Digital transformation of your activity? 3 essential components
In 2016, and increasingly so, existing activities and businesses must take into account the evolution of a changing world.
A changing world means a changing economic context, a changing market, changing usages, and changing habits of users/customers.
Business owners, regardless of their company size, must increasingly rethink the way they do business, especially since the democratization of social media has taught customer-users a way to interact with their brands or local merchants.
Of course, the measures to be taken are not of the same order whether one is a small clothing store, a butcher, a VSE, an SME, or a large corporation; nevertheless, we can identify 3 essential components found in all corporate digital transformations.
1) The customer experience:
The basis of a good digital transformation is to consider, rely on, and provide, in the most optimal way, the most enriched and “natural” customer user experience possible.
Today, the customer-user is used to searching for information, sharing articles, and giving their opinion. As a result, they are familiar with digital experiences that please them and are now simple and natural.
Ensure you offer a service, navigation, ordering interface, … that is intuitive, or pages, content, applications that can easily be used and recommended, “liked”, … etc.
For the digitalization of a company or a brand, the customer must be engaged in this process to build a relationship of trust and build a digital community around its product or service.
This is in no way a reduction of the usual physical or sensory experience; it is just a new method to stimulate it. (example: cross-channel distribution or the use of tablets in stores and showrooms to provide more information on products and services via content, usage videos … etc).
2) Operational processes of the company
The company’s operational processes must be clearly defined and mastered, because these—along with what was recently called “computerization” and today “digitalization” to increase performance, replace certain tasks with automation … etc.—must not be perceived by managers as an opportunity to reduce headcount, but on the contrary to give strategic responsibilities to employees, and elevate the company and its activity.
Indeed, the computerization, automation, and digitalization of processes provide, in return, information and indicators related to performance, operation, maintenance … which should be analyzed and interpreted optimally to improve the company’s services.
This company data, through its digitalization, is generally used in very useful dashboards and are tools that allow one to be competitive in their activity in increasingly competitive markets.
3) The adapted (new) business model of the company
For a good digital transformation, the company must indeed rethink its business model in depth; that is to say, there are 3 possibilities:
– adapt existing ones
– create an additional business model
– reinvent itself totally
In all cases, the company must be in a strategic phase with its market, its services (by “digitalizing” them or offering them digitally), and above all offer the tools, interfaces, and content adapted to its customers: the right website (e-commerce or not?), the right application (?), the right digital communication.
Changing the business model by integrating a partial or total digital component is the digital transformation of the company. It now affects more and more sectors (if not all?!) and it is necessary for the company, whatever its size, to be in phase with its market and adapt accordingly.
What for in the end?
– For a stronger impact in its market
– To obtain direct or indirect customer feedback and understand their interactions with the company’s services/products
– Use powerful marketing tools to build loyalty and be recommended
– Enhance the company image through modern and dynamic services, content, and an increase in the usual physical and sensory experience through digital means
To best adapt to these multiple and complex transformations, it is recommended for uninformed, busy managers or those lacking the skills to be accompanied by specialists.
