Robotic Process Automation Services
Robotic process automation services for software with no API.
Some stable business systems still make a person click, copy, upload, and submit the same screens every day. RaftLabs creates RPA bots for that narrow gap. We recommend an API connection when one exists and use screen-level automation when the interface is the only practical route.
Bring the problem, the current workflow, or the existing code. We reply with a practical next step within one business day.
The brief
Start with what is not working.
Good software decisions begin with the constraint, not a list of features or a preferred technology.
Is your team re-entering the same data into a legacy desktop app or web portal because it has no usable API?
Do existing bots break after routine screen changes with no clear alert or recovery route?
Plain answer
Robotic process automation uses software bots to complete rule-based work through an application's screens. RaftLabs creates monitored RPA bots for stable legacy systems and portals with no practical API. A focused first bot starts at $8,000 and usually takes 4 to 8 weeks.
If an API exists, a bot should not pretend to be one.
A person logs into an old application, opens a queue, copies values from another system, and submits the same form. RPA can take over that work because the route is stable and the screen is the only available connection.
The same bot becomes a maintenance problem when a supported API could do the job more reliably. We check that first. RPA is a useful fallback, not an automatic answer to every repetitive task.
Delivery record
- average client rating across delivered projects
- 4.9/5
- Clutch, verified reviews
- software products delivered since 2015
- 100+
- RaftLabs delivery record
- post-launch support included
- 8 weeks
- Every RaftLabs engagement
RPA works when the screen is stable and the task is dull by design.
A bot should remove repeatable clicks without hiding the exceptions that still need a person.
The application has no practical API, native connector, or supported file exchange.
The task runs often, follows clear rules, and has a manageable exception rate.
The interface changes rarely enough that maintenance will not erase the saving.
A reliable API or connector already supports the task.
The process or application screen changes every few weeks.
Most cases need judgment, investigation, or negotiation.
Scope
What an RPA bot can handle
- 01
Legacy data entry
An attended or unattended bot can enter approved data into desktop software or a portal that exposes no usable API. Validation runs before submission, and a failed case waits in a review queue instead of leaving a half-complete record. - 02
Portal and file work
Bots can sign in, download reports, upload files, check a status, and record the result. Credentials stay under controlled access, and the run log shows which item reached which step. - 03
Scheduled reporting
A bot can gather data from applications that only offer screen exports, place it into an agreed report, and deliver it on schedule. Source failures stop the run and alert an owner instead of sending an incomplete report. - 04
Attended and unattended operation
Attended bots help an employee complete a repetitive screen sequence while that person owns the judgment. Unattended bots work from a queue or schedule and send exceptions to a team. The process determines the mode, not the licence already on the shelf.
RPA or API integration?
Start with the most dependable connection the application supports. A faster first setup is not cheaper if every screen update breaks it.
RPA vs API integration
| RPA bot | API integration | |
|---|---|---|
| Connection | Reads and controls the user interface | Uses the system's supported integration surface |
| Best fit | Legacy software or portals with no usable API | Modern systems with stable API access |
| Main failure | A changed label, layout, or login flow | A changed API contract or permission |
| Maintenance | Usually higher because screens change | Usually lower because interfaces are versioned |
| Recommendation | Use when it is the practical route | Use first when available |
If the work spans several systems and people, the wider need may be workflow automation. RPA can still handle one legacy step inside that process.
How it works
How an RPA project runs
Prove one bot can survive real cases before starting a programme.
- Phase 101
Prove RPA is the right layer
Check for an API or native connector first. Then confirm that the screen process is stable, frequent, rule-based, and valuable enough to justify ongoing maintenance.
- Phase 202
Record the real process
Capture each screen, input, wait, exception, and human decision. The specification follows what people actually do, including the workarounds missing from the procedure document.
- Phase 303
Test breakage and recovery
Run real cases through changed layouts, missing data, timeouts, and partial completion. Every failure reaches a named owner with the bot's last safe step recorded.
- Phase 404
Launch and monitor
Track completed runs, exceptions, time saved, and interface changes. Post-launch support covers the first live weeks so maintenance cost becomes visible before more bots are approved.
What makes RPA expensive to maintain
- Fragile selectors
- A bot tied to one label or screen coordinate breaks on small interface changes. Use stable identifiers and clear fallback behavior where the application allows it.
- No partial-state record
- If a run stops halfway, the next attempt needs to know what already happened. Otherwise recovery can create duplicate or conflicting entries.
- Exceptions return to email
- A bot that sends every unusual case to an inbox has recreated the manual queue. Give exceptions an owner, reason, and safe restart point.
- Savings ignore support
- Measure time saved after licence, monitoring, and maintenance costs. A bot that needs constant repair has failed its business case even if the demo worked.
Scope and price
A focused RPA bot starts at $8,000.
Begin with one stable process, its exception route, monitoring, and handoff. Approve more bots only after the first one proves its maintenance cost.
A larger programme grows through separately priced bots and shared monitoring. The sequence should follow measured time saved, not a target bot count.
Starting investment
Starts at $8,000
A well-defined first bot usually takes 4 to 8 weeks. Platform licences are separate when the chosen tool requires them.
Fit before platform
We check for an API or supported connector before recommending RPA. If a simpler route solves the process, we will say so.
Post-launch support
Eight weeks of support are included for interface changes, failed cases, and monitoring adjustments after the bot starts live work.
Work with us
Show us the screen work nobody should be doing by hand.
Bring the application, process volume, and common exceptions. We will check for a better integration route before recommending a bot.
- Scope and cost agreed before work starts. No surprises. No obligation.
- Working prototype within 3 weeks of kickoff.
- Pay by milestone. You see progress before each invoice.
- 60-day post-launch warranty. Bug fixes, UI tweaks, and deployment support. No retainer.
- All conversations are NDA-protected.
Common questions
Robotic process automation uses software bots to click, type, upload, download, and read application screens according to defined rules. It is useful when a stable legacy system or portal has no practical API. It should not replace a dependable system integration that already exists.
RPA controls an application through its user interface. Workflow automation coordinates a broader process through APIs, webhooks, rules, and human decisions. One workflow can include an RPA bot for a legacy step, but the bot should not own the whole process when better connection methods exist.
Good candidates are frequent, stable, rule-based tasks with clear inputs and outcomes. Examples include portal data entry, scheduled report downloads, legacy ERP updates, and file submission. Avoid processes with changing screens, high exception rates, or judgment at nearly every step.
Choose a frequent, deterministic HR task with stable screens, structured inputs, explicit validation, and manageable exceptions — copying approved data into a legacy HRIS, downloading a standard report, or reconciling a fixed payroll input. Protect bot credentials with a dedicated least-privilege identity and approved secret storage, and keep employment judgement and changing policy with people, not bots.
A focused bot for one well-defined process starts around $8,000 and usually falls within the $8,000 to $20,000 micro-project range. Platform licences are separate when the project uses UiPath, Automation Anywhere, or Microsoft Power Automate. Larger bot programmes are scoped in phases.
One documented process usually takes 4 to 8 weeks from observation through monitored launch. Timing depends on application access, screen stability, exception volume, test data, and security controls. A programme with several bots should begin with one process that can prove maintenance cost and time saved.