UK Business Leaders Depend on Digital Technology for Improving Customer Service

As these customer expectations evolve, almost two-thirds (64 percent) of UK business leaders have found their customers expect them to be more innovative in their work with them. According to the the majority of business leaders (69 percent), digital technology is playing a vital role in improving the customer experience. For a quarter (25 percent), customer relationships have significantly improved over the past few years because their organisation took steps to invest in digital technology. For example, half (50 percent) pointed to AI as a technology that will transform the services and products offered to customers.

“Emerging technologies – like Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things – are fundamentally changing the way we work and engage with customers. The UK’s new Industrial Strategy puts technology at the heart of its success and we are already seeing a number of new and exciting innovations stem from its use,” said Rupal Karia, Head of Public and Private Sector for Fujitsu UK & Ireland. “Today, forward-thinking businesses across many industries are at the forefront of this revolution, using technology innovatively to differentiate their experiences from the competition.”

When considering the role that technology plays in customer service, there’s no sign of it slowing down. Indeed, when asked how their business is planning to adapt to meeting customer expectations over the next decade, a third (32 percent) said they will invest in digital technology to improve both services to customer and business operations and efficiencies. One example of this is the automation of certain roles in order to free up employees’ time to focus on the customer – the report revealed that the majority (56 percent) of business leaders said their organisation plans to automate some human tasks within the next three years.

Rupal Karia adds, “While technology can be used to improve customer service and better equip staff, the human touch will always be necessary to make an emotional connection. Technology should be prioritised to take on the time-consuming and mundane tasks, making way for humans to spend more time on the work that matters – such as engaging and connecting directly with customers. In a world where businesses are increasingly needing to think of innovative ways to stay a step ahead of competitors, UK organisations should be bringing technology and employees together. After all, whilst technology will transform the workplace, it will be humans that accelerate its impact.”

To download the full report, please visit: www.fujitsu.com/success

Notes to Editors
This quantitative research was carried out in August 2018 by independent research company Censuswide, surveying 1,936 C-Suite decision makers within mid to large sized businesses across public sector and transport, financial services, retail and manufacturing in 16 countries worldwide.