Businesses worldwide are predicting a tough year ahead, surveys showing that they are most worried not so much about war or energy crisis directly, but rather the consequences, such as inflation and a possible recession. Companies are now more consciously planning, developing and looking for ways out. And digitalisation is one of the main tools for doing so.
Digitalisation can undoubtedly be an important partner in the process of optimisation, cost reduction, more efficient management of administrative burdens, and increasing customer and employee satisfaction. From paperless HR to data-center heated offices and change-management AI, the experts from the Stylers information technology group show you the business digitalisation trends to watch out for in 2023.
While the epidemic worries, that seem now quite old, turned companies’ lives upside down and forced them to implement both new technologies and the pace of working from home, in the crisis-promising period ahead, businesses are looking at digital transformation as more of an escape strategy for survival. It is predicted that by the middle of the decade, companies will pour $2.8 trillion into such developments globally.
In addition to technology, digital competences will also be a focus in 2023. So the next watershed years businesses will be very much dependent on the concrete steps they take to embrace digitalisation, with top managers playing an important role. There are some important digitalisation trends that are worth adapting as soon as possible, because they obviously play a key role in 2023.
- Focusing on sustainable solutions
Environmental and social sustainability will be perhaps the most important challenge for companies, especially the so-called big tech, and this is something that employees and customers themselves expect. Of course, the strategic objectives must be translated into tangible actions and corporate IT services must be fully aligned with energy and cost efficiency. Cloud technology, analytics, artificial intelligence and the smart use of renewable energy sources are the key enablers. Good practices already include heating systems using heat generated by data centers, or building management systems that use information from office sensors to generate forecasts.
- Law and HR moving into the digital space
Although the benefits of technology can go a long way, companies are looking for tangible solutions that can pay off in the short term and optimize resources almost immediately. It is no coincidence that more and more administrative processes are going digital: smart contracts are taking off, with blockchain technology ensuring maximum authenticity between signatories, companies are expected to be able to complete more and more of their administrative tasks online, and digitalisation is revolutionizing HR.
The ability to request days off, easily fill in attendance sheets and confirm contract amendments at the touch of a button in a single IT system will not only increase the efficiency of HR staff, but could also reduce company costs by up to 4/5.
- “Experience” becoming a strategic function
While businesses are expected to address price to overcome the hurdles of the coming year, it is clear that they cannot compromise on quality and customer experience, and that ensuring an impeccable and unhindered customer journey will be even more important than ever in the price competition. This area has of course been the focus of sales and business strategies for years, supported by the right technology, but it seems to be finally taking its rightful place among management functions: the largest companies are appointing a succession of professionals to the position of Chief Experience Officer (CXO), responsible for maintaining and improving the quality of the customer experience.
- The king of change management: artificial intelligence
For those who haven’t already, now is the time to explore the concept of adaptive artificial intelligence, which can be a real magic bullet in an ever-changing marketplace. Adaptive AI is able to recreate its own models by processing new information as it comes in, so it can run processes that were not visible when the algorithms were written. Users are thus able to adapt to current challenges with record speed and optimize their operations almost instantaneously. In addition, however, companies are likely to place increasing emphasis on the IT security of AI-based solutions, since, as can be seen above, erroneous inputs, whether intentional or accidental, can pose a huge risk.
- Developer platforms continue to split
Global analyst firm Gartner predicts that by 2026, 80% of software development companies will have platform teams, 3/4 of which will include self-service portals. As the demand for IT products and solutions increases, the key issue is to optimize the resources of professionals as efficiently as possible. So-called low-code/no-code platforms enable business applications to be built with minimal manual coding, allowing developers to focus their skills on more creative, high-skill tasks and bespoke products – making their work more cost and time efficient than ever before.
It’s clear from the above that technology is irreversibly penetrating more and more segments of businesses, and the need for skilled professionals with specialized knowledge in a particular area is growing. In addition to excellent earning potential, they will be looking for jobs with responsibility, opportunities for development and absolute flexibility to maintain a work-life balance. Even if this is not a huge challenge for companies, the pervasive digital transformation will mean that they will also have to pay attention to training non-IT workers, who will have to interact with technology in almost all jobs. Creativity, critical thinking, management: these will all be key competences in the future.
In any case, in order to stay on top of the rapidly changing and evolving technological landscape, you need to have working devices that will be able to help you at any time. This is where you could use the help of Good Zone professionals, as any device can at some point need to get repaired.