Communicate and work together without limits

A study regarding the use of modern communications and collaboration solutions in multinational companies with a Swiss head office.

Scientific partner

3

Com

mun

icat

e an

d w

ork

toge

ther

with

out l

imit

s

Different time zones and cultures, different work processes and technical standards – multinational companies face numerous challenges when it comes to international collaboration. In addi­tion, technical progress is constantly changing the framework conditions and possibilities.

Modern communications and collaboration solutions (herein­after referred to as C&C solutions) allow efficient collaboration across spatial and time boundaries. Such solutions are increasing in importance. Video conferences, Unified Communications & Collaboration, virtual meetings, chats and interactive white­boards are just some of the solutions that are available. They help companies to reduce costs, implement sustainability strat­egies and increase productivity. At the same time, they bring challenges with them, for example, the definition of new com­munications processes, the adaptation of classic working struc­tures and new methods of organising work.

For multinational companies, the new possibilities for collabora­tion are forward looking and provide great potential. For ICT service providers, on the other hand, this is a strongly growing market with attractive profit prospects. Swisscom already net­works 300 multinational customers at more than 2,600 sites.

Swisscom itself uses C&C solutions intensively to communicate with customers and partners across national borders. For example, 19,000 employees are currently equipped with Unified Communications & Collaboration (UCC) and work together across sites and divisions. Swisscom estimates the savings thanks to UCC in the area of travel costs to be eight million Swiss francs per year, plus a further five million Swiss francs per year through optimising the office space and access costs.

Communications & Collaboration: communicate and work together without limits

Background In this survey, the participating companies answered various questions on the application and use of modern C&C solutions in an international environment. The results of the analysis showed that the size of the company has a significant impact on the use and selection of suitable C&C solutions. In addition, there are differ-ences depending on the industry. The survey shows how different industries use C&C solutions, which driving forces are decisive for this, where the challenges lie and which factors influence the selection of a suitable ICT provider.

6

Com

mun

icat

e an

d w

ork

toge

ther

with

out l

imit

s

7

With this survey, Swisscom aims to find out how Swiss multi­national companies use modern C&C solutions in a global ICT environment. Furthermore, Swisscom is interested in how e­collaboration affects the companies surveyed and their employees.

Overview of questions> How do Swiss multinational companies use modern

C&C solutions?> Which Swiss multinational companies use modern

C&C solutions (size, industry, number of sites)?> Which C&C solutions do Swiss multinational companies use?> What are the decisive factors for the use of C&C solutions?> What are the obstacles when implementing C&C solutions?> What benefits do the companies gain from using

C&C solutions?> What potential is still idle and where are the obstacles?

The independent scientific partner iimt (international institute of management in technology) of the University of Fribourg explored these and other questions on behalf of Swisscom. The results came from online interviews and questioning in person.

Aims of the survey

Many thanks to all those who were involved in this survey in any shape or form.

Conducting the survey

The survey focuses on companies that have international sites but whose main office is located in Switzerland (known as Swiss multinational companies).

The study was carried out using 946 electronic questionnaires and six one­to­one interviews. This produced 128 useable data records, equating to participation of 13.53 per cent. The interviews took place between August and October 2012.

Sample according to number of employees

1,000–2,499

More than 2,500

500–999

Lacking Fewer than 100

100–199

200–499

16%

16% 14%

15%

6%

14%

19%

8

Com

mun

icat

e an

d w

ork

toge

ther

with

out l

imit

s

9

1–10 sites

Sample according to industries in per cent Sample according to the number of branches outside Switzerland

11–50 sites

101–200 sites6%

10%

43%

41%

51–100 sites

The following detailed analyses show the main industries banks / credit institutions, retail trade, service providers, manufacturing companies, wholesale and IT companies that are relevant to Swisscom.

30%10% 15% 20% 25%

Associations/societies

International organisations

Construction industry

Transportation

Wholesale

Retail

IT companies

Various service providers

Banks / credit institutions

Various

Manufacturing companies

0% 5%

Chemical industry

10.2

19.5

24.2

10.2

7.0

6.3

6.3

4.7

3.1

3.1

2.3

3.1

10 11

Com

mun

icat

e an

d w

ork

toge

ther

with

out l

imit

s

Use and driving forcesThis survey shows that more than 90 per cent of the companies surveyed frequently use modern C&C solutions for cross­site meetings, virtual communication on projects and management meetings. Telephone conference solutions are the standard for this. Alongside this, around two thirds use web­based or video conference solutions. All industries have been using C&C solutions least frequently in the area of customer service up to now, and these have the corresponding image potential.

Across all industries and companies, key drivers when selecting the technology are the needs of the departments and employees, the cost­benefit analyses and the process analyses. The increase in productivity and the cost savings to be expected are seen as benefits of modern C&C solutions.

The service sector is the industry leader when it comes to use of C&C solutions for all the communications types surveyed, followed by wholesale. The IT industry has a high affinity for C&C solutions and stands out compared to the other industries in terms of use, particularly for use cases that significantly affect the business processes. With regard to using C&C, banks and credit institutions have unused potential in the areas of customer services and access to expert knowledge.

Companies with fewer than 100 employees lead the way with regard to use of C&C solutions. They have recognised the image factor, and their use of C&C solutions is above average in the areas of maintenance work and customer services. In contrast, companies with more than 1,000 employees show above­ average use of C&C solutions for accessing expert knowledge.

Management summary

Of those surveyed, 40 per cent measure the impact of C&C solu­tions on travel costs. Of these, more than 70 per cent are above the target value. There is no clear connection with regard to the size of the company. However, there is a trend for larger com­panies to measure the impact of C&C solutions on travel costs.

ChallengesThose surveyed see the necessary changes in employees’ be­haviour and the associated training as the greatest challenge. The more foreign sites a company has, the more difficult it is to change employees’ behaviour. Furthermore, the challenge for large companies is to select the sites that need to be equipped, while the service sector has to contend with the challenge of selecting the functions and convincing budget managers.

Decision drivers relating to providersFor more than 70 per cent of those surveyed, the decision drivers when selecting a provider are expertise, cost­benefit ratio and reliability. Experience is also rated highly. Furthermore, cus­tomer orientation is cited by 35 per cent as a significantly important factor. Banks and credit institutions, wholesalers and service companies have the highest expectations with regard to providers.

12 13

Com

mun

icat

e an

d w

ork

toge

ther

with

out l

imit

s

Contents Detailed results

Use of C&C solutions 14

Usage according to company size 16

Usage by industry 17

The decisive factors 18

Challenges during implementation 21

Driving forces by company size 22

Driving forces by industry 23

Driving forces by number of foreign sites 25

Benefits by company size 28

Benefits by industry 29

Benefits by number of foreign sites 30

Challenges by company size 31

Challenges by industry 32

Decision drivers relating to providers 34

Publication details 35

14 15

Com

mun

icat

e an

d w

ork

toge

ther

with

out l

imit

s

Use of C&C solutions

More than 90 per cent of the Swiss multinationals surveyed use modern C&C solutions for their day­to­day business. But what is this like in detail?

We asked: Which C&C solutions do you use for international collaboration?

We asked: For which international communications relationships do you use C&C solutions? (Scale: 1 = never, 10 = always)

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

Telephone co

nferencing

Web co

nferencing

Freeware VC/p

hone: Skype, Fa

ceTim

e, etc.

Video conferencin

g

Unified communica

tions

Apps

Chat tool

Interactive flip ch

artsOth

er

85.94

69.5365.63

38.2840.63 40.63

10.16 11.72

3.91

Now we know: Telephone and web conferencing is used most frequently in international collaboration. The main uses are: cross­site coordination meetings, virtual communication on projects and management meetings. Customer service, cus­tomer consulting/account management and interviews have lower values.

The analysis taking account of the number of sites abroad shows that the more foreign sites a company has, the more C&C solu­tions are used for virtual project communication. Here, too, C&S solutions are rarely used in the area of customer consulting / account management. The same applies for customer service. However, the more sites a company has abroad, the more fre­quently interviews are conducted using a C&C solution. Com panies with more than ten sites make above­average use of access to expert knowledge using a C&C solution.

Cross­sit

e coordinatio

n meetin

gs

Virtual co

mmunicatio

n on projects

Partner c

ommunicatio

n / coordinatio

n meetin

gs

Inquiries /

access

to expert kn

owledge

Maintenance w

ork

Interviews

Customer c

onsultin

g / acco

unt management

Customer s

ervice

Management meetin

gs

3.433.67

3.89

4.764.88

6.276.70

5.17

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

7.17

16 17

Com

mun

icat

e an

d w

ork

toge

ther

with

out l

imit

s

Usage according to company size Usage by industry

The analysis according to company size shows that small companies with fewer than 100 employees and com panies with 1,000 to 2,449 employees are pio­neers in the use of C&C solutions. They come in above average in eight out of nine surveyed categories.

In general, large companies tend to use C&C solutions for traditional internal applications, such as cross­site meetings.

Small companies with fewer than 100 employees use C&C solutions in the maintenance work and customer service to an above­average extent in comparison. Large companies with more than 2,500 employees record

The tertiary sector is the pioneering in­dustry when it comes to using C&C solutions and is above average in all cat­egories. Wholesale is above average in seven categories and is the front­runner in the management meetings category.

The assumption that the IT industry has a high affinity for C&C solutions is con­firmed. It is well above the industry aver­age in six categories, most significantly in the inquiries / access to expert knowledge, customer service, maintenance work and customer consulting / account manage­ment categories. By contrast, the IT indus­try is below average for management meetings, virtual communication on projects and partner communication.

Number of employeesCommunications relationship < 100 100–199 200–499 500–999 1,000–2,499 > 2,500 ø

Management meetings 7.00 5.57 6.60 5.87 6.59 5.40 6.20

Cross­site coordination meetings 7.75 6.43 7.06 6.38 7.73 7.20 7.21

Virtual communication on projects 6.62 5.43 6.44 6.88 6.86 7.11 6.59

Partner communication / coordination meetings 5.56 4.50 5.44 5.63 5.86 4.30 5.20

Customer consulting / account management 3.94 3.57 2.87 3.00 4.18 3.55 3.61

Interviews 3.50 2.64 3.44 3.13 4.50 4.00 3.67

Maintenance work 5.13 3.93 4.33 4.25 5.57 5.45 4.91

Customer service 4.72 2.64 3.87 2.29 3.32 3.26 3.37

Inquiries / access to expert knowledge 4.71 3.31 4.40 4.88 5.09 5.15 4.66

Industry

Communications relationship

Banks /credit institu-tions Retail

Service pro- viders

Manufac-turing com-panies

Whole-sale

IT com-panies ø

Management meetings 7.00 6.00 6.50 6.15 7.13 5.75 6.27

Cross­site coordination meetings 7.83 7.29 7.45 7.04 7.75 8.00 7.17

Virtual communication on projects 6.33 6.86 7.40 6.78 6.50 6.50 6.70

Partner communication / coordination meetings 5.17 4.71 6.27 4.85 5.25 5.00 5.17

Customer consulting / account management 3.50 3.43 4.45 2.81 3.88 4.50 3.67

Interviews 2.82 3.14 4.36 3.33 4.25 4.13 3.89

Maintenance work 4.45 4.71 4.90 4.96 6.25 5.86 4.76

Customer service 3.00 2.57 4.64 2.89 4.50 5.00 3.43

Inquiries / access to expert knowledge 3.00 6.14 5.70 4.08 4.38 6.13 4.88

(Values specified = average values. Scale: 1 = never, 10 = always)

(Values specified = average values. Scale: 1 = never, 10 = always)below­average use in the customer con­sulting / account management, partner communication / coordination meetings and management meetings categories.

Companies with more than 1,000 em­ployees use C&C solutions for access to expert knowledge to an above­average extent.

All industries use C&C solutions least fre­quently in the area of customer service. Banks and credit institutions and whole­sale companies significantly stand out compared with the other industries when it comes to management meetings. This can be attributed to the fact that these are frequently companies with more than 1,000 employees and that decentralisa­tion and standardised communications processes lead to this result.

Com

mun

icat

e an

d w

ork

toge

ther

with

out l

imit

s

1918 The decisive factors

We asked: How important are the following factors when deciding to implement a C&C solution? (Scale: 1 = unimportant, 10 = very important)

We asked: Which of the following criteria is a benefit or an advantage that you gain from the use of a C&C solution? (Scale: 1 = unimportant, 10 = very important)

Requirements

of the departm

ents and employe

es

Internal cost­

benefit analysis

Environmental su

stainabilit

y asp

ects

End of life of th

e old communica

tion sy

stem

Push fro

m management

Recommendatio

ns from busin

ess partn

ers

Events

with liv

e demos

Success

storie

s of o

ther c

ompanies

Outsourci

ng consid

erations

Literature / p

ress reports

on the to

pic

Concern about b

eing left

behind

Internal proce

ss analys

is and deve

lopment

3.963.98 3.85

3.10

4.854.995.045.13

5.63

7.59

5.26

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

8.20

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

Increase

d productivity

Reduced co

sts

Accelerated decis

ion­makin

g

Improve

d custo

mer service

Increase

d employee sa

tisfactio

n

Faste

r acce

ss to experts

Consolid

ation of b

usiness

relationsh

ips

Shorter ti

me to m

arket

Reduced CO 2 e

missions

7.99 7.957.707.85

7.56

7.077.136.89

6.28

20 21

Com

mun

icat

e an

d w

ork

toge

ther

with

out l

imit

s

We asked: Do you measure the impact of the C&C solu­tion on the international travel costs of your company?

We asked: If you measure the influence on travel costs, have your target expectations been met?

We asked: Which of the following challenges are you confronted with when implementing a C&C solution?

Now we know: For the majority of participants, the greatest challenges are changing employee behaviour and employee training. This fact becomes more difficult the more foreign sites a company has.

Now we know: Employees actively request the use of C&C solutions. Their needs and requirements are the main drivers. Optimising costs, as well as optimising processes and the increased productivity associated with this, also plays a key role. On the other hand, concern about being left behind by com­petitors is the last of the decision­making factors with an aver­age value of 3.10.

Merely 40 per cent of the companies measure the savings in the area of travel costs. Of these, more than 70 per cent are above the target value. The cost savings effectively realised are thus higher than expected. Larger companies tend to measure the savings in travel costs more than small companies.

YesNo40% 60%

Yes

No

71%29%

Challenges during implementation

Challenge Average

High internal effort required to convince employees 6.20

Training requirements 5.85

Determining the functions required 5.71

Evaluating the sites to be equipped 5.69

Changing employee behaviour 5.33

Uncertainty about the technologies to choose due to market upheaval affecting the offers available 5.04

Convincing the budget owner to move to an integrated solution, which in turn creates an internal standard 4.91

Cost­benefit ratio difficult to define 4.71

Defining TCO 4.52

International collaboration requires physical presence and cannot be replaced by virtual meetings 4.50

Defining ROI 4.25

22 23

Com

mun

icat

e an

d w

ork

toge

ther

with

out l

imit

s

Driving forces by company size Driving forces by industry

Companies with fewer than 100 employ­ees and companies with 1,000 and above employees are above average when it comes to assessing the import­ance of the driving forces. Companies with between 100 and 1,000 employees are close to or below the average and behave in a neutral manner towards the driving forces.

The main driving forces for all branches are the requirements and needs of employees and the cost­benefit analysis. At the end of the scale is the fear of missing the boat. This factor is not a driv­ing force for any industry. The whole ­ sale industry shows the highest figure in this regard, with a value that is 19 per cent above the average.

The average values in the service sector are between 10 and 30 per cent higher

Number of employeesDriver < 100 100–199 200–499 500–999 1,000–2,499 > 2,500 ø

Success stories of other companies 4.57 2.14 3.00 4.75 5.14 4.30 4.02

Literature / press reports on the topic 4.43 3.00 2.69 2.86 4.90 4.50 3.90

Events with live demos 4.14 3.50 4.94 4.50 5.70 4.95 4.73

Internal cost­benefit analysis 7.25 7.86 6.00 7.86 7.57 8.00 7.40

Recommendations from business partners 5.64 4.36 4.69 4.38 5.05 5.05 4.91

Internal process analysis and development 5.57 4.93 4.94 4.86 5.80 6.45 5.55

Requirements/needs of the departments and employees 8.44 7.07 8.81 8.88 8.57 7.63 8.20

Outsourcing considerations 3.29 3.21 3.50 2.29 5.14 4.15 3.85

Push from management 5.50 4.43 5.44 4.29 5.25 4.75 5.01

End of life of the current communication system 6.53 3.93 3.56 5.43 5.14 5.30 4.97

Concern about being left behind 3.29 2.36 3.63 2.83 3.55 2.65 3.09

Environmental sustainability aspects 6.73 4.07 4.25 5.43 5.10 6.05 5.29

(Values specified = average values. Scale: 1 = does not apply at all, 10 = fully applies)

Industry

Driver

Banks /credit institu-tions

Service pro -viders

Manufac-turing compa-nies

Whole-sale

IT com-panies

Trans-portation ø

Success stories of other companies 4.55 4.44 4.25 3.50 3.00 3.17 4.02

Literature / press reports on the topic 3.82 5.11 3.35 4.67 2.80 3.67 3.90

Events with live demos 4.09 7.00 4.33 4.00 4.60 2.83 4.73

Internal cost­benefit analysis 7.92 7.89 8.30 5.83 6.00 7.83 7.40

Recommendations from business partners 4.45 4.33 5.42 6.67 4.40 2.33 4.91

Internal process analysis and development 5.45 6.89 6.35 2.50 4.40 4.33 5.55

Requirements/needs of the departments and employees 7.27 8.78 8.58 8.67 8.00 7.67 8.20

Outsourcing considerations 4.27 3.67 4.09 1.50 3.60 2.50 3.85

Push from management 4.45 6.22 5.00 5.83 5.00 3.17 5.01

End of life of the old communication system 4.00 5.89 4.13 7.50 4.60 4.00 4.97

Concern about being left behind 2.70 2.56 2.91 3.67 2.60 2.50 3.09

Environmental sustainability aspects 5.75 5.33 5.22 5.67 4.40 6.00 5.29

(Values specified = average values. Scale: 1 = does not apply at all, 10 = fully applies)Large companies much more frequently base their decisions on success stories, literature / press reports and live demos than smaller companies. Apart from this, smaller companies give far more weight to environmental aspects and the end­ of­life aspect. This could be because large companies continually invest in their in­frastructure.

than the industry average for all points. Accordingly, this sector can be labelled as demanding. Furthermore, this industry relies to a great extent on events with live demos.

Success stories from other companies are a key driving force for industries in which the image factor places a decisive role (banks / credit institutions, service pro­viders and manufacturing companies). This is completely different in the whole­

24 25

Com

mun

icat

e an

d w

ork

toge

ther

with

out l

imit

s

sale industry, which is much less image­driven. Here, end­of­life aspects and the recommendations of business part­ners play a decisive role. IT companies base their decisions on the success stories of other companies the least (lowest figure at 25 per cent below the average).

Outsourcing is a driving force for banks and credit institutions in particular (value is 11 per cent above the average). At the other end of the scale is the wholesale industry with a value that is 61 per cent below the average.

Driving forces by number of foreign sites

Success stories from other companies are largely unimportant for companies with one to ten sites abroad. However, the more sites a company has abroad, the greater the impact of success stories. The same applies to the cost­benefit analysis and internal process analysis and development categories.

Independent of the number of sites, the requirements of the departments and employees are of above­average importance here, too.

Outsourcing considerations play a below­average role for companies with one to ten sites abroad. More than 50 per cent view these as unimportant.

The environmental sustainability aspect plays a role for all the industries, but they are neutral with regard to its import­ance. This aspect is most important for the transportation industry, whose value is 13 per cent above the average.

The high values in the internal cost­bene­fit analysis and internal process analysis and development categories indicate a cost­driven market.

Savings potential Thanks to Unified Communications & Collaboration, more than 19,000 employees at Swisscom work together across sites and divi-sions. Swisscom estimates the savings thanks to UCC in the area of travel costs to be eight million Swiss francs per year, plus a further five million Swiss francs per year through optimising the office space and access costs.

28 29

Com

mun

icat

e an

d w

ork

toge

ther

with

out l

imit

s

Benefits by company size Benefits by industry

Regardless of the company size, the factors of reduced costs and increased productivity are the most frequently mentioned factors with regard to the benefit of a C&C solution. For small companies, these are particularly import­ant. Here, the values are above average. The small companies (< 100 employees) estimate their increase in productivity as more than 15 per cent higher than the average.

Companies with fewer than 100 employ­ees see a fundamental benefit in the use of modern C&C solutions across all factors. The values are significantly higher

The monetary benefit (reduced costs, increased productivity) is in the fore­ground for all industries. This is a com­plete contrast to sustainability aspects – all industries view this aspect the least beneficial. This is particularly evident in the retail and manufacturing indus­tries. The potential of the sustainability aspect is correspondingly high. Reducing CO2 emissions can have a positive effect on the image and the operating result.

Only 15 per cent of banks and credit institutes view faster access to experts as a benefit of C&C solutions. This coin­cides with the low average (3) for the question regarding the use of access to expert knowledge (see: Usage by in­dustry, page 17). Banks and credit institu­tions see the greatest benefit in cost

Number of employeesBenefits < 100 100–199 200–499 500–999 1,000–2,499 > 2,500 ø

Reduced costs 8.13 8.29 7.75 7.67 7.70 8.16 7.98

Increased productivity 9.21 7.54 8.40 7.50 7.73 7.44 7.98

Shorter time to market 9.60 5.20 5.67 7.50 6.50 6.40 6.79

Faster access to experts 8.00 6.17 7.33 8.00 7.69 6.45 7.22

Improved customer service 9.43 7.36 8.80 8.00 7.33 7.20 7.88

Consolidation of business relationships 7.20 6.83 6.40 9.00 8.00 6.43 7.12

Greater employee satisfaction 8.86 7.80 7.13 7.00 7.40 7.10 7.54

Reduced CO2 emissions 8.67 5.75 6.00 4.25 6.58 6.17 6.33

Accelerated decision­making 8.13 7.75 8.00 7.43 8.08 7.10 7.76

(Values specified = average values. Scale: 1 = no impact, 10 = high impact)

Industry

Benefits

Banks /credit institu-tions Retail

Service pro- viders

Manufac-turing com-panies

Whole-sale

IT com-panies ø

Reduced costs 8.67 6.86 8.64 8.04 8.57 7.14 7.95

Increased productivity 8.27 8.14 8.00 8.13 9.13 7.25 7.99

Shorter time to market 8.00 7.00 6.33 7.40 10.00 3.00 6.89

Faster access to experts 5.50 8.00 7.86 6.82 5.75 6.25 7.13

Improved customer service 9.25 9.00 9.00 7.17 9.00 5.20 7.70

Consolidation of business relationships 7.83 7.00 6.40 6.50 7.00 6.00 7.07

Greater employee satisfaction 7.25 8.00 8.00 7.79 9.25 7.00 7.56

Reduced CO2 emissions 6.67 5.75 7.17 5.62 8.50 6.67 6.28

Accelerated decision­making 7.86 7.60 7.17 7.88 8.00 8.25 7.85

(Values specified = average values. Scale: 1 = no impact, 10 = high impact)than the average for shorter time to market (+ 41 per cent), improvement in customer service (+ 20 per cent) and increase in productivity (+ 15 per cent).

For companies with between 100 and 1,000 employees, the reduction of CO2 emissions plays a minor role. Further­more, shorter time to market tends to be less important for companies with 100 to 499 employees than for other company sizes.

reduction and improved customer service. Both values are clearly higher than the average.

As expected, service providers see the greatest benefit in improved customer service.

With a value that is 32 per cent above the average, the wholesale industry sees the greatest benefit of a C&C solution in the shorter time to market. Furthermore, the wholesale industry sees 10 per cent more benefit than the average across all factors.

30 31

Com

mun

icat

e an

d w

ork

toge

ther

with

out l

imit

s

Benefits by number of foreign sites Challenges by company size

Despite a company having at least one foreign site, the factor of shorter time to market plays a subordinate role. The more sites a company has abroad, the more important the factors of increased productivity, faster decision­making and reduced costs become.

With regard to the challenges of imple­menting a C&C solution, small and large companies are generally in line with the average. Medium­sized companies are more critical towards C&C solutions.

While companies with fewer than 100 employees see the greatest chal­lenges in the internal effort to convince employees, for companies with 1,000

Sites Benefits 1–10 11–50 51–100 101–200 ø

Reduced costs 7.75 8.00 8.00 8.00 7.90

Increased productivity 7.81 7.97 8.13 8.40 7.96

Shorter time to market 5.88 6.82 9.00 8.00 6.78

Faster access to experts 7.38 6.60 5.00 8.00 6.65

Improved customer service 8.09 7.13 7.60 7.00 7.52

Consolidation of business relationships 6.85 7.25 5.00 10.00 7.03

Greater employee satisfaction 7.79 8.21 6.00 10.00 7.88

Reduced CO2 emissions 6.75 6.30 3.67 6.00 6.21

Accelerated decision­making 8.40 7.47 7.20 8.25 7.90

(Values specified = average values. Scale: 1 = no impact, 10 = high impact)

Number of employeesChallenges < 100 100–199 200–499 500–999 1,000–2,499 > 2,500 ø

High internal effort to convince employees 7.00 5.71 5.50 ––– 6.40 6.25 6.21

Training required 6.29 5.43 5.88 6.00 5.93 5.25 5.79

Changing employee behaviour 6.33 4.89 6.33 5.00 4.06 5.60 5.18

Determining the sites to be equipped 5.71 6.00 6.00 ––– 5.75 5.75 5.80

Determining the required functions 6.00 4.00 7.33 4.20 5.25 7.33 5.69

Defining TCO 4.80 4.50 4.00 4.00 5.20 3.89 4.50

Cost­benefit analysis is difficult to define 4.83 4.33 4.57 4.00 5.00 4.20 4.55

Defining ROI 3.33 3.20 5.29 4.00 3.73 3.83 3.95

Convincing the person responsible for the budget to switch to an integrated solution, which in turn creates an internal standard 4.75 4.00 7.00 4.00 4.90 4.57 4.81

Uncertainty about the technologies to choose due to market upheaval affecting the offers available 5.00 1.00 6.33 7.00 4.71 5.17 4.85

International collaboration requires physical presence and cannot be replaced by virtual meetings 5.80 4.29 3.20 4.25 5.30 3.91 4.48

(Values specified = average values. Scale: 1 = never, 10 = always. ––– = no measurable statement available.)

Companies with up to ten sites abroad view the benefits of fast access to experts more positively than the average with approximately 10 per cent.

to 2,499 employees, changing employees’ behaviour is a problem that is more difficult to solve. The more sites a com­pany has abroad, the more difficult the required change in employees’ behaviour.

For large companies with more than 1,000 employees, selecting which sites to equip and deciding on the functions is a challenge.

32 33

Com

mun

icat

e an

d w

ork

toge

ther

with

out l

imit

s

Challenges by industry

Industry

Challenges

Banks /credit institu-tions Retail

Service pro- viders

Manufac-turing com-panies

Whole-sale

IT com-panies ø

High internal effort to convince employees 8.13 ––– 6.33 6.00 5.00 2.00 6.21

Training required 6.13 9.00 7.25 5.92 3.67 4.67 5.79

Changing employee behaviour 5.57 6.00 4.57 4.79 5.33 6.33 5.18

Determining the sites to be equipped 7.25 ––– 5.33 5.00 5.00 7.00 5.80

Determining the required functions 5.75 6.33 10.00 5.13 7.00 7.00 5.69

Defining TCO 4.83 5.00 6.50 4.67 3.00 2.50 4.50

Cost­benefit analysis is difficult to define 4.67 4.00 4.83 4.70 2.00 8.00 4.55

Defining ROI 5.40 3.50 4.25 4.45 2.00 2.00 3.95

Convincing the person responsible for the budget to switch to an integrated solution, which in turn creates an internal standard 4.00 7.00 7.33 4.25 6.00 ––– 4.81

Uncertainty about the technologies to choose due to market upheaval affecting the offers available 7.00 3.00 5.50 4.20 5.00 7.00 4.85

International collaboration requires physical presence and cannot be replaced by virtual meetings 3.40 5.33 3.67 4.33 5.50 4.00 4.48

(Values specified = average values. Scale: 1 = never, 10 = always. ––– = no measurable statement available.)

As expected, the challenges by industry almost entirely reflect the overall con­sideration (see page 21).

For the banks and credit institutions, the high effort to convince employees and determining the sites that need to be equipped with a C&C solution are the greatest challenges (values of more than 25 per cent above the average). The asso­ciated change in employees’ behaviour is evaluated neutrally. Selecting the tech­nology presents a further challenge.

The greatest challenge for the retail industry is the effort required for training. This value is a significant 55 per cent

above the average. At a value of 37 per cent below the average, the effort for training presents no challenge for the wholesale industry.

The service industry struggles primarily with selecting the functions (value is 75 per cent above the average) and con­vincing those responsible for the budget (value is 52 per cent above the average).

34 35

Com

mun

icat

e an

d w

ork

toge

ther

with

out l

imit

s

Decision drivers relating to providers

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

Competence

Reliabilit

y

Customer o

rientatio

n

Cost­benefit r

atio

Experience

References

Range of offers

Other

78.13

71.09 72.66

35.94

64.06

25.78

39.06

3.91

We asked: Which of the following criteria are decisive factors for you when selecting an international partner to implement a C&C solution?

Now we know: For more than 70 per cent, competence, the cost­benefit ratio and reliability are the key factors. The experience of an international partner is evaluated similarly highly. By con­trast, references and the range of offers are less important. Customer orientation is cited by 35 per cent as a significantly important factor, in particular by banks and credit institutions. For IT companies, however, reliability is par ticularly important. Banks, the wholesale industry and service providers have the highest expectations when selecting a provider.

PublisherSwisscom (Switzerland) Ltd

Conducting the surveyiimt (international institute of management in technology) at the University of Fribourg

Designtasty graphics gmbh, Berne

Reference picturesAlex Staroseltsev / Shutterstock.comdw1 / Shutterstock.comLevente Gyori / Shutterstock.com

PrintingProlith AG, Schönbühl

Online version atwww.swisscom.com/globalstudy

Publication details

Swisscom (Switzerland) LtdCorporate BusinessP. O. BoxCH­3050 Berne

Tel. 0800 800 900www.swisscom.ch/globalstudy