Exclusive research: The R2R efficiency mirage
Most finance teams think they’re automated, but the data tells a different story
This 2026 research report from SSON Research & Analytics, based on responses from 88 shared services and finance operations leaders, exposes a critical disconnect that 97% of organizations still rely on people instead of systems to complete the record-to-report (R2R) close.
Despite widespread adoption of close-management platforms, the execution work — journal entries, reconciliations, intercompany postings and accruals — still happens manually. Spreadsheets remain central. Orchestration is rare. And most “automation” progress turns out to be surface-level. Get the data behind the illusion and rethink what automation should mean for R2R.
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What you’ll learn in this report
Most of the manual effort isn’t where you’d expect, and most tools weren’t built to remove it. This report breaks down why visibility isn’t the same as automation, and what real progress requires. You’ll get:
- Independent findings from 88 shared services leaders across global regions
- The specific R2R processes where manual effort still dominates
- Insights into orchestration gaps, human bottlenecks and tool sprawl
- Why dashboards and digital sign-offs haven’t eliminated manual work
- What respondents say it would take to shift from coordination to execution
Why this research matters
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