Acquiring IT talent has become a challenge for organisations, leading to increased investments in low-code/no-code technology, reveals Salesforce’s MuleSoft 2022 IT Leaders Pulse Report.
Indeed, 98 percent of organisations reported that their ability to attract IT talent links to their technology investment choices.
As a result, organisations are dedicating more time to IT employee wellbeing (82 percent) and empowering business teams with low-code/no-code tools to encourage non-developers to become “digital builders” (78 percent).
Almost all surveyed senior IT leaders said that the Great Resignation was responsible for talent gaps in their IT teams, with a lack of know-how in IT and solutions architecture and cloud and infrastructure management being a particular concern.
Matt McLarty, Global Field CTO, MuleSoft, said: “Shifting economic headwinds are making technology even more fundamental to success across every part of the business, including sales, service, marketing, commerce, and IT.
“As IT leaders struggle to fill roles to support this additional demand, the traditional playbook is in question. Today’s IT leaders must look instead to broader, company-wide process improvements, through automation, that foster innovation, enhance user experiences, and drive efficient growth.”
In terms of metrics, IT leaders have shifted their focus towards measuring employee productivity, cost reduction and optimisation, alongside customer and employee experience.
Automation and Low-Code Solutions
Overall, IT leaders are using technology for multiple purposes, aiming to deliver more people-centric experiences for customer and employees alike.
86 percent of senior IT leaders said that employee and customer experience is just as important as its products and services. Additionally, 80 percent of respondents said that improved customer-facing and employee technologies benefit the business.
Yet, 81 percent of organisations are aware that increased investment in technology means that the business risk struggling with more IT issues. Also, 66 percent of organisations think that system integrations take too long or are too expensive.
To make up for the issues relating to skills shortages, many organisations are adopting low/no code tools to enable business users to build and test new customer experiences.
Moreover, 96 percent currently use some form of these tools while 36 percent plan to increase their use in the next 12 months.
Another technology investment organisations are using to boost customer experiences is automation. 67 percent of organisations have mostly or fully automated their IT operations, with many introducing automation to other business functions, including customer support, finance, and sales.
“The current economic climate leaves IT leaders no choice – they have to do more with less. The tools are there to empower more users to become digital builders, and help their organizations grow while improving efficiency. By automating processes where feasible, leaders can realize value faster and accelerate innovation,” added McLarty.
Elsewhere, Salesforce donated $32 million to charities grafting towards a more fair society. Since its inception, the company has donated $575 million in grants to worthy organisations.
