Something that would normally have taken years, happened in a matter of months last year. Due to the corona crisis, digitization has jumped 7 years ahead, according to McKinsey & Company.
People have been forced to stay home, and are now accustomed to do everything via digital channels. Whether this concerns working from home, grocery shopping, fun shopping, finances or dating. It is impossible for companies to run business without a digital infrastructure for working from home and / or customer interaction, including reliable online communication channels.
And that is exactly what we also noticed with a large number of our clients. At the start of the pandemic the first reaction seemed to be formed by panic and cost-cutting reflexes, however, people quickly moved on to the order of the day and in search of opportunities in the new normal.
Here to stay
The expectation of many, including McKinsey, is that many of the changes will persist in the long term. And that the quick solutions to the pandemic will be of permanent nature. Logically, an increasing proportion of available corporate resources will be invested in deploying advanced business technology in business operations and decision-making, digital customer acquisition, data security, and binding and engaging ‘digital talent’. Crisis-related changes but with a long-term view.
Digital Ambitions
Due to the urgency of the pandemic, decision-making speed and change power have increased significantly. No organization can do without a well-formulated and captivating digital strategy with an underlying data foundation and skilled ‘digital’ leaders at the top of the organization.
At Squadra, we did not need the pandemic to see the urgency of our clients’ “digital journey”. But with all the bad and troubling news in the media about the state of the world, we are somewhat pleased with the developments confirmed by McKinsey. This means that with our knowledge and our network we can add even more value to the future success of our clients and relations. Whether the key question is “Where am I in my digital journey”? or “How do I develop my digital leadership profile?”, to “Which capabilities do need ?”, “Which stakeholders should I involve and where does the ownership lie for different aspects?”, “What do I need to set up in terms of data-related processes and which tooling do I need?”, or “How can I make use of new technologies such as Machine Learning, while my system landscape is still filled with systems that need replacement?”… We would like to think along and see, as we are certain that 2021 is the year of opportunities!
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