New Normal and Digital

 

The pandemic has changed our world almost overnight. Many of us said a quick farewell to the century-old world of a 9-5 workday and our office commute and switched to – remote everything.

As customers, we turned to online shopping and the market for delivering food and other essentials to our homes exploded. The demand for digital services is at an all-time high as we are working and learning remotely and increasingly being entertained by digital experiences. Digital technologies have been crucial in our efforts to maintain at least some semblance of normality.

In business, we have seen the acceleration of the digital transformation of every part of operations – from manufacturing to sales and customer service.

Of course, we have all been asking ourselves what life will be like once the lockdowns are a thing of the past. Most agree that we will not go back to normal as businesses and everyday lives inevitably change.

What about Slovenia? The latest findings by the Statistical Office offer some encouragement but also serve as a reminder that when it comes to digital transformation and resilience, we have room for improvement. In 2019, 39% of Slovenian companies with more than 10 employees used cloud services (73% large enterprises), 30% offered tools for team collaboration, and 7% analyzed big data. Strong year-on-year growth was recorded across all surveyed categories.

However, there were some warning signs: more than half of the companies said that digital transformation is not essential for their business performance. 41% answered that digital transformation is hampered by the lack of relevant staff or skills.

If we want Slovenia to flourish in the new normal, where the old ways of doing business will no longer suffice, we have to do better which means more than just adding new technology. Technology alone is never enough. We have to build new partnerships and ecosystems, drive broad upskilling, and adopt a mindset of constant innovation and experimentation.

 

I’m confident we will succeed in this endeavor, simply because we must – if for no other reason. Let’s start building a new digital normal together.

 

Barbara Domicelj, General Manager, Microsoft Slovenija