Digitization: Swiss companies lead the way

Ninety percent of companies in Switzerland, Austria and Germany assume that the competitive situation in the course of digitization will be fundamentally different in 2020 than it is today. Against this background, it is interesting to note that 60 percent of Swiss companies have already started planning and have drawn up a digital agenda. This means that Switzerland is taking on a pioneering role, because in Germany (48 percent) and Austria (47 percent), only less than half of the companies have a "Digital Agenda 2020".

When it comes to concrete implementation, however, executive floors are confronted with a number of obstacles. Key stumbling blocks cited include the challenge of identifying the digitization potential of their own company, not letting costs get out of hand, and closing training and development gaps. This is the result of the three-country study "Digital Agenda 2020" by CSC, in which 500 corporate decision-makers in Switzerland, Austria and Germany were surveyed in summer 2016 (second edition).

"The digital revolution is radically changing the business world - customers expect interactive services anytime, personalized and everywhere," says Volker Hische, General Manager of CSC in Switzerland. "A carefully set-up strategy is indispensable for companies to master the complex transformation process swiftly. As practice shows, however, this is only the beginning."

Speed is the trump card

In the race to accelerate market maturity, the majority of DACH companies are focusing on making digitization a top priority. In Switzerland, the expected cost benefits (56 percent) and quality effects (52 percent) are particularly high on the list.

For implementation, more than one in two managers in Switzerland (57 percent) are in favor of introducing a specific position to pull the strings of the digital strategy. As a promising recipe for success, the majority of respondents (52 percent) also consider it important to involve specialized partners to turn the strategic course-setting into successful day-to-day business. In addition, 68 percent of the Swiss managers are focusing on investing in the training and development of their own employees in order to speed up the transformation.

What are the risks

Among the stumbling blocks that stand in the way of getting started with the digital agenda, 40 percent of Swiss companies are concerned with financing issues. In addition, almost one in three companies identifies deficits in the professional training and continuing education of their own employees. Managers are positive about the fundamental openness of employees when it comes to digital innovations. However, there are currently still quite significant differences in Switzerland (27 percent) when it comes to this question of corporate culture. Austria (21 percent) and Germany (15 percent).

About the CSC study "Digital Agenda 2020

The CSC study "Digital Agenda 2020" was conducted in collaboration with the market research company Toluna in June 2016 in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. The net sample is 500 interviews in the DACH region - of which 100 are in Switzerland, 100 in Austria and 300 in Germany. The majority of participants were decision-makers from companies with 50 or more employees in the industrial, financial, retail, healthcare and IT sectors. The company CSC accompanies customers in their digital transformation and offers next-generation IT services and solutions as well as comprehensive industry expertise, global reach, technology independence and an extensive partner network.

The result report (PDF) can be here can be downloaded after registration.