Salesforce Readies Robotic Process Automation Tools with MuleSoft RPA

Salesforce plans to let anyone create bots that automate repetitive workflows with its new MuleSoft RPA (robotic process automation) software. MuleSoft, the API integration software business acquired by Salesforce in 2018, on Wednesday introduced the new RPA solution.

Previewed at MuleSoft Connect, a one-day event in New York City, the RPA offering is set for release in August. MuleSoft RPA is a set of tools for developers as well as non-technical people to create any automated workflow. Salesforce entered the growing RPA market last fall with the acquisition of Servicetrace and brought it into MuleSoft. Known for its application integration connectors and Anypoint Platform for API management, Salesforce is expanding MuleSoft’s reach with RPA tools.

MuleSoft CEO Brent Hayward said research commissioned by the company shows that 91% of organizations have increased demand for automation. The study, published earlier this month, also found that 44% of those surveyed are using API management tools. Another 53% said they were using API management to some extent, according to the report.

MuleSoft’s Brent Hayward

“More than half of these organizations are actually creating dedicated strategies and teams to empower business users to integrate apps and data sources,” Hayward said in announcing MuleSoft RPA.

Hayward added that Salesforce has escalated MuleSoft’s role in enabling the Salesforce Customer 360 strategy.

MuleSoft’s Shaun Clowes

Shaun Clowes, MuleSoft’s chief product officer, described Salesforce Customer 360 as “the single source of truth across every one of your touch points,” including Salesforce’s CRM platform, as well as its Tableau and Slack offerings. Since acquiring MuleSoft, Hayward said it has become “the integration engine between behind every Salesforce customer.”

The new solution will include an updated MuleSoft Composer, a no-code tool with “trusted” connectors that provide real-time previews. MuleSoft Composer connects to Salesforce and third-party applications such as Oracle NetSuite, Stripe, Twilio and Workday, Clowes noted.

Inside MuleSoft RPA

MuleSoft RPA consists of three workflow life cycle and project management components. MuleSoft designed RPA Manager to help identify processes that users may want to automate. It lets users design, build, test and measure RPA processes and manage projects securely with governance and project management functions built in. Developers and business users can share and reuse automations as APIs maintained in MuleSoft Anypoint Exchange.

For business users, RPA Recorder has an interface that lets them gather and document their business process and turn their workflows into process maps. The third component, RPA Builder, is for developers. RPA Builder lets developers configure and debug RPA bots, transform assets documented in RPA Recorder into new automation builds, and then synchronize them with RPA Manager for testing and production of bots.

MuleSoft RPA will also integrate with Salesforce Flow, the CRM giant’s workflow automation suite, which, Salesforce recently expanded. Salesforce Flow now supports workflows in Slack and offers the  ability to embed and launch workflows from Tableau dashboards. Salesforce Flow also supports integration with MuleSoft Composer.