Whether they introduce efficiencies in the accounting office and assembly line, upgrade supply chain logistics or optimize customer engagement channels, digital transformations reveal new opportunities for businesses to create value and beat competitors. Yet the pace of technological change is only accelerating, and solutions that are currently on the horizon may soon become ubiquitous. This means companies must continuously adopt technologies and revamp processes in order to keep up.
A well-planned digital transformation requires a culture that welcomes new technology, promotes collaboration and teamwork, embraces agility in how work is performed, and treats new systems as strategic assets. Failure to address this need can squander the investments in new tools and systems, and stall progress toward digital transformation goals.
New digital tools and processes can be effective only to the extent that employees use them properly. Ensure that digital tools and applications are easy to use, and that the training provided for them supports an agile approach to work and information sharing.
When planning a digital transformation, business and IT leaders should select underlying technologies and strategic vendors with a clear understanding of long-term goals. Tech for tech’s sake, in which exciting new tools are adopted without a clear connection to business objectives or employee satisfaction levels, is a common pitfall.
A successful digital transformation will consider all aspects of a company’s operations, from the physical to the virtual. For example, a call center or in-store service desk can be made more efficient by digitizing information, but it’s much more effective if that digitized data is also accessible to customers through social media platforms.