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Adobe survey interviewed 1,000 IT leaders
Data security tops the list (47%) of IT decision-makers' concerns, followed by concerns around implementing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to optimize operations and customer experience and drive innovation in terms of of emerging technology implementation, with 40% each. These are some of the findings from a new Adobe survey, which surveyed 1,000 US IT decision makers.
In addition, the data shows that more than half (53%) of these indicated that they collaborate with other departments on technology vision and implementation. Of the remaining 47%, 27% said business teams define the technology vision and work with IT to implement it, while 18% said IT makes technology decisions with input from the business team. Only 2% said that IT defines the technology vision without the participation of business teams.
"We're finding that the relationship between business teams and IT teams varies from company to company and is highly dependent on an organization's priorities," says Ronell Hugh, product marketing manager for Adobe Experience Platform. “Additionally, having a clear leader, whether business or IT, helps IT decision makers feel that they are in a strong, collaborative relationship with the rest of the company's stakeholders.”
As for the various factors that influence IT leaders' purchasing decisions, 48% says they are looking for tools that enable faster integration, 43% selects a vendor based on their ability to be a strategic differentiator, and 41% wants AI-powered technology.
The survey also found that IT professionals believe AI will separate the leaders from the laggards in customer experience (CX) delivery. 41% of respondents said artificial intelligence and machine learning will be the most valuable points in improving CX, followed by the Internet of Things (22%), voice (14%) and immersive technologies including virtual and augmented reality (12%), and chatbot technology ( 11%).
Data management
The results also show that 63% say they are successful in integrating their various data sources, 59% say they have successfully cleaned and treated the information to minimize inaccuracies, and 59% say they are using data effectively to personalize the customer experience. "It's very important for IT teams to help organizations create a single view of the customer," Hugh tells CMO.com. “However, most organizations still face challenges in achieving this.”
Challenges in managing data include ensuring that information is secure, actionable, and can easily flow through the many systems an organization has. “Surprisingly, having a lot of data is one of the least cited challenges; really using the data effectively is a much more important issue,” points out Hugh.
Respondents also noted other challenges such as legacy systems difficult to integrate with new technologies (38%), departmental silos (32%), inadequate resources (30%), and lack of shared vision across the enterprise (30%).
Still, IT teams are very optimistic about their organizations' ability to make a positive customer impact (95%) and 69% said their companies have the right tools and systems to effectively use data to create personalized experiences.
"The research findings reinforce the notion that IT decision makers play an important role in managing the customer experience," Hugh tells CMO.com. “CIOs and their teams are like a guiding light for other roles within the company, helping to showcase what technology is capable of and enabling teams to improve customer experiences and, in doing so, build greater loyalty.”
In addition, the data shows that more than half (53%) of these indicated that they collaborate with other departments on technology vision and implementation. Of the remaining 47%, 27% said business teams define the technology vision and work with IT to implement it, while 18% said IT makes technology decisions with input from the business team. Only 2% said that IT defines the technology vision without the participation of business teams.
"We're finding that the relationship between business teams and IT teams varies from company to company and is highly dependent on an organization's priorities," says Ronell Hugh, product marketing manager for Adobe Experience Platform. “Additionally, having a clear leader, whether business or IT, helps IT decision makers feel that they are in a strong, collaborative relationship with the rest of the company's stakeholders.”
As for the various factors that influence IT leaders' purchasing decisions, 48% says they are looking for tools that enable faster integration, 43% selects a vendor based on their ability to be a strategic differentiator, and 41% wants AI-powered technology.
The survey also found that IT professionals believe AI will separate the leaders from the laggards in customer experience (CX) delivery. 41% of respondents said artificial intelligence and machine learning will be the most valuable points in improving CX, followed by the Internet of Things (22%), voice (14%) and immersive technologies including virtual and augmented reality (12%), and chatbot technology ( 11%).
Data management
The results also show that 63% say they are successful in integrating their various data sources, 59% say they have successfully cleaned and treated the information to minimize inaccuracies, and 59% say they are using data effectively to personalize the customer experience. "It's very important for IT teams to help organizations create a single view of the customer," Hugh tells CMO.com. “However, most organizations still face challenges in achieving this.”
Challenges in managing data include ensuring that information is secure, actionable, and can easily flow through the many systems an organization has. “Surprisingly, having a lot of data is one of the least cited challenges; really using the data effectively is a much more important issue,” points out Hugh.
Respondents also noted other challenges such as legacy systems difficult to integrate with new technologies (38%), departmental silos (32%), inadequate resources (30%), and lack of shared vision across the enterprise (30%).
Still, IT teams are very optimistic about their organizations' ability to make a positive customer impact (95%) and 69% said their companies have the right tools and systems to effectively use data to create personalized experiences.
"The research findings reinforce the notion that IT decision makers play an important role in managing the customer experience," Hugh tells CMO.com. “CIOs and their teams are like a guiding light for other roles within the company, helping to showcase what technology is capable of and enabling teams to improve customer experiences and, in doing so, build greater loyalty.”
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