Whether it’s looking for products on Amazon, restaurants on Yelp, or movies on Rotten Tomatoes, consulting reviews has become a basic instinct before any purchase. And it’s a no-brainer to seek out user feedback before a more consequential purchase—like a robotic process automation (RPA) solution.
But with so many RPA vendors—and so many software review sites—how do you know what to look for in a review? It’s not always as simple as positive vs. negative. Learning how to analyze reviews the smart way can help you better understand what real RPA users like and dislike about a product, and ultimately decide what is the right fit for your needs.
Using RPA Software Reviews to Your Advantage
Experts from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission have come up with a few helpful keys for researching user reviews:
- Are the reviewer’s needs similar to yours? Factors like company size and industry are important when comparing your needs to a reviewer. RPA isn’t a one-size-fits all solution—what doesn’t work for one organization might be a perfect fit for yours.
- Is the review overly positive or aggressively negative? People are compelled to leave reviews for many reasons—especially extreme emotions. Beware of reviews that are over-the-top in their praise of a product in the same way you would a profanity-laced negative review.
- Are you spending too much time star gazing? Not everyone has the same standards when it comes to leaving a star rating. Instead, keep your focus on written reviews that offer more insight into the product beyond if a user likes it or not. These can tell you the problems solved (or not) by an RPA tool and explain in more detail a user’s experience with a vendor.
Use these examples of robotic process automation reviews of Fortra’s Automate from various review sites.
SoftwareReviews: Automation that Covers the Basics and Beyond
“I adore being able to create sophisticated RPA tasks without having any prior coding knowledge. It provides a wide range of actions, from basic ones (like copying files, typing simulation, working with spreadsheets, sending and receiving emails, and modifying desktop and web applications) to more difficult ones (like using REST APIs, integrating with SQL, FTP, PowerShell, Amazon Services, and VMWare).”
Rated: N/A
Reviewed By: Jonah M., Technology Operations
How this Review Can Help You:
Sometimes reviews can be vague in how they describe a software product—but not here. Jonah M.’s review goes deeper than just saying, “this product is good,” by giving specific tasks and applications he uses Automate for. If any of these processes to automate are on your to-do list, this review shows you that your problems can be solved by choosing Automate.
G2: Easy-to-Use and Quick to Improve Processes
“Automate is very easy to use. This is coming from someone who has not used an RPA tool before. My manager was amazed at how fast I can create processes that help us improve the business process.”
Rated: 5/5 Stars
Reviewed By: Kris T., Small Business
How this Review Can Help You:
At its most basic level, people turn to RPA tools to simplify business processes. And often, those outside of the IT department—citizen developers—are the ones needing the most help. Are you looking for an automation tool that doesn’t require much coding or technical experience? And do you want to avoid a lengthy training process and get up and running? Kris T. didn’t have experience with RPA tools but was still able to improve business processes fast.
PeerSpot: Beats Competitors in Key Areas
“Compared to UiPath, Automation Anywhere, and Blue Prism, Automate is significantly cheaper, as it is priced per bot rather than per process. This allows a single bot to run multiple processes, but still be priced as a single bot. Additionally, Automate is the only vendor to offer an unlimited option, where customers can have unlimited bots, and each bot can do an unlimited number of tasks.”
Rated: 4.5/5
Reviewed By: Vinayak Hariharan, Developer
How this Review Can Help You:
The bottom line when it comes to choosing a software vendor? Your bottom line. Oftentimes, vendors can be vague in their RPA pricing. Understanding the difference in price of solutions makes all the difference in achieving a positive ROI. In this review, Vinayak Hariharan breaks down the options among top RPA software vendors and shares why Automate can give you more bang for your buck through its transparent pricing structure.
Making Your Decision
Reviews are just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to assessing RPA solutions. There are different approaches to RPA to consider, and understanding how you want to automate a task is key to choosing the vendor that can help you solve your automation challenges. Research the features and capabilities, RPA ROI estimates, and support offerings of each vendor. Then along with reviews, you can develop a clearer picture of what life would be like with an RPA tool.
Most importantly, take advantage of any vendor with a free RPA software trial. You should be able to try out automating a task and get a front-row look at a solution.
See What Real Users Say About Fortra’s Automate
Want to know how well an RPA solution works? Just ask its current users.