James McCobb, Partner, Global Technology, Digital discusses changes to the digital landscape since Covid, tips for digital transformation and the latest innovations that businesses should be embracing.
What are the biggest changes you’ve seen since Covid restrictions were lifted?
Working from home has transformed digital into the bricks and mortar of businesses,
with over ¾ of organisations allowing hybrid working. Your company’s internal digital platforms are now a critical part of your corporate ‘glue’ and yet these platforms are often poorly branded, unintuitive and a source of much employee frustration. However, with the exception of Zoom who have established a new order of corporate social, with 300 million daily meeting participants.
What’s the main thing businesses should consider when embarking on their digital
transformation?
I am often asked by clients why they got it wrong. Almost always the answer is they started their transformation journey with key benefits in mind and at some point, those benefits were turned into a technology purchase. Once the technology is successfully installed the job is believed to be complete irrespective of whether it has delivered the benefit. Don’t let that happen hold onto the benefits as KPI’s and hold the delivery team to account to deliver them.
What digital innovations should businesses be embracing?
With UK AI expenditure predicted to increase to over £27.2 billion by 2025, your AI personality will be key to ensuring it behaves in a way that reflects and builds your brand. If the Internet was a country, it would be the 7th largest polluter. We have seen a growing awareness of the need for sustainable website design and sustainable infrastructure platforms.
What should businesses be factoring into their digital communications plans for 2023?
Your own website is your most trusted channel. It’s so much more than just a site. It’s the content that really matters. Identify your key themes for the year, create a persistent narrative around them, use multiple content formats and drive engagement through social media.