By Andrea K. Hammer
During a time when questions rule the business world, several recent surveys offer insights about companies in recovery, predictions from CEOs about the year ahead as well as the use of realtors, insurance agents and financial advisors:
New Research Shows Companies in Strong Recovery Phase
After 2 years of dampened outlook and growth, more companies are optimistic about the future, according to the Treasury Perspectives Survey sponsored by Strategic Treasurer and TD Bank.
The study probed both banks and corporate treasury and finance departments about their practices, expectations, outlooks and perspectives across multiple dimensions of business and technology. The new results show returns to mostly pre-pandemic outlooks.
Organizational outlook over the past 12 months shows net positive movement. The percentage of companies with a more or significantly more negative outlook has almost reached pre-pandemic lows, and those with a more or significantly more positive outlook exceed pre-pandemic numbers.
When asked about sales and revenue projections, respondents were highly positive, with greater growth and less downsizing compared to 2020. A total 76% of companies expect their sales/revenue to increase or significantly increase in 2022, with only 3% expecting a decrease or significant decrease.
COVID’s effects appear to be settling into some level of permanence including policies that govern remote work, security, forecasting and electronic adoption. Fifty-six percent have seen enduring changes to work from home policies in their treasury operations attributable to the pandemic. Treasury teams ranked “security & control procedures” and “cash flow forecasting” in a tie for second on this list of recognized changes, each with 38%. Additionally, AR and AP groups noted ongoing willingness to accept more payment types (31% of respondents for AR) and increased adoption of EFT coupled with reduced use of checks (48% of respondents for AP).
GLG Releases 2022 CEO Survey Results
GLG, the world’s insight network, today released the findings of its third annual global CEO survey, which asked more than 470 CEOs about their priorities and outlook for 2022. The survey found that CEOs are bullish on the year ahead: 68% are confident that their company’s revenue will increase in the next 12 months, while 71% think the global economy will grow compared with just 51% of respondents heading into 2021.
The pandemic’s impacts were among the survey’s key themes. CEOs predicted that supply chain disruptions would have the greatest impact on the economy in 2022, and 92% expect the issue to impact their businesses. Only 21% of CEOs, meanwhile, reported that their companies have returned entirely to the office.
New Agentero Survey on Using Realtors, Insurance Agents and Financial Advisors
The survey highlights the importance of specialists today, whether consumers buy, sell or rent a house, purchase insurance, or invest their money. Overall, 72% of consumers have used a realtor, 64% have worked with an insurance agent, and 40% have used a financial services professional. Even more people—and this is especially true for younger consumers—plan to use these services in the future.
Overall, 80% of Millennials and 71% of Gen Zs say they plan to use a realtor in the future. Most younger consumers would also consider using an insurance agent: 64% of Millennials and 54% of Gen Zs plan to work with an insurance agent. And when it comes to financial help, a total of 60% of Millennials and 57% of Gen Zs plan to seek out their support in the future.