U.K. Enterprises Seize on COVID Crisis to Kickstart Digital Transformation for Current and Future Challenges

ISG Provider Lens™ report shows providers adapted quickly to help companies plan and execute changes in customer experience, supply chain, product development and more

LONDON, Dec. 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The COVID-19 pandemic has presented enterprises and service providers in the U.K. with new opportunities for digital transformation, both in response to the current crisis and for the future, according to a new report published today by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

The 2020 ISG Provider Lens™ Digital Business – Solutions and Service Partners report for the U.K. finds more U.K. enterprises have embraced digital capabilities this year as working conditions and markets have been disrupted. Solution and service providers have been quick and agile in responding to the crisis and have been available to help companies plan and execute digital business initiatives by virtual means. Most have even developed COVID-specific offerings for enterprises in niche markets.

“The ability to implement new digital services quickly has helped enterprises sustain their businesses,” said Bryn Barlow, partner, ISG EMEA, based in the UK. “They are taking on the challenges of the pandemic and looking ahead to future benefits of digital transformation.”

Supply chains have been hit particularly hard by the crisis, especially in the U.K., where Brexit has caused additional disruption, the report says. Providers are helping U.K. companies deal with supply and demand shocks by providing mechanisms for greater visibility, assisting supplier consolidation and deploying new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain.

Blockchain adoption is growing in the U.K., according to the report, and expanding beyond the financial services sector to industries including energy and telecom. In energy, the technology has allowed companies to roll out new revenue models that expand their business, the report says.

With COVID-19 and the resulting lockdowns altering consumer behavior, probably with lasting effect, providers are helping enterprises in the U.K. adapt to these changes, ISG says. With a better grasp of the new trends, providers can assist in designing, developing and deploying more effective customer experience services that take best advantage of virtual connections.

Digital business provider engagements are becoming more like partnerships, with more providers adopting pricing models based on outcomes for the client’s business, ISG says. About 5 to 15 percent of contracts now are outcome-based. In addition, providers are now doing the deep work of preparing enterprises to continue making changes, even after the deployment of digital solutions, to stay competitive.

The 2020 ISG Provider Lens™ Digital Business – Solutions and Service Partners report for the U.K. evaluates the capabilities of 49 providers across five quadrants: Digital Business Consulting Services, Digital Customer Experience Services, Digital Product Life Cycle Services, Digital Supply Chain Transformation Services and Blockchain Services.

The report names Accenture, HCL, IBM and Wipro as leaders in five quadrants and Infosys as a leader in four. Atos, TCS and Tech Mahindra are named as leaders in three quadrants and Birlasoft, Capgemini and Zensar in two quadrants. The report names BCG, Coforge, Deloitte Digital, EY, Hexaware, LTI, McKinsey, Mindtree and PwC each as a leader in one quadrant.

In addition, Zensar was named as a “Rising Star”—a company with a “promising portfolio” and “high future potential” by ISG’s definition—in two quadrants. Capgemini, Kearney and TCS each were named a Rising Star in one quadrant.

The 2020 ISG Provider Lens™ Digital Business – Solutions and Service Partners report for the U.K. is available to subscribers or for one-time purchase on this webpage.

About ISG Provider Lens™ Research

The ISG Provider Lens™ Quadrant research series is the only service provider evaluation of its kind to combine empirical, data-driven research and market analysis with the real-world experience and observations of ISG's global advisory team. Enterprises will find a wealth of detailed data and market analysis to help guide their selection of appropriate sourcing partners, while ISG advisors use the reports to validate their own market knowledge and make recommendations to ISG's enterprise clients. The research currently covers providers offering their services globally, across Europe and Latin America, as well as in the U.S., Germany, Switzerland, the U.K., France, the Nordics, Brazil and Australia/New Zealand, with additional markets to be added in the future. For more information about ISG Provider Lens research, please visit this webpage.

A companion research series, the ISG Provider Lens Archetype reports, offer a first-of-its-kind evaluation of providers from the perspective of specific buyer types.

Starting this year, each ISG Provider Lens™ study will include a Global Summary to help enterprise subscribers better understand provider capabilities across all geographic markets covered by that study. All ISG Provider Lens™ reports also will now include an Enterprise Context feature to help executives quickly identify key insights related to their roles and responsibilities.

About ISG

ISG (Information Services Group) (Nasdaq: III) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 700 clients, including more than 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs more than 1,300 digital-ready professionals operating in more than 20 countries—a global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry’s most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit www.isg-one.com.