MORE than 50 organisations from across the private and public sectors attended a recent event looking at the importance of embracing the digital age.
The Digital Everything seminar explored the opportunities and challenges faced by organisations in a digital world.
Attendees at the event — hosted by the Belfast Branch of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT and Fujitsu — discussed a range of issues, including what exactly is meant by digital, what customers and employees really think of digital services and how organisations here need to prepare for a digital future.
Delegates heard from the Ulster University’s Professor Mark Durkin on the role of marketing in a digital age and David Rosewell, head of mobile and digital at Fujitsu, who shared key findings from a recent comprehensive UK-wide research report which was carried out by Fujitsu, Digital Inside Out – the only UK wide study to examine digital from every angle.
Speaking about the report and its relevance to businesses in Northern Ireland, Mr Rosewell said: “The Digital Inside Out report shows that over a fifth of us will always opt for a digital-first approach, when a digital service is offered, with 84% saying they would always or sometimes use digital services when they are offered.
“Driven by a desire to speed up (66%) and simplify (62%) everyday processes, the results show a digitally confident nation, one that is seeking to move faster towards a digital future.
“With this trend, we are rapidly heading towards a ‘digital first’ nation and organisations in Northern Ireland which grasp this can gain competitive advantage.”
Mr Rosewell explained that Fujitsu’s research showed that the retail and financial services sectors were doing the best job of providing digital services to their customers, with online banking the most used digital service, closely followed by online shopping.
“Whilst there is much positivity in the report, there is also plenty of room for improvement, with some sectors clearly having a lot to do — not least in providing greater integration between different online/offline channels and between front office/ back office processes,” he added.
“The report highlighted that many organisations need to work harder to become digital from the inside out. This means ensuring that employees have at least the same digital capability in doing their job as their customers have, enabling better customer service.”
Speaking about the event and promoting the wider social and economic impacts of a digital future, Bill McCluggage, who is Chair of the Belfast Branch of the BCS, said: “The Digital Everything event illustrates that organisations and the professionals they employ here in Northern Ireland have the appetite to learn more about what it means to be digital and how it impacts on both the social and economic wellbeing of our region. They want to know how they can take advantage of digital technology to improve their businesses and deliver services.”