Survey: How Finance Professionals Would Use Time Saved by Automation
A recent SAP Concur survey shows that if given an extra hour a day, finance professionals would most likely invest in career growth, strengthen leadership skills, and keep up with AI and finance technology. 60% would take an online professional development course, 17% would build relationships with peers outside finance, 16% would take on a stretch project, and 7% would seek mentorship and feedback. On leadership, 45% want to use tech to boost employee engagement and retention, 34% want best practices for managing hybrid teams, 34% want new ways to motivate their team, and 25% want to use tech to support duty of care. On AI, 50% want to learn how AI is used in finance, 39% would attend a we…
Impact and considerations
The survey reflects finance teams' demand for AI and automation learning, offering a reference for training and talent strategy around corporate travel and expense management systems.
Key points
- 60% of finance professionals would take an online professional development course with extra time, 17% would build relationships outside finance, 16% would take on a stretch project, and 7% would seek mentorship and feedback.
- On leadership, 45% want to use tech to boost employee engagement and retention, 34% want best practices for managing hybrid teams, 34% want new ways to motivate their team, and 25% want to use tech to support duty of care.
- On AI, 50% want to learn how AI is used in finance, 39% would attend a webinar on AI innovations, 28% want to see how AI improves forecasting, and 19% want to explore AI's role in audits and fraud prevention.
- CFOs see AI's biggest impact in forecasting accuracy (67%), risk management (65%), and automating routine tasks (64%).
- For learning, 66% prefer webinars, 43% listen to podcasts, 29% read ebooks or tipsheets, and 21% would watch an AI-focused webinar.
- The survey notes that time lost to manual spend management processes makes professional growth a 'someday' endeavor for many.
Sources and time
- Primary source
- SAP Concur
- Other sources
- 0
- First source publication
- 4 Mar 2025, 21:58
- Page published
- 14 Aug 2026, 08:10
- Last updated
- 4 Mar 2025, 21:58
- Original links
- SAP Concur Blog：What Would You Do With an Extra hour? Finance Pros Weigh In (opens in a new tab)Primary source · en · Published 4 Mar 2025, 21:58