Nine in 10 businesses to implement RPA by 2020

A new report from ISG has revealed that 92% of companies are aiming to adopt robotic process automation (RPA) by 2020 in the aim increasing operational efficiencies.

According to the survey of 500 European companies, as conducted by ISG, RPA budgets have increased by an average of 9% during the past 12 months, whilst investment into consultancy and IT services has also increased.

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“Robotic process automation is delivering improved outcomes for enterprises across Europe, and our research shows many more businesses will be taking advantage of the technology by 2020 as adoption accelerates,” said ISG partner Andreas Lueth.

54% of respondents are expecting to reach an advanced stage of implementation by the date in question – double the current levels of 27%.

However, despite the increase in uptake, companies need to be wary about the business prospects when adopting RPA.

“This technology has the potential to revolutionise customer service and back-office functions alike, but organisations should be wary of falling into the RPA trap,” Leuth continued. “The decision to deploy RPA should be treated as a strategic business initiative, with defined objectives and measures. Without this, the chance of failure is high.”

In the way of concerns, 42% cited security as the highest obstacle to implementing RPA, whilst restricted budgets and a resistance to change are also expected to stump the use RPA.