Inside Kognitos

From Industrial Robots to Process Automation: Meet Kognitos Lead Solution Engineer Paige Urig

Kognitos

Key Takeaways

This employee spotlight is a Q&A with Paige Urig, a Kognitos Lead Solutions Engineer who moved from programming physical robots in industrial automation to software process automation. She explains how puzzle-solving and computer-vision work transferred to SaaS, and how a sales mentor taught her to ask the “Three Whys” to reach a customer’s real pain point. Her advice on tooling is pragmatic: rather than rip-and-replace, use newer platforms to complement what already works and automate processes that older RPA or point solutions couldn’t handle cost-effectively. She joined Kognitos because traditional RPA and low-code stumble at implementation and maintenance, often requiring outsourcing, whereas Kognitos lets non-engineers improve automations, start fast, and teach the tool as they go. She also praises a culture that valued her feedback, and counsels newcomers to be independent, idea-sharing self-starters. See the platform or book a demo.

Do you think your experience in inside sales has helped you in your role as Solutions Engineer?

Definitely. Us engineers can be huge nerds and we may not always know how to explain things to a customer. But learning from my mentor in the sales field, I learned how to communicate complex ideas and dive down into the customer’s needs. For example, I learned to ask “Three Whys” to get to the real customer pain point. By asking better questions I can help customers solve the real problems and achieve their goals.

You’ve been in automation for a long time, what made you want to stay in this industry?

Well, in my first automation job I got to work with physical robots in manufacturing, which was really fun as I got to program a robot every day. At the time I had the chance to work on computer vision with physical robots which gave me the chance to, trying to account for every variation, which was a fun big challenge. I’ve always liked the idea of eliminating manual, repetitive tasks and I enjoy getting to decipher the pattern and solve the problem. I’m all about efficiency so that made me stick with the automation industry.

You worked in industrial automation, and then switched to software automation. Have you found a lot of the lessons to be transferable?

The puzzle solving approach has definitely transitioned into SaaS, but there is a lot more freedom in the process automation space. With a physical robot there is only so much you can do, but in process automation it’s a whole new world. There are all sorts of problems and applications where you can use process automation to solve needs. I like the variety. There are a lot of SaaS point solutions, built for one purpose, but I enjoy being able to use broader tools like Kognitos, as even now there is a lot more we can do with Kognitos than we recognize today.

There are a lot of different products and tools in the automation space today. How do you advise customers on this? Should they have different tools, or only one tool?

I always think it’s best to use new tools to complement what you already have. If you have an older tool that is working, and doesn’t have a problem, look to use new tools like Kognitos to complement the existing tools in place. My main goal is for customers to be happy and eliminate manual work. If they need to rip and replace as something isn’t working, fine. But otherwise, use what you have and use newer tech to complement and automate the processes you couldn’t automate cost effectively with older RPA or point solutions.

Why did you come to Kognitos?

We have all of these technologies that customers can use, but as technology evolves there will be better solutions and I saw that with Kognitos. With RPA and other traditional low-code environments, you have to outsource a lot of the implementation and maintenance. I think the purpose of automation is to make life easier and that should happen from implementation all the way through production. I think where traditional RPA and low-code fails is in the implementation stage. Those tools make sense to me as I have an engineering brain, but having to translate that to the way a business user thinks is too hard. Their mind is built in a different way to understand things I wouldn’t even begin to understand, so we need to have a tool that caters to that and makes it easy for them to work with automation. With Kognitos, even people who think differently than an engineer can help improve the automation and see it through. That’s why I came to Kognitos, so we can have an automation tool where you don’t have to know everything up front and spend months figuring out all the exceptions. You can start fast and teach the tool as you go (https://www.kognitos.com/solutions)

Was there anything about Kognitos’ culture that attracted you to join?

One thing I really liked was that in each step of the interview process, I felt that my feedback was valued and heard. The team asked me questions about my view on the market, and the product, and actually took those and used them. So it made me feel like Kognitos is a place where I could fit in, belong and we all have the aspiration of bringing automation to the business user.

Any advice you would give to someone interested in working with Kognitos?

We are an early stage startup. You have to have the desire to go out there and do things yourself. Don’t just wait and sit on your hands. If you want more responsibility, ask for it. You need to be an independent worker but comfortable sharing your ideas. Get after it and get stuff done as you are with your team trying to build a new future. You’ll only be as successful as your team.

Frequently Asked Questions

A Solutions Engineer at Kognitos works directly with customers to understand their specific automation needs and help them implement the platform successfully. The role combines deep technical knowledge with strong communication skills to bridge the gap between complex technology and practical business requirements. Solutions Engineers use techniques like asking "Three Whys" to uncover the real pain points behind a customer's stated problem. They guide customers from initial implementation through ongoing production use, ensuring automation delivers lasting value.

Traditional RPA and low-code tools typically require extensive upfront planning and technical expertise to account for every process variation and exception before deployment. Kognitos takes a different approach by allowing users to start automating quickly and teach the system as exceptions arise over time, rather than requiring everything to be mapped out in advance. While legacy tools often need specialized engineers or outsourced implementation teams to build and maintain automations, Kognitos is designed so that business users who think differently from engineers can also contribute to and improve automations. This lowers the barrier to entry and reduces the long implementation cycles common with traditional platforms.

Kognitos is built with business users in mind, not just engineers, which means people who are not technically minded can actively participate in building and improving automation. This reduces the reliance on outsourced implementation and maintenance that is common with traditional RPA platforms. The platform enables faster time to value because teams can start automating and then refine the process incrementally rather than spending months defining every edge case upfront. Business users can see automation through from initial setup to production, giving them more ownership and faster results.

According to Paige Urig, the recommended approach is to use Kognitos to complement existing automation tools rather than immediately replacing them. If a legacy RPA tool is working well for a particular process, organizations should keep it in place and use Kognitos to automate the processes that the older tool could not handle cost-effectively. Rip-and-replace is appropriate only when an existing tool is broken or creating significant problems. The goal is to eliminate manual work as efficiently as possible, and that often means combining new and existing tools strategically.

Paige Urig began her automation career programming physical robots in manufacturing, including working with computer vision systems that required accounting for every possible physical variation. When she transitioned to software process automation, she found far greater flexibility and variety because software-based processes can span industries like procurement, logistics, finance, and healthcare. The puzzle-solving mindset transferred directly from physical to software automation. She notes that process automation offers a much broader range of problems and applications compared to what a physical robot can accomplish.

Organizations should assess whether their current automation tools are leaving processes unautomated due to cost or complexity barriers, as those gaps are ideal candidates for Kognitos. They should consider whether business users need to be involved in automation without depending entirely on engineers or external consultants for every change. It is worth evaluating how much time and money is currently spent on implementation and maintenance of legacy RPA compared to the flexibility a newer platform can offer. Finally, companies should look at whether they need a tool that can grow with their needs over time, since Kognitos is designed to handle a broader range of use cases than many point solutions.