How embedding a digital culture can boost ROI for your organisation

What does success look like for your organisation?

Whether it’s increased revenue, operational efficiency, customer satisfaction or crucial sustainability efforts, decision makers are looking to technology to improve what they can deliver and how they deliver it. 

It’s an easy question to ask, but a harder one to answer.

Standard return on investment (ROI) measures like whether tech streamlines processes or boosts productivity just don’t capture the whole picture.

Creating a digital culture means unlocking the full benefits of tech by empowering your employees.

In other words, it’s not just about your bottom line – it’s about how an ecosystem of data sharing and innovation can help you achieve more.

So how can you measure what that impact is and ensure you’re building a culture that gives you the most value?

We worked with the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) to survey 1,000 UK decision makers across the private and public sectors to find out.

What can you achieve when you start thinking about technology in this more holistic, cultural way?

The idea of value creation comes into play here.

According to the Institute for Management Development, value creation involves identifying the overlapping interests between customers, employees and the organisation itself and building solutions that can improve your offering for all three.

Our customer insights around ROI illustrate this approach in action.

For example, our next-gen networks can help NHS Trusts reduce network operation costs by up to 36%, enabling budgets to be reallocated toward digitalising the patient experience – a transformation that can deliver an annual ROI of £1.04 million*, ensuring public money is spent wisely.

Similarly, for a utilities organisation, integrating mobile and collaboration tools with their infrastructure not only delivers significant productivity gains but drives a broader £1.7 million annual ROI**, freeing up resources to focus on strategic initiatives.

These examples highlight the intersection of operational efficiency, employee empowerment, and improved customer outcomes, which are essential aspects of building a strong digital culture.

In real terms, value creation also means using technology to go above and beyond.

For example, AI-powered workflow software can automate administrative tasks and free your employees up to do more fulfilling work.

So much so that digital leaders report an employee satisfaction rate which is three times higher than that of ‘digital followers’ – those not actively improving their digital capabilities between 2021 and 2023.

This can also be seen in the realm of hybrid work, where employees are increasingly searching for seamless and personalised interaction.

The rapid adoption of integrated communications platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Slack has redefined the pace of team communication. They fulfil the collaboration needs of a diverse workforce and especially empower those working in the field away from a desk.

85% of global businesses say they now see sustainability as a value creation opportunity, according to Morgan Stanley.

And from our own ESG spotlight report we know 64% of business decision makers believe they could be better equipped to use tech and innovation to drive ESG enhancements, highlighting the importance of integrating digital solutions into ESG strategies.

On the one hand, this is done because technology gives you a wealth of data to report your progress across the entire breadth of your ESG strategy. Organisations can use IoT devices and advanced analytics to monitor and reduce energy consumption, leading to more efficient operations.

And on the other, comprehensive ESG reporting tools enable companies to track and showcase their sustainability efforts, fostering transparency and accountability.

One way we can help is with our Carbon Calculator. This tool helps organisations estimate and manage the carbon footprint associated with our SD-WAN and mobile solutions, enabling them to better understand their carbon footprint and integrate these findings into their own ESG reporting.

By fostering a digital-first mindset, your organisation can achieve greater efficiency, resilience and long-term success.

But our research found cultural resistance to digital change is holding back 41% of businesses.

The important thing about digital-first mindsets, just like any other significant organisational change, is that it must start at the top. When CEOs and the broader C-suite are bought in, committed and fully understand the benefits that digital can bring, the stage is set for successful transformation.

The flipside to this is when there is limited understanding of digital at the top layer.

When you have three quarters of leaders not significantly investing in their digital capabilities between 2021 and 2023 but still believing they have a strong digital culture, you create circumstances where digital fails at the first hurdle.

Then responsibility falls to middle management. And despite their noble and best efforts, they can struggle without the necessary mandate or influence.

With strong leadership and a committed vision, your organisation can much more realistically instil a true digital culture. ROI goes beyond just the creation of financial value and can also include positive employee satisfaction, environmental and social outcomes that are key to delivering your business goals.

* Figures derived from an NHS Trust with 47 sites and 334,000 registered patients as per data gathered in October 2023

**Figures derived from interviews with 16 senior executives, leaders and decision-makers involved in CCC and mobile procurement and based on medium sized Utility organisation with (June/ July 2024)