Why Do RPA Bots Break and How to Prevent Costly Downtime?

The Hidden Risks in Robotic Process Automation Solutions

Robotic Process Automation Solutions are transforming business operations by streamlining repetitive tasks and improving efficiency. However, companies often assume that RPA bots will run indefinitely without failure once deployed. The reality is quite different—bots can break, leading to operational disruptions and financial losses. Studies indicate that 30-50% of RPA projects fail due to poor maintenance and unforeseen errors (Deloitte, 2021). So, what causes these failures, and how can businesses prevent costly downtime? Let’s break it down.

Common Reasons Why RPA Bots Fail

1. System and UI Changes:

Most RPA bots interact with software interfaces, reading on-screen elements to perform tasks. However, a minor UI update or software patchcan confuse the bot, causing it to misread elements or fail.

Prevention Strategy: Implement adaptive automation that detects UI changes and updates the bot accordingly. Synergy Computers integrates AI-driven monitoring to adjust automation workflows proactively.

2. Unstructured or Unexpected Data Inputs:

RPA bots excel at structured data but struggle when input formats vary. A minor tweak in an invoice format or a missing field can cause errors in data processing, disrupting automation.

Prevention Strategy: Use intelligent document processing (IDP) alongside RPA to handle variations in data formats. Synergy Computers enhances RPA workflows with AI-powered OCR and NLP, ensuring bots adapt to unstructured data.

3. API or Backend Integration Failures

Many businesses rely on RPA bots to pull data from APIs or backend systems. If an API undergoes version changes or is temporarily unavailable, bots can fail.

Prevention Strategy: Synergy Computers implements error-handling logic that detects API failures and retries operations automatically, ensuring bots can function even when systems experience minor outages.

4. Compliance and Security Updates

Regulatory changes often require businesses to modify data processing methods. If an RPA bot is not updated to align with new compliance laws (such as GDPR or HIPAA), it can lead to non-compliance and penalties.

Prevention Strategy: Establish an RPA governance framework with regular bot audits and compliance checks. Synergy Computers provides real-time compliance monitoring to prevent legal and security risks.

5. Poor Exception Handling and Error Recovery

Many RPA solutions lack robust error-handling mechanisms, meaning a small failure can halt an entire workflow. Without human intervention, processes can remain stuck for hours.

Prevention Strategy: Implement self-healing automation where bots detect anomalies, pause faulty tasks, and restart processes without manual intervention. Synergy Computers integrates predictive analytics to preempt potential failures.

The Cost of RPA Downtime

Downtime in RPA processes is not just an inconvenience—it’s a financial risk. Research from Gartner (2022) highlights that a single hour of IT downtime costs businesses an average of $300,000. When RPA bots fail unexpectedly, companies face:

• Lost productivitydue to halted operations.
• Increased manual work to compensate for bot failures
• Customer dissatisfaction from delayed processes.
• Regulatory finesfor non-compliance in automated workflows.

How Synergy Computers Prevents RPA Downtime

Synergy Computers (Pvt) Ltd. ensures businesses avoid costly RPA failures through proactive monitoring, adaptive automation, and intelligent error handling. Our approach includes the following strategies for your satisfaction:

• 24/7 Bot Health Monitoring: Detects potential failures before they disrupt workflows.
• AI-Powered Predictive Maintenance:Uses machine learning to anticipate and resolve automation issues.
• Scalable RPA Infrastructure:Ensures automation grows seamlessly across departments without performance bottlenecks.
• Custom Troubleshooting Frameworks: Provides tailored solutions for industry-specific automation challenges.

Future-Proof Your RPA Strategy

Deploying Robotic Process Automation Solutions is not just about automating tasks—it’s about ensuring long-term efficiency. Businesses that fail to prioritize RPA maintenance and troubleshooting will face repeated failures and rising costs. Synergy Computers helps organizations build resilient, self-healing automation that prevents downtime and optimizes performance. Investing in the right RPA strategy today means seamless, reliable automation tomorrow.

Contact US!

Tel: 021- 34527060 ,34540908, 34547068

Fax: 021- 34540907

Email: info@synergy.net.pk