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WSO2 survey sees shift in CX 

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According to the latest ‘Reprogramming the Enterprise: Keeping Pace with the Wave of Innovation’ report from digital transformation specialists WSO2 (www.wso2.com), 85% of IT decision-makers agree that there is an urgent shift toward focusing on consumers’ digital experiences with 73% of respondents saying that the move to focus on the digital experience in their own organization was sudden.

The report examines the strategies, as well as the roadblocks organizations face in delivering new digital experiences today.  Among C-level executives surveyed, 52% say their organization understands its customers’ digital experiences extremely well compared to 30% of directors and 22% of managers, suggesting a possible disconnection between top decision-makers and those who are more closely involved with improving customers’ experiences on a daily basis.

However, most IT decision-makers agree that four factors are key to driving better digital experiences, as well as gaining and maintaining a competitive advantage: improved security (90%), cloud adoption (89%), API integration (82%), and total data control (81%).

The push to accelerate innovation is putting additional pressure on enterprises already facing a shortage of software developers, with 51% of IT decision-makers saying the talent shortage of developers is having a negative impact on their business.  Over half (54%) of respondents say that the shortage of developers has delayed projects and reduced productivity, while 48% report that it has slowed the pace of innovation.

To address the shortage, enterprises are relying on a combination of staffing, professional development, and technology strategies.  Among IT decision-makers, 40% report that they are increasing automation, and 87% think it is likely that more non-developers will use low-code or no-code development tools over the next three years.  Meanwhile, 54% of respondents say their organization is training other employees on developer skills, and 65% identify cloud-native development as the developer skill their organisation is most in need of.

“For the majority of survey respondents, the ability to rapidly deliver innovative digital experiences is becoming a critical factor in their ability to compete,” comments Eric Newcomer, Chief Technology Officer, WSO2.  “Cloud-native benefits, such as scale, resilience, and agility, are integral to the experience, but not easy to achieve.  Automating deployment is also essential but adds a complexity of its own.  Developers, especially those with these skills, are in short supply, and need better tools to compete and succeed.”