Route Inn Japan Co., Ltd.

Around 2021, the company president issued directives to promote paperless operations and improve efficiency across the organization, which eventually became the catalyst for implementing RK.

At that time, each department took steps to implement several successful paperless initiatives. However, even after company-wide digitization, there were still many manual tasks being performed by employees. We started to think about how to offload these tasks to reduce overall workload and save time for our employees.

That’s when the idea of RPA came to mind. In the past, when considering RPA implementation, we perceived it as quite challenging due to complex operations, the scope of what could be automated, high costs, learning methods, and the time required. However, seeing the success of our paperless efforts, and with employees now actively engaged, we began to see the possibility that introducing RPA might also be feasible.

It was at that time that we received a call from a sales representative at KEYENCE introducing RK. Since we had previously considered RPA, we initially declined, feeling unsure about how effectively we could utilize it. However, after hearing the explanation, I felt a strong sense of potential for automation compared to the RPA solutions I had seen before. At the same time, I was somewhat worried about the reasonably affordable monthly fee and the support offered, which seemed a bit too good to be true. Nonetheless, my desire to quickly reduce labor-intensive tasks, coupled with the idea that we could cancel if it didn’t work out, motivated us to give it a try.

I thought that with such an affordable monthly fee, providing thorough support might be difficult. I was worried there might be pitfalls, such as conditions for free support requiring us to purchase additional services later, or upselling strategies.

In reality, the support staff were incredibly attentive and genuinely engaged, almost as if they were part of our team. I am truly grateful for the comprehensive support they provided.

The fact that we achieved tangible results was a major factor. During the implementation, the company president instructed us to hold a results presentation three months after deployment to decide whether to continue or cancel the RK project based on the outcomes. This results presentation became a clear short-term goal for employees, fostering a unified effort toward RK’s development, which I believe significantly contributed to the success of the implementation.

First, we recruited employees interested in RPA within the company. As a result, 53 employees from 19 departments volunteered. Next, these 53 individuals identified tasks suitable for automation, resulting in a list of 348 tasks.

We then grouped these automation candidates into three main categories, with KEYENCE’s support team providing ongoing assistance. During the results presentation, nine departments presented a total of 14 scenarios.

Examples of scenarios presented:

• Creation of analysis reports for online reservations
• Generation of billing data from hotel systems, etc.

Following the presentation, the president immediately issued three directives: to continue using RK, to increase the number of contracted accounts as needed, and to appoint one internal champion to lead RK initiatives. Currently, we are in the process of selecting this internal leader for the upcoming fiscal year.

At the results presentation, we reported a reduction of 180 hours in work time per month. In the few months since this presentation, each department has developed new scenarios, so I believe the current time savings are even greater.

A scenario for switching call center forwarding operations was completed just yesterday, and we expect it to save an additional 100 hours per month once it is in full operation. Since this task requires multiple RK instances to be run simultaneously, we are considering whether to increase the number of licenses held by our company.

We manage RK usage time using our internal facility reservation system, similar to booking a conference room. It’s very convenient to be able to monitor operational status.

It has led to enhanced creativity and enabled us to review our business processes.

Enhanced Creativity

All employees, even those who do not directly use RK, are now having ideas and have started asking questions like “Can I eliminate this task?” Additionally, employees in each department who are familiar with RK are now able to respond to such inquiries with ideas like "This could be achieved if we do it this way," which I see as a significant benefit.

Review of Business Processes

To automate a task using RK, it’s necessary to understand what steps are performed and how they are carried out by each employee. In that sense, it has allowed us to visualize business processes and take an opportunity to review our processes. It has become a good chance to organize and streamline complicated tasks.

Their response to inquiries is quick, and they provide meticulous care. When we discuss concerns or worries, they immediately arrange meetings.

Also, their approach of never saying something is "impossible" to our questions has been impressive. Even for tasks that are difficult to automate, they work with us to explore alternative processes and procedures to realize our goal, providing valuable advice. When giving advice, they consciously avoid using technical jargon and try to align their perspective with ours, which I think has contributed greatly to the success of the RK deployment.

If it weren’t for the current support staff, understanding and establishing RPA within our company might not have progressed this far.

It’s especially suitable for companies like ours, which have multiple facilities and where the headquarters handles various tasks. Particularly, companies that want to "discover new ways of working" or are "dissatisfied with the current situation." If you have the creativity and planning skills for business improvement, the comprehensive support provided will surely help realize those ambitions.

KEYENCE’s support exceeded our expectations. Every time I see the KEYENCE logo in advertisements, I think of the support staff’s faces and feel grateful. As I mentioned earlier, we have decided to continue utilizing RK actively in the future, and we look forward to ongoing support from KEYENCE.