Orange
Business Services and the consultancy Sia
Partners released a position
paper which explores how the digital phenomenon fundamentally changes
ways of working by impacting employees, as well as how companies
interact with their clients and partners, thereby creating new
opportunities. This position paper is based on a Europe-wide study -
conducted in conjunction with Sia Partners and Harris Interactive -
including more than 1,800 interviews with company CEOs, IT managers,
business owners and Human Resources managers across five European
countries.
New ways of working to improve customer relationships
The digital phenomenon has an effect on the expectations of individuals
today who want more connectivity, personalization and interaction in
their relationships with companies. The research indicates that 83
percent of European companies acknowledge that better customer service
is a driver of new ways of working. The position paper highlights the
experience of BNP Paribas Wealth Management, which provided tablets to
its increasingly mobile sales forces in Asia to manage the relationships
with their customers.
Home working diversifies with the emergence of “third place working”
Flexible working is not only a means to improve quality of life of
employees, but also a lever for productivity and real estate
optimization for companies. The study reveals that flexible working is
formalized by a legal framework in 54 percent of European companies,
which have established a home working policy. In addition to home
working and office working, distance work is taking on new forms in
various locations - from public to enterprise-provided - to accommodate
employees. These new spaces are known as “third places to work.”
Collaborative work: the enterprise opens its ecosystem
Through co-creation, co-working and co-innovation, collaboration is a
real evolution in ways of working that is made possible thanks to the
digital transformation. Companies extend their collaboration to an
increasingly wide network of suppliers, clients and partners.
“Corpoworking” is a new trend that consists of welcoming members of this
ecosystem in a dedicated location. This is the case with SNCF, which has
specific workspaces - and access to the company’s Wi-Fi - in their new
headquarters to accommodate partners and clients. In addition to shared
spaces, 74 percent of European companies consider collaboration with
external partners a ‘must-have’ or ‘nice-to-have’ practice.
Security: a major requirement for companies
The introduction of new ways of working calls for a transformation of
the company’s IT infrastructure and raises questions about security and
the protection of resources. Sixty-five percent of companies in the
study confirm that security will have an impact on their ways of working
over the next three years. In 2013, 62 percent of European companies had
set up a secure mobile solution, and 10 percent more planned to deploy
one before the end of 2014.
IT projects increasingly influenced by business departments
While IT managers are still responsible for the choice of digital
equipment and solutions in 97 percent of European companies today, the
position paper shows the increasing influence of business owners (i.e.,
director or manager of business units, production, facilities, marketing
or sales) in the decision-making process. Thirty-six percent of European
companies believe that business owners’ level of involvement in decision
making will increase in the next three years. Human Resources (HR)
executives also play a major role. In 59 percent of companies, HR is
involved in the decision-making process for the working environment.
In 2014, 44 percent of European companies plan to implement at least one
new tool or service to develop new ways of working. For example, their
priority projects cited for the short term involve deploying cloud
services, tablets and applications. Orange Business Services and Sia
Partners’ ambition is to accompany enterprises in their digital
transformation.
Download the position paper here: http://www.orange-business.com/en/library/white-paper/taming-the-digital-tiger
Position paper methodology
The position paper “Taming
the digital tiger: How to seize the opportunities from new ways of
working” is based on a Europe-wide study performed by Orange
Business Services with the support of Sia Partners and Harris
Interactive. Conducted in 2013 in Europe, it was extended to cover the
U.S. and Asia in 2014 with additional interviews. The paper now covers:
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8 countries: Belgium, China, France, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, U.K.,
U.S.
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60 face-to-face interviews, 10 focus groups with 62 participants,
1,862 interviews
-
large, medium and small companies
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a mix of business sectors, including services, industry, agriculture,
trade, transport and construction
-
various corporate functions: CEOs, IT/Telco managers, Human Resources,
business owners (director or manager of business units, production,
facilities, marketing or sales)
About Orange Business Services
Orange Business Services, the Orange branch dedicated to B2B services,
is a leading global integrator of communications solutions for
multinational corporations. With the world's largest, seamless network
for voice and data, Orange Business Services reaches 220 countries and
territories with local support in more than 160. Offering a
comprehensive package of communication services covering cloud
computing, enterprise mobility, M2M, security, unified communications,
videoconferencing, and broadband, Orange Business Services delivers a
best-in-class customer experience across a global landscape. Thousands
of enterprise customers and 1.4 million mobile data users rely on an
Orange Business Services international platform for communicating and
conducting business. Orange Business Services was awarded four of the
telecom industry’s highest accolades at the annual World Communication
Awards 2013 - Best Global Operator, Best Cloud Service, Best Enterprise
Service and Best Small Business Service. Orange Business Services is the
only seven-time winner of Best Global Operator. Learn more at www.orange-business.com
or follow us on LinkedIn,
Twitter
or Facebook.
Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with
annual sales of €41 billion in 2013 and has 164,000 employees worldwide
at March 31, 2014. Orange is listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris (symbol
ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN).
Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this
material are trademarks of Orange Brand Services Limited.
About Sia Partners
In less than 14 years, Sia Partners has become the leading independent
consulting firm in France. The firm was cofounded in 1999 by Matthieu
Courtecuisse who is now the majority shareholder accompanied by 14
international partners. Sia Partners boasts 500 consultants and an
annual turnover of 75 million Euros. The Group has offices in 12
countries, including the US, its second biggest market, which
contributes 10% of total turnover. Sia Partners is renowned for its
sharp expertise in the Energy, Banking, Insurance, Telecoms and
Transportation sectors.
Copyright Business Wire 2014