NEEDHAM, Mass., October 20, 2021 – Recent results from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Future Enterprise Resiliency and Spending (FERS) survey shed light on several key areas of digital transformation. In this global survey, respondents were asked to identify their digital resiliency investment plans, as well as the challenges and benefits of these initiatives.
Future of Customers and Consumers: Customer Experience
According to the FERS survey data, improving the customer experience (CX) directly impacts the organization’s bottom line. More than a third of respondents globally (34%), reported improved profit margins as one of the top five benefits arising from their CX initiatives. Organizations attributed these higher profit margins to increased revenue (27%), cost reductions in personnel (25%), marketing (22%), and customer acquisition (18%).
The benefits also extended to customers. Companies reporting improved customer experience pointed to their efforts to reduce customer pain points (22%) and friction in customer engagement (19). As customers navigate a technology-driven world, they seek out hyper-personalized contextual experiences that enable them to engage when and where they want while satisfying their need with the least effort.
For future enterprises to anticipate customer intentions and respond with empathy – at scale – will require a thorough understanding of customer data orchestrated by the right technology solutions. The FERS survey provides overwhelming evidence that technology and knowledge of customer data are critical in how organizations deliver customer experience.
- 78% of enterprises reported that data from and about the customer is critical for CX delivery – 21% indicated that customer data plays an extremely significant role.
- 79% of respondents reported that technology is critical in how they deliver CX.
Future of Intelligence: Enterprise Intelligence
Modern infrastructure is foundational to building enterprise intelligence, which in turn builds greater digital resiliency. Organizations that have increased – and accelerated – investment in technologies that drive the synthesis of information will be more digitally resilient in a post-pandemic world. Learning and knowledge sharing are also necessary for building enterprise intelligence and digital resiliency. According to FERS survey data:
- Business investments in enterprise intelligence continued or accelerated in 76% of survey respondents in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Top factors that helped organizations be resilient in the face of the pandemic were the ability to adapt quickly (33.7%), learn continuously (32.6%), and have cloud infrastructure to support enterprise intelligence (37.5%).
- Enterprise intelligence skills are highest rated among the skills that enterprises are looking to hire in the next six months.
Future of Trust: Digital Sovereignty
Regulations that enforce territorial data boundaries present obstacles and potentially limit the flexibility of global digital platforms and public cloud services. As the pace and scope of these regulations continue to expand, organizations are increasingly looking to digital sovereignty as a way to gain greater self-determination in their efforts to shape their digital transformation efforts. IDC defines digital sovereignty as the capacity for digital self-determination by states, companies, or individuals. It focuses on the control over data, infrastructure, and software that are relied upon to operate in the digital world.
FERS survey results highlight several key findings:
- 67% respondents agree or strongly agree that digital sovereignty improves their ability to shape digital transformation efforts in a self-determined way.
- 75% of respondents believe that the top regulation or guideline for digital sovereignty is to ensure providers adhere to geographic specific measures to not monetize, sell and/or use their customers’ data without intentional and expressed consent and compensation.
- 48% of respondents indicated that their top challenge is to protect and maintain visibility of data in public cloud providers’ facilities in accordance with regulatory requirements.
- 31% U.S. respondents believe that government involvement will influence investments in digital sovereignty initiatives.
About the Future Enterprise Resiliency and Spending Survey
The Future Enterprise Resiliency and Spending (FERS) survey series explore a range of topics related to IT spending priorities, digital resiliency, and technology and organizational priorities as organizations and customers emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. The data presented helps technology leaders understand their peer group’s deployment intentions with current insights into the use, adoption, and purchasing of technology to enhance enterprise intelligence.
About IDC’s Future Enterprise Research
In the growing digital economy, reprioritized C-suite agendas, focused on measurable business outcomes, will spur the deployment of critical digital transformation technologies. Technology suppliers, in turn, must engage with new buyers within organizations while shifting conversations from technology requirements to business outcomes. With industry-leading analysis of technology trends and thought leadership expertise, IDC advises and guides business leaders, tech suppliers, and service providers on their Future Enterprise journeys. Learn more about IDC’s Future Enterprise research at: www.idc.com/FoX.
About IDC
International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,100 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology, IT benchmarking and sourcing, and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC’s analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world’s leading tech media, data, and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter at @IDC and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the IDC Blog for industry news and insights.
Author Information
As a detail-oriented researcher, Sherril is expert at discovering, gathering and compiling industry and market data to create clear, actionable market and competitive intelligence. With deep experience in market analysis and segmentation she is a consummate collaborator with strong communication skills adept at supporting and forming relationships with cross-functional teams in all levels of organizations.
Sherril holds a Master of Business Administration in Marketing from University of Colorado, Boulder and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Rutgers University.
