RPA vs. Workflow Automation: What’s the Difference?

Business process automation technologies like workflow automation and robotic process automation (RPA) are increasingly important because they can help you reduce the amount of manual labor you need to perform, particularly for tedious and repetitive tasks. RPA is one option that can help you automate rule-based tasks along a predefined process. Workflow automation is another option that can assist in streamlining multistep processes and encourage communication and collaboration. 

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What is the difference between RPA and workflow automation?

RPA and workflow automation refer to different components of automating business processes. Robotic process automation refers to creating a rules-based machine learning agent that can follow a predefined process and execute tasks using logic. Workflow automation, meanwhile, is the process of automating an entire workflow, which can include using various tools depending on the process. You can use both of these tools within business process automation, which takes a step back even further and automates an entire business process. 

For instance, you might use business process automation to automate your customer support department. You can identify several different workflows within this process, such as helping a customer recover a lost or forgotten password, collecting the information you need from a customer to help them, or creating service tickets and managing the greater system of open support tickets. You could use workflow automation to automate these different kinds of multistep tasks. When a customer initiates a customer service ticket, your automated workflows can respond accordingly (sending an email to reset a password, collecting information for the customer while they queue for service, or automatically capturing and categorizing the customer’s ticket as agents work on their support issue, for example).

Within those automated workflows, robotic process automations complete each individual task. Workflow automation defines the process and logic that the RPA will follow, but the RPA executes the task. 

Due to a conflux of factors including the advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technology that makes automation easier than ever, the boom of cloud computing and the digital transformation helping more companies access AI/ML-powered automation tools, and economic uncertainties that make cost-saving efficiencies more appealing for nearly all industries, workflow automation is a priority for many companies. By 2026, 30 percent of enterprise companies will automate at least half of their network activities [1]. 

Demonstrating this increase in automation demand, the global market for workflow automation could reach $46.8 billion by 2032, growing at a compounded annual growth rate of 10.1 percent [2].

What is RPA?

Robotic process automation (RPA) is a type of robotics software that can be used to complete many routine or repetitive tasks, such as data entry or extraction, sending emails, opening customer accounts, and moving files. RPA can automate this tedious and otherwise non-creative work along a predefined process that frees up human agents to focus on intelligent, strategic, or creative tasks. 

If you spend much time interacting with the internet, you’ve almost certainly encountered a bot with a goal. Whether it’s a pop-up on a website offering immediate customer service or an automated email response to items left in your shopping cart, your actions prompt these robotic agents to perform a task (helping you navigate the website, answering your questions, or creating a touchpoint for marketing to encourage you to make a purchase). 

What is workflow automation?

Workflow automation is the process of implementing tools like RPA to automate an entire workflow. A workflow refers to the cumulative steps needed to complete a task. 

A simple way to think about workflow is that you must first start a task, then you must complete the task, and then you must close the task. For a more specific example, consider the steps that take effect when a customer makes a purchase. A customer can initiate an automated workflow on the website that collects purchase, shipping, and payment information. This workflow establishes additional workflows: the payment information goes to the financial department, which will need to process the payment (initiating workflows like authorizing and verifying an electronic transfer of funds), and shipping information will need to be sent to order fulfillment (initiating another set of workflows). 

What are the four types of workflows?

The four main categories of workflows are sequential, parallel, state machine, and rules-driven. These categories refer to how the individual tasks in the workflow connect to one another. 

In a sequential workflow, the tasks are dependent on one another, so you must complete one task before moving on to the next. In a parallel workflow, you can complete the tasks at the same time or in any order. In a state machine workflow, projects move through states, such as editing, waiting for client approval, or making changes based on feedback. In a rules-driven workflow, you will use rules to determine when a task or project moves from one step to another. For example, you can set a rule that when customers abandon their shopping carts on your website, your email marketing system will automatically reach out to them. 

RPA and workflow automation benefits

Tools like workflow automation and RPA can help organizations spend less time and money on basic functions so employees can focus on activities that bring more value to the organization, like creative or strategic activities that can’t easily be replicated with a bot. Nearly every department uses workflows that you can enhance with workflow automation, including operations, sales, marketing, human resources, finance, and more. 

Workflow automation can help you: 

• Increase customer satisfaction by enhancing customer support 

• Boost employee satisfaction by freeing your team to work on more engaging and fulfilling work

• Gain more insight into your business processes to optimize and improve your workflows

• Increase productivity while reducing human error and cost

RPA vs. workflow automation: Examples

Workflow automation and RPA are two components of business process automation that work together to help you implement automated solutions. In many cases, you may choose to use workflow automation software like AWS, IBM, or Oracle to implement specific robotic process automation. To explore examples of how RPA and workflow automation work together, consider the workflow automation you might implement in HR or sales.

Human resources

In the human resources department, representatives manage several different important processes like hiring and onboarding new staff, payroll, benefits administration, performance reviews, and more. You can use HR workflow automation software to manage the repetitive tasks associated with these processes, such as entering employee information, tracking employee time cards, managing expenses, or approving budgets. The software can help you create specific RPA, such as tracking applicants, managing expenses, or approving expenses. This can help the professionals in your HR department focus on more appealing and satisfying work, like implementing programs to increase employee engagement or knowledge. 

Sales 

A sales funnel is a business process in which sales professionals identify and build relationships with customers to educate them about company products and how they might solve the customers’ problems or pain points. Within that process, you can identify workflows like capturing lead information when new customers visit your website or request more information, scheduling and executing sales meetings to pitch sales to potential clients, or creating and generating quotes or tailored proposals. You could use workflow automation software to automate administrative tasks like entering customer information into the database or scheduling appointments, so you can spend more time connecting with customers and understanding their pain points. 

Learn about automated workflows on Coursera

Workflow automation and RPA are tools that can help you work more efficiently and with fewer errors by automating part of your processes. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, where you'll find explainers, insights, and tips for building your skills.

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