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Organisations failing to implement effective digital strategies

Sibahle Malinga
By Sibahle Malinga, ITWeb senior news journalist.
Johannesburg, 12 Apr 2017
Less than 10% of organisations polled globally said that they had an optimised strategy for digital business in place, says Dimension Data.
Less than 10% of organisations polled globally said that they had an optimised strategy for digital business in place, says Dimension Data.

Organisations around the world are failing to implement effective digital strategies. As a result their customer experience (CX) solutions are becoming disjointed.

This is according to new research published by Dimension Data in the 20th anniversary edition of its Global Customer Experience Benchmarking Report. The research found less than 10% of organisations polled globally said that they had an optimised strategy for digital business in place, while over half reported they don't have a plan at all, or are at best, in the process of developing one. Furthermore the research reveals digital is not displacing traditional phone interactions at the speed that their customers are demanding.

Around 351 organisations across 80 countries contributed to the research. In the Middle East and Africa (MEA), 268 organisations were polled.


"For organisations in MEA, the top factor driving digital transformation is improving CX, followed by cost. Over 87% of organisations can evidence uplift in revenue as a result of improved CX, while 81% report cost savings. Yet, just 32% have appointed a board level executive who is responsible for customer experiences, and organisational disconnects mean digital solution functionality is not meeting customer requirements," explains the report.

Joe Manuele, Dimension Data's group executive, CX and Collaboration, says: "The world has formed a digital skin and business, service, technology and commercial models have changed forever. However, organisations are strategically challenged to keep pace with customer behaviour."

The absence of a connected digital strategy, continues Manuele, means that even when digital solutions are available, the customer is frequently not even aware of their existence. "The digital dilemma is deepening, and organisations need to choose a path between digital crisis or redemption."

Instead, high performing companies that have committed to the opportunity created by the digital revolution are outpacing established market leaders. The research shows top quartile organisations are performing up to ten times better than their counterparts.

Meanwhile, a Sage report titled 'Tech-Savvy Businesses do it better', found that around 32% of small businesses that have a significant focus on digitally innovating their business reported growth of more than 10% last year.

Anton van Heerden, MD and executive vice-president, Africa and Middle East at Sage, says: "More and more African business builders are embracing mobile technology and the cloud to streamline red tape and to improve the agility of their businesses. Over the next three years, it will be exciting to see how innovations such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of things will turn Sage's vision of invisible admin into a reality."

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