Digital technology Can Help Increase Productivity Significantly, According to New Research Commissioned by Konica Minolta - 89% of Businesses Surveyed Had Invested Significantly - on Average £3m+ - in a Digital Workplace Initiative by End of 2016

LONDON, May 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Digital technology that helps employees achieve the nirvana like state of optimal performance could increase productivity significantly, according to new research commissioned by Konica Minolta.

The report, "The Digital Workplace Initiative," outlines how small distractions, aging hardware, clunky software and rigid workplaces all add up to lost productivity for UK businesses.

Dave Jones, Enterprise Content Management Marketing Manager (ECM) at Konica Minolta Business Solutions UK, said: "We know rows of static desks are going the way of the VHS video recorder. The way people, devices and workspaces interact is changing, fast. And improving the way that these pieces interact together, can bring significant dividends to UK businesses."

The findings are based on the results of a survey of 100 senior IT decision makers and 1,000 office workers (conducted at the start and the end of 2016).

According to employees, the main barriers to their maintaining peak performance are interruptions, computer problems and problems accessing data when working away from their desks.

These barriers can be overcome, says Konica Minolta, by investing in digital solutions - sometimes called Digital Workplace Initiatives (DWI) to change how technology, people and the workplace interact.

The research suggests that by the end of last year, finding ways to encourage employees to reach peak productivity, was the single biggest driver to implement DWIs and to do so quickly.

• Nearly three quarters of respondents said that the strongest driver for implementing a DWI, was increasing employee productivity, both inside (71%) and outside (71%) the office followed by reducing costs (60%)
• By the end of 2016, some 89% of businesses surveyed had invested in a Digital Workplace Initiative and - what's more - the amounts being invested are colossal.
• The average amount UK firms invested in Digital Workplace Initiatives (DWI) tripled between the start and end of 2016, from £958,824 to £3,229,167. Nearly half (47%) of IT decision makers expect to see a return on investment (ROI) within three years

The top three DWI projects are: enabling effective mobile working (62%); enabling effective remote working (56%) and improving collaborative working technology (49%).

The Business Innovation team at Konica Minolta has been working with technology start-ups, clients and academics to find ways to facilitate digital transformation more often - and for longer periods of time. Francis Thornhill, Head of Marketing from Konica Minolta commented; "Improving access to information, integrating systems and using technology as the catalyst for improved performance should be at the top of every CEOs to-do list."

The report The Digital Workplace Initiative, was published today and can be downloaded here: http://digital.konicaminolta.co.uk.

NOTE TO EDITORS 

1. The data contained in this report details two research programmes. The first consisted of interviews conducted during January and February 2016 with 100 IT decision makers and interviews with 1,000 employees (office workers) from private sector organisations, with more than 1,000 employees. The second phase of the research, conducted during December 2016 comprised interviews with 100 IT decision makers from organisations with more than 1,000 employees in the private sector and was a refresh of some questions asked in January and February 2016. All data was collected by Vanson Bourne, an independent specialist in market research for the technology sector. http://www.vansonbourne.com.
2. Terms and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are hereby acknowledged.

About Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK) Ltd 

Konica Minolta Business Solutions is a leader in the provision of Managed Print and Document Services and Production Print technologies and solutions for commercial, corporate and public sector organisations, and commercial print and central reprographic establishments.

Konica Minolta's solutions are proven to improve quality, reduce cost, eradicate risk, increase accuracy and streamline business processes. Recognising there are no two businesses the same, we pride ourselves on our customer partnerships and tailor our solutions to our customer needs, giving them the competitive edge they need to remain at the forefront of their markets.

Combining our market leading, award winning and easy to integrate technological platforms, with our strategic partnerships, business solutions and services portfolio, Konica Minolta is continually improving quality, reducing cost, eradicating risk, increasing accuracy and streamlining business processes for our customers. Our strategy has our customers at its core. With strong and mutually beneficial customer partnerships, our aim is to achieve mutual sustainable growth through technological innovation - giving shape to our customers' ideas. We bring flexible solutions that not only meet our customer expectations, but exceed them, time after time.  

Part of the global Konica Minolta Group, Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK) Ltd is headquartered in Basildon, Essex and operates out of 14 offices across the UK, employing over 900 people.

SOURCE Konica Minolta