We’ve talked to our experts to help you get started on your digital journey
Digital transformation has been a buzzword for many years, and for good reason: adapting new technologies will enable your employees to be become more productive, your processes to become more efficient and your overall business become more profitable. But how exactly will digital transformation drive growth? And how do you go about implementing the right change for your individual requirements? In this blog we’ll deep dive into some common questions about digital transformation.
Why Is Digital Transformation Important?
Your current solutions are working well, so why invest into new technology and software if there is no urgent need? If you ask yourself this, you are not alone. Many companies have put off a digital transformation, but they do so at their own peril. Digital transformation enabled accelerated business growth, and companies that adapt are proven to fare better compared to those loyal to legacy solutions. A study by Microsoft released in 2022 showed that small and medium sized businesses that embrace digital technologies experience accelerated growth. But what advantages does digital transformation offer to enable this?
- Cost-efficiency. It might seem counterintuitive, but adapting digital transformation is more cost-effective than relying on legacy solutions. Going digital allows you to wave goodbye to upfront investments and high maintenance cost. A cloud environment is managed and maintained by the cloud provider, and you will only pay for your actual usage.
- Accessibility. Especially in hybrid or remote work settings, adapting digital transformation will allow your employees to thrive. A cloud environment is accessible anytime, anywhere; enabling your employees to seamlessly collaborate virtually.
- Streamlined processes. It goes without saying that digital transformation enabled you to automate certain tasks, freeing up your valuable time to do work. By adapting new technologies, you minimise downtime, increase effectiveness and overall allow your business to grow more profitable with streamlined processes.
These are only three advantages of digital transformation, with more trends currently happening. But even if this sounds promising, we understand that getting started can seem like an overwhelming process. Speaking to an expert will help you avoid common pitfalls and challenges. We’ve talked to our digital transformation experts here at Intergence to ask the most common questions. Their responses will help you get started on your digital transformation journey.
Question 1: What is digital transformation in simple terms?
The essence of digital transformation is taking a manual process and using technology to change it in a way that creates value. For example, imagine arriving at a hotel room, tired from a long journey, and finding your key card doesn’t work. Trekking back to reception to have someone reprogramme the key is frustrating. But if the key was on a mobile device, and you could get it re-programmed by asking someone on a chatbot, that would make the experience much less frustrating.
Question 2: How can we simplify the process of digital transformation?
Looking for silos within your organisation is a great place to start. If your business is like most, that can seem like an enormous project, but breaking it down into measurable tasks makes it seem more manageable.
After you’ve identified a process you want to transform, it makes sense to work with the process owner to understand how their daily business would be impacted by the change and define what success would look like. It’s also essential to document everything.
Then start implementing that one small transformation piece. Again, document what you did, what worked, and what didn’t. Then, when you start looking for your next mini-project, you can carry over what worked and refine what didn’t. That way, you’ll get a little better and faster with each mini-project you take on.
If you want to learn more about how to get started, download our eBook, Digital Transformation Guiding Principles, for more in-depth information on the process of transforming.
Question 3: What is a culture shift, why is it important, and how do you achieve it?
To succeed in a digital transformation, businesses often have to shift their corporate culture and mindset. The company is going to fundamentally change how it does things, and the technology used to achieve the transformation is simply an enabler for the people who own and operate your business processes. If your people aren’t on board, you can’t expect to be able to change anything quickly or for those changes to be adopted in a way that delivers value.
Many businesses underestimate or even neglect this cultural piece of the project, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. Helping people understand why you are changing is an important first step. You can do this by sharing a big vision of where your business is going and how it’ll stay relevant in your changing landscape. Then, as you go through your mini-projects, identify and engage the people it’ll affect. Doing this means they’re involved, and you’re taking them on the journey with you, rather than imposing the change on them. And again, always document things, so the communications that underpin your culture shift become part of your routine process for your mini-projects.
Question 4: How do you measure the success of a digital transformation?
There are two approaches to measuring the success of digital transformation, and it’s good to combine the two. First, you must have hard metrics that align with your strategy. The second is the more human, softer side, like employee satisfaction and employee involvement. If your employees are excited about what’s happening and positively share the story of the change, you’ve been successful because they view change as a good thing. Employees who think that way are more likely to proactively look for things to improve and make suggestions, which is valuable because digital transformation isn’t one and done – it’s a continuous process. With this mindset, you can create a repeatable transformation framework, so innovation becomes part of your business process.
Intergence: Your Digital Transformation Consultants
As you hopefully saw from this blog, digital transformation doesn’t have to be overwhelming. You don’t have to do everything at once. At Intergence, we specialise in helping our customers adapt digital transformation strategies that are uniquely tailored in order to help businesses achieve more. We believe in collaborative relationships, giving our customers the tools they need to thrive and empowering them to harness the potential of their IT.
If you have questions that we haven’t yet answered or if you are ready to get started on your digital transformation journey, reach out to us today. Our digital transformation consultants are happy to help.
