Businesses enter ‘post-digital’ era

CEBU, Philippines — Businesses are entering a new "post-digital" era as new technologies that can help personalize customer experiences emerge.

Based on the 2019 tech vision of global outsourcing and technology firm Accenture, successful businesses will take advantage of the new set of technologies but will prioritize trust, responsibility, privacy and security.

According to the 2019 report entitled “The Post-Digital Era is Upon Us — Are You Ready for What’s Next?,” businesses are at a turning point.

The report was presented to the Cebu media last Tuesday.

Digital technologies enable companies to understand their customers with a new depth of granularity, give them more channels with which to reach those consumers and enable them to expand ecosystems with new potential partners.

But digital is no longer a differentiating advantage — it’s now the price of admission, Accenture noted.

The company found that nearly four in five of the more than 6,600 business and IT executives worldwide or 79%  surveyed for the report believe that digital technologies — specifically social, mobile, analytics and cloud — have moved beyond adoption silos to become part of the core technology foundation for their organization.

“A post-digital world doesn’t mean that digital is over,” said Paul Daugherty, Accenture’s chief technology and innovation officer.

“On the contrary — we’re posing a new question: As all organizations develop their digital competency, what will set you apart? In this era, simply doing digital isn’t enough. Our Technology Vision highlights the ways in which organizations must use powerful new technologies to innovate in their business models and personalize experiences for their customers. At the same time, leaders must recognize that human values, such as trust and responsibility, are not just buzzwords but critical enablers of their success.”

According to the report, innovation for organizations in the post-digital era involves figuring out how to shape the world around people and pick the right time to offer their products and services.

They’re taking their first steps in a world that tailors itself to fit every moment — where products, services and even people’s surroundings are customized and where businesses cater to the individual in every aspect of their lives and jobs, shaping their realities.

The report noted that companies still completing their digital transformations are looking for a specific edge, whether it’s innovative service, higher efficiency or more personalization.

For almost two decades, Accenture has taken a systematic look across the enterprise landscape to identify emerging technology trends that hold the greatest potential to disrupt businesses and industries. (FREEMAN)