En 2016, and increasingly, existing activities and existing companies must take into account the evolution of a changing world.
A changing world means a changing economic context, a changing market, changing uses, and changing user/customer habits.
Business owners, regardless of their size, must increasingly rethink the way they do business, especially as the democratization of social networks 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 boutique, a butcher, a VSE, an SME, or a large corporation; nevertheless, we can identify 3 essential components found in all digital transformations of a company.
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 they enjoy and that are now simple and natural.
Make sure to offer a service, navigation, ordering interface, … that is intuitive, or pages, content, and 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 by no means 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).
The company’s operational processes must be clearly defined and mastered, because these—along with what was until recently called “computerization” and today also “digitalization” to increase performance, replace certain tasks with automation … etc—must not be perceived by leaders as an opportunity to reduce staff, 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 as best as possible to improve the company’s services.
This company data, through its digitalization, is generally exploited in very useful dashboards and are tools that allow one to be competitive in their activity in increasingly competitive markets.
The adapted (new) business model of the company
For a good digital transformation, the company must indeed review its business model in depth; that is to say, there are 3 possibilities:
– adapt what exists
– create an additional business model
– totally reinvent itself
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 one’s 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 is the ultimate goal?
– For a stronger impact in its market
– To obtain direct or indirect customer feedback and understand their interactions with the company’s services/products
