Attended versus Un-attended Bots

In this blog post, I will explain the difference between attended and un-attended bots, and how they can be used for different automation scenarios.

Attended bots are bots that require human intervention or supervision to complete their tasks. They are usually deployed on individual desktops or devices, and they interact with the user through graphical user interfaces (GUIs) or voice commands. Attended bots are useful for automating repetitive or mundane tasks that still need some human input or validation, such as filling forms, sending emails, or booking appointments. For example, an attended bot can help a customer service agent to quickly access customer information, generate a ticket, and send a confirmation email.

Un-attended bots are bots that can run independently without any human involvement. They are usually deployed on servers or cloud platforms, and they communicate with other systems through application programming interfaces (APIs) or web services. Un-attended bots are suitable for automating complex or high-volume tasks that can be performed in the background, such as data processing, report generation, or invoice reconciliation. For example, an un-attended bot can process thousands of invoices per day, extract relevant information, and update the accounting system.

Both types of bots have their own advantages and disadvantages, depending on the use case and the business requirements. Attended bots can provide a better user experience and a higher level of accuracy, but they also consume more resources and require more maintenance. Un-attended bots can offer more scalability and efficiency, but they also pose more security and compliance risks and require more integration efforts.

Therefore, it is important to choose the right type of bot for your automation needs, and to design and develop them according to best practices and standards. In the next section, I will share some tips and tricks on how to create effective and reliable attended and un-attended bots.