Frequently Asked Questions

SmartTech NXT is a Netherlands-based RPA and intelligent automation specialist (founded in June 2021, with offices in Hengelo, the Netherlands and Cape Town, South Africa. We help businesses streamline manual, rule-based processes across industries like finance, insurance, marketing, healthcare, logistics, and manufacturing.

Our Customer-centric offering covers the complete automation journey, from proof of concept through scaling and full-cycle implementation, leveraging low‑ and no-code tools, such as Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Intelligent Document Processing (IDP).

We operate with a “Smart Tech for People” ethos, combining simple, agile and scalable automation with strong OEM partnerships. We pride ourselves on being local, hands-on enablers for SMEs, mid-market enterprises, and mid-sized corporations.

RPA (Robotic Process Automation) is software that mimics human actions to automate repetitive, rule-based tasks, such as data entry, invoice processing, or transferring information between systems. Unlike traditional automation, RPA work with applications via the front end and APIs, requiring no significant changes to your systems, making it very versatile. It’s also distinct from AI, which focuses on decision-making. RPA focuses on task execution.

RPA can work for businesses of all sizes. At SmartTechNXT, we offer a range of options to fit each business’s needs and budget. Small and medium-sized companies can save time and money, and realise a quick return on investment, by starting with a few key tasks and growing from there.

1. Yes. While RPA is better suited to repetitive, rule-based tasks (e.g., Data extraction and database compilation), AI works well with unstructured data and actions that require cognitive decision-making.

Consolidated data also simplifies the effort needed by AI in its analysis and applications for Intelligent Automation. RPA can support this through Data Aggregation (extraction, transformation, and consolidation of data from multiple sources), Data Cleansing (RPA can help by sorting, cleansing, and standardising data to improve quality and reliability), and Integration Facilitation (bridging gaps between systems where API integrations are not available).

Digital transformation is a broad process in which businesses utilise technology to fundamentally change how they operate, innovate, and engage with customers. RPA provides an excellent foundation for these transformation efforts. RPA transforms how people work, generating a quick return on investment (ROI) and momentum to get transformation efforts off to a solid start.

RPA excels at automating processes that are repetitive, rule-based, high-volume, and require interaction with multiple systems. Typically, processes which involve manual data entry, information retrieval, report formatting, and bridging communication gaps between systems are well-suited for RPA.

Yes, specific processes are not ideal for RPA. These include tasks that rely on frequent human judgment or complex, unpredictable decision-making; processes with inconsistent or poor-quality input data; activities requiring emotional or sensitive handling; and any workflows involving physical or non-digital interactions.

RPA works seamlessly on top of existing systems without requiring any changes. It can interact with ERP systems, legacy applications, CRMs, and web portals in the same way a person would. When APIs are available, our solutions can also leverage them to provide enhanced functionality.

Yes, our RPA solutions can integrate with third-party AI tools in several ways. It supports connections through APIs, web services, and built-in connectors, enabling seamless integration with AI providers such as OpenAI, Microsoft Computer Vision, Google Cloud Vision, and others.

Even without technical expertise, users can access prebuilt actions or no-code options to add AI to workflows, such as summarising text, making decisions, or extracting data. More advanced users can use scripting or API calls to connect to any custom or cloud-based AI model.

No. One of RPA’s strengths is that it integrates with your existing systems without requiring the replacement or modification of them.

Yes, we offer on-premises, cloud, and hybrid solutions. The selection will depend on your use case and the solution you’re interested in, and we’ll consult with your IT team to propose the deployment option that meets your infrastructure needs.

Definitely, RPA is built to scale. Whether you need to add more bots, expand into new departments, roll out globally, or simply handle more complex tasks. From a commercial standpoint, it’s essential to consider your roadmap early on, so the long-term impact on total cost of ownership (TCO) is factored in. That said, scaling is typically fast, seamless, and non-invasive.

Absolutely. Bots produce consistent outputs and can be designed to include detailed logs, making it easier to meet audit and compliance requirements. 

Yes, while RPA platforms generally work best with structured data, our solution includes OCR (Optical Character Recognition) capabilities that can extract information from unstructured formats, such as scanned PDFs, emails, and images.

The Return on Investment (ROI) for RPA is typically measured by comparing the Time, Cost, and Accuracy improvements achieved against your current manual processes. However, intangible benefits, such as Increased employee satisfaction and faster decision-making, often provide greater value than cost savings alone. Most businesses achieve ROI within 12-18 months of implementation.

Results will always depend on the use case and the extent of automation, but our clients have typically achieved cost savings in excess of 30% on automated processes and productivity gains of up to 50%. Many have recovered their investment in the first year of implementation, although this usually depends on the volume involved.

Yes, Reporting can certainly be tailored to align with your business’s specific requirements. Typically, Business teams benefit from high-level operational insights, such as process volumes and exception trends. In contrast, IT Teams focus on more technical metrics, including bot performance, error logs, and audit trails. During the Process Design Phase, if this is important to you, our team can work with you to develop a dashboard and metrics that deliver meaningful visibility to your stakeholders.

Yes, and in fact, we encourage it. Starting with a pilot, typically a low-risk, high-impact process, is a smart way to see the value of automation firsthand. We always recommend starting with a small piece of the puzzle to test feasibility and demonstrate the possibilities in your environment.  A successful pilot delivers measurable results, promotes internal acceptance, and lays a solid foundation for scaling automation across your business.

We recommend building a roadmap across your business that identifies the areas and processes that could benefit from automation. These can then be prioritised according to ROI, complexity, and, importantly, the respective team’s readiness and willingness to automate. The involvement of change management leaders and IT throughout this process will be necessary, but our team can guide you and work with you to achieve the most effective results.

Our Process and recommendation are to coach in-house “citizen developers” on low-level builds, so the long-term need for external consultants is minimised.

A typical implementation, depending on your resource availability, can be up and running within 4 to 6 weeks. More complex or scaled implementations may take longer, but we work closely with your team to ensure a smooth rollout.

Our discovery process typically includes a mix of interviews with your business process owners, observation of your “As Is” state, and data analysis. We work closely with your teams to map out current workflows, identify pain points, and assess your readiness for automation. Our objective is to align automation efforts so that they have a tangible business impact, rather than merely being technically feasible. Our mission is also to build “Automation in the Service of People”, so we focus on areas that will make your teams’ jobs more productive and effective.

During the initial process design phase, we’ll need input from your key stakeholders, typically the people who understand the day-to-day operations of the process being automated. Their insights are crucial in ensuring we develop a solution that truly meets your business needs. Your IT team will be involved to help with infrastructure resources, access, security, or integration.

Once the automation is live, our Service Level Agreement ensures that your team’s ongoing effort is minimal, usually just occasional check-ins with process owners or IT for maintenance or future improvements.

In short, your team’s primary role is upfront collaboration, while we handle the heavy lifting.

RPA is a tool to empower, not replace, your team. Automating repetitive tasks frees up staff to focus on work that needs human insight and creativity. With the right support and training, it often leads to higher job satisfaction, less burnout, and greater productivity. We tailor each implementation to match your goals, whether that’s cost savings, improved service, or a more agile workforce.

It should not! RPA is meant to augment, not replace, your workforce. It handles repetitive work so your employees can focus on more strategic, creative, or customer-facing roles.

It depends on the solution you choose:

• Do It For You (DiFY): We build and manage the automations on your behalf. Basic support and maintenance are included, with any future changes or enhancements added as needed.
• Do It Yourself (DIY): You retain full ownership and handle development and maintenance in-house, with optional support available from our team.
• Do It With You (DiWY): A collaborative model where we co-develop and maintain automations together, customising the level of support to fit your needs and budget.

RPA governance should align with your company’s existing governance processes. It’s important to appoint a process owner to ensure standards are maintained. Any changes can follow your standard change control procedures and set clear exception protocols. With built-in activity logging and role-based access controls, you’ll have a lean yet effective governance framework that keeps your automation environment secure, compliant, and scalable, without adding unnecessary complexity.

To get started, we suggest identifying pain points that can be improved through automation first. Start with a straightforward, high-impact process to demonstrate value and measure ROI. Many clients start with a proof-of-concept (POC) before scaling into more complex areas. Throughout the process, managing the change, user awareness, and training are key to successful adoption.

We offer both technical training and non-technical coaching. Coaching occurs during the handover and implementation, and we offer a suite of training solutions tailored to your needs.

Most RPA tools are designed so that non-technical users can create and run automations using visual workflows. It’s drag-and-drop, not coding. With a bit of training, your team can automate everyday tasks without needing developers, though we’re always here to support more complex needs.

Costs depend on the complexity of the processes, the number of bot automations required, whether you’re using cloud or on-prem solutions, and whether you’re choosing attended or unattended automation.

That said, we offer POCs, pilot programs and flexible licensing options so we can build a package that meets your business and your budget. Most clients see ROI within 12 to 18 months.

Costs include licensing, implementation, training, and support. We offer whole-scale as well as modular packages, allowing you to either start with a complete package or begin small and scale up as benefits are realised. 

We offer flexible licensing to match your needs. Choose from per-bot or consumption-based options, ideal for occasional use, or a full license for regularly running multiple automations. Licenses are available as annual subscriptions or monthly SaaS plans, depending on your use case, scale, and budget.

No! We’re completely transparent about all costs from the start. Our pricing includes everything required to run and support your automation. We will clearly outline any optional features, such as analytics or AI add-ons, so there are no surprises later. We will also advise you upfront on what the infrastructure requirements are for your team to procure. You’ll always know exactly what you’re paying for and why.

The total cost of ownership (TCO) varies depending on your use case, including the scale of automation, number of bots, chosen license model, and level of support. While Year 1 costs are typically higher due to setup and development, costs in Years 2 and 3 stabilise as teams optimise and maintain their automations. By Years 3 to 5, most clients see a significant ROI as automation scales and efficiencies grow—many achieving full payback within 18 months.

For example, in a user onboarding use case, automating employee onboarding and access management, the client reduced their time spent on account setup by up to 95%, accelerated onboarding 10x, and improved compliance through instant access control.

We can provide an optional central dashboard to monitor all bot activity, health, and outcomes. Bots can be updated or paused as needed. Our team also offers managed services for ongoing support and maintenance.

By a trained DevOps team member or RPA champion. For DIY and DiWY clients, training is offered via e-learning and facilitator-led options. For DiFY clients, SmartTechNXT’s skilled RPA engineers are assigned to do maintenance.

RPA is built with data privacy and security at its core. Bots operate under strict access controls and only handle authorised data within your environment. We support secure credential storage, audit logging, and role-based access to ensure full compliance with POPIA, GDPR, and your internal governance policies.

If you would like a dashboard to display the improvements, we can have our team prepare a solution based on your These could show bot health, transaction volumes, and counts of exceptions or anomalies. The visuals will depend on the audience that is reviewing it.

RPA is modular, and where possible, we design our bots with flexibility in mind. It depends on the level of modification, but most adjustments are quick and targeted because they’re updates to a specific part of the bot and do not require a complete rework.

Our competitive advantage lies in our ability to deliver value quickly and flexibly. We offer a low-risk pilot-first approach, flexible licensing options, and a high level of personalised support, including dedicated Customer Success Managers and strong OEM partnerships. Unlike many larger vendors, we’re able to move faster, adapt to your needs, and remain hands-on throughout your automation journey.