Pandemic-Era Uncertainty Leads Nordic Companies to Partner With Service Providers on Future Workplace Plans

• ISG Provider Lens report says enterprises in Nordic countries are stepping up engagement with providers on virtual collaboration and employee experience strategies

Enterprises in the Nordics, facing uncertainty about their future modes of work amid the COVID-19 pandemic, are partnering with managed service providers to support remote workers and design effective workplace strategies, according to a new report published today by Information Services Group , a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

“Now, companies are working more closely with service providers to use technology to reconnect with employees and foster collaboration.”

The 2021 ISG Provider Lens Future of Work – Services and Solutions report for the Nordics finds companies in the region re-examining how they do business in the wake of the pandemic, which has hurt the region’s economies and disrupted relationships between employers and employees. The crisis saw between 50 percent and 60 percent of employees in Nordic countries working from home, and remote work has caused social isolation, the report says.

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“The changes caused by the pandemic have left many Nordic enterprises at a crossroads in terms of workplace strategy,” said Jan Erik Aase, partner and global leader, ISG Provider Lens Research. “Now, companies are working more closely with service providers to use technology to reconnect with employees and foster collaboration.”

In the Nordics, as in other regions, the pandemic has brought workplace and work-related technologies to the forefront as vital business enablers, ISG says. Service providers around the globe are moving beyond the traditional practice of supporting end-user computing elements to become cross-industry experts offering strategy, consulting and transformation services.

In particular, clients in the Nordics are seeking help in managing employees’ work-life balance, supporting virtualization and security for remote work and reimagining their business models, the report says.

For the average service provider, approximately 30 percent of Nordic clients have increased their engagement in consultation and strategy for workplace transformation, according to ISG. To meet the growing demand, providers in the region have expanded their teams of consultants by an average of 12 percent to 15 percent.

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Many service provider clients in the Nordics have begun to strategize around experience level agreements (XLAs) to reach their business goals, the report says. The average provider is seeing 30 percent to 40 percent of its Nordic clients contracting for managed services with XLAs pegged to specific digital experiences for end users.

The biggest driver for end users in the Nordics choosing to work remotely is the desire for a better work-life balance, according to ISG. Meanwhile, the region’s end users are less experienced and less happy with remote workplace technologies than those in any other region, the report says, citing results of a third-party survey. ISG expects managed service providers offering seamless, efficient experiences for home-based employees to lead the Nordics market.

The 2021 ISG Provider Lens Future of Work – Services and Solutions report for the Nordics evaluates the capabilities of 26 providers across three quadrants: Workplace Strategy Transformation Services, Managed Digital Workplace Services and Managed Employee Experience Services.

The report names Atos, Capgemini, HCL, TCS and TietoEVRY as Leaders in all three quadrants. It names Accenture and Fujitsu as Leaders in two quadrants each and IBM, Infosys, LTI, Orange Business Services and Wipro as Leaders in one quadrant each.

In addition, NNIT, Orange Business Services and Wipro are named as Rising Stars—companies with a “promising portfolio” and “high future potential” by ISG’s definition—in one quadrant each.