The Irony at the Heart of RPA Companies
Robotic process automation companies exist to eliminate manual, repetitive work for their clients. Yet inside many RPA firms, the operational workflows that support client implementations—scheduling, documentation, follow-up, reporting—still run largely on manual effort by highly paid professionals who should be focused on delivering automation solutions.
This irony has a practical solution: virtual assistants. VAs are helping RPA companies automate the human coordination layer of their operations, delivering the same efficiency principle internally that their software delivers for clients.
The RPA Market Context
The global RPA market generated approximately $3.0 billion in revenue in 2023 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 39.9% through 2030, according to Grand View Research. That growth is driven by enterprise adoption across banking, insurance, healthcare, and manufacturing. RPA vendors and implementation partners are under intense pressure to expand their client portfolios while maintaining quality delivery.
Managing that expansion without proportional headcount growth requires operational leverage—and virtual assistants provide it.
Where VAs Create the Most Value for RPA Companies
Client Onboarding and Implementation Coordination
RPA implementations require extensive upfront work: process discovery workshops, technical environment assessments, stakeholder alignment sessions, and documentation of current-state workflows. VAs coordinate the logistics of this work—scheduling discovery calls, compiling pre-assessment questionnaires, tracking outstanding information requests, and maintaining project plans.
According to Forrester Research, the average enterprise RPA implementation takes three to nine months. During that window, the coordination overhead is substantial. VAs who understand project management fundamentals and have been briefed on the client's implementation methodology can absorb a significant portion of this overhead, freeing consultants to focus on the actual process automation work.
Proposal and Scope Documentation
RPA sales cycles involve detailed proposals that map client processes, estimate automation benefits, and define project scope. Preparing these documents requires research on the client's industry, compilation of reference case studies, and formatting of benefit projections. VAs support the sales and presales team by gathering research inputs, formatting proposal templates, and coordinating review cycles—reducing the time from opportunity to proposal submission.
Center of Excellence (CoE) Support
Many enterprise RPA clients establish Centers of Excellence to govern their automation programs. RPA vendors who support these CoEs—by providing documentation templates, best practice guides, and training coordination—build stronger retention and expand their accounts faster. VAs manage the content logistics for CoE support: updating documentation libraries, coordinating training sessions, and tracking certification completion for client teams.
License Renewal and Account Management
RPA licensing is typically structured on annual renewal cycles, often with expansion opportunities tied to additional process automations. VAs track renewal timelines, prepare renewal presentations, schedule executive business reviews, and maintain accurate records of each client's license configuration and utilization. This proactive account management is directly linked to retention and expansion revenue.
A study by Bain & Company found that increasing customer retention rates by 5% increases profits by 25% to 95%. For RPA companies where annual contract values often exceed six figures, the VA investment required to maintain strong client relationships pays for itself many times over in reduced churn.
Building the Right VA Team for an RPA Company
RPA companies should look for VAs who are comfortable with technical environments and have experience in B2B software or consulting services. Familiarity with project management tools like Jira, Asana, or Monday.com is a significant advantage. VAs who can communicate clearly in writing and understand the basics of enterprise software sales cycles will add value from day one.
For RPA companies looking to build out this operational support layer, Stealth Agents provides dedicated virtual assistants with experience supporting technology companies and enterprise software sales teams.
The Compound Effect
Every hour a senior RPA consultant spends on scheduling, follow-up emails, and document formatting is an hour not spent on the technical work that clients are paying for. At typical consulting billing rates, that's $150 to $300 per hour of opportunity cost. VAs recapture that time at a fraction of the cost—making the ROI of a well-placed VA straightforward to calculate and easy to defend to leadership.
Sources
- Grand View Research, Robotic Process Automation Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report, 2024
- Forrester Research, The Total Economic Impact of RPA, 2023
- Bain & Company, Prescription for Cutting Costs: Loyal Relationships