Research carried out by Information Services Group (ISG) found that 27% of European companies already use robotic process automation in at least 10 business processes and that this will grow to 54% by 2020.
The findings were based on a survey of more than 500 European business leaders across "nearly every major industry". More than 90% of the respondents were from companies based in the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France.
According to ISG, functions in customer services and orders, finance, treasury and audit, and procurement, logistics and supply chain are most likely to be impacted by robotic process automation.
The survey also found that the budgets European businesses have for robotic process automation technology and services are generally rising.
However, adoption is threatened by IT security concerns. ISG said 42% of business leaders surveyed highlight IT security as an inhibitor to the adoption of robotic process automation (RPA) at their company.
"As is the case with all technology deployments, security is a top concern," ISG said. "Other pressing concerns are organisational: resistance to change, lack of executive support from the executive team and governance, risk and compliance concerns. As enterprises realise double-digit improvements in productivity, speed and quality from RPA, these barriers will eventually deflate, creating a steep hill for late adopters to climb to remain competitive."