We use Fortra's Automate to run job schedules for data processing to and from our ERP systems. We extract important data to send to customers and upload it to our ERP system.
The solution is deployed on-premises in just one location.
We use Fortra's Automate to run job schedules for data processing to and from our ERP systems. We extract important data to send to customers and upload it to our ERP system.
The solution is deployed on-premises in just one location.
Fortra's Automate does the work we wanted to do in the expected steps, and it's really a throughput process that enables our system to have a steady flow of transactions.
Our company's goal is to use Fortra's Automate to build and create automation. Of course, we have to instruct the solution as to what to do, but this would be a great enhancement for our organization.
The ability to automate using drag and drop is very important to our organization.
We did not need any training before using the solution.
I was not with my organization when they did not have Fortra's Automate. Therefore, it is difficult for me to measure what they did before. Manual work would have likely caused errors, and the solution is helping to improve that.
I work with EDI, which is the business process that we use. We need to get EDI data into an ERP system, and Fortra's Automate is the tool that can help us do that.
The solution has saved us time, as it is an automated process that runs independently and transfers data.
The solution is quite sound and it is a reliable workhorse. Fortra's Automate performs the job effectively and has the capability to alert us of any issues.
Sometimes when we communicate with the ERP system and there is an issue, we are not always aware of the specifics of Automate and the source of the problem. Automate simply states "failure" and nothing else. This is an area that could be improved by having wizards available to assist.
I have been using the solution for three years.
The solution is stable.
The solution appears to be scalable, however, our lack of time to analyze and experiment is a major setback.
The technical support is excellent. I enjoy chatting with technical support, as it allows me to get a quick response to any solutions or problems. This has saved us a lot of time, and we are able to get an immediate response. The support person will join us online in a Zoom session to resolve our issue. Not many solutions offer this, which is very advantageous for us. We can also email, but they give us the option to chat, which is very quick, easy, thorough, and effective.
Positive
We have seen a return on investment due to the reduction of manual effort required for certain tasks.
The cost is a bit high for a small business like ours, but we manage with Fortra's Automate.
There are no additional fees.
I would rate the solution an eight out of ten because we never received any training or exposure to Fortra's Automate. We had to learn it through hands-on experience with a mentor when we started. We weren't given any resources to help us learn, so we had to figure it out on our own.
We have two people that directly use the solution.
The biggest issue we face is failure when attempting to use the ERP system at times, so we have nothing to maintain.
Potential users without experience should view demonstrations of how Fortra's Automate works to gain an understanding of its capabilities.
We use the solution for automating processes to pull down reports from the web. The company posts these reports on websites, and we want to download them. We then scrape the reports to create database files that can be pulled into other applications.
On occasion, it is easier to use the solution's recorder for recording desktop and browser-based activities.
The solution saved users a lot of time. They are thrilled that they no longer have to manually pull reports and go through large amounts of data to find the information they need. Previously, they had to spend 20-30 minutes every day going through reports, but now we can condense that down to a few minutes.
Fortra's Automate is a drag-and-drop development platform that makes it easy to connect and pull data from visual websites or visuals. Users can simply drag and drop elements to create their automation. This makes Automate a very user-friendly platform, even for those with no coding experience.
Fortra recommends 20 hours of hands-on use before their formal training, which is four, two-hour sessions. I think that is a pretty good plan.
As we use Automate more, it will help us reduce the need to hire more people to process repetitive tasks.
Automate helped our organization reduce human error.
The ability to connect to websites and pull data is the solution's most valuable feature.
Fortra's Automate is not as reliable as I would like it to be. For example, it sometimes has trouble finding elements on a page. I noticed that on occasion when I come in the morning and check the automation, it did not run properly. I am not sure if it is because of the way I programmed it, but this happens more often than I would like.
I have been using Fortra's Automate for four months.
For the most part, the solution is stable. We're still finding ways to program around hiccups in our runs.
The technical support is very good. They are responsive and work through issues with me. I called them two or three times.
Positive
I'm not involved in the dollars side, but we're saving lots of time. Users are moving routine and mundane tasks to Automate so they can get to pertinent information with minimal effort.
I give Fortra's Automate an eight or nine out of ten.
Creating the logging is easy enough. We have to do our own logging in Automate. Maybe that's just how it has to be, but I need to understand how to diagnose problems better. Overall, I'm happy with the product so far.
I recommend taking advantage of the training that Fortra offers on its website. It is good quality training. Fortra requires us to complete 20 hours of training, followed by their formal instructor-led training (via Zoom) and certification. I believe that a lot of this instructor-led training could have been delivered through video from their website and that more time could have been spent discussing real-world use cases for the company. I don't know if this is possible, but the training costs $1500, so I think a more personalized experience would have been better value for money.
We use it for running reports.
It gives us a central place to schedule tasks and run them distributed.
It's fairly important to us that it's based on a drag-and-drop, form-based development. It required very little training.
It has helped to reduce human errors. I can't provide the metrics, but humans are prone to creating errors when doing things manually.
It hasn't recently helped reduce our organization's need to hire more people to process repetitive tasks. That's because it's a mature instance that we're supporting.
Some of the monitoring features and the dashboard are valuable.
The workflow for variables could be better. The input and output of task-level variables could be made a little clearer in terms of passing those around from one task to another upon success, etc. Things like that could be a little easier potentially.
I've been using this solution for about four months.
It's fairly stable. We're seeing some issues. I'd rate it a seven out of ten in terms of stability.
It seems scalable to an extent. We've 15 users using this solution.
I've contacted them. They were very helpful. I'd rate them a ten out of ten.
Positive
I've used other solutions, but there wasn't another one I know of doing this work at this company.
I wasn't a part of the deployment process. It was done several years ago, and I joined the team just this year.
In terms of the setup and the environment, it's virtualized on-premises. We have three EXE servers, one service box, and one server that we run the client on.
In terms of maintenance, I'm not aware of any maintenance requirements.
To those evaluating this solution, I'd advise having your migration plan in place.
I played around with a few of the things, and it seems like a viable option for building and creating automation using no-code automation, but it also depends on the use case.
I'd rate Fortra's Automate an eight out of ten.
We primarily use the solution either for uploading and downloading files on vendor SFTP sites, reading data and files and looking at files to alert and take action, and internally moving files such as data extract and reports from one destination to another, including moving into a network folder or server.
We also use it for data transformation and manipulation, such as converting files from text to Excel or CSV, unzipping files, leading rows and columns, reformatting rows and columns, and combining files.
And then we also use the solution to connect them to databases to execute SQL statements to produce reports.
We've automated all the vendor processes so that we don't have to manually load any files. Basically, it just automates the entire process for over 70 vendors, which is great.
The file interaction features are the most valuable aspect for us. We use them a lot and data interaction is our main use case.
Technical support is responsive.
The initial setup is straightforward.
The stability is very good.
We have found the pricing to be very reasonable.
The OCR needs improvement.
The solution needs image recognition to integrate front-end and back-end workflows. They need to offer better organization of image capturing for image recognition.
The documentation is not that great. There have been times where I've had to reach out to HelpSystems to just try to accomplish what we're looking for. I've used other solutions that have much better documentation available.
I've been using the solution for five years. It's been a while.
The solution is stable. It's reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.
We haven't really tested the scalability. We haven't tried too many integrations, for example.
We have six full-time users on the solution right now.
I've used tech su[pirt in the past and I have found them to be helpful and responsive. I'm satisfied with the level of service they provide.
The initial setup is probably pretty straightforward, or, at least, that's my understanding. We had people System Engineers that we're able to set up pretty easily.
The biggest part about deployment is setting up the dedicated servers, which we're actually installing on the services, and therefore it is pretty painless.
We have seen ROI in terms of saving and cutting down on resources related to specific workflows. You don't have to have IT staff to manipulate files or pick them up or automate some things for end-users. Since they don't have to perform those actions, we get ROI savings there.
We pay the licensing fees on a yearly basis. The pricing is good.
We're just a partner and an end-user.
We don't really use the reporting or the dashboards within the product, although they are available.
There are other solutions that companies can use to integrate with AutoMate. I would recommend that organizations also look to pair it with other solutions like the AutoMate Intelligent Capture Solution as that can integrate very well with the RPA product.
I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten. We've been very happy with its capabilities.
Before we started using Fortra's Automate, we developed a business case in collaboration with the enterprise to determine how to implement the solution in our business.
We explored ways to monetize our automation efforts and considered whether to create a specialized automation department or have multiple employees across various departments working on automation. We decided to appoint one dedicated person to focus on teaching and troubleshooting issues related to the Fortra Automate solution, while employees from different departments would engage in building and refining the RPA processes.
We automated processes across security, IT, and credit cards, addressing numerous time-consuming manual tasks such as modifying credit card parameters and managing user passwords within the IT department. With Fortra's Automate, we've significantly streamlined these processes, enabling a much faster and more transparent workflow for both the IT team and the employees involved in these processes.
I find it very user-friendly. Our IT department and other departments can seamlessly collaborate without requiring extensive training. As a business department, we particularly value this aspect, as our team doesn't consist of many IT users. However, we couldn't solely rely on a drag-and-drop approach to implement and utilize the solution within our departments.
I believe we need to test various OCR tools that assist in evaluating six different customer resyncs. We analyze their spending patterns and documentation, but current OCR support has limitations, requiring highly standardized documents, which isn't always the case. With a more advanced OCR system, we could improve processes related to credit risk management and legal matters.
We're exploring how to integrate Fortra's Automate with our CRM platform, taking cues from instances where Salesforce seamlessly merged with Automate. However, we use a different CRM, Insight for New Enterprise, and we're seeking ways to connect the automation process within our CRM. We aim for the automation to continue smoothly, even in instances where traditional automation methods might face hurdles.
I have been using Fortra’s Automate for more than a year.
It's a distinct challenge. We lack a direct path to the internet; instead, our server connections pass through Argentina, and our Microsoft server is situated in Brazil or the United States. This setup sometimes causes connectivity issues, leading to timeouts. We're actively addressing these concerns within our cloud environment, but overall stability relies heavily on our internet infrastructure, which currently impacts the functioning of our entire setup.
Based on our records, I'd rate it around nine to ten, which is excellent. However, our on-premise servers need improvement, consistently posing challenges, prompting our decision to transition away from this setup. I'd rate on-premise performance at around five at most.
They are good.
Positive
This is our very first solution in this category.
The initial setup was challenging as we, being the first bank in the country, had limited knowledge about transitioning to the cloud. Obtaining authorization from the central bank was a critical step. With significant assistance from the enterprise and Microsoft, leveraging Azure, setting up on the cloud posed its difficulties. Although Fortra's Automate is on-premise, our CRMs are cloud-based. We're in the process of using APIs to bridge our CRM with the on-premise database, creating a hybrid solution, although the CRMs are entirely cloud-based.
Regarding the return on investment, I may not have the exact figures at the moment, but our primary focus is on enhancing efficiency. We are actively measuring and analyzing the efficiency gains we've achieved, and the results have been quite promising.
We are currently engaged in several automation projects, and we are closely tracking the benefits and returns generated by our automation efforts.
I believe the price falls within a reasonable range, which significantly influenced our decision regarding the product. This aspect is crucial for any technological solution, especially in our country where enterprises might be hesitant to invest heavily in something untested or uncertain about its practicality and potential returns.
We conducted research on various solutions, but we were already familiar with Fortra as we had previous positive experiences using it in different organizations.
Firstly, it's crucial for individuals to understand the essence of automation and why it's necessary for their tasks. Many express the need for automation without a clear vision of their existing processes or the roadmap towards automation. It's essential to have a clear understanding of current workflows and the desired destination before considering solutions to facilitate that transition.
Overall, I would rate it 8 out of 10.
With Automate, as an example, if I have a supplier that provides me with items in bulk, the bot of the system will take the bulk order and divide it into individual units for sales. If the company that supplies me also charges for transportation, the system will divide those costs among each item so that I am invoicing and charging correctly when I am selling items on an individual basis. It does this based on the rules I set up on my end. It basically takes the work of many people and automates it.
The solution integrates well with Microsoft Azure. We get AI, artificial intelligence, resources from the solution and it's working very well for us.
The pricing is excellent. I would give them perfect marks in that regard.
The deployment is not too complicated. It's pretty easy.
The forms are very good.
The technical support could be better. We suffer from language barriers, as we are in Argentina.
The OCR (optical character recognition) capacity could be improved a bit.
I have about two years of experience with the solution. It hasn't been too long.
The stability is very good. As far as I know, we haven't had any issues so far. It's very reliable. The performance is good.
The scalability has been very good so far.
We have been using it in a Home Depot-like organization in Costa Rica. It's deployed in over 42 stores there, across different servers, and it is working very well for them. They love the solution and plan to use it more and to increase usage as well.
Typically, we work with medium and large-sized organizations.
Technical support is a bit of an issue.
We have our technical support team from Argentina. We can't even speak the same language. That aspect is quite bad.
However, we have been trained by them, and we had some RPA experts. We were given very good training and they provided it to us.
I found the initial setup to be quite straightforward. It's nice and easy. It's not an overly complex process.
The deployment is pretty fast. We got it done in under one day.
The pricing of the product is reasonable. We don't find it overly expensive. It's very competitive.
We've compared the solution to, for example, Automation Anywhere, Blue Prism, and UiPath. And we have done a lot better with HelpSystem. It offers much better pricing, for example, and offer very good forms.
We are a representative of the company. We are integrators and HelpSystems partners and we sell the platform to companies in Costa Rica, Central America, and Puerto Rico. We do the integration for clients. Therefore, we do the mapping, and we do the bots also.
We are using the latest version of the solution. However, I'm not sure what the exact number is.
I would advise others to have an expert that understands the solution assist in the onboarding process. The platform can be very good. It is really good. However, if you don't have experts to train your people and also to implement the solution properly within your company, it's likely the project will fail.
Overall, I would rate the product at a nine out of ten.
We are a solution provider and this is one of the RPA products that we have evaluated for our clients. We do have experience with it because one of our clients has been using it. However, this is not the right tool for our clients and I would not be comfortable bringing it up.
It is used for very rudimentary stored-procedure automation. Basically, it is for running scripts.
The most valuable features for my client are timing and scheduling. They are not using it to its full potential, so this is what is most important for them.
There are many things that need to be improved.
The security needs to be improved. They do not encrypt passwords, so this is an issue with HIPAA compliance.
They don't have an auto-recording capability, which means that you have to program everything.
The impression that we had and the feedback that we received is that the interface is confusing and there are too many things that you have to do. It can be a very intimidating UI for a lot of people. They have drag-and-drop features, but they are not all that great. The interface needs to be streamlined and if they want broader adoption in a company then they need to do a better job at taking the technology out of it.
Unlike many of the larger competitors, they do not have a Community Edition where you can deploy it and test it out. You might be able to run it for a month or a couple of weeks, but that is not enough. I think that this is something they could improve on.
My client has been using HelpSystems AutoMate for more than a year.
Scaling this product can be very complicated and confusing.
We only have a single client using it.
We had Professional Services included and from a service perspective, I think that they are good. However, they are definitely focused on the smaller scale, technical RPA work, rather than the holistic, large-business process market.
I would say that the support is fine and the knowledge is there, but they have a very technical skillset.
The licensing fees are comparable with the other products in the market. It comes with a package that costs approximately $20,000 USD per year.
HelpSystems Automate is a niche player in the RPA market and not very well known.
One key difference is that more mature tools will have an auto-record feature, where you can press a button and it will record what you're doing. The security is also better in other products.
Competing products have better drag-and-drop capabilities.
One of my clients recently implemented UiPath, rather than this product.
HelpSystems is a smaller company, so they are able to give their customers a lot of attention. I would say that on a small scale, this is a good low-code alternative. On the other hand, if you are looking for something more mature then it is not the right company.
I would rate this solution a four out of ten.
Adaptive Growth is a reseller for HelpSystems' AutoMate Robotic Process Automation software system. Our primary target markets are manufacturing and distribution companies. We also feel that nursing homes and trucking companies are markets that RPA will provide tremendous benefits in operational cost reductions. HelpSystem's PDF and email integration into business software workflows is a great benefit for most any company.
As a reseller of HelpSystems' AutoMate RPA the product will grow our business because of the dramatic operational cost reductions it offers to our customers. Especially when a buyer of AutoMate can grow their business without the associated cost of hiring new employees--a tremendous benefit of RPA.
Companies that take the time to learn and understand AutoMate RPA will want to invest in the product for the benefits it offers, the operational cost reductions it provides and its quick ROI.
The most valuable feature is the drag-and-drop interface, which is very Windows-like.
Technical support and marketing support is terrific.
The documentation is online and it's very good.
The integration is excellent. For example, it will integrate with SAP very easily. It's API
(application programming interface) is easy to use when and where where required.
Adaptive Growth finds that AutoMate satisfies the workflow and repetitive business processes of most any company we would address. The product's improvement will come mostly from its users which has been the case.
Adaptive Growth has been working with HelpSystems AutoMate for about nine months.
This is a very stable product.
AutoMates scalability will satisfy most any company's growth requirements.
Technical support is terrific.
We worked with company a company that sold and implemented UiPath and AGI had a trial version of Kofax RPA
The initial setup is straightforward and very easy. A user company just needs to follow the the implementation steps.
Adaptive Growth implemented AutoMate without outside help.
Customers of AutoMate will realize their ROI within 90 to 120 days from their go-live date. However, that is dependent on the business requirements for a specific project's workflow is properly defined and documented so it meets that workflows business expectations,
We especially like the way AutoMate is priced. Our customers can license it or pay a one-time purchase price dependent on the number of users.
We were looking at UiPath and Kofax, and we chose HelpSystems and AutoMate because the product is so Windows like and easy to use.
Our advice for any company who is implementing RPA including AutoMate is to make sure that the requirements for a specific process are clearly defined and documented.
Overall, we find that this is a good product and it's easy to learn and implement. A buyer of Automate RTA never has to become dependent on an RPA implementation company or a consulting firm and its associated costs.
That said, the principals at AGI have been in the software industry for 35 plus years selling and implementing software systems that address critical business requirements and expectations, we know that a software project will fail when those expectations are not met.
We would rate this solution a eight out of ten.
Thanks for the awesome review! We appreciate your feedback. We’re glad Automate is helping your organization reduce manual work and human errors. Additionally, we love to hear it's saving your employees time by automating processes that run independently to transfer data. Sorry to hear you're having issues identifying the source of a communication error within Automate. I have shared this information with our product/support team. If you ever find you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to Support as they are always at your disposal. Thank you again!