Top 6 tips to achieve digital transformation - not just tools and techniques, it's about people and their mindsets
“72 per cent of organizations are expected to roll out Digital Transformation strategies within the next two years,” according to Cloud Industry Forum 2017.
Digital Transformation (DT) of business is not only about embracing the technology, but also about speeding up the business activities, reducing the costs, improving time to market, bringing positive changes in people, business processes, and competency models.
The organizations need to accommodate changes in business demands, business scenarios, and now digitally transform ways to cater to these needs, to keep growing.
DT greatly affects the way an organization generates revenues, delivers services, products, and customer experience. There are a lot of benefits of digital transformation, including improved efficiency, decision making, faster reach to customers, better customer satisfaction, and more profitability. It also improves the organization’s response to the market conditions with gained insights.
Below are the top 6 tips to make a successful digital transformation strategy for achieving success, irrespective of the size of your organization:
- Start early, start today
Risks are important for a business growth. Remember those who are at some jealous worthy place, started out somewhere to realize their dreams. And why wait, the time is ripe now as it is. Define your goals, think about your mission and value you expect to get. Be ready to accept failures – be transparent in your approach. It will help you take a better calculated approach next time. Once your mission is clear, your path is set - go for the technology to solve key challenges you face.
- Prepare your team
Getting skilled employees – those who are ready to take on the digital challenges may be difficult. So, prepare your team to fight the battle – better arm them with the right knowledge and tools so that they can support your organizational DT strategy. They need to understand your vision and support it wholeheartedly.
There are a number of tools that can not only increase your team’s productivity, but can also help them provide better customer experience. For example, you can make it possible for your team to work anywhere, not just the office. With Office 365 Business, they can work smarter anywhere, with latest collaboration services and IT control to run your business.
Office 365 web conferencing, business-class email, IM, shared calendars, and up-to-date documents in cloud, enables your team to work together and with customers’ convenience in real time. They can work online and offline with up-to-date versions of tools and files for their work.
- Be open to change – accept new technologies
Don’t hesitate to leverage any digital technology, be it wearables or using a new software for improving your billing system. Experiment with advanced technological solutions that integrate internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) etc. They will not only help you save time but will also provide you with insights from the data they collect that you can utilize to optimize your IT and take better informed decisions for your business in the long run. The recent proliferation in data and developments in data analytics bring huge opportunities in relation to market insight and the identification of target markets, as well as providing broader insights which can inform marketing strategy.
Cloud and digital transformation are inter-connected and cloud plays the most significant role in driving digital transformation in any organization. Adopt cloud solutions to improve business operations, reduce IT infrastructure complexity, and free up resources for driving innovation.
- Redefine your culture
Every department and process must get in tuned to your mission and vison. Everyone must be committed to deliver the same goal – that is of meeting the challenges of the digital economy and must be aware of the strategy you’ve set for meeting them.
Customer demands are primary to your business and must form the core of your transformational strategy. You must take into account as to how getting digital will help you provide better customer experience and will accelerate service delivery to gain the loyalty of customer, and how it will improve your support so as to deliver them a delightful experience throughout.
Consumers teach companies what they need and what they do not get from a particular company, probably much more than what companies are trying to teach consumers about using their products or their advantages from purchasing.
- Take one-thing at a time
Remember that you should concentrate on one thing at a time and take small, but prominent steps. If you face any challenge, then pick it up and put enough efforts to fix it before you move on. And if that challenge is not core to your mission, stop doing it. Make it a priority in case it is core.
Also, please call us to team up with you in your journey to make it well guided with our proven roadmap to successful digital transformation making it a re-energizing exercise for your whole organization and employees. In the process you may discover many new ‘Digital Business ideas’ to help not only sustain but grow your organization in this digital era.
In the next 3 to 5 years, India will have 30 to 70 million Internet users which will equal, if not surpass, many of the developed countries.
- Collaborate and go for the size that fits you
Find people and companies who have the same mission as yours and are doing it well. Collaborate and partner with them.
Many a times, while going for digital transformation services and products, businesses try to find a one-size fit for all their needs. It would be better to go for tailormade solution for better business outcome.
Also, rather than focusing on hardware, software, and working in laboratories, it is necessary to have a marketing and market perspective.
Do let us know your feedback in the comments section.
References:
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