As the Middle East begins to emerge from the pandemic, 81% of service decision-makers are accelerating their digital transformation initiatives, according to Salesforce’s State of Service Report. In the UAE, 79% of sales leaders say their digital transformation has accelerated since 2019, according to the Salesforce Fourth State of Sales Report. In 2021, Salesforce’s new Global Stakeholder Series: Future of Work Now, research study finds that 60% of respondents expect working from home to become the new norm. But over one third of non-remote workers globally say they do not have the technology to effectively work from anywhere.

In this hybrid working world, access to data is vital. However, only 37% of organisations definitely have the skills and technology to keep pace with digital projects during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to MuleSoft’s The State of Business and IT Innovation report. The vast majority 82% of LoB employees believe they need quick and easy access to data, IT systems, and applications to do their jobs effectively and remain productive.

In 2021, Middle East organisations that digitally transform on the cloud will see the biggest business benefit. The UAE is leading digital business innovation – with 91% of UAE customers expecting their companies to go digital, according to the Salesforce State of Connected Customer Report.

Artificial Intelligence combined with customer experience solutions will be a game-changer for Middle East organisations. In the UAE, 76% of marketers are leading customer experience initiatives, with 94% using AI with the top use case resolving customer identity, according to the Salesforce State of Marketing Report.

Across the Middle East, the Salesforce Einstein AI platform is helping organisations to save time and boost productivity – across call centers, supply chains, boardrooms, and customer experiences.

In 2021, the Middle East’s market segments leading digital transformation will include financial services, manufacturing, retail, communications and media, healthcare and life sciences, and government.

As the coronavirus vaccine continues to rollout, the Middle East could also see a rebound in the real estate, retail sector and the travel, tourism, and hospitality sector. In real estate, Property Finder, the UAE’s leading real estate and rental marketplace, has digitally transformed with Salesforce to send contracts, make forecasts, and enhance contacts. During the crisis, Property Finder has also used cloud-based Salesforce solutions to enable remote work from day one.

In retail, Chalhoub Group, the leading luxury retailer has leveraged its strategic relationship with Salesforce to enhance customer e-commerce experiences in its digital transformation amid Covid-19.

In travel and tourism, Seera Group, the leading travel group in the Middle East, is streamlining customer interactions with the Salesforce Service Cloud solution. And Almosafer, the leading omni-channel travel brand in Saudi Arabia, has deployed a fully-integrated travel booking retail technology using Salesforce solutions.

Key takeaways 

• 81% of service decision-makers are accelerating their digital transformation initiatives.
• Over one third of non-remote workers globally say they do not have the technology to effectively work from anywhere.
• In 2021, Middle East organisations that digitally transform on the cloud will see biggest business benefit. 
• UAE is leading digital business innovation with 91% of UAE customers expecting their companies to go digital.