Amid the chaos of the last few months, Australian businesses have been forced to adapt to the challenges of remote work. Although there has been much uncertainty, the proactive responses of the workforce have seen 72% of businesses digitising some, or all their offerings, according to a new market research report. 

Many businesses have been able to continue trading virtually, and in some cases, profit during this time of economic uncertainty. 

Capterra Australia has released the findings of its market research into the 5 ways Australia’s lockdown has fast-tracked digital transformation, which include:

1.    Technology Adoption
2.    Digitalised Business Offerings
3.    Telework
4.    Receptiveness To Remote Working
5.    Digital Transformation Leadership

New software tools and applications drive change

One driving force in this accelerated digitalisation is the adoption of new software tools and applications. Since lockdown, 41% of SMEs have bought or installed software to enable their teams to work remote. An additional 22% plan to purchase in the near future. 

Promising statistics show 61% of employees have found these new tools easy to use and 70% are enjoying the freedoms of working from home. Most notably; no commute (44%), flexible working hours (36%) and a casual dress code (34%).

Regardless of the circumstances, it appears most businesses that can support remote work are doing so. Communication remains a challenge, but employers have readily provided support on team meetings (48%), working hours (48%) and work-life balance (38%). Employees feel supported and are prepared for potentially longer periods of remote work.

Digital transformation is not an overnight process. However, to see such speed and proficiency from Australia, albeit within a crisis, is promising news for the future.

Survey methodology

To collect the data for this report, Capterra conducted an online survey between 4 April 2020 and 14 April 2020. The responses come from a sample of the Australian market. Of the 916 people who participated in the survey, 57% of Australian small and mid-sized businesses (SMEs) were already operating fully remotely and 6% plan to. The participants come from various business sectors and levels of seniority. 

Capterra then screened out all respondents not working remotely, and found 500 respondents fitted within the following criteria:
•    Australian resident
•    Employed by a small or mid-sized business
•    Employed full-time or part-time
•    Working remotely as a response to COVID-19.

Founded in 1999, Capterra is a leading online resource for business software buyers, featuring validated user reviews and independent research across hundreds of software categories that help more than three million buyers find the right software each month. 

More on this research can be found at Capterra's website here. 

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