More than half of UK businesses ready to speed up their digital transformation journey due to pandemic. British businesses are ready to further embrace digital transformation according to a survey, which indicates that 56 per cent of companies are speeding up plans because of the pandemic. With so many employees working from home, and a battle to get back on track after a year of turbulence, businesses are realising their processes and systems are potentially outdated and in need of an overhaul. The survey, commissioned by Crown Records Management, revealed: • 32% are planning digital transformation in the next 12 months to cope with the new normal. • A further 24% plan to act within 5 years. • 66% say the pandemic has made the C-Suite in their business recognise the importance of digital transformation. • 30% say allowing employees to work at home efficiently is now a key driver for them. • 27% do not view their business as having already ‘gone digital’. David Fathers, Regional General Manager at Crown Records Management, said: “There was already a big desire from UK businesses to develop a digital strategy even before the pandemic, driven by a demand for improved data security and a need to be more competitive in the market. “But these survey results show that companies now want to increase the pace of change because of the events of the last year. “Having so many employees working from home has shone a light on the inadequacies of systems currently in place in many
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companies, of all sizes. Employees have found that information has been difficult to track down and slow to access. “There’s a myth that Western countries such as the UK are so far ahead in the digital field that most businesses have already undergone digital transformation. “The results showed that only a quarter of businesses have fully digitised all their backoffice functions, which means there is still a long way to go.” The survey, undertaken by Censuswide, polled 401 decision makers at companies across the country with between 250 and 5000 employees. David Fathers added: “We also asked whether people considered their business as having already ‘gone digital’ and surprisingly 27% said ‘no’. “That figure was even higher in London at 30% and highest of all in companies of between 250 and 500 employees – at 46%. It is vital that businesses begin the digital journey soon. The benefits are compelling. “Digital solutions can help a business become more efficient, save time and money, and make it simpler for employees to do their job - and that’s even before we begin to think about compliance and data security, which are huge business challenges in the modern world. “Perhaps it has taken the pandemic for some boardrooms to wake up to the importance of digital transformation, but if the intentions set out in this survey become reality, it can only be a good thing for UK business.”
