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For many , the pace of Digital Transformation is being driven by customer experience and expectations . Since Covid temporarily removed many of the physical touchpoints with the brands around us , digital channels have become a fundamental part of life . Social restrictions may be a thing of the past , but our interactions with brands have been changed for good .

While business models , services and applications all affect business growth , the user experience is king . Customers have become accustomed to , and indeed embraced , the ‘ Amazon effect ’ on the way that they shop and now expect the same level of accessibility from any brand .

One in six shoppers will walk away from a purchase if they ’ re having a poor customer experience , while 49 % of US and UK shoppers will abandon a brand to which they had been loyal for the previous 12 months . Poor user experience therefore risks more than loss of a sale ; it can irrevocably break the brand / customer bond , impacting brand perception and referrals . Most importantly , this impacts revenue .

Recent research has demonstrated the vital correlation between improving the digital experience and the bottom line . According to the International Data Corporation ’ s ( IDC ) Future Enterprise Resilience and Spending survey , 34 % of respondents improved profit margins by investing in the digital experience . Software quality is one crucial element of this digital experience , becoming increasingly important across industries such as healthcare , banking and technology as businesses across these sectors accelerate their Digital Transformations .

is a must – but if the customer experience is to be protected , then quality must also be prioritized .

Often test automation is a late addition to the Digital Transformation process , but this causes many risks and challenges along the way . As enterprise organizations develop applications that rely on continuous software updates , automating testing is a crucial element to increasing release speeds and improving application quality , helping the organization run more efficiently to meet its bottom line .

Test automation gives organizations the ability to monitor and assess risk in real time or even prevent issues before they occur . By adopting this real-time or and a pre-emptive approach , major disruptions which can impact everything from productivity to customer experience or revenue , can be staved off .

Thankfully , recent developments in AI , quality engineering and low-code / no-code platforms have transformed DevOps teams ’ capabilities by helping them deploy higher quality software and updates more quickly . Adopting an automated , risk-based approach to testing helps businesses improve both the efficiency and security of their software development process .

Lee McClendon , Chief Digital Officer , Tricentis

However , investing in the digital experience is easier said than done in today ’ s economic climate . IT costs represent significant overheads and budget cuts proliferate . With smaller teams and fewer resources , teams have to do more with less when it comes to software development in order to keep pace with Digital Transformation and customer demand . Speed

Moreover , by leveraging these user-friendly , accessible technologies , they are able to bridge the talent gap and bring expertise from other areas of the business into play for a more efficient development process . Thinly stretched teams can do far more with less , helping to achieve the previously impossible concept of quality at speed .

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