Snow Software with their analysis of IT managers and executives. Quoting ZDNet:
Eighty-nine percent of IT leaders claimed that IT roles were undervalued pre-Covid — but are now viewed as essential – with 90% claiming they have become trusted advisors to the business. In addition, 94% of IT managers consider innovation a top priority for their organization, though 71% say IT spends too much time reacting to problems instead of innovating. Top priorities for IT leaders next year are adopting new technology to improve day-to-day operations (30%), reducing IT costs (28%), and improving customer service and satisfaction (28%).
While 94% of leaders said their organization has become more innovative when it comes to IT and technology resources, they also say they are challenged to deliver innovation and spend too much time reacting to problems (71%).
Why do we care?
IT spends too much time reacting to problems instead of innovating sounds like something I would say over and over. Nothing here is necessarily surprising… although solving the same issues repeatedly in the same way and expecting results seems like a losing strategy.
I was struck by a Help Desk piece in the Washington Post today about helping family members with IT issues over the holiday… and was left with the question, “Have we armed these users with the right solutions?” I shared the list – it’s long of things IT people should do for their families, and it reads like a personal version of the IT department’s long list.
What struck me was wondering if the complexity given to users shows a mismatch to their needs. To improve customer satisfaction and service… perhaps less may be more.