RPA (Robotic Process Automation) uses software robots to do the dull, repetitive work people would otherwise do by hand. The robot opens applications, clicks buttons, copies numbers and fills in forms, exactly as a person would, but faster and without typos.
Think of it as a very fast, very patient temp who only does what you taught them. You record or describe the steps once, and the robot repeats them whenever you want: every morning, every new order, or every time a file lands in a folder. A single robot can replace hours of someone copying figures from a SaaS dashboard into a spreadsheet, day after day.
The big advantage is that RPA works on top of existing systems. When an old tool has no API to connect to, a robot can still log in and operate it through the normal screen. For modern systems, tools like n8n often do the job more cleanly.
That surface-level approach has a cost, though. Because the robot reads the screen, a redesign or a moved button can break it, so RPA tends to need more upkeep than a direct connection. The honest rule is to treat it as a bridge for systems that give you no other way in, rather than a first choice when a real integration exists. It also struggles the moment a task needs judgement: a robot will happily process a clearly wrong invoice because it only follows the steps, with no sense that something looks off. Used on high-volume, no-judgement work, though, it earns its keep and stays out of trouble.
At TopDevs we use RPA where it earns its keep, taking the manual copy-paste out of your day so your team can spend time on work that actually needs a human.
