Business continuity in South Africa during Covid-19 pandemic: digital technology perspective

Abstract

South Africa, like many other countries globally, implemented a lockdown in an attempt to contain the spread of the coronavirus which has had an adverse effect on business operations and sustainability. Minimal information is available concerning the impact of digital technology utilisation on business continuity during such a pandemic. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the impact of digital technology on business continuity during this period at a South African Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) company. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 59 employees and data were collected using an online anonymous questionnaire for the different types of digital technology used pre-pandemic and during the pandemic, as well as its impact on interactions and work expectations. Results revealed that the company used virtual meetings, cloud storage, electronic job systems, telecommunications, messaging applications, business intelligence solutions, big data analytics, and online training. There were moderate positive relationships found between the types of technology and business continuity during the pandemic. Areas for continual improvement were reported as network connectivity, communication, and training. It is recommended that post-COVID-19, companies need to continually evaluate the use of digital technology to further reduce the time spent by employees on manual processes thereby improving productivity to provide better customer service and enhance competitive advantage.