New research from Expleo says that Irish enterprises place a higher value on digitalisation now than they did before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The engineering, technology and consulting service provider has published its Business Transformation Index 2022, which points to an increased urgency in digital transformation, with 88% of business and IT leaders here reporting that their boards are more likely to approve new digital strategies as a result of the pandemic.
Covid-19 lockdowns forced businesses to transform rapidly as they got to grips with new, virtual ways of working and engaging with customers.
Expleo’s research shows that this has resulted in a permanent shift in mindsets, with digital services scaling up the value chain, the company says.
Ireland managing director Phil Codd (pictured) commented: “Long before Covid-19 was first discovered, digital transformation was already on the agenda for many companies. But from our experience, even the most dynamic, innovative IT departments were facing pushback from their boards of management because they didn’t value, or understand, the role digital played in business success.
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“One pandemic later, all of that has changed. Organisations have learned that digital was not only critical to survival during the pandemic, but in the aftermath too. The world has embraced a transformed reality and businesses need to be ready to adapt quickly to changes in market conditions and consumer behaviours to succeed.
“Inertia rarely goes unpunished, and our research finds that success in transformation is reliant on boldness of vision across all levels of an organisation. Only then can businesses equip themselves with the necessary resources to affect better outcomes and a brighter future.”
Transformation Acceleration
The global research, which included a survey of 110 business and IT leaders in Ireland, found that the pandemic spurred rapid digitalisation in most organisations operating here. Eight in 10 businesses in Ireland accelerated their digital transformation plans as a direct result of Covid-19, by an average of 14 months.
They cite improved customer experience as the leading driver for transformation projects, with 51% saying they will seek to improve customer experience. Meanwhile, 48% say that it will help them to innovate and bring new offerings to market, while 45% will seek to transform their business model and ways of working.
Expleo has created an interactive tool, the Bold and Reliable Index, which enables enterprises to measure themselves against nine key criteria for success, as outlined in the report.
