The State of Intelligent Automation in 2023

“The State of Shared Services and Outsourcing Global Market Report” is annually one of SSON’s most downloaded pieces of content. The report provides insights into service delivery, process optimization, the future of work, and even intelligent automation trends.

Before Intelligent Automation Week this November 8-9 in Atlanta, Georgia, SSON Digital is rehashing the latest findings of the global market report as it pertains to intelligent automation.

Continued Investment in RPA

The 2023 Global Market Report found that organizations are increasingly adopting Robotic Process Automation (RPA), but the use of AI and Machine Learning (ML) is declining. This may be because RPA is a more immediate solution for addressing the challenges of a remote workforce. Meanwhile, although AI and ML are more advanced than RPA, they do not deliver immediate results.

Organizations are also investing more in process mining because it can help organizations identify and improve inefficient processes. However, the use of process discovery is declining due to it being a more time-consuming, complex tool. Additionally, only 29% of organizations have a dedicated budget to invest in start-up technology. 

Organizations Have Yet to Make Most of Data Analytics

SSON Research & Analytics data shows organizations are not yet making the most of data analytics. Most organizations are only using data analytics to report on what happened, rather than using it to interpret, predict, or prescribe. With that being said, organizations are seeing significant wins by leveraging data analytics in the procure-to-pay process and spotlighting process inefficiencies. 
This is a significant opportunity cost by not investing in new data analytics capabilities, as data analytics can be used to improve decision-making and drive business performance.

Shared services organizations are increasingly using OCR and intelligent document processing to digitize data. This is helping to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of shared services operations. However, organizations need to invest more in data analytics and digitization to realize their full potential. 

Shared Services Driving Digital Agenda

Shared Services Organizations (SSOs) and Global Business Services (GBS) are increasingly playing a role in driving the enterprise digital agenda.

According to survey data, 85% of SSOs/GBS are already playing a role in supporting the enterprise shift towards digital, either by driving it full out, acting as a proof of concept, or participating within a broader initiative.

This marks a significant increase over last year's results, where only 73% of respondents confirmed their involvement in enterprise digitization.

The shift towards digital is no longer just about improving user experience for external customers. It is also about improving business process performance, efficiency, and overall services delivery experience to internal customers and employees themselves.

SSOs and GBS are well-positioned to play a leading role in this transformation, as they have the expertise and experience to manage complex processes and deliver high-quality services. 
 
 If you want to learn more about the latest insights and trends in intelligent automation, register for Intelligent Automation Week Winter 2023. This is a premier event for intelligent automation and cross-functional executives looking to stay ahead of the automation and generative AI curve to drive enhanced business value to their organization on a B2B and B2C level.  The 3-day event will include 75+ speakers, 60+ sessions, and countless opportunities for you and your team to benchmark, knowledge exchange, and network with your industry peers.