Businesses are under increasing pressure by their customers to adapt. Mobile devices and growing use of the Web have changed customer expectations, with increased access to information and new customer experiences raising the bar for companies across verticals and regions. Many of those companies have only begun to understand the implications for their businesses. Many companies are ill-prepared to adapt to changing customer interactions, reluctant to experiment, and not well-aligned across critical roles within the organization. Technology investment, the right people, a differentiating strategy, and a focus on the customer will be critical to success moving forward.

In January 2012, IBM commissioned Forrester Consulting to evaluate how businesses are changing in the face of today’s business environment. In conducting in-depth surveys with 395 leaders in the US and the UK across marketing, eCommerce, IT, customer service, and supply chain roles, Forrester found that there is a link between agility and business results and that technology investment, cross-role collaboration, and clear customer insights will be critical to long-term business growth.