It’s a complete redesign of the way technology and business interact – a total transformation that puts people at the heart of everything your business does, whether it concerns your employees or your customers. It’s only going to expand as user experience continues to transform how companies listen to their customers and empower their employees to make changes on behalf of the customer.
Business leaders aren’t simply deploying digital transformation to cut costs and become more efficient. Companies are embracing digital transformation as a means to create entirely new business models. The true goal of digital transformation is a user-first approach. This transformation requires a whole new approach to IT. It’s no longer a backroom support service – IT has to be mobile, secure, adaptable, platform-based, and present in every aspect of your business.
The key pillars of digital transformation are mobile, cloud, big data, and social. Mobile initiatives include equipping staff with smartphones or tablets and developing apps for employees, customers, and partners to use. Cloud computing makes business flexible and cost-effective and, in partnership with big data analysis, gives businesses unprecedented insights in real-time. And social networking expands a company’s ability to effectively communicate with customers.
So how are these pillars of digital transformation making a difference? Digital transformation can improve every aspect of a company but there are some areas where its benefits stand out:
Customer Service: According to a Harvard Business Review survey, The Digital Transformation of Business, 53 percent of respondents said improving customer service was one of the top six areas where these technologies were having the biggest impact. With user experience at the forefront, businesses can transform their customer communications, providing multiple channels via online, apps, and social media. They can also improve customer service with, for example, the latest AI-enabled chatbots or live chat with representatives on websites.
Sales: The sales team’s reach can be greatly extended by the social aspects of digital transformation. For example, LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator tool allows sales staff to greatly improve how they use this powerful professional network. It helps organize their network to pick out organizations that are current opportunities but also goes further by suggesting other potential companies that fit a similar profile.
Marketing: Social media is becoming a core aspect of digital marketing strategies. According to the same HBR survey, 51 percent of respondents say that social media has increased their company’s ability to effectively communicate with its customers.
