intelligent

Matt Cloke , CTO at Endava

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION ( DX ) IS ONLY EVER

AS SUCCESSFUL AS THE IMPACT IT HAS ON HUMANS ,

AND SO FOR SMES TO TRULY GET INITIATIVES

OFF THE GROUND IT ’ S CRITICAL TO

UNDERSTAND HOW PEOPLE WILL RESPOND TO NEW

TECHNOLOGIES .

Amid the rapid advancement of AI and the Generative AI boom over the last few years , the survey also uncovered strong levels of current implementation and adoption plans in the pipeline , with almost half ( 49 %) of the respondents having already deployed AI in their organisation or running a proof of concept . Many organisations recognised the impact of retaining a human influence on their use of AI , with 51 % declaring it as very or extremely important . Similarly , automation strategies were aimed at empowering a stronger employee experience and freeing people to work more strategically . Fifty-eight percent said their automation strategy is highly or very highly focused on removing mundane tasks , and 54 % agree that employee engagement and satisfaction are integral . The data on DX shortcomings , however , highlights a gap between many businesses ’ intentions for digital projects and the ability to bring these to fruition .

Despite this , for those who do get DX projects right , there are promising employee and customer outcomes beyond the business benefits . As well as achieving outcomes such as process optimisation ( 62 %), cost reduction ( 57 %) and revenue increases ( 53 %), respondents also reported improved customer experiences ( 45 %) and an uptick in employee productivity , satisfaction and retention ( 42 %) when initiatives were effectively managed .

Matt Cloke , CTO at Endava , said : “ Digital Transformation ( DX ) is only ever as successful as the impact it has on humans , and so for SMEs to truly get initiatives off the ground it ’ s critical to understand how people will respond to new technologies .

“ IDC research ( sponsored by Endava ) has affirmed both the consequences of failing to prioritise people with DX projects , as well as the rewards on offer for businesses who get it right . Not only do one in two businesses lose employees when DX projects fail , but 56 % face frustrated staff and 44 % suffer from a less stimulating work environment . And when failures are far from uncommon , with 88 % of business leaders expressing that one in two of their DX projects did not achieve their expected goals and outcomes in the past year , it ’ s never been a better time to champion a more resilient strategy .

“ Rising above these challenges demands that SMEs dive deeper into the needs of both