The pandemic has shaped 2020 and impacted every organisation differently. Businesses have managed to adapt to the crisis in a variety of ways and one of the biggest changes we have seen is an increased demand for digital transformation.
Off the back of this, we asked some of the XPON team what their thoughts are on top trends for 2021…
“COVID-19 has only brought the deadline closer. 2020 has shown everyone just how important it is to have confidence in your data and analytics, and demonstrated the consequences of not investing in business critical foundations that drive your business reporting and customer activations.
Using big data and analytics has always been on a growth trajectory and has made the need for data even greater. I anticipate that continued investment from companies into data and analytics capabilities that power faster, leaner and smarter organizations.”
“An interesting prediction globally from Gartner on this topic is that 25% of organisations will amalgamate marketing, sales and CX into a single function. 31% of corporate boards of directors and CEOS are considering complete digitally-driven transformations of their business models, with 27% of CEOs saying multiple business functions are already being redefined or merging based on business data.
Organisations that feel confident about their data are able to rely upon it to make decisions, highlight opportunities and identify and manage risks. They will be more agile, as they are comfortable that their data is fit for their business needs.”
“The need to improve the digital resiliency of the workforce during and after the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically accelerated trends in digital workplace technology.
When employees were sent home from their offices en masse amid the global onset of COVID-19, many businesses scrambled to adopt technology solutions to enable their teams to work remotely.
The pandemic rapidly elevated many digital workplace technologies from nice-to-have to must-have status. The future of flexible work will be a blend between home, offsite and work spaces as new ways of designing workflows are designed.”
Revelian’s 2020 Hiring Benchmark Report stated that of the organisations that did transition to remote work this year, 54% view remote work more positively now; 42% say their view is unchanged, and just 4% view remote work more negatively.
Trend-leader Google this week announced that they were delaying returning to the office until September 2021.
Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, said the company was testing the idea of a ‘flexible work week’ once it is safe to return to the office. Under the pilot plan, employees would be expected to work at least three days a week in the office for ‘collaboration days’ while working from home the other days. Other companies may take their cues from Google, which has been a pioneer for many aspects of work life, especially at technology companies.
Microsoft similarly offered all of its employees the chance to work from home less than 50% of the time without advanced approval. Uber, American Express and Airbnb have all extended their remote work policies.