Give your business some tech vision

Rapid advancements in technologies – including artificial intelligence (AI), advanced analytics and the cloud – are enabling companies to create innovative products and services, as well as change the way people work and live. This, in turn, is changing companies’ relationships with their customers and business partners.

As part of our annual report, Technology Vision, Accenture surveyed more than 6,300 business and IT executives worldwide. More than four in five respondents (84 per cent) agree that through technology, companies are weaving themselves seamlessly into the fabric of how people live today.

For example, Amazon – through not only its tremendous online presence but also its Echo device and AI assistant Alexa – has integrated itself into people’s everyday lives to such an extent that developers are building dedicated Amazon lockers into new apartment complexes and people are granting the company physical access to their homes via its smart lock system to let couriers make deliveries when no one is around.

What’s interesting about this development is that the change is a two-way street; people aren’t just using companies’ products and services, but feeding information and access back to them. This level of “integrated innovation” and degree of trust requires a deeper relationship – a true partnership based not only on a company’s products, but also its goals and values. And with this two-way partnership come new responsibilities – to consumers, business partners and society at large – requiring leadership and commitment from the top.

Smart management teams understand that these new societal expectations can become a business strength. They’re using their increased interactions to build partnerships with customers, employees and the government. And this isn’t just for companies in retail.