What is digital transformation?
The Global Center for Digital transformation says that “organizational change is the foundation of digital business transformation.” This is because changing the nature of an organization means changing the way people work, challenging their mindsets and the daily work processes and strategies they depend on. While these present the toughest problems, they also generate the most valuable rewards, enabling a business to become more efficient, data-driven, and agile, taking advantage of more business opportunities.
Defining ‘digital’ in digital transformation
While the focus is on changing how the business works at all levels, technology underpins all digital transformation projects. But what technology?
Obviously this changes as time goes by, but typically companies want to adopt technologies that help them take advantage of and make sense of the vast amount of data they are in, as well as prepare for trends such as the Internet of Things (IoT ) and mobile devices.
That means analytics tools are high on the agenda, as well as cloud computing, which allows you to store data outside of your own data center, which could shut it down. You may also want to focus on collaborative tools, such as file sharing, mobile devices, and apps, that allow your employees to work wherever they are and whose visits give them instant access to information, especially useful for vendor customers, for instance.
What does digital transformation mean for your business?
Accepting and moving towards digital transformation does not simply mean getting on every technological train that comes along. Doing that is like putting a bunch of cut veggies in a pot and calling it soup. Unless you put the correct ingredients in the pot and turn on the stove, you will never make soup, at least not soup that just anyone wants to eat. Instead, every business has to spend some time thinking about what digital transformation really means to them.
Businesses should think about core business process transition and business / customer process digitization first. They need to think about which applications, platforms, and solutions fit their culture, day-to-day operations, and budget. Unfortunately, there is no cookie cutter solution that companies can opt for. It is a process that requires customization and the ability to follow trends.
Digital disruption and focus on the consumer
Digital disruption is another key term that describes what digital transformation can do to society at large. Smartphones created a disruption, Uber created a disruption, and wearable technology continues to create disruptions. With each key technological advance, consumers’ daily lives change a little more. The norm is changed and the advance adds value to consumers. Companies that take advantage of new changes, and that understand how these changes affect daily life, can modify their practices to meet consumer needs.
Consumer centrism is one way to ensure that you are meeting the demands of the digital age. Knowing where your customers are interacting online and how you can meet them in their own territory will improve your ability to make their lives easier and make sales. Every business should think about digital transformation and the power of disruption now. There is no time to take baby steps and get your feet wet. It is a bathroom or lavatory environment for many companies.
Advance planning for digital transformation
Digital transformation is both an end result and an ongoing process. You have to make the initial move and then you must continue to evolve or be kicked out. There is no quick fix for digital transformation. When you sit down with your team to discuss the digital future of your business, think about the near future, but also the long-term goals of your business. To stay relevant, you’ll need to implement digital solutions that keep your business moving into the digital age without standing still or going backwards.
At every step, think about business experience. What can you implement to optimize internal operations? What can you implement to facilitate customer interactions? These aspects that will drive your digital transformation. For some businesses, that may mean adopting an integrated payment solution so that customers can log into an online portal and pay their bills. For others, it may mean hitting social media and posting relevant content on a regular basis. Any move into the digital space is part of the digital transformation.
In the long term, the digital experience will change. How can you make change an easier part of the business process? Transparency, a group mission toward digital relevance, and constant listening to customer behaviors can be important in shifting your company’s focus away from legacy business practices and toward a more digital-oriented future.
If your company is looking to enter the race of digital transformation, it is important to act now. Late users can be seriously disadvantaged as the competition is already in the domain. If you are looking to adopt a business model that uses a digital core, we can help. Embrace digital transformation with the best developers to be at the forefront of change.
