The coronavirus pandemic has shrunk timelines for businesses’ adoption of digital technologies to days and weeks from years, with healthcare firms among those implementing the fastest changes, says a new survey.

The poll of more than 2,500 companies around the world – carried out by digital communications specialist Twilio – found that 74% of healthcare companies had sped up their digital transformation as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.

Only tech and energy companies were more likely to have accelerated the timelines for digital engagement than healthcare. In some cases, telemedicine systems were implemented for patients in a matter of weeks as organisations adapted to the new reality of social distancing and lockdown.

The pandemic “has affected everything from the ways in which businesses talk to their customers, to how their workplaces function,” according to Twilio’s head of EMEA David Parry-Jones.

“We’re seeing how digital technologies are being used to completely reimagine the business landscape,” he added, pointing to data showing that 79% of companies have increased their budgets for digital transformation.

Source: pharmaphorum.com