Robotic Process Automation Consulting & Services
Updated
RPA Consulting & Services We Provide
RPA Consulting Services
Helping organizations identify high-impact automation opportunities and define a clear RPA roadmap. Sthenos provides structured RPA consulting grounded in process analysis, feasibility assessment, and platform alignment.
- Business process assessment and analysis
- Purpose-driven RPA audits
- Process discovery and prioritization
- Automation roadmap and planning
- RPA platform and technology selection
Custom Development
Building custom RPA bots designed to automate repetitive, rules-based processes across business functions. Sthenos develops bots that integrate cleanly with existing systems and scale with operational needs.
- Custom bot development
- Bot design and engineering
- Intelligent process optimization
- Workflow and task automation
- RPA Center of Excellence (CoE) support
RPA Implementation Services & Integration
Delivering end-to-end RPA implementation and system integration services across enterprise environments. Sthenos integrates RPA solutions with ERPs, CRMs, CMS platforms, and legacy systems to support organization-wide automation.
- Workflow orchestration
- Controlled rollout and validation
- Process documentation and governance
- Secure and scalable deployment
- Agile delivery approach
RPA Support & Managed Services
Ensuring RPA solutions remain stable, optimized, and aligned with evolving business needs. Sthenos provides ongoing support and managed services to maintain performance and reliability over time.
- Automation best practices and governance
- Platform upgrades and enhancements
- Bot performance optimization
- Issue resolution and troubleshooting
- Continuous improvement of automated workflows
RPA Tools: Cultivating a Thriving RPA Ecosystem
Our robotic process automation services cover the four groups listed above: RPA consulting, custom bot development, RPA implementation and integration, and RPA support and managed services, twenty line items in all. The sections below define RPA in the words of UiPath and Microsoft, two of the vendors whose tools this page shows, compare RPA with AI automation and attended with unattended robots, draw where a bot sits, and cover how an RPA program runs, what moves the cost, what you receive and what to ask.
Consulting, custom development, implementation and integration, and support and managed services.
Five under each group, from business process assessment to continuous improvement. Counted on this page.
The systems named under RPA Implementation Services and Integration above.
Per hour, depending on the seniority and mix of the team. The published Sthenos band.
On this page
- What robotic process automation is
- RPA or AI automation: which one suits the work
- Where a bot sits
- How an RPA program runs
- What moves the cost of RPA development services
- What you receive
- What to ask RPA companies before you sign
- Questions buyers ask about RPA
- More about automation at Sthenos
What robotic process automation is
Business process automation solutions, as our automation page sells them, combine two instruments: RPA for the predictable, rule-based parts, and AI for what rules cannot handle. This page is the RPA half. UiPath and Microsoft are among the vendors whose logos the tools section above shows, and the four terms below come from their own documentation.
RPA or AI automation: which one suits the work
Our automation page states the split plainly: RPA is classic rule-based automation for the predictable parts, AI handles what rules cannot, and we combine the two. The test is the process itself. If every step follows a rule, it is RPA's; if a step needs judgment, such as reading a document or routing an exception, it is AI's.
The two instruments, side by side
RPA
The predictable parts- Repetitive, rule-based tasks: entering data, moving files, processing transactions.
- Mimics human actions on screens and systems.
- Custom bots that integrate with ERPs, CRMs, CMS platforms and legacy systems.
AI automation
Judgment-heavy work- Multi-step, judgment-heavy work that older automation cannot do.
- Reading documents, routing exceptions and acting across systems.
- Sold on our automation page, with human review for sensitive steps.
Attended and unattended robots, compared
| Question | Attended | Unattended |
|---|---|---|
| Who triggers or manages it | Triggered by the user | Managed by Orchestrator |
| Human involvement | Usually requires human interaction | Operates independently |
| Where it runs | On the user's machine | On a separate machine |
| When it runs | When the user triggers it | Often in the background or during non-working hours |
Where a bot sits
A bot works between the person or the orchestrator that triggers or manages it and the systems it works across. Figure 1 draws that position, with the consulting work that comes before any bot and the support work that stays with it, using this page's own line items.
Figure 1. Who triggers or manages a bot, what it does, and the systems it works across
Caption: the two ways a bot is triggered or managed, and the bot's definition, come from UiPath's documentation, quoted in the section above; the four systems on the right and the two bands are this page's own line items. Nothing in the figure is a measurement.
How an RPA program runs, from process discovery to managed support
This page's own summary gives the order: Sthenos helps organizations identify, design, deploy and manage RPA initiatives. The four service groups follow it. The entry point is the one in the contact section at the foot of this page: a call, a short, bounded discovery scoped per engagement, and a costed roadmap before committing to a build.
- Identify: RPA consultingBusiness process assessment and analysis, purpose-driven RPA audits, process discovery and prioritization, and RPA platform and technology selection.An automation roadmap
- Design: custom developmentCustom bots for repetitive, rules-based processes, including the workflow automation services this page lists: workflow and task automation, intelligent process optimization and RPA Center of Excellence support.Bots that fit existing systems
- Deploy: implementation and integrationWorkflow orchestration, controlled rollout and validation, process documentation and governance, and secure, scalable deployment across ERPs, CRMs, CMS platforms and legacy systems, with an agile delivery approach.A controlled rollout
- Manage: support and managed servicesPlatform upgrades and enhancements, bot performance optimization, issue resolution and troubleshooting, and continuous improvement of automated workflows.Ongoing support
What moves the cost of RPA development services
RPA work is billed at the published Sthenos rate band, and where the scope is clear we quote a fixed price for a defined outcome, with a costed roadmap before any build starts.
Within those bands, these are the questions that change an estimate. Each comes from this page, from UiPath's documentation or from our custom software development page, and none carries a number here.
- Which processes are in scope. Process discovery and prioritization decides what is automated first, and a written, agreed scope is a large variable in any estimate.
- Attended or unattended. Unattended automation runs on a separate machine managed by Orchestrator; attended automation runs on the user's own machine.
- The platform, and who sells you the licence. Platform selection is part of RPA consulting, and our published position is that we are platform-independent and do not resell licences.
- The integration count, and whether the other side is documented. An integration into a modern documented API is routine; one into an undocumented system is a project of its own.
- What happens after launch. Bots need platform upgrades, performance optimization and troubleshooting, which is the support and managed services group. Get it priced up front.
What you receive
A process description says what a vendor does. This says what you end up holding.
- An automation roadmap and plan, with processes discovered and prioritized.
- Custom bots that integrate cleanly with existing systems and scale with operational needs.
- Process documentation and governance.
- A controlled rollout and validation, then secure and scalable deployment.
- A written scope and a costed roadmap before any build, and the repository in your name from the first commit.
- Ongoing support: platform upgrades, bot performance optimization and continuous improvement.
What to ask RPA companies before you sign
These questions apply to any RPA vendor, Sthenos included. Each comes from UiPath's documentation or from a position our own pages already publish.
- Is this process rule-based and predictable, or does it need judgment? The first is RPA's and the second AI automation's.
- Attended or unattended: will a person start the bot on their own machine, or will it run on a separate machine under an orchestrator?
- Do you resell the platform licence, and does that margin shape the recommendation?
- Who maintains the bots when a screen or a system they work across changes?
- What documentation is a contractual deliverable, not what you promise to write?
- Who owns the code, the repository and the cloud accounts when we are done?
Questions buyers ask about RPA
What is robotic process automation?
In UiPath's words, software robots handle repetitive, rule-based tasks like entering data, moving files or processing transactions, by mimicking human actions in interacting with screens and systems.
When is RPA the right tool rather than AI automation?
When the work is rule-based and predictable. RPA is classic rule-based automation for the predictable parts; AI handles multi-step, judgment-heavy work such as reading documents and routing exceptions. Our automation page combines the two.
What is the difference between attended and unattended automation?
Per UiPath's documentation, attended automation is triggered by the user, usually with human interaction, on the user's machine. Unattended automation is managed by Orchestrator and runs independently, often in the background or during non-working hours, on a separate machine.
How do you choose an RPA platform?
Platform and technology selection is part of RPA consulting. Our published position is that we are platform-independent and do not resell licences, so the recommendation you get is the one that fits, not the one that pays us a margin.
How much do robotic process automation services cost?
Sthenos rates are $150 to $250 per hour, depending on the seniority and mix of the team, and a typical project runs $50,000 to $200,000. Where the scope is clear we quote a fixed price for a defined outcome, with a costed roadmap before any build starts.
Who owns the code you write?
You do, entirely, from the first commit. The repository and the cloud accounts are in your name, with no licence back to us and no dependency on us continuing to exist.
More about automation at Sthenos
Have a process your team repeats by hand? Tell us the steps, the systems they cross and who starts them, and you will get a straight answer on whether it is a job for RPA, for AI, or for neither. Talk to our engineers.
Selected Project Examples
RPA-Driven Payroll Processing Automation
A large organization faced delays and errors in payroll processing due to manual, time-intensive workflows. The existing system required better accuracy, security, and faster turnaround without increasing operational overhead.
An RPA-based payroll automation solution was designed and implemented using UiPath. The system reduced manual intervention, improved data validation, and strengthened security controls, enabling faster and more reliable payroll operations.
Bot-Enabled Email Response Automation
An enterprise support team needed to manage high volumes of customer emails while maintaining response quality and turnaround times. Manual triage and routing created delays and limited scalability.
A bot-enabled email response system was built to analyze incoming emails, identify intent, and deliver automated responses for routine requests. Complex queries were routed to support agents with full context, improving efficiency and service continuity.
RPA for Order Processing and Export Automation
An organization managing export-driven order processing relied heavily on manual workflows, leading to processing delays and operational inefficiencies. The business required faster order handling with better system controls.
UiPath-based RPA bots were implemented to automate order processing and export functions. The solution reduced processing time, improved system reliability, and enabled real-time notifications for key operational events.
