Posted in Workflow Automation

75+ Key Business Automation Statistics for 2021

Efficiency, productivity, and accuracy help drive growth in organizations, which is why lots of companies are implementing automation tools.

Thanks to automation technology, organizations are reducing repetitive tasks, cutting back errors, and lowering processing costs.

Check out these key business automation statistics to learn more about how organizations are automating workflows for more effective processes.

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Workforce and Skills

Many organizations are implementing automation software to lighten the burden of repetitive tasks on the workforce. However, this reorganization of labor is changing the face of the labor market.

Here are a few ways that automation is reshaping the workforce and reenvisioning skilled work.

  1. 43% of businesses say that they plan to reduce their workforce due to technology integration. Conversely, however, 34% plan to expand their workforce due to technology integration.
  2. Over 80% of business leaders report that they are speeding up work process automation and expanding their use of remote work. 
  3. 50% of business leaders say that they’re planning to accelerate the automation of repetitive tasks within their organization.
chart showing business leaders' plans for automation
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  1. A third of the tasks in two-thirds of current jobs could be automated.
  2. Gartner predicts that 69% of all managerial work will be automated by 2024.
Gartner predicts that 69% of all managerial work will be automated by 2024
  1. 31% of organizations are worried about labor displacement and job loss that could come from job automation and artificial intelligence (AI).
  2. To tackle this concern, organizations are looking to internally redeploy almost half of workers who will be displaced by automation instead of capitalizing on automation-based labor savings.
  3. 7 to 24% of currently employed women and 8 to 28% of men may need to transition into different skill sets due to shifts in labor demands caused by automation.

Time Management and Productivity

Implementing an automation tool like frevvo can seriously improve time management and increase productivity.

Here are some eye-opening automation statistics that show how automation technology can improve efficiency within your company.

Time and cost savings associated with automation
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  1. 73% of IT leaders say that thanks to automation success, employees are saving between 10 and 50% of the time they previously spent doing manual tasks.
  2. 57% of IT leaders say that automation technology saves departments between 10 and 50% on costs previously associated with manual processing.
  3. 51% of automation initiatives are aimed at boosting efficiency.
  4. 42% of business leaders agree that workflow automation speeds up the completion of repetitive tasks.
  5. Over half of all organizations agree that business process automation (BPA) minimizes human error in the workflow.
  6. 31% of business leaders agree that automation software leads to reduced labor costs.
  7. 78% of business leaders believe that automating tasks in the organization increases productivity for everyone involved.
  8. 85% of business leaders believe that automating some of the workload will give them and their employees more time to focus on the goals that truly matter to the company.
85% of business leaders believe that automating some of the workload will give them and their employees more time to focus on the goals that truly matter to the company.
  1. 52% of business leaders believe they could automate 10-30% of their daily workload.

AI and Machine Learning

Artificial intelligence and machine learning (ML) have become prominent tools to help automate processes more effectively.

Here are some of the top automation statistics around the use of AI and ML to improve the automation workflow. 

  1. 50% of companies are already using AI for at least one business function.
  2. 25% of organizations are currently using AI in their process automation efforts, while 53% plan to implement this soon.
organizations using and planning to use AI for process automation
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  1. Strategy is important: 43% of AI high-performers have a clearly defined AI vision and strategy.
  2. 24% of organizations are using AI to enhance product development.
  3. 15% of companies are using AI to optimize yield, efficiency, and throughput in manufacturing.
  4. 62% of organizations are using AI to support IT operations, while 54% use it to improve business process efficiency, 48% are supporting manufacturing operations, and 49% are using AI for research and product development.
How organizations are using artificial intelligence
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  1. 45% of companies use AI to reduce business costs.
  2. 38% of companies are implementing machine learning to reduce costs, while 34% want to improve the customer experience, 26% are looking to reduce churn, and 17% want to increase conversion rates.
How companies are using machine learning
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  1. 66% of companies have increased their revenue by deploying AI technology.
  2. AI budgets have increased. Budgets from $500k to $5 million have increased by 55% year-on-year.

Workflow Automation

Organizations are deploying tools to automate workflows to streamline operations. This helps to reduce costs, errors, and processing time.

Here are some statistics about how and why companies are automating workflows.

Statistic on the importance of process automation for digital transformation
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  1. 97% of IT decision-makers say that process automation is crucial to digital transformation.
  2. 36% of organizations are already implementing business process management software to automate workflows.
  3. 29% of companies are planning to implement business process management software in the near future.
  4. 48% of organizations are working on installing business process automation solutions that specifically automate management of manual tasks.
48% of organizations are working on installing business process automation solutions that specifically automate management of manual tasks
  1. 67% of organizations are implementing business process automation solutions that increase end-to-end visibility across different systems.
  2. 47% of IT leaders say that the greatest return on investment (ROI) from automation occurs within operations.
  3. 24% of organizations are already implementing low-code workflow automation software, like frevvo.
  4. 29% of organizations are planning to implement low-code workflow automation software in the near future.

Big Data

By automating Big Data, organizations are better able to manage data and recognize patterns in performance and behavior, which allows them to make more informed business decisions.

Here’s how companies are automating Big Data to drive growth.

  1. 95% of businesses need to manage unstructured data –– 40% need to do so regularly. 
  2. 59% of big data professionals say their organizations are increasing investment in big data.
  3. 30% of organizations are investing in big data to modernize their IT systems, while 23% are looking to make cost savings, and 20% are trying to accelerate business growth.
big data investment drivers
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  1. Limited understanding and a lack of experienced resources are the top two big data challenges within organizations.
  2. 45% of companies using big data operate at least part of the data on the cloud. In fact, it’s estimated that 67% of enterprise infrastructure will be cloud-based by the end of 2020.

Automating Human Resources

  1. 45% of human resources (HR) departments are focusing on intelligent or process automation over the next year.
  2. 18% of IT leaders say that the highest ROI from automation occurs in the HR department.
  3. One in ten business leaders agrees that hiring would be easy to automate.
  4. 70% of business leaders believe that an automation tool could help them build more effective teams.
  5. 61% of decision- makers believe that automation technology could help hiring managers pick the right talent for the job.
  6. 54% of business leaders believe that automation software will reduce the need for HR staff and hiring managers.
HR automation statistics
  1. 10% of companies are using AI to optimize talent management. 
  2. 56% of HR departments have increased their revenue by using AI technology.

Sales and Marketing Automation

Sales teams and marketers are deploying sales and marketing technology to automate the buyer journey and accelerate conversions. 

Check out these sales and marketing automation statistics for insights into how organizations are building their sales and marketing automation strategy.

  1. 75% of companies use marketing automation software.
  2. Three-quarters of businesses say that automated landing pages are effective at lead generation.
  3. In terms of automated emails, a welcome sequence is the most common automated email marketing technique. Lead nurturing emails are the second most common strategy.
  4. 83% of marketing departments automate social media posting, 75% automate email marketing, 58% automate social media advertising, and 36% automate social media engagement.
digital marketing elements that are suitable for automation
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  1. 39% of companies automate sales prospecting.
  2. Only 2% of companies are using sales automation for sales order fulfillment.
  3. 36% of companies use automation to generate sales quotes.
Sales automation statistics
  1. 14% of companies are using AI for sales and marketing segmentation
  2. 18% of IT leaders say that their marketing departments are seeing the highest ROI from automation at this current time, while 13% say it’s their sales departments.
  3. Over half of businesses claim that sales and marketing automation technology increases their conversion rate.
  4. 39% of organizations say that their marketing automation system produces higher quality leads.
  5. 55% of businesses say that their marketing automation tool helps them to generate more leads.
  6. 58% of companies that deploy chatbots, use them for sales or marketing.

Customer Service Automation

Automating customer service tasks helps to improve the customer experience. Not only does this boost a company’s reputation, it also improves customer retention.

Here are some statistics on how companies are automating customer service.

  1. 37% of IT leaders say that their customer service departments are seeing higher ROI from automation than any other department.
  2. 34% of organizations are using automated guided self-service.
  3. 65% of customer service experts say that most feedback-gathering is automated.
  4. 60% of customer service professionals say that most of their recommendations for the next best action are automated.
  5. 38% of customer service reps say their organization uses chatbots to automate customer service interactions
  6. 74% of consumers expect a chatbot to be available to provide website assistance

Challenges to Automation

While there are many benefits to automating workflows and processes, some organizations are facing challenges when it comes to implementation.

Here are some of the common hurdles that companies are facing.

  1. 90% of IT decision-makers say they’ve faced technical issues with their most recent automation project.
  2. 25% of global data and analytics decision-makers said their firm lacks an overall vision or strategy for automation.
  3. Resistance to change is the third biggest challenge to scaling automation in organizations.
  4. 37% of organizations say that implementation costs are a barrier to implementing automation.
The biggest challenges when implementing automation technology
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  1. 29% of organizations say that employee training and resistance is a challenge when rolling out automated solutions.
  2. 54% of companies say that their biggest challenge to automating workflows is mapping complex processes.
  3. 61% of marketers fear that automation tools lack personal connection, while 39% are worried about reduced control over the process.
  4. 62% of companies are concerned about the cybersecurity risks associated with AI.
  5. 8% of companies specifically complain that low-code capabilities hamper their ability to implement automation technology.

Need a low-code solution? Try frevvo.

Automate your organization now

There are plenty of ways that an automation tool can boost efficiency and productivity within your organization.

Companies are automating repetitive tasks across sales, marketing, customer service, and human resources departments to speed up workflows and reduce errors.

To capitalize on the benefits of automation, find out how frevvo’s simple workflow software can help you quickly and easily automate your workflows for faster, more efficient operations across your company.

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