The rise of remote work and other market pressures are forcing businesses to invest in process automation technology. In fact, according to a recent study, 84 percent of technology leaders polled in the U.S. and Europe predict their organizations will spend more on these technologies. RPA was identified by respondents as a vital part of their company’s automation journey, but several challenges are eating into ROI.
The study, fielded by open-source automation technology provider Camunda, found that 65 percent of IT leaders report benefits from RPA, including an increase in work quality, reduction in errors and relatively quick implementation. But, 91 percent said challenges with IT control and compliance, security and script maintenance have colored their experience with RPA.
“The results of our survey show a new era for process automation, as the hidden engine powering innovation across an organization, helping to improve customer service and take advantage of new business opportunities while at the same time lowering operational cost and improving efficiencies,” said Jakob Freund, CEO and co-founder of Camunda. “But the research also underscores the very significant new technical, infrastructure and organizational challenges IT leaders face, and highlights the need to reinvent their process automation initiatives with a more open, agile and scalable approach.”
Among the study’s other findings:
- The number of automated processes will grow by 58 percent over the next two years
- Nearly 90 percent of those polled said they have started or accelerated automation projects in response to Covid-19
- Forty-nine percent of respondents said their organization’s process automation initiatives are focused on driving business growth
- More than a quarter (27 percent) identified business optimization and other business efficiency factors