To bounce back from the economic drawbacks of the pandemic, Philippine enterprises are prioritizing consumer expectations and improving “experience management” in the workplace, a study has found.
A survey from enterprise software company SAP found that both big businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Philippines were focused on improving customer experience, improving employee experience and attracting new customers for the next three years.
“Having gotten a foothold on the pandemic’s disruption, businesses across Southeast Asia are at a crucial transformative point to achieve long-term competitive growth,” said Verena Siow, president and managing director of SAP South East Asia, in a press release.
Businesses, especially SMEs, cited changing markets, changing customer wants and needs, and the need to retain repeat customers as their main challenges.
To achieve growth through consumer focus, 94 percent of enterprises have started collecting and addressing customer feedback, 85 percent improved buyer data analytics and 75 percent invested in user-friendly digital platforms, SAP said.
Companies have also tapped workers to aid digital growth. Seventy-four percent of firms surveyed foresaw moderate growth in employee productivity in the next three years.
One in three businesses, or 35 percent, reported struggles in upskilling workers, while 29 percent had difficulties in getting employee feedback.
In improving worker performance, companies simplified organizational processes, invested in employee training and made work policies more flexible, the study found.
SAP and Oxford Economics surveyed 600 companies, including 400 SMEs, from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Ian Gabriel Trinidad