SMEs in the lead

Until recently, process automation was the domain of large organizations. Today, it’s SMEs that are increasingly choosing to implement Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) — as confirmed by companies implementing these solutions in cooperation with SAIO.

COGNIBE estimates that 90% of projects are currently carried out in medium and large companies, with medium-sized enterprises showing the greatest activity. According to 10Clouds Financial Institutions, the shortest decision cycles and the greatest needs occur in companies with revenues of up to PLN 100 million.

“We’re seeing a clear increase in interest in automation among medium-sized companies — they are currently the fastest to adopt new solutions because they are large enough to seek optimization and at the same time flexible enough to act quickly. In our practice, as much as 80% of implementations concern finance and accounting, which shows that companies want to first organize what is easiest to measure,” comments Klaudia Martinek-Jaguszewska, CEO of COGNIBE.

By contrast, large corporations show less dynamism — longer decision cycles, a project-based approach, and frequent constraints related to group policies, especially in international companies.

Why do companies automate — and why not?

According to SAIO’s study, the most frequently automated processes are those related to accounting — from 40% of implementations per 10Clouds Financial Institutions statistics (with another 30% in e-commerce) to 80% at COGNIBE. Other popular areas include customer service, logistics, online sales, manufacturing, HR, and supply chains.

What inspires automation? Companies choose it primarily for pragmatic reasons: to optimize costs, reduce errors, increase operational scalability, and limit time-consuming manual work.

“We observe the most dynamic investment decisions in companies with revenues up to PLN 100 million — they have the shortest decision cycles and the greatest pressure on efficiency. For them, automation is not optional innovation but a business necessity. Accounting, e-commerce, and customer service are the starting areas because they offer a quick return on investment,” says Karol Stępień, CEO at 10Clouds Financial Institutions.

However, there are also barriers. The most frequently cited include long implementation times, lack of well-defined processes, lack of prepared and structured data, unclear objectives, and no automation strategy (“the business often doesn’t know what it can gain”). In the case of AI, there’s also a lack of understanding of how the technology works and the time required to tailor it to a company’s specifics and processes.

“In Poland and globally, the common denominator today is a drive for usefulness, security, and a fast return on investment. To achieve this, companies must start by asking: whether and what is worth automating — and only then act. In this context, there is certainly still much to do in Poland in educating businesses about AI’s capabilities and in setting business goals for digitalization. It’s homework for the entire industry,” says Przemysław Lewicki, CEO of SAIO.

Where does AI gain the most traction?

When asked which industries use artificial intelligence most effectively, implementers consistently point to:

• customer service,
• marketing,
• finance and insurance,
• manufacturing and e-commerce,
• data-driven services such as accounting or document handling.

According to SAIO experts, artificial intelligence opens up new possibilities for automation and delivers business benefits where this was previously impossible and where only rules-based processes were automated. The first step to success is having large resources of structured, digital data. These observations align with the Polish edition of PwC’s 28th CEO Survey, “Time for necessary transformations,” which finds that the low level of AI adoption in Poland stems mainly from the lack of a coherent data management strategy, limiting implementation effectiveness. PwC’s study indicates that companies investing in data governance and the integration of digital technologies achieve better results in efficiency and innovation. At the same time, PwC notes that as many as 42% of CEOs in Poland expect AI to positively impact profitability, even though only 15% fully trust AI as a tool to support business development (compared to 33% globally).

Education and simplicity — the keys to success

SAIO’s partners report that businesses need not only technology but also support in understanding what automation and AI really are and what to expect from them. Simplicity of implementation and clearly defined business goals turn out to be crucial.

For this reason, Polish companies more often choose to work with external experts rather than build in-house competencies.

“Our partners’ observations clearly show that most clients do not have their own teams responsible for automation and do not plan to create them. Entrepreneurs prefer to rely on the experience of specialized firms — this shortens implementation time and reduces the risk of errors,” summarizes Przemysław Lewicki, CEO of SAIO. “They expect ready-made solutions and comprehensive support from the start of the project, not just the technology itself. This approach enables companies to achieve business results faster,” adds Lewicki.