While building resilience is still a priority, it’s time to plan for recovery post pandemic.As millions of workers shifted to the remote setup, and customers moved online, businesses leveraged digital technologies to augment customer and employee experiences.In a Harvey Nash/KPMG 2020 CIO survey, which polled 4,200 IT leaders, 61% of CIOs say they feel more influential than ever before, courtesy of their work to help hedge their businesses against the coronavirus.However, rapid digital acceleration and adoption of cloud and other technologies have also brought many pressing issues to the forefront – the most significant one being the management of an increasingly complex IT infrastructure.In a survey conducted among 1000 IT leaders, 63% reported technology management had become more difficult.Yet, leaders globally have accepted the importance of technology as a business growth accelerator and will continue to work upon that in 2021 – even with tightened budget restrictions.Let’s explore the top CIO priorities in 2021.Top CIO Priorities For 20211.
Low-code development The onset of the coronavirus pandemic put immense pressure on the IT department to quickly develop new business apps to meet changing organizational needs.
With LCAPs, CIOs can save costs in the long run, as –Less coding means more apps can be developed in a shorter period of timeWith low-code requirements, basic and quick apps, can be developed by less experienced employees, while professional developers can create complex solutions – but in much less time and cost.As companies continue to focus on agility in operations and make their way to recovery in 2021, implementing low-code platforms like Microsoft PowerApps will be a top CIO priority in 2021.Learn More: How Low-Code Application Platforms Are Driving Agility In the New Normal2.
Getting To The Next Phase of Chatbot MaturityAI-enabled chatbots and virtual assistants gained widespread popularity in 2020.To reduce wait-time and provide support at scale at lower costs, leaders implemented AI bots that leveraged natural language processing to hold human-like conversations with customers and employees and resolve queries quickly.We have seen companies implement multiple employee-facing chatbots for a variety of use cases – There is a chatbot for HR support, another chatbot for IT issues, one more bot to let employees access information from LoB systems.In 2021, we will see CIOs unifying all these individualized bots into a single aggregator bot or an intelligent employee assistant to provide a consistent user experience and reduce maintenance costs.Similarly many customer-facing chatbots that were deployed during the pandemic focused solely on delivering support and quick information.
In 2021, as recovery and bottomline becomes critical, leaders will focus on building brand loyalty, driving retention and generating revenue through chatbots.
This will include investing in the right technology needed for a safe and smooth transition back to the workplace while also ensuring the availability of better collaboration tools, resources, and training essential to function remotely for an effective hybrid model.Leaders must strike a delicate balance between resuming standard operations and managing the realities of the post-COVID era, including redesigning workplaces and redefining workflows to keep employees safe, productive, and aligned.Autonomous digital workplace platforms and low-code return-to-workplace apps are a few solutions CIOs can consider.Learn More: Getting Ready for the Hybrid Workplace: The New Normal of Work4.