Prime Insights

Digital transformation is at the forefront of enterprise success. Especially during a global pandemic — which forced companies to restructure their processes — business leaders should consider implementing a digital transformation and prioritize technology first. Even before the pandemic, 70% of organizations were already beginning to undergo a digital transformation, the pandemic has only now accelerated those plans. Defined by Gartner as, “the process of exploiting digital technologies and supporting capabilities to create a robust new digital business model,” unique digital transformation is critical for enterprises among all industries to gain a competitive advantage. 

 

According to Dell’s Digital Transformation Index, 89% of global business leaders said recent disruption highlighted the need for a more agile and scalable IT environment. Businesses from start-ups to fortune 500 enterprises are facing a survival of the fittest situation if they do not adapt to rapidly evolving customer expectations and business demands. Today, a focus on infusing agile technology into existing infrastructures to increase efficiency across the entire tech stack, meet customer expectations, and make better decisions faster is imperative. 

 

Developing a team of the right people, technology, and data to develop strategic processes is the first step to executing a successful digital transformation. The time is now to implement a digital transformation spanning people, platforms, and processes within your enterprise to gain a competitive advantage.

 

Benefits of Digital Transformation 

 

Business leaders' mindsets on investing in digital solutions have dramatically changed within the past year. 38% of executives report they are currently investing in new technologies to garner a competitive advantage. But how exactly does new technology or strategic planning help the organization, its employees, and its customers? 

 

Customer Experience

 

Have you ever visited a website that was so taxing to navigate? Maybe it wasn’t mobile responsive or it took too long to load. Wasn’t it frustrating? A digital transformation will help improve the customer experience by streamlining the user interface. In a recent Harvard Business Review survey, 40% of respondents say customer experience is their top priority for digital transformation. But a great customer experience goes beyond just UX and UI design. It’s also important to note that automation plays a major role in undergoing a digital transformation, improving the speed at which enterprises can adapt to user feedback. 

 

Operational Agility

 

Since the modern customer expects to receive everything on-demand, it’s essential for organizations to undergo an agile digital transformation. To ensure that the organization can quickly adapt to unpredictable market dynamics, business leaders should focus their attention on operational agility. Operational agility enables organizations to improve internal processes to be flexible enough to meet customer demands as they rapidly change. 

 

And isn’t that what all the expert blogs, conferences, and panels have been talking about when they discuss digital transformation? Digital transformation is the process of rethinking old operating models, experimenting more, and becoming more agile in your ability to respond to customers and rivals.

 

For example, let’s say a company created an app that would allow customers to make a purchase seamlessly in just a few clicks. But, the app didn’t live up to expectations due to an unfriendly user interface. With an agile strategy, the company is able to revamp the app so that it's user-friendly, fast, and meets the needs of their customers. In this instance, the company is enabled to quickly adapt to their customers’ demands thus garnering trust and credibility with their customer base.

 

Culture and Leadership

 

A digital transformation goes beyond technology and automation. It also involves reconstructing leadership roles and company culture. We’ve all experienced (or at least have heard of) a high-ranking employee on the brink of storming out of the office yelling, “I quit!” because of a lack of organization, communication, and not having good company culture. Let’s face it, a company is most productive and successful when their employees are satisfied and motivated. Failing to align digital transformation goals with employees’ values can generate friction within the organization. A misalignment can lead to the inability to attract new talent, low morale, and a high turnover rate. 

 

So how can business leaders ensure the goals of the digital transformation are aligned with their employees’ ethics and morals? The short answer is communication. It’s up to management to effectively communicate to the employees about the changes that will be implemented into the business structure. Keep in mind, this isn’t just a one way street. Management must also be open to hearing feedback from the employees. Only when both the employees and the executives have constant communication, will true digital transformation be possible.

 

Workforce Enablement

 

Aren’t you tired of being pulled in 100 different directions at the office? Wouldn’t it be nice to focus on your most important task — your job? Digital transformation helps employees perform their jobs more efficiently and effectively. Easily automated processes for administrative tasks enable employees to spend more time engaged in value-adding assignments. For example, digital transformation allows IT employees to focus on client work versus spending hours out of their workweek on easily automated tasks.

 

In addition, with the arrival of the pandemic, hybrid workforces initially posed a challenge for employee collaboration. Organizations had to invent best practices and test them quickly. Business leaders had to instill trust in their employees to maintain operations. However, with the onset of new cloud-based platforms and technologies, hybrid workforces are changing the way organizations are using and prioritizing digital tools, thus paving the way for enterprise-wide digital transformation.

 

Read more: The Digital Transformation Executive Guide to prime your success

 

Final Thoughts

 

Digital transformation is a necessary technological and cultural shift for enterprises to gain a competitive advantage and drive innovation throughout the organization post-pandemic. Becoming more agile in your ability to quickly respond to customer needs and competitor advances sets your organization up for success. If digital transformation is not a top priority, organizations risk the possibility of failing to thrive in an ever-changing market. In fact, 70% of executives said the pandemic is likely to accelerate the pace of their digital transformation. Have you started your journey towards digital transformation?

 

Book a consultation with our team of experts to start your journey efficiently, with the right team behind you.