MONTREAL, Feb. 18, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, a survey among business leaders and managers in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia provides an initial assessment of the progress of the digital transition in various businesses. Conducted by Léger on behalf of TALSOM, the survey found that, while senior managements are now aware of the importance of accelerating their transition to avoid putting their businesses at risk, there is still a significant potential for improvement in the adoption and deployment of digital technologies to all key business functions. Moreover, unlike their counterparts in Ontario and British Columbia, Quebec companies have not taken advantage of the past year to get a head start in their transition to digital technologies.
A culture of innovation to be developed
While 94% of the companies surveyed consider their digital transformation to be important, 28% believe it is non-urgent. These significant differences in the perception of the need and urgency of transformation projects are reflected in both the existence or lack thereof of an investment plan and the mere existence of a digital transformation plan. Indeed, while 59% of the companies have both, 26% of them still report having only one or the other. Even more concerning, 15% of the companies own neither (6% of Quebec companies). Even so, 79% of executives agree on the need to accelerate their transformation to avoid putting themselves at risk.
The numerous companies surveyed by Léger also recognize that they could and should capitalize more on digital technology, especially for several key departments:
- Production (44%)
- Communication and marketing (42%)
- Operation (40%)
- Merchandising (36%)
When asked about the main hurdles, companies that consider themselves to be lagging behind are first mentioning a lack of internal skills or employee motivation (60%) as the main explanation. Other reasons identified refer to the complexity of aligning with the business model and the difficulty of establishing strict performance indicators.
The Covid-19 pandemic has tipped many companies and employees into an exclusively digital model and has in fact pushed some of them to rapidly accelerate their digital transformation. The pandemic was a critical period for many companies that were able to catch up and even increase their lead in this area.
However, according to the Léger study, Quebec businesses have benefited less from the pandemic than those located in Ontario or British Columbia. As a matter of fact, fewer businesses in Québec believe they are ahead in their digital transformation today than they were before the pandemic started (43% today vs. 45.1% before the pandemic), compared to a 12-percentage point increase in Ontario (45% vs. 33%) and a 14-percentage point increase in British Columbia (44% vs. 30%).
Quotes
"This is a critical observation we make at TALSOM: the companies we assist, which have both a digital transformation plan and an investment plan, are clearly ahead of their competitors in their digital economy and are making significant gains in competitiveness."
-Stéphane Ricoul, Marketing & Partnerships Director
"It is disturbing that 61% of the companies surveyed see the digital giants (The GAFAs) as an opportunity for their industry, and 13% see them as having no impact at all. This is actually false good news that demonstrates the lack of aggressiveness towards the GAFAs. »
-Olivier Laquinte, CEO
In brief
- 84.3% of Quebec companies consider that they are putting themselves at risk if they do not accelerate their digital transformation.
- 94% of Quebec companies consider digital transformation to be an important element in their business, 66% consider it to be important and urgent.
- The three main obstacles cited are:
- Alignment with the business model
- Difficulty in establishing KPIs
- Lack of internal skills or employee motivation
- 1 out of 10 Quebec companies think it is neither urgent nor important.
- 76% of companies have an investment plan and 68% have a digital transformation plan; 59% have both.
Web survey conducted from November 30th to December 15th among 302 managers and executives of companies with 250 or more employees in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia.
About TALSOM
Talsom is a management consulting firm specialized in digital transformation. Its mission is to create a positive impact through people, innovation and technology. From innovation to execution to strategy, TALSOM collaborate with organizations to help understand, define, plan and carry out their transformation projects. TALSOM is also a founding member of the Regroupement des Firmes de Services Professionnels Indépendantes (RFSPI) which promotes and values professional services in Quebec.
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SOURCE Talsom
Antoine Kack, TACT, Cellphone: 581 984-0159, [email protected]
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