Accounting: Automated Expense Report Processing

Client Description:
Chicago-based IT consulting firm with satellite offices in Pennsylvania, Northern Ireland, and Argentina.
Business Challenge:
Client needed to automate accounting processes to reduce the manual labor and potential for error, allowing staff to focus on more critical activities.
Key Service Area:
- Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
Technologies:
- UiPath
- MS Excel
- MS Outlook
- MS Exchange Server
Solution:
- Constructed Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to convert credit card statement data into individual expense reports utilizing UiPath and Excel Interop
- Utilized RPA to deliver individual reports via email to each cardholder utilizing UiPath and Exchange Interop
- Applied RPA to process incoming emails and update master expense report with cardholders’ submitted changes
Challenges for Automation:
- Acquisition of data from credit card company cannot be automated
- Limitations in the extent Excel can be manipulated through Office Interoperability creates a need for some automation to be invoked from UiPath, then executed within Excel
- Since this process produces a mass mailing, absolute accuracy and integrity of results are required in order to avoid bombarding recipients with incorrect or spurious emails
Impact:
- Replaced manual processes with automation, saving 8-16 hours per month
- Increased accuracy by eliminating error-prone cut & paste operations, as well as hand-written formulas
- Improved consistency by automating construction of expense reports using standard templates