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RPA in logistics: use cases, benefits & implementation guide
RPA in logistics helps automate routine activities like manual data entry, shipment tracking, and delivery
scheduling. AI-powered RPA bots, in turn, can handle advanced tasks, such as route optimization and
customer queries based on their profile data, previous interactions, and emotional cues.
With a solid track record of successful RPA projects, Itransition offers comprehensive robotic process automation services to help companies from logistics-intensive clusters minimize manual workloads, streamline the delivery process,
and reduce operational costs.
66%
of supply chain professionals are very/extremely likely to implement RPA for logistics & warehousing
APQC
56%
of logisticians’ work time will be impacted by AI due to automation or augmentation
Accenture
Top eight RPA use cases in logistics
Order processing
In logistics, order processing involves many repetitive activities, including accepting orders from multiple
channels, validating customer details, generating invoices, and updating order statuses. These tasks can be
time-consuming and error-prone if performed manually. RPA can help streamline order processing, enabling
companies to fulfill more orders and speed up deliveries.
For example, RPA bots can automatically collect necessary information from incoming orders, verify if the
provided details are complete and correct, and input order data into the logistics management software
systems. Businesses can also use bots to create invoices and send payment reminders to customers, making the
order-to-cash process faster.
Shipment scheduling & tracking
Errors in shipment scheduling can lead to delayed deliveries and misrouted shipments, undermining customer
trust and incurring additional costs. With RPA, companies prevent such mistakes as bots can accurately fill
out shipping documents, select suitable transport and routes based on predefined rules, and notify
stakeholders of shipment details.
In addition, companies can use RPA tools to track shipments in real-time and quickly take necessary actions
in case of delays or other issues.
Bots enhanced with AI can analyze multiple parameters, including historical data, delivery location and
time, traffic patterns, vehicle capacity, and weather conditions, to suggest the optimal route during
shipment scheduling.
Warehouse operations
With RPA, companies can automate multiple warehouse management activities, minimizing travel time within the
warehouse and maximizing throughput. For example, RPA software can automatically generate packing slips and
instructions, and shipping labels, freeing warehouse personnel from these mundane tasks.
Warehouse managers can also use bots to automatically assign tasks to specific workers based on item
location, worker availability, and delivery urgency, minimizing the time needed to pick the item and
increasing staff productivity.
Customer service
By adopting RPA to handle routine customer-facing tasks, companies free up more time for their sales reps
and support agents to build stronger relationships with clients.
Customer service teams can use bots to respond to general customer queries. With bots operating 24/7 and
providing multilingual support, companies can significantly reduce query processing times for the team and
waiting times for customers. RPA tools automate data collection from customer queries and its input into the
ticket system. If enhanced with AI capabilities, these bots can interpret the query content and customer
sentiment and escalate the ticket to relevant human agents if needed, providing contextual information for
faster issue resolution.
RPA tools can also track shipping statuses for orders and automatically send notifications to customers with
updates, improving transparency and helping build trust with customers.
Inventory management
Maintaining optimal inventory levels is critical for companies that heavily rely on logistics, like
retailers or manufacturers, to prevent disruptions in supply chains and effectively meet customer demand.
Robotic process automation tools can run real-time inventory checks for item availability and alert relevant
teams or automatically place new orders when stock levels drop below a certain limit. This helps prevent
understocking and streamlines order fulfillment.
Intelligent RPA bots with predictive capabilities can analyze historical sales data, customer behavior, and
market trends to make accurate demand forecasts, which enable businesses to plan sufficient inventory
levels.
Returns processing
Handling returns involves reverse logistics with additional shipping costs that negatively impact the
revenue of businesses. Therefore, implementing RPA for returns processing can be a key factor in minimizing
return-related expenses.
Companies can use RPA to authorize process requests based on predefined rules, create return orders and link
them with the original purchase order, generate and send return shipping labels to customers, and initiate
refund payment processes, increasing operational efficiency and improving customer experience.
Compliance management & reporting
Companies from the logistics industry must comply with multiple transportation safety, customs, and
environmental regulations and RPA solutions can assist in meeting these requirements. For example, software
robots can generate error-free shipping documents, customs declarations, and other official forms,
minimizing the risk of compliance errors and penalties. Moreover, RPA solutions provide audit trails by
automatically logging all actions taken by the bot and storing process history.
Supplier management
Supplier management is vital for the efficient and uninterrupted operation of modern businesses. By
automating labor-intensive manual tasks, companies can free their employees’ time to focus on developing and
maintaining beneficial, long-term relationships with suppliers.
RPA software with AI capabilities can help manage suppliers more efficiently. In addition to automating
tasks within administrative processes like contract management and invoice processing, such solutions can
facilitate more complex, strategic activities. For example, intelligent bots can help select reliable
vendors by gathering information about candidates, compiling company profiles, running background checks,
and ranking vendors based on predefined criteria.
After a supplier is selected and approved, bots can speed up their onboarding by collecting necessary
information and documents, creating supplier accounts, and providing training materials to new vendors.
Сompanies can also automate supplier performance monitoring by programming bots to track vendor performance
data in real-time, notify teams of any issues, and collect documentation for performance review meetings.
RPA demo: intelligent bots in action
In this demo, we show how an RPA bot complemented with AI can accelerate order processing for a logistics
company by extracting order data from emails and entering it into the order management system.
Check how RPA can streamline your logistics operations
The RPA market is mature, with dozens of software vendors offering both universal and niche products for task
automation. When selecting an RPA platform for logistics operations, we recommend considering the following
platforms, which are listed as leaders in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Robotic Process Automation 2024.
UiPath
Used by 10,800+ customers globally, UiPath is the market-leading AI-powered business automation platform
offering an extensive ecosystem of tools to automate and orchestrate general and logistics-specific
business processes across the enterprise.
Platform highlights
Ready-made components and templates to automate administrative routine tasks (e.g., bill of lading
creation or shipment contract validation)
Low-code development tools
Integrated AI capabilities powered by GenAI, computer vision, and NLP, e.g. intelligent document
processing
Prebuilt APIs for popular business tools like SAP S/4HANA and Salesforce
Flexible deployment options as a cloud-native or on-premises solution
60-day free trial
Microsoft Power Automate
A part of Microsoft’s Power Platform, Power Automate is a cloud low-code tool that enables logistics
teams to automate their routine and time-consuming operations with RPA and AI.
Platform highlights
Attended and unattended RPA support
Prebuilt templates for popular scenarios
Copilot, a Microsoft AI assistant to help automate logistics processes using natural language
Task and process mining
Automation orchestration
1,000+ prebuilt, certified connectors for popular services like Dynamics 365, SAP S/4HANA, and
Salesforce
30-day free trial
SS&C Blue Prism
SS&C Blue Prism offers a suite of tools for intelligent automation and orchestration that combine RPA
with AI-powered automation and BPM to help transportation and logistics teams automate manual,
repetitive, and time-consuming processes.
Platform highlights
Automation of tasks within key logistics processes, including inventory management, order processing
and tracking, and route optimization
Prebuilt workflows
Low-code process automation with Visual Studio
AI capabilities, including OCR and NLP
SaaS, cloud, and on-premises deployment options
30-day free trial
Automation Anywhere
The Automation Success Platform enables logistics teams to automate repetitive digital tasks and
transform disconnected processes into unified operations.
Platform highlights
Low-code tools for professional and citizen developers
Bot Store, a marketplace for prebuilt automation solutions
Automation opportunities discovery with AI
Universal recorder for faster bot creation
CoE Manager
Native connectors for enterprise apps and iPaaS platforms
Public cloud, private cloud, hybrid, or on-premise deployment options
Real-world examples of RPA in logistics: Itransition’s selected cases
We delivered a bot for a logistics company that provides worldwide shipping services for 5,000+ clients. The
RPA solution automates CMR notes management, streamlines data transfer between the systems of our customer and
their clients, and performs brief checks of the client and supplier databases, enabling employees to
concentrate on more important business tasks.
180
person-hours saved per year
Carrier management automation
A global returns management company that works with 200+ carrier partners turned to Itransition to automate
their carrier status update process. We implemented an RPA solution that activates and deactivates carriers’
availability status in the admin panel in real-time, providing 1.5x faster status updates.
Benefits of RPA in logistics
While the benefits of RPA adoption can vary depending on the specific
business processes you want to automate, there are several universal advantages that make this technology a rewarding
investment.
Higher team productivity
By automating repetitive, time-consuming tasks, RPA allows employees to devote their time to tasks requiring
human judgment and add more value.
Lower operational costs
Thanks to minimized human intervention and bots’ 24/7 availability, companies can speed up task completion
while cutting labor expenses and eliminating inefficiencies in processes.
Error-free documentation
RPA bots handle data with up to 100% accuracy, which helps reduce the risk of human errors in documents,
improve service quality, and ensure regulatory compliance
Increased customer satisfaction
RPA enables companies to fulfill orders faster, increase shipment visibility, and provide accurate data to
customers, which helps foster their trust and loyalty.
Scheme title: Top benefits of RPA deployment in supply chain
Data source: apqc.org — Robotic Process Automation in Supply Chain: 2024 Quick Poll Report
How to implement RPA in logistics
To maximize the value of their RPA initiatives, companies should carefully plan the software bot
implementation process. Our experts offer a step-by-step guide to help you effectively manage the complexities
of RPA adoption and avoid common pitfalls.
Initiation
1
Project setup
Set up objectives for your initiative
Plan the implementation project
Assemble the project team with clear roles and responsibilities
Tip
In addition to involving your IT department early on to help with the IT infrastructure setup and data
security oversight, ensure that all stakeholders understand and support the RPA initiative.
Conduct interviews with stakeholders to identify repetitive, stable, and rule-based processes for
automation
Tip
It’s important to assess whether RPA is the best option for specific processes, or if other automation
technologies (like artificial intelligence and machine learning) and dedicated software (like ERP) would
be a better fit.
3
Business case calculation
Consider the cost savings of running the process with RPA bots compared to involving employees as well
as RPA implementation costs
Calculate the potential ROI
Tip
When calculating gains and expenses, also take into account soft factors, such as user satisfaction.
4
Software provider selection
Research the software options available in the market and shortlist several suitable providers
Assess the preselected platforms based on various criteria, such as scope of functions, cost, required
skills, security, user-friendliness, and vendor reputation
Tip
You can use a trial version for your pilot RPA project to test the capabilities and usability of the
platform you choose.
Piloting
Start with the automation of a few specific tasks or processes to evaluate the success of the RPA
application and pave the way for larger-scale, more complex RPA solutions.
1
Process documentation & optimization
Create a comprehensive description of the process to be automated, detailing all the activities,
systems involved, and exceptions that can arise during bot runs and how to handle them
Standardize and simplify the existing workflows before the process automation to avoid
inefficiencies at scale
Tip
Document insights gained during this stage for future full-scale RPA roll-out or scaling.
2
Pilot bot development
Create scripts for automating the selected processes
Tip
We recommend following an Agile approach and iteratively refine the bot based on continuous testing.
3
Pilot validation
Run rigorous tests of the finished pilot bot, including functional, integration, and user acceptance
tests, to make sure the solution performs as expected
Measure the pilot bot’s KPIs to assess the economic gains it brings
Tip
Before running full-scale RPA implementation, ensure all concerns raised by the stakeholders have been
resolved and their suggestions have been taken into account so that every team member can use the
solution effectively.
Deployment
1
Operating model setup
Establish a framework for effective, secure, and cost-efficient RPA scaling and functioning of bots,
defining what processes can or cannot be automated, which employees have access rights to RPA bots, and
how new RPA solutions should be integrated into your IT environment
2
Center of excellence creation
Assign a dedicated team to accumulate and manage the necessary knowledge and skills needed to
effectively implement RPA
Tip
Depending on the scope of your RPA initiative, the company’s size, and the availability of resources,
you can assign various employees to the CoE’s roles or have one employee take on several roles.
3
Deployment at a large scale
Deploy new RPA solutions based on incoming automation requests from business units
Tip
Create a centralized component library for common RPA modules to speed up the development of new bots.
Governance, maintenance & improvement
Continuously monitor your RPA solutions for compliance with the company’s policies, security standards,
and industry regulations
Set up ongoing monitoring of bots’ performance and establish a service desk to help users quickly fix
issues and prevent disruptions in automated processes
Regularly identify optimization opportunities and implement necessary changes to keep bots effective and
aligned with the company’s workflows in the long run
Challenges of RPA implementation in logistics
Like any other technology, adopting RPA can entail various difficulties. We delve into the most common
challenges that companies from the logistics-intensive sector face on their RPA implementation journey and
offer possible solutions.
Issue
Solution
Implementation cost
According to APQC’s 2024 Robotic Process Automation in Supply Chain report, 54% of the respondents see the
cost of implementing RPA as a top barrier to its deployment for supply chain management.
You can start your RPA implementation with a pilot project to reduce upfront investment. We recommend
choosing high-impact processes that can yield high return on investment (ROI), like capturing order
details and shipment tracking. If the pilot implementation proves successful, continue to automate other
processes iteratively to balance out the project’s expenses and gains.
Legacy software
Businesses often rely on outdated systems for their core logistics operations, which can limit
opportunities for RPA rollout.
Legacy software can have limited compatibility and lack integration capabilities. In this case, it can
be difficult to integrate the RPA technology and introduce new automated workflows. Before starting the
RPA implementation process, organizations should carefully assess their current IT environments to
identify processes where automation is feasible, map out possible workarounds, and plan IT
infrastructure changes.
Although major RPA platforms offer prebuilt integrations with modern enterprise applications like
Salesforce or SAP S/4HANA, legacy logistics software generally requires custom integrations. In this
case, partnering with an experienced RPA implementation team can be the safest option.
Employee resistance
Employees can be reluctant to adopt the new technology, fearing they can lose their jobs or refusing to
give up familiar workflows.
For smooth RPA adoption and operation, organizations should prepare a comprehensive change management
program to help employees transition from traditional, manual processes to automated workflows. Proper
training should be planned to address employees’ concerns and help them develop new skills.
If a company has already implemented RPA in certain departments, product owners can share the success
stories to foster interest in RPA among the employees and stimulate digital transformation.
We analyze your current logistics workflows to help you identify the best RPA use cases, select the most
suitable RPA platform, and decide on the deployment approach. We create a step-by-step RPA implementation
roadmap with the key milestones and a technical design of the RPA solution to help you streamline the
implementation process and minimize project risks.
Implementation
Our team implements logistics RPA solutions end-to-end, from planning automation and building bots to
configuring infrastructure and integrating the solution into your existing workflows. We test the RPA solution
to ensure it functions as intended and provide user onboarding and training to make the adoption process
smooth.
Accelerate shipping & logistics with RPA
Robotic process automation can help organizations streamline core logistics processes, cut operational costs,
and navigate many hurdles, from supply chain disruptions to labor shortages. The ability to handle high-volume
routine activities much faster and more accurately than human workers has made RPA a perfect fit for logistics,
where repetitive tasks are intrinsic.
If you’re looking to automate your logistics operations, consider partnering with Itransition for expert advice and
seamless RPA implementation.
Automate your processes with an experienced RPA team
The cost of RPA implementation in logistics varies from case to case. Various factors, such as the number and
complexity of processes to be automated, the RPA platform’s license fees, integrations, and the RPA
implementation team’s size and structure, impact the final cost.
To deploy a single bot generally costs from $5,000 to $15,000+, while the pricing for the automation of several
complex processes can reach $300,000.
Although RPA provides significant value alone, organizations tend to combine it with other technologies.
Artificial intelligence complements RPA and enables systems to make data-driven decisions, while IoT helps RPA
bots collect real-time data from vehicles and shippings, further optimizing supply chain operations. This
tandem of technologies appears pivotal, especially with the growing adoption of autonomous vehicles in
logistics, such as drones and self-driving trucks.
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