Web automation

Web automation, as you might expect, is using software robots to automate business processes with in-browser web steps. Such steps could include anything from filling out lengthy forms to scraping web data. 

It might help to think of web automation as a subcategory of RPA or business process automation (BPA). While all three use software robots to automate processes, web automation uses them specifically for automating web-based tasks. 

Let’s say you have a multi-step business process that requires you to populate an internal application with new data from the web every day. Rather than manually going and collecting that data yourself, you can train a helpful software robot to do it for you. Even if you’re just saving yourself ten minutes every day, over the course of a year, you’ve gotten back nearly two days’ worth of time.

So, how does web automation work?

Imagine you’ve been given your own personal assistant to help you with your daily work tasks. Before they can get started, you need to train them on how those tasks should be performed. You can either write out step-by-step instructions for each task or perform the tasks yourself while your assistant watches and learns.

Although web automation is a bit more complex in how it works, it’s not entirely different from this scenario. However, instead of training an assistant, you’re training a software robot. You can give the robot instructions on how to perform a web task. Or, it can follow along as you perform the task yourself and then replicate those steps with incredible accuracy.

Web automation certainly helps you save time by carrying out tedious, time-consuming tasks on your behalf. However, regarding business benefits, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Web automation benefits include:

Getting results faster

Web automation doesn’t simply take care of web tasks for you. It can complete the same tasks as humans at far greater speeds. In fact, a web process that takes hours for a human to complete could be completed by a software robot in minutes or seconds. Therefore, people who use web automation aren’t just saving themselves time. They’re improving efficiency while giving themselves more time to focus on tasks that rely on human skillsets.

Improving accuracy

There’s no denying that the benefits human employees bring to an organization are irreplaceable. However, there are certain areas where software robots are better suited to the task at hand. For instance, humans are prone to errors, like hitting the wrong key or copying an incorrect dataset. This is especially true when humans are tasked with carrying out the same tedious web process over and over and over again. Software robots are trained to carry out tasks the exact same way every single time, and they aren’t as susceptible to error as humans. Therefore, they are less likely to make an incorrect keystroke or miss a step. If trained correctly, they provide significantly better accuracy than any human.

Adding value from the top level to the shop level

So, what do faster and more accurate web processes add up to? When combined, greater speed, accuracy, and efficiency amount to greater value for your organization. Not only are you completing more processes faster than ever before, but you’ll also save time by reducing errors and the time it takes to correct them. In simple terms, you are saving both time and money when you incorporate web automation into your wider automation strategy. Not to mention, your human employees will have more time to focus on tasks that challenge them mentally and creatively. Now, that’s a win-win-win situation.

Imagine you’re an e-tailer who needs to know up-to-date competitor pricing across digital channels. Or, say you’re a marketer who relies on timely customer data from a cloud-based system. The beauty of web automation is its adaptability to different web processes. Two people could use web automation for two completely different tasks but with the same goal of increasing speed and accuracy. Here are some common examples of web processes suited to web automation.

Automated form filling

Form filling is a tedious and time-consuming task. It is also prone to frequent errors, as even one missed keystroke could prove costly. Web automation can automatically fill out forms with the correct information almost instantly, reducing human-induced errors and bottlenecks in web processes.

Automated content scraping

For many businesses, third-party web data plays a major role in informing strategy. For e-tailers, knowing up-to-date pricing for competitors can help determine the cost they list their own products for. Alternatively, digital marketers use search data to understand who is ranking on search engines for specific keywords.

No matter what you might use web data for, web automation provides you with faster access to it. It can scrape the necessary information from the web and input it into the desired internal systems so that you can focus on strategy, not data input.

As more businesses migrate to cloud-based applications, web automation is more important than ever before. However, most business processes aren’t limited to just the web or internal systems. You need to choose a web automation tool that integrates easily into your wider internal processes beyond just web-based tasks.

The UiPath Business Automation Platform™ connects your web automations with your wider business processes for seamless end-to-end automations. It incorporates AI and ML to allow for the automation of even the most complex business processes.

So, whether you’re migrating to a new web-based system or simply relying on data from the web to make decisions, we’ve got you covered. Want to see how automation can help with your role? Explore our automation solutions for different departments.