Role of CIOs changed during pandemic, claims Logicalis survey

innovation, operational efficiency and customer experience now the key focuses for CIOs, Logicalis research finds

New research from Logicalis claims that there has been a "notable shift" in the role of CIOs over the past 12 months - which includes a greater focus on innovation, operational efficiency, and customer experience.

The 2021 Global CIO Survey from Logicalis, which questions 1,000 CIOs from around the world, found that most respondents noted a significant increase in the time they now spend on innovation (79 per cent), strategic planning (77 per cent) and productivity (62 per cent), compared with a lack of time spent on both innovation and strategic planning in previous years.

Meanwhile, 73 per cent of CIOs stated that the importance of customer experience has increased and do not expect it to slow down, while 81 per cent believed that their focus on "redefining the customer experience" will grow over the next five years.

And speaking to CRN, Logicalis' CTO Mark Benson said the pandemic and a shift to new working patterns has played a key role in the changing responsibilities of CIOs.

"I think that we can lean heavily on the fact that the pandemic has shaped large amounts of IT transformation," he said.

"I think us as consumers or customers, our expectations have changed because we only had one option. We needed a good online experience that met our needs, understood what we were trying to achieve and provided that high level of service.

"It's no surprise for me that innovation is now key and top for many of the CIOs, because businesses are having to evolve to meet the needs of the modern consumer.

"We were always focused on giving people better customer experience anyway and it was always part of the agenda, I just think the thing that the pandemic has done is thrown IT and the business closer together."

A greater focus on how automation and optimisation can help businesses be more productive alongside innovation was also a high priority for CIOs, with Benson claiming that companies are now "more aware" of how they can make "real gains" in those areas.

And as part of the innovation of IT practises, Benson added that strategic planning - which involves putting in place "the right foundations for a digital transformation journey" - had also become a significant priority for CIOs in order to meet customer expectations.

"I think people have a higher expectation of the service they are going to receive," Benson explained.

"What's happened is now, as we've gone through an evolution of technology and things like chatbots are just the norm now. You need to have responsive systems that don't leave you hanging, you need to have the right processes in place to be able to provide support if there's a complaint or an escalation, or even just good customer service.

"Previously, the CIO had a very defined role where they were designing and driving that technical strategy. What I am definitely seeing is that the CIO is now very much closer to the business."