56% of company directors say their businesses are facing less competition since the onset of the pandemic one year ago, according to a survey carried out by Arkphire, an IT consulting and managed-services firm.
The survey of 200 senior directors and 500 office employees suggests that some firms may be out of touch with how their employees are feeling about key areas such as sales team motivation, business development and management of customer satisfaction.
In terms of business development, directors were much more upbeat around performance, with 53% of directors noting that their company's business development capabilities had improved, compared to only 28% of staff who agreed.
When asked about the motivation levels of sales teams to speak to customers, 62% of directors felt this had increased under remote working arrangements. However, only 26% of staff felt the same.
57% of directors said they felt their company's ability to innovate and be creative under remote working arrangements had improved, compared to 33% of employees.
Regarding their company's ability to manage and assess customer satisfaction, over 60% of directors said this aspect of the business had improved under remote working conditions, with just 30% of staff recognising an improvement in this regard.
In terms of job satisfaction, 62% of directors felt this had improved under remote working arrangements, while only 34% of staff agreed.
Paschal Naylor, Chief Executive of Arkphire said the differences between director and staff views on many key areas suggests a lack of cohesion and understanding between business leaders and their employees.
"Ongoing review and refinement of how we all conduct business is required now more than ever.
"The ability of our teams to engage effectively with one another and with customers, both current and prospective, is the life blood of any enterprise.
"It is so critical that we are all equipped with the necessary technologies to do this effectively," he added.
