What is robotic process automation?
Robotic process automation (RPA) is software that mimics a person using a computer, clicking buttons, copying values and filling forms on screen, to automate repetitive tasks in systems that lack a usable API.
RPA bots work at the screen level. Instead of connecting to a system's back end, they log in, navigate menus and type into fields just as a staff member would. That makes RPA useful for older desktop software, government portals and vendor websites that offer no integration options. Products such as UiPath and Microsoft Power Automate include RPA capabilities.
The weakness is fragility. A bot that depends on a button being in a certain place can fail when the vendor changes its layout. RPA also tends to need monitoring, credential management and someone who can fix scripts when they break. For a small service business, an API-based connection or a settings change inside existing software is usually cheaper to maintain whenever one is available.
RPA earns its place where the alternative is a person retyping data between two systems that will not talk to each other, the volume is high enough to matter, and the screens rarely change. A typical case is pulling claim statuses from an insurer portal or downloading statements from a bank site. Even then, someone should review exceptions and spot-check results.
Example
For example, a physical therapy clinic checks insurance eligibility for 120 patients a week on payer websites that offer no integration with its scheduling system. An RPA bot runs the lookups overnight and writes results into a report. Front desk staff review flagged patients each morning before confirming appointments, and the clinic tracks how many manual lookups remain.