatif. Capto, engagé dans le développement de solutions innovantes, a transformé le processus laborieux de certification d’urbanisme à Listrac-Médoc, en France. 

Ce progrès représente non seulement un bond technologique, mais aussi l’avènement d’une nouvelle ère d’efficacité et de précision dans les opérations municipales.


– une avancée dans l’efficacité administrative 🚀.

Le Problème

“À chaque changement dans la ville, que ce soit une extension de maison ou la création d’un nouveau quartier, l’équipe d’urbanisme de la mairie traite manuellement un volume important d’informations très spécifiques pour préparer le certificat d’urbanisme nécessaire – une tâche répétitive entraînant des retards, des erreurs et beaucoup de travail ennuyeux. Chaque mois, ce processus exige un effort considérable, alourdissant le personnel et causant des frustrations parmi les équipes de la mairie de Listrac-Médoc.”

La Solution

Voici la solution de Capto : 

 

Un robot personnalisé (RPA), nommé le Robot d’Urbanisme. Cette technologie avancée utilise notre expertise dans les interactions web pour automatiser la préparation des certificats d’urbanisme à un coût accessible pour l’administration locale. 

 

Le processus est simple : 

 

Le personnel de la mairie fournit le numéro de la demande au robot, qui complète et stocke automatiquement le certificat, révolutionnant ainsi l’efficacité administrative.

 

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Regard Approfondi sur le robot Capto

1. L'utilisateur fournit le numéro de demande et les fichiers pertinents

Pour démarrer le processus automatisé, l’utilisateur fournit au robot le fichier de suivi des demandes d’urbanisme contenant toutes les informations sur les demandes d’urbanisme et le numéro de la demande pour laquelle un certificat doit être préparé.

 

 

2. Le robot extrait toutes les informations requises

Le robot récupère toutes les informations nécessaires du fichier et vérifie s’il manque des informations nécessaires. Ceci est préconfiguré dans la logique du robot, afin qu’il sache exactement quels détails extraire à chaque exécution. 

 

3. Le robot se connecte au site web de l'administration publique

Une fois les données extraites, le robot se connecte à la plateforme de répertoire d’urbanisme. Cette plateforme suit toutes les informations d’urbanisme de l’administration publique, contenant toutes les données historiques sur chaque parcelle du territoire, et a toutes les informations requises pour la préparation des certificats d’urbanisme.

 

4. Le robot explore le site web et extrait les données

Pour compléter le certificat, le robot navigue sur la plateforme. Il explore toutes les catégories disponibles afin de capturer toutes les informations nécessaires à la préparation du certificat (par exemple, la parcelle fait-elle partie d’une zone protégée ? Fait-elle partie du centre-ville ? Est-elle dans une zone naturelle ?).

 

Si nécessaire, le robot va même dans les archives des dix dernières années, extrait toutes les informations pertinentes et les ajoute au certificat. Le niveau de détail que le robot peut gérer était la raison pour laquelle, au début, l’équipe d’urbanisme ne pouvait pas croire qu’il était possible d’automatiser entièrement le processus. 

 

5. Le robot prépare le certificat

Une fois que le robot a collecté toutes les informations nécessaires pour préparer le certificat, il copie un modèle vierge de certificat et complète, un par un, toutes les lignes du formulaire. Il apporte les modifications nécessaires, répond à toutes les questions et vérifie que toutes les données ont été ajoutées pour préparer complètement le certificat.

 

Il faut 15 secondes au robot pour ouvrir et compléter un certificat en entier.

 

6. Le robot enregistre le certificat pour révision

Une fois le travail terminé, le robot enregistre le certificat nouvellement préparé dans un emplacement partagé de l’équipe d’urbanisme pour que quiconque disponible puisse le réviser et le partager avec les administrations et notaires concernés.

 

Pourquoi automatiser votre processus de Certificat d'Urbanisme ?

Gain de Temps

Les certificats sont préparés en quelques secondes seulement, réduisant considérablement la charge de travail administrative.

Réduction des Erreurs

L'automatisation minimise les erreurs humaines, garantissant la précision de la saisie des données et de la complétion du certificat.

Efficacité Accrue

Des opérations sécurisées et automatisées simplifient l'ensemble du processus.

“Aujourd’hui, nous ne nous passerions

plus du robot qui nous permets de répondre aux administrés plus rapidement mais surtout sans aucune erreur.”

Prêt à automatiser votre processus de Certificat d'Urbanisme ?

Contactez-nous dès aujourd'hui pour discuter de la manière dont nous pouvons adapter nos solutions à vos besoins spécifiques et inaugurer une nouvelle ère d'efficacité administrative 🙂

Contactez nous sur LinkedIn

Urbanism Certificate: Capto’s Revolution in Public Administration Read More »

Fraud & Chargeback reporting automation

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Fraud & chargeback reporting is a very common use case for automation that we work on almost every week. From navigating to internal and external systems, copying and pasting data from Excel and Google sheets, to preparing the reports and emailing them internally or to 3rd party stakeholders, this is a great example of the power and importance of automation for risk, data quality, and time-efficiency management.  

 

That’s why we were hired to automate this process! 

The problem

“Every day we have to go onto the Visa platform to extract the case activity for each of our clients and email them the report. This is a very time-consuming and highly manual task that easily saves us hours each day. We needed to automate this to direct the time toward more valuable tasks.”

The Solution

A robot that navigates to the relevant Visa platform, filters for the correct date, and takes from a Google sheet all client names which it searches for in the Visa platform to extract the daily case activity for each client. It then renames the downloaded reports and emails them to each client (with a pre-configured message).

How it works? ... in 4 Simple Steps

1. Robot navigates to the Visa platform

When the robot starts, it navigates to the Visa platform and inserts the log-in details to gain access.

 

2. Robot applies the correct filters

In order to extract the correct case activity from the platform, the robot adjusts the platform fields for Start and End Date.

 

3. Robot copies Client Names from Google Sheet

In order to search for the case activity data for each client at a time, the robot navigates to a Google Sheet table containing all client names, copies and pastes a client name into the Visa platform, and clicks on a “Search” button within the platform to generate the data. 

 

It performs the same action for all client names within the Google Sheet.

4. Robot generates the report, renames it and emails to each client

Once the report is generated, the robot renames the file using a pre-configured logic, navigates again to the Google sheet to find the email address for each client, and sends the unique report to each client.

 

The robot completes this in 2 minutes per client, saving valuable time for the team and ensuring the process runs even on days off. Pretty great, no?!

Save time

A robot extracts all case activity data for each client, renames the downloaded report, and emails it to each client in seconds. With complete consistency!

Reduce error

Focusing on a manual task for hours is tiring and boring so the scope for error is huge. A robot doesn't get tired and works with 100% accuracy.

Improve service

With increased efficiency, reduced errors, and more engaged staff, the quality of data and service improves, and with that the loyalty of clients too.

Ready to automate your fraud &chargeback reporting?

Let's talk about your fraud & chargeback reporting and see how we can automate it best 🙂

Talk to us

Fraud & Chargeback reporting automation Read More »

Financial Statement Appendices prepared automatically

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Whether you work for a company that prepares its financial statements in-house, or you’re a lawyer or accountant doing this for clients, or you’re an auditor who audits manually prepared accounts, you will be painfully familiar with the burden it is to prepare the financial statements and their appendices manually. 

 

That’s why we were hired to automate this process! 

The problem

“Every year we prepare the financial statements for hundreds of client portfolio companies. This means hundreds of appendices that we prepare manually by going back and forth between our Excel worksheets, the trial balances, and other supporting documents, to make sure we capture all information correctly into the appendices. Unsurprisingly, this is taking us weeks to complete and review and the risk of manual error is just so huge that every year we dread this period because it’s always so stressful for the whole team .”

The Solution

A robot asks for the entity’s prior year appendices, current year trial, and all other supporting documents. Using a pre-configured Excel template, it completes all tabs within the template by populating each field with the correct amount, entity name(s), or date. This is performed using a pre-configured mapping which determines which FS line corresponds to which TB codes. It also performs all necessary calculations. 

How it works? ... in 4 Simple Steps

1. Robot asks you to provide all required files

To start the process all you need to do is provide the robot with the files that contain all the information that is needed to complete the appendices. This includes prior year appendices, current year trial balance, interest of ISL, and others.

 

2. Robot extracts all required information

The robot picks up all the required information from the different documents. This is pre-configured in the robot’s logic so it knows exactly what details to extract every time it runs. 

 

3. Robot completes the template & updates all dates

After the data is extracted, the robot populates the template. This includes all amounts corresponding to the various financial statement lines in order to complete all appendices. 

 

It also updates all dates within the template, updates for FX rates where necessary, and completes all entity name(s), including relevant subsidiary names (using prior year appendix information).

 

4. Robot generates the completed Appendix file

To complete the process, the robot pushes a Dialog window where you click to see the newly prepared Appendix file for entity XXX. All you have to do is sense check. 

 

The robot completes this in 1 minute per entity. It now saves our client 1 full month of work since they had hundreds of entities to prepare financial statement appendices for. Pretty great, no?!

 

Why bother automate your Financial Statement Appendices?

Save time

A robot is able to prepare an entity's appendices in 60 seconds and provide you with a summary of any information it couldn't find, meaning all you have to do is investigate the exceptions (if any).

Reduce error

Focusing on a manual task for hours is tiring and boring so the scope for error is huge. A robot doesn't get tired and works with 100% accuracy to prepare all appendices in a few seconds or minutes.

Smarter Operations

The robot works in the background so you can easily continue doing other value-adding work whilst the robot does the rest. That way you do the valuable job whilst the robot handles the admin.

Ready to automate your Financial Statement Appendices

Let's talk about the preparation of your appendices and see how we can automate them best 🙂

Talk to us

Financial Statement Appendices prepared automatically Read More »

6 Robotic process automation examples for scaling businesses

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Scaling up your business requires selecting the right settings for your company’s digital workflows. Scaling depends on adapting quickly and synchronizing within a dynamic environment. However, if not planned well for the long term, you may, at some point, get overwhelmed, or lost, failing to achieve your business goals. By scaling, you want to stimulate sustainable growth as much as possible. Do you wish to scale your business easier? If the answer is yes, then this article is exactly for you.

Why use RPA for scaling your business?

The accelerating development of Robotic Process Automation has a huge potential to enable businesses to scale organically and sustainably. Each startup aims to reach the point where revenue is increasing without substantial growth in resources. As such, scaling comes as a result of the right planning and improved process workflows. However, the truth is that expansion contains risks.

 

Acquiring a bigger market share is essential, but it could also become a threat if it happens too fast at a given point. That is why organizations have to be prepared to avoid overloads and use technology to leverage risk. RPA is becoming widespread amongst scaling businesses because of the numerous opportunities for shifting rule-based mundane tasks from humans to digital workers. This opens up a growing room for team members to perform more creative activities, contributing to the company’s growth strategy.

In a previous article, we explained what the benefits of RPA are. However, in a nutshell, Robotic Process Automation is well-known for improving overall business efficiency across industries. It brings higher quality and consistency, saving time and money. It is also recognized as a powerful asset for increasing productivity among team members. This translates directly into scalable growth and higher profits for your company.

According to analyses performed by Deloitte, “only a tiny minority (3 percent) of progressive leaders have reached any form of scale with more than 50 robots in service. Organizations must make the right strategic choices—laying the right foundation to enable a “premium” digital workforce to support their drive for competitive advantage.” It is further suggested that “given the relative immaturity of the automation market, it is taking time for large organizations, in particular, to learn about and adopt RPA at scale.” This demonstrates the advantage startups have to make RPA a crucial part of their scale-up strategy as this would enable them to compete for market share with far larger but digitally immature organizations.

Top 6 RPA examples for scaling businesses:

We divided our list of RPA examples into six major sections based on the key business functions where software robots can help the most with the growth of your business. We hope this list will give you a useful overview of the practical applications of RPA to help you scale your business. Now let’s dive in.

You don’t have time to read the whole article right now? Download a free one-page infographic that summarizes the key details you need to know about RPA and its benefits and applications for scaling businesses. Download it here.

1. Customer Support & Client Onboarding

Common, yet, outstanding examples of RPA are the auto-responding to queries and auto-sending of notifications which are both essential for an effective customer support function. Nowadays, users require quick answers to their questions or instant help with problems that they face. A great part of these requests can be handled by RPA digital agents in a routine, standardized manner. This saves valuable resources for companies and improves customer satisfaction. For instance, Facebook has already automated most of its customer support. As a result, the human workload has substantially decreased, while customer satisfaction has gone up.

 

New client onboarding and new account openings are also processes easily handled by a robot. In addition, more and more often, a lot of scaling businesses delegate to software robots call center operations, including help desk services. In fact, RPA can take care of most of the common queries and repetitive issues. Robots effortlessly help agents by displaying a dashboard with suggested solutions and summarizing relevant information.

2. Accounting & Admin

Most administrative tasks like generating, preparing, and processing documents must be automated in each growing business today. For example, handling invoices is a fundamental task in accounting. It is also one of the most time-consuming processes that companies of all sizes have to tackle. The good news is that today digital workers can execute the entire process instead of humans, with zero interruptions and mistakes. 


Creating and delivering invoices, like most rule-based activities, can be automated by linking accounting and ERP systems. By extracting data from submitted receipts robots can even handle the expense management process and generate expense reports. Essentially, all the data entry and manual work involved can be done by robots to make processes automated, paperless, and efficient.

3. Finance Operations

If deployed strategically within the finance function, robots are able to perform not only simple individual tasks but even finance sub-functions such as procurement and tax compliance. Surveys show that one robot can be up to 30 times more productive than a full-time working human. The truth is that the evolution of RPA in finance has reached the stage of full automation. This means that the opportunities for a scalable finance function range from simple everyday processes, such as bank reconciliations, to complex operations such as financial analysis and forecasting.

Common RPA use cases within finance:

  • Transaction processing - approval, due diligence, and onboarding processes;
  • Payroll operations - including changes in records, attendance management, time entry validations, resignation, and deductions;
  • Bank statement reconciliation - extracting data from bank statements and comparing it to the company’s records;
  • Issuing refunds - prompt refunds to customers requesting refunds;

Some enterprises are going a step further by automating requests for approval and as a result, are reducing their processing time by 75%. Banks, for example, automate their commercial lending processes by completing standardized data forms, which help them to accelerate new account opening and new client onboarding.

4. Human Resource Operations

RPA has significant use cases for scaling the human resource function. Among the operations that a digital workforce can perform instead of humans are:
  • Candidate sourcing - pulling data from job search platforms, auto-reviewing applications, aggregating resumes, auto-scheduling meetings, taking notes from interviews;
  • Hiring - comparing candidate data, assessing results, preparing paperwork such as HR contracts and agreements;
  • Onboarding employees - ensuring compliance with Policy & Procedures by auto-sending relevant information like Welcome Materials, Company Guidelines, or Training Resources;

5. Sales Operations

One of the most fundamental challenges during the scaling phase is how to speed up the sales cycle with efficiency and precision. Speed is important but so is the accuracy of the pricing proposals, the sales contracts, the timely notifications, and follow-ups. These are all areas that require significant attention to detail in order to perform these routine administrative operations diligently and correctly. Software robots come in to support the sales process by handling numerous administrative tasks.

 

Common processes that should be automated within scaling businesses include:

  • Preparation and delivery of accurate sale quotes;
  • Checks of supplier portals to confirm availability and price;
  • Preparation and updates of pricing models based on a pre-configured logic;
  • Extraction of data from supplier portals and inserting it into pricing models;
  • Preparation of sales contracts;
  • Update of CRM systems;
  • Interaction with ERP systems;

6. Compliance & Data-Related Operations

Statistics show that implementing RPA improves compliance accuracy by 93%. In the dynamic business environment, compliance is vital for each scaling business. For example, a change in tax or regulatory conditions would require numerous validations of records.

 

Here’s a list of data-related RPA use cases ensuring better compliance for scaling businesses:

  • Check for completeness;
  • Data entry from files to ERP;
  • Read and process paper forms, and transfer them into digital forms;
  • Annual tax return preparation;
  • Filling in and submitting of compliance forms & returns;
  • Check validity of VAT numbers via API;
  • Copy and move data between systems;
  • Generation of reports;
  • Know-Your-Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) checks;

Download a free one-page infographic that summarizes the key details you need to know about RPA and its benefits and applications for scaling businesses. Download it here.

Conclusion

Technological advances have made intelligent automation possible across a wide spectrum of manual processes. Scaling companies should strategize on how to optimize operations to meet business and investor goals and stay on track. By implementing RPA, you can build scalable processes and optimize business resources to make sure budgets last longer and human capacity is invested in value-adding business functions.

However, when it comes to adopting RPA for scaling, insecurities still prevail in most companies. That is why RPA continues to be overlooked despite its fundamental benefits. So, it is crucially important that decision-makers continuously dedicate time to identifying processes within their business that could and should be automated to achieve a scalable future.

At Capto, we believe automation should be implemented gradually and strategically. Our team has automated many processes already and we’d happily suggest RPA solutions that are flexible and tailored to your company’s scale-up needs. If you are looking to scale your business, meet investor goals, and make your resources last longer, then have a chat with us. We are here to help you leverage automation to drastically save time & resources and grow with scalable processes.

Let's chat about automation for 15 min

We'd love to help you with your questions so you can make the best decision for your business.

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Sources & references:

 

1. Deloitte. https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/operations/articles/global-robotic-process-automation-report.html

2. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/marksettle/2020/10/20/the-proper-path-to-achieving–automation-at-scale/?sh=538509922a4a
3. Bernard Marr. https://bernardmarr.com/10-amazing-examples-of-robotic-process-automation-in-practice/
4. Gartner. https://www.gartner.com/en/finance/insights/robotics-in-finance
5. AI Multiple. https://research.aimultiple.com/robotic-process-automation-use-cases/

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Prepare Corporate Tax Return Appendices automatically

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If you’re working in compliance, then you’ll be quite familiar with the idea of Appendices and the painful process of preparing them. Companies of all sizes are still copying and pasting information into Appendix templates to produce these data summaries, often spending days and weeks to ensure every digit is correct. It’s time we stop this madness … 

The problem

“We have dozens of clients with hundreds of entities each that we prepare tax returns for. This means we’ve got an enormous number of appendices we need to prepare for each annual compliance process and the task is simply exhausting. We have put in place numerous levels of review to make sure all information is reported correctly. Unfortunately, this “peace of mind” takes us weeks to finalise.”

The Solution

A robot that takes your appendices templates and completes them with all information from the prior year’s Appendix and the current year’s trial balance as well as any other relevant data. It also reconciles the final Appendix with the Annual Accounts to ensure a correct disclosure.

How it works? ... in 6 Simple Steps

1. Robot asks you to provide the files containing all required data

To start the process all you need to do is provide the robot with the files that contain all data that needs to be transferred into the Appendix. This could be in any format and it could include, but is not limited to, prior year Appendix, current year trial balance, a working file with any adjustments put through in the year, a mapping file, final Annual Accounts, etc.

 

2. Robot extracts the required information

The robot picks up all required information from the various documents and stores the data, ready to be imported into the Appendix template in the next step of the process. 

 

3. Robot takes the Appendix template and imports the data

The robot imports all the information extracted from the various files and inserts it into the correct placeholders within the template, using a pre-configured logic. 

 

4. Robot updates the dates within the template

The robot uses the timestamp function to update all dates within the template. The reason for this is that in 2022, the return in preparation is 2021, and so on, so by using the timestamp the robot makes sure it captures the correct period.

 

5. Robot performs a reconciliation to the Annual Accounts

To complete the process the robot performs a health check to highlight any differences between the finalised Appendix and the Annual accounts, ready for you to investigate. 

6. Ready to save your Appendix

Finally, the robot pushes a message that informs you that its work is now done and gives you the option to save the Appendix to your preferred location. Job done!!


Why automate the preparation of your Appendices?

Reduce error

Focusing on a manual task for hours is tiring and boring so the scope for error is huge. A robot doesn't get tired and works with 100% accuracy to prepare all Appendices quickly & diligently.

Increase efficiency

A robot works without a break and it doesn't mind the work it needs to do so you can fully focus on the value-adding tasks whilst it handles all the admin.

Save time

A robot is able to prepare all Appendices in a fraction of the time and provides reconciliation with the Annual Accounts, so all you have to do is investigate the odds.

Ready to automate the way you prepare your Appendices?

Let's talk about the way you generate your Appendices and see how we can automate the process 🙂

Talk to us

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Automatically validate VAT numbers using VIES API

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Lawyers and accountants will have experienced firsthand the pain of manually validating every single VAT number in the EU VAT Information Exchange System (VIES). It sounds like a little step in a big process but if not performed diligently, it can cost businesses thousands or in some cases even millions of funds in irrecoverable VAT so it’s pretty important to get this right. 

The problem

“We have hundreds of VAT numbers that we need to verify weekly and checking every single number manually is not only very unexciting but it’s also hugely time-consuming. The biggest problem is that after a few dozens of checks, the attention to detail starts to escape and that increases the scope for errors and slows down the process even further.”

The Solution

A robot picks up all VAT numbers that need to be validated, performs a check against the VIES platform using an API, creates a report showing you exactly which VAT numbers were validated and which were not, and emails you the findings.

How it works? ... in 4 Simple Steps

1. Robot asks you to provide the file containing all VAT numbers

To start the process all you need to do is provide the robot with the file that contains all the VAT numbers you need to verify. This could be in any format and it could contain numerous columns. The robot will identify the column with the VAT numbers and will use only that information for the next steps.

 

2. Robot picks up the VAT numbers and performs a VIES check

The robot picks up all VAT numbers, and using an API connection, it checks if the VAT numbers can be found on the VIES database.

 

3. Robot prepares a PDF report with the results

After the check is complete, the robot calculates the % of VAT numbers that were successfully validated, the % of those that were not validated, and the % of those that had an invalid format. It presents this visually too in a little graph.

 

The robot also prepares an Excel table showing the status of each VAT number check, indicating that the number is one of the following: Validated, Not Validated, Invalid Format. 

 

That way, all you have to do is investigate the exceptions. 

4. Robot sends you an email with the results

To complete the process, the robot sends you all results directly via email so you don’t have to wonder when it’s finished. Job done!!

 

 

Why bother automate your VIES Check?

Save time

A robot is able to verify the VAT numbers in seconds and provide a clear analysis showing all VAT numbers that were successfully validated and those that failed, meaning all you have to do is investigate the exceptions.

Reduce error

Focusing on a manual task for hours is tiring and boring so the scope for error is huge. A robot doesn't get tired and works with 100% accuracy to validate all VAT numbers in a few seconds or minutes.

Smarter Operations

The robot works in the background so you can easily continue doing other value-adding work whilst the robot does the checking. That way you do the valuable job whilst the robot handles the admin.

Ready to automate your VIES check?

Let's talk about your VIES check process and see how we can automate it best 🙂

Talk to us

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Extract text from scans and categorise automatically

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Lawyers and accountants will know best the pain of having to scan a lot of paper documents, receiving the scans in the inbox, and then classifying all these documents into their respective folders on the desktop or data management system.

The problem

“We receive client-related paper documents that we have to scan and then classify to add them to the correct client folder in our DMS. With a few documents, this wouldn’t be too much of a hassle. However, we have dozens of clients for which we receive multiple documents every month. This creates a time-consuming admin task that we needed to automate to increase the efficiency and smartness of our operations.”

The Solution

A robot that picks up all scans from the scan folder, classifies them based on the text contained within, and moves the files into the correct client folder they should be stored in.

How it works? ... in 6 Simple Steps

1. You scan the documents and save them into the scan folder

You scan each document into a standalone scanned file, i.e. no bulk scanning of documents is performed. Each scan is saved into a scan folder.

 

2. Robot picks up the scan from the scan folder

The robot picks up all documents in the folder and performs the following steps for each:

 

3. Robots connects to an OCR engine

In order to classify the documents, the robot connects to an OCR engine which reads the document.

 

4. The OCR engine reads the scan

The OCR engine goes through the scan and instantaneously extracts all readable fields within it.

 

5. The OCR engine picks up the list of folder names and looks for a match in the content of the scan

The OCR engine takes a hardcoded list of the folder names, each representing one client. The list of folder names is saved within the client’s environment to which the robot has been given access. The OCR takes the list of names and performs a matching exercise until one of the folder names is found within the scan.

 

6. Robot moves the scan to the folder of the relevant client

Once a match is found, the robot moves the scan into the correct client folder, thus removing the file from the initial scan folder.

 

Job done!!

 

Why bother with automated Data Extraction from scans and Scans Categorisation?

Better organisation

End the stress of having to remember to classify document X, Y, Z. We're human so we do forget and at times we may not even know where to store some files. A pre-configured robot has no stress and knows it all.

Smarter Operations

You can continue doing your scanning, reviewing each file, and moving it manually to the system or database where it needs to be stored. But there's a smarter way so why continue to play the robot??

Save time

A robot is able to extract data from your scans in seconds and perform a matching exercise with such speed and accuracy that it categorises your scans exactly where you want them to be stored.

Ready to automate your scans categorisation?

Let's talk about your scans extraction and categorisation and see how we can automate them best 🙂

Talk to us

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Data enrichment on auto-mode

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Whatever business you are in, it’s inevitable that you have some form of data exchange with third-party companies. This can often result in manual processes taking place to make sure the data shared by or to third parties is complete and enriched with unique IDs, names, or other details. This manual data enrichment is often time-consuming, prone to error, and highly monotonous for the employees tasked with the job. This is where a robot becomes extremely helpful.  

The problem

“We have reports coming from a key client that we need to enrich to include not only our client unique Product IDs but also our internal unique Product IDs. The reason for this is that our internal system can update with the latest information per the report only based on internal IDs, not client IDs. This process used to be done fully manually by members of our team who had to spend a lot of time and focus going between databases and copying and pasting IDs to enrich the reports.”

The Solution

A robot that takes the XML reports shared by the third party, locates an internal database that contains all Product IDs (both internal and external), enriches the reports with the internal Product IDs that correspond to the external Product IDs, and automatically imports the updated report into your internal system! 

How it works? ... in 5 Simple Steps

1. The XML report is added to a folder within your environment

The robot waits until the report it needs to work on is found within a pre-defined folder within your environment. This could be a simple Google Drive, an internal database that our robot is given access to, or any of your systems. In the instance we have worked on, this was added to an FTP server.

 

2. Robot picks up the file from the folder

The robot will pick up the XML from the folder and perform the following steps:

 

3. Robot picks up an Excel table that contains the list of all Product IDs

In order to identify which internal Product ID corresponds to which third-party Product ID, the robot picks up an Excel table, stored and updated directly in the inernal system, that contains all ID pairs, i.e. what internal ID corresponds to what third-party ID. 

 

4. Robot updates the XML to add all corresponding internal IDs

The robot goes through the third-party Product IDs in the XML file and on each row it adds the internal Product ID that corresponds to the respective third-party Product ID, based on the ID pairs information per the Excel table.

 

5. The robot drops the updated XML into the initial folder

Once an internal ID match is found for each third-party ID, the robot drops the updated file back into the folder. Now the internal system automatically picks the file, processes it based on internal IDs, and updates the records with the latest information contained within the XML file.  

 

Job done!!

Why bother with automated Data Enrichment?

Save time

A robot is able to perform all data enrichment requirements, by navigating to databases, extracting data, copying, and pasting it in seconds. With stellar speed and accuracy!

Strengthen Partnerships

When data flows fast, completely, and correctly, and staff on both sides are not burdened with admin, relationships build and get happier and stronger.

Reduce error

Focusing on a manual task for hours is tiring and boring so the scope for error is huge. A robot doesn't get tired and works with 100% accuracy to enrich all required data round the clock.

Ready to automate your data enrichment?

Let's talk about your data enrichment and see how we can automate it best 🙂

Talk to us

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