The COVID-19 health crisis is impacting retail on a global scale. While products such as pharmaceuticals, cleaning supplies and grocery items are selling out, other products like luxury goods are stagnant.
The immediate transition from “brick and mortar store” shopper to on-line shopper is also leaving its mark. One of the largest online retailers is now faced with sudden demand and needs to add over 100,000 warehouse and delivery workers.
However, for most retailers, communicating with customers and managing a shifting supply chains is a larger priority.
Robotic process automation (RPA) can play a key role in keeping businesses operating during this turbulent time.
In the case of the mega retailer, they will need to process 800,000 to 1M job applicants in a short period of time. To accomplish this, they will employ several bots to verify employment eligibility and begin background checks.
Using this digital workforce to speed up the time of the hiring process while leaving their Human Resources team free to focus on other aspects of the procedure. The desired outcome is maintaining customer satisfaction and experience.
RPA can also be used in ways more specific to dealing with the health of employees. A recently released Health Screening Bot sends questionnaires to employees checking on their health status and automatically keeps track and follows up with those who haven’t completed the survey.
The bot compiles the data, tracking the health of the employee population through graphs, charts and other reports.
Closures and quarantines have made some established supply chains disjointed, leaving retailers scrambling for solutions.
Below are several processes within supply chain management that have a high potential of using RPA successfully.
Planning:
- Sales Forecasting
- Gathering Data, Customer Plans, External Inputs
- Reporting
- Supplier Planning
- Downloading Data
- Reporting
- Data analysis
- Sales and Operations Reconciliation
- Data Aggregation, Consolidation
- Communicating Preferences
Sourcing:
- Buying Channel Enablement
- Vendor Activation
- Catalog Management
- User Management
- Requisitions Management
- Replenishment order generation
- Purchase Order Management
- PO Creation
- PO Changes and Cancellations
- PO Transitions
Delivery
- Logistics Administration
- Shipment Creation
- Shipment Documentation
- Shipment Tracking
- Order Management
- Order Entry
- Order Modification / Cancellation
- Document Handling
- Reverse Logistics
- Create RMA
- Create Return Shipment Order
After Market
- Service Contract Management
- Configure entitlement
- Configure Contract in ERP
- Warranty Management
- Perform Registration
- Claim Pre-Authorization Check
- Service Order Creation
- Customer Service
- Query Receipt and Validation
- Resolution Communication
- Spare Parts
- Spare Parts Order Management
Retailers and other companies are acting quickly to implement business continuity plans and activate newly necessary work from home policies.
Rethinking platforms and systems are now a top priority and the use of robotic process automation is a tactic that can no longer be overlooked.
Learn more about how Saisystems Technology help our clients implement RPA.
For a free consultation contact Saisystems Technology at 203-567-5260 or fill out the form below.