widthIf you need prescription drugs in Finland, you can get them electronically. Anyone who has to deal with official duties in Estonia can do it naturally on the sofa. And in Germany? There is a lot of discussion about these things, but a lot of paperwork and queues in city management still dominate daily life. The latest example of slow digitization: After ten years of planning, the launch of e-cookbooks was postponed again in a short period of time, and endless projects are now starting in the coming year.
There are different opinions on the reasons for Germany’s deficit.An unpublished strategic consulting study Boston Consulting Group (BCG) focused on the fields of health, administration, education, and work, and now has a deeper understanding of the relationship between Germans and digital products-and broke popular ideas. “It’s not just the lack of infrastructure and data protection that is slowing down the country’s digitalization process. In public debates, the focus is not set correctly. It also depends on, for example, persuading people to confirm the offer,” said Olaf Rehse, senior partner at BCG.
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The first misunderstanding is that the slow expansion of optical fiber hinders online quotations and prevents users from using them. When BCG consultants recently surveyed 1,500 representative Germans, they did not mention this obstacle in a conspicuous place by any means. The author of the study explained that almost 90% of households can now access the Internet at a speed of at least 100 Mbit/s. Faster fiber connections can only use 15%-but a slightly slower variant is also sufficient for video calls. “Fiber optic lines will be the core of the products offered in the next five to ten years,” Rehse said. “But at the moment it has not played a decisive role.”
Overrated data protection
According to this study, the second misunderstanding is that Germans are very concerned about the security of their data. 30% of respondents said that too little attention is paid to data protection. However, nearly two-thirds of people said they almost always accept all cookies on a website, and 71% use location-tracking applications, such as Google Maps. More importantly: When asked what contributes the most to the greater use of digital applications, comprehensive data protection only ranked seventh. However, the most important thing is that feedback of issues via email or app will be faster-ideally in real time-editing. It is also often mentioned: Internet pages must be clearer and digital discounts are easier to find.
However, according to the survey, who is the third of the Germans who are still unfamiliar with online and apps? The survey shows that it is not just the elderly who are dissatisfied with digitalization. Among people over 60, the proportion of people who do not use digital services in work, education, health, and government departments is the highest, at 50%. However, the gap between income groups is as large as the gap between age groups. Only a quarter of households with a monthly net income of more than 3,000 Euros do not use these benefits. On the other hand, one-half of those who can spend less than 1,500 euros. “A pair of digital scissors opened,” Rehse said.
The simple explanation for this difference is that the poor have less access to digital content and less knowledge of the Internet than people with higher incomes. However, this research reveals another connection that may be more important. In order to turn this group into digital users, something completely different from other users is needed: technical jargon on the website, personal, telephone help, education about virus risks, and listing fears in the survey as the biggest obstacle. BCG expert Rehse also suggested Provide more concessions to children from financially disadvantaged families to prevent them from falling behind in numbers. “Free digital training courses should be as natural as free zoo tickets,” the co-author of the study requested.
Reduce digital complaints
However, the study also contains positive news: Corona has greatly promoted digitization. Before the pandemic, the proportion of people who disliked digitalization was 74%, which is more than twice today: Now, attending a Zoom or Sky meeting in a home office is the standard for nine out of ten employees.
Schools and universities that have received a lot of criticism during the pandemic are also making progress-albeit at a manageable level. Today, 45% of information events are provided online (only 12% before Corona). Today, about one-fifth of educational institutions (before the pandemic, more than one-third) do not offer any digital products. Video consultation time in medical practice has also increased (from 4% to 15%). On the other hand, in slow motion, progress is being made in many administrative areas. Since Corona, 5% of respondents have applied for residential parking permits online; before the pandemic, this proportion was almost as low as 4%.
From the BCG perspective, in order to advance digitization more quickly, a whole set of measures are needed: “The products offered are too few, and they are usually little known,” Rehse said. Many fields have great potential and can be used with very little money. “Ultimately, it’s about strengthening the entire chain.”
