Arkphire survey reveals that 91% of directors say their business model has pivoted since COVID

Arkphire, the IT product procurement, and IT services company, has announced new results from a comprehensive Irish survey, highlighting how 91% of Irish company directors surveyed said that their business models have pivoted since the onset of the pandemic one year ago. In addition, 56% say that their businesses are facing less competition. The survey was co-sponsored by Citrix and Dell Technologies.

The Arkphire survey – which was recently carried out by Censuswide among 200 senior directors and 500 office employees – suggests that some leaders may be out of touch with how their employees are really feeling about key areas such as sales team motivation, business development, management of customer satisfaction, customer relationship building, customer communications coaching and mentoring.

In terms of business development, on the whole, directors were much more upbeat around performance, with 53% of directors noting that their company’s business development capabilities had improved, compared to only 28% of staff who agreed.

When queried about the motivation levels of sales teams to speak to customers, 62% of directors felt this had increased under remote working arrangements. Conversely, only 26% of staff felt the same.

When asked to assess their company’s ability to innovate and be creative under remote working arrangements, 57% of directors felt this had improved, compared to 33% of employees.

Regarding their company’s ability to manage and assess customer satisfaction, directors were bullish, with over 60% feeling this aspect of the business had improved under remote working conditions. Staff were less enthused, with 30% recognising an improvement in this regard.

In assessing the strength of relationships sales staff has with customers when not able to meet face to face, 53% of directors felt this had improved under remote working arrangements, while only 24% of staff agreed. Only 11% of directors felt this had worsened, while 26% of employees felt this had worsened.

When questioned about how the pandemic had impacted their company’s ability to monitor and coach sales team members, 62% of directors felt this had improved with remote working, while only 27% of staff agreed.

The effectiveness of communications between the company’s head of sales and the sales team showed up significant differences, with 60% of directors feeling this had improved in the remote working era, with only 27% of employees agreeing. With regards to the ease with which contact can be made with prospective customers who may be remote working, 56% of directors felt this had improved, compared to just 28% of staff.

When questioned about employee job satisfaction, 62% of directors felt this had improved under remote working arrangements, while only 34% of staff agreed.

Paschal Naylor, Chief Executive of Arkphire said: “The survey shows the extraordinary adaptability of Irish companies in flexing their business models to embrace the new opportunities and manage the constantly moving challenges posed by the pandemic. The differences between director and staff views on many key areas suggests a lack of cohesion and understanding between business leaders and their employees. 

“Right now, there is constant transition in how we conduct our business lives. Ongoing review and refinement of how we all conduct business is required now more than ever. The ability of our teams to engage effectively with one another and with customers, both current and prospective, is the life blood of any enterprise. It is so critical that we are all equipped with the necessary technologies to do this effectively.

“The timely launch of our digital workspace innovation lab service this year is geared towards enabling businesses to leverage innovative solutions tailored to their business sector and specific business needs. 

“As the business landscape returns to a more regular rhythm this year, Arkphire can help guide the long-term strategies of customers. Working with world-class partners like Dell Technologies and Citrix, we look forward to helping customers match their extraordinary business model pivots with digital transformation that improves organisation cohesion and communication, and ultimately business performance.”