“Automation is driving the decline of banal and repetitive tasks.” — Amber Rudd
Manual data entry. Repetitive form filling. Hours lost to reconciliation. These are wasted potential that are costing businesses millions. Digital transformation (DT) is the remedy. At the heart of it is Robotic Process Automation (RPA), a technology that is reshaping how organisations operate across every sector.
RPA sits atop existing systems, connecting applications and automating workflows with accuracy and speed. RPA bots extract, process, and transfer data across systems at machine speed, liberating information trapped in silos, and human resources trapped in repetitive tasks — work that currently consumes 62% of employees' time.
The impact is measurable. Organisations implementing RPA report transformative results: 86% experienced increased productivity, 59% achieved cost reductions, and 92% saw improved compliance. Beyond operational metrics, automation delivers human benefits: 89% of employees report greater job satisfaction, while 83% believe it reduces burnout. These combined gains explain why 64% of businesses now view RPA as vital to their digital transformation strategies, and why the global RPA market is projected to surge from USD 4.68 billion in 2025 to USD 35.84 billion by 2033, at a CAGR of 29%.
RPA's reach extends across every business function: Finance and Accounting (F&A), Human Resources (HR), Customer Service, IT Operations, and Procurement. These core functions exist in every organisation, irrespective of the industry, and RPA transforms how they operate.
RPA across industries
Financial services
RPA is revolutionizing financial operations by automating accounts payable (AP) and accounts receivable (AR), profit and loss (P&L) reporting, reconciliation, payroll, tax reporting, financial forecasting, and investment management — all while ensuring regulatory compliance. What once required armies of analysts can now run continuously with minimal oversight.
Insurance
The insurance industry is using RPA to transform slow and paper-intensive processes. RPA tackles fraud detection, claims processing, underwriting, business intelligence, customer relationship management (CRM), regulatory compliance, and policy administration — dramatically reducing processing times and improving customer experience.
Healthcare
As the industry moves toward smart hospitals, RPA handles vast volumes of patient data, streamlines appointment scheduling, manages medical trials, improves claims management, and maintains electronic health records, freeing clinicians to focus on patient care rather than paperwork.
Retail
Retailers are leveraging RPA to create seamless operations from warehouse to customer. The technology optimizes supply chain management (SCM), handles order processing, provides sales analytics, manages inventory, and enhances CRM, completely transforming how retailers compete in an increasingly digital marketplace.
Manufacturing
RPA is enabling automotive manufacturers to scale quality and responsiveness. The technology handles telematics, logistics, SCM, production tracking, and regulatory compliance — allowing manufacturers to deliver exceptional customer service while maintaining operational efficiency.
Across all these industries, a pattern is emerging: RPA is not just automating tasks, it is fundamentally reshaping business models.
RPA as a DT catalyst
RPA serves as the foundation for enterprise-wide digital transformation (DT), not merely process automation. While traditional IT modernisation projects can span years requiring costly infrastructure overhauls, RPA implementations deliver results in weeks to months by operating atop existing systems. This rapid deployment enables organisations to redirect capital and resources from maintaining legacy processes toward strategic innovation and growth.
The transformation potential multiplies through integration with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). When combined, these technologies move organisations beyond simple task automation to intelligent decision-making systems. These connected platforms process unstructured data, learn from patterns, and adapt to changing conditions — capabilities that fundamentally redefine business models. The impact is tangible: onboarding processes are reduced from weeks to days or even hours to minutes, paper-based workflows are transformed into fully digital journeys, and real-time supply chains respond instantly to market fluctuations.
RPA also accelerates transformation by reallocating human talent strategically. Employee time currently consumed by repetitive tasks becomes available for high-value work — innovation, customer relationships, and complex problem-solving that technology cannot replicate. This represents organisational evolution, not just operational efficiency. Companies using RPA as their transformation foundation report faster market adaptation, improved customer experiences, and the agility to adopt emerging technologies as business needs evolve. The technology does not just improve existing processes; it creates the capacity for continuous transformation.
Where RPA is headed
The transformation that RPA enables today is only the beginning. As organisations gain confidence with automation, they are scaling from departmental pilots to enterprise-wide deployments that span entire value chains. This evolution is being accelerated by the democratisation of automation itself. Low-code and no-code RPA platforms are putting tools directly into the hands of business users, allowing citizen developers to build and deploy bots without extensive technical expertise. This shift accelerates implementation while fostering innovation from within operational teams who understand processes most intimately.
The trajectory is clear: RPA adoption will continue to accelerate globally, with emerging markets driving growth alongside established enterprises. Organisations that invest now in strategic planning, robust testing, and comprehensive change management will gain competitive advantages that compound over time — enhanced productivity, optimised processes, and the agility to stay ahead in an increasingly automated economy.
How Infosys BPM can help
Infosys BPM's Robotic Process Automation solutions transform business operations through intelligent automation that combines RPA, AI, and proven domain expertise. Our specialists leverage the proprietary AssistEdge platform to deliver end-to-end services — helping organisations scale from pilots to enterprise-wide transformation that enhances efficiency, amplifies business value, and elevates customer experience.
