Deloitte finds that 75% of the execs it surveyed consider collaboration a top priority, and those who've linked partners and suppliers to their internal business processes report 70% greater profitability than companies that haven't integrated with partners yet. The adoption of collaborative business is especially prevalent in large businesses, where 33% are conducting pilot programs and another 45% are planning to do so.
Execs appear to be encouraged by the results of companies already participating in external collaboration: Of those that have created links with partners and suppliers, 17% say they've sped up processes, and 16% say they've improved customer satisfaction. In all, 80% of the survey respondents say they'll implement some degree of collaborative commerce by 2005.
But 45% say they're concerned about the complexity of implementing collaborative tools, 33% are unconvinced of the maturity of collaborative software, 33% cite internal hurdles that might keep them from making progress, and 31% say trading partners and other external forces are potential obstacles.