TH THO OUG UGH HTT LLE EA AD DE ER RSHI S HIP P A RTI CL E
Digital Transformation: Digital Transformation: How to How to Future-Proof Your Business Success Future-Proof Your Business Success By Jason Timm, CloudSmiths CEO
By Jason Timm, CloudSmiths CEO
B B
efore 2020, the pivot towards digitalisation took place across efore 2020, the pivot towards industries, although at a very slow digitalisation took place across pace. Many businesses hesitated to adopt industries, although at a very slow strategic digital transformation, holding onto pace. Many businesses hesitated to adopt tried-and-trusted legacy systems. All of this strategic digital transformation, holding onto changed after 2020. tried-and-trusted legacy systems. All of this changed after 2020. Business Survival in a Post-Covid World The COVID pandemic fast-tracked digital Business Survival in a Post-Covid World transformation processes in many The COVID pandemic fast-tracked digital organisations as businesses were forced transformation processes in many to quickly adapt to remote-working models, organisations as businesses were forced rapidly evolving customer expectations and to quickly adapt to remote-working models, ongoing disruptions to the global supply chain. rapidly evolving customer expectations and Old legacy systems and processes can no ongoing disruptions to the global supply chain. longer cut it in today’s digital-first world. Old legacy systems and processes can no longer cut it in today’s digital-first world. Digital transformation is no longer an abstract goal to achieve in the future. It is vital for Digital transformation is no longer an abstract future-proofing your business and making it goal to achieve in the future. It is vital for futuremore resilient to uncertainty. proofing your business and making it more resilient to uncertainty. At a high-level, digital transformation is the strategic integration of digital technologies At a high-level, digital transformation is the into key business areas that change how strategic integration of digital technologies into a business operates and delivers value to key business areas that change how a business customers. operates and delivers value to customers. The Changing Face of Digital Transformation The Changing Face of Digital Transformation The issue that businesses run into when it The issue that businesses run into when it comes to digital transformation is that it looks comes to digital transformation is that it looks different for every business, based on their different for every business, based on their operations, tools, systems, and existing digital operations, tools, systems, and existing digital cohesion. However, we can broadly identify a cohesion. However, we can broadly identify a few flagship business areas that are targeted few flagship business areas that are targeted for digital transformation: for digital transformation: Operational efficiency – a large part of Operational efficiency – a large part of digitalisation is improving or updating existing digitalisation is improving or updating existing business processes to make them more business processes to make them more efficient. This can be through automating efficient. This can be through automating manual procedures, creating responsive manual procedures, creating responsive workflows based on smart data-driven
634
Business Day - Focus 4.04.0 Business Day – FOCUS
customer profiles based on smart data analysis that employees can access from anywhere. analysis that employees can access from anywhere. Digital technology integration – Integrating more digital solutions into everyday business Digital technology integration – Integrating can automate repetitive processes, allowing more digital solutions into everyday business them to run on autopilot and freeing employees’ can automate repetitive processes, allowing time torun focus their and attention on larger them to on autopilot freeing employees’ operations. time to focus their attention on larger operations. Integration of technology should benefit a department a whole. Ideally Integration or oforganisation technology as should benefit a it should be an end-to-end solution or at least department or organisation as a whole. Ideally a solution of ‘talking’ to other tech it should becapable an end-to-end solution or at least solutions that are being integrated. a solution capable of ‘talking’ to other tech
Jason Timm, CloudSmiths CEO workflows based on smart data-driven insights or improving end-to-end visibility and collaboration across an entire workforce. insights or improving end-to-end visibility and collaboration across an entire workforce. Workforce enablement – Equipping teams and workforces with the data and tools they Workforce enablement – Equipping teams need to take fast, seamless action without and workforces with the data and tools they requiring manual validations or data from need to take fast, seamless action without siloed, disconnected systems. This enables requiring manual validations or data from employees to work from anywhere and still siloed, disconnected systems. This enables access essential data and information in employees to work from anywhere and still real-time from a single source of truth. access essential data and information in real-time from a single source of truth. For example, Salesforce’s CRM tool provides real-time customer data updates and For example, Salesforce’s CRM tool provides buildscustomer profiles based on smart data real-time customer data updates and builds
solutions that are being integrated. Customer experience – Customer expectations and needs have changed. Transformation Customer experience – Customer expectations strategies this.Transformation It is essential to and needsshould have reflect changed. offer multiple forms of customer strategies should reflect this. It isengagement essential to that a customer on their preferred offer reaches multiple forms of customer engagement channel and provides a consistent that reaches a customer on their customer preferred experience every device. Businesses channel andacross provides a consistent customer experience across every device. should leverage historical data to Businesses personalise should leverage historical data to personalise and contextualise the customer experience for and contextualise each customer. the customer experience for each customer. Workplace culture and leadership – The Workplace culture and leadership – The pandemic helped many businesses realise the pandemic helped many businesses realise value of offering employees remote and flexible the value of offering employees remote and working options. Digital transformation should flexible working options. Digital transformation help build a better workplace culture based on should help build a convenience better workplace flexibility, trust and that culture allows based on flexibility, trust and convenience that employees to have a healthier work-life balance. allows employees to have a healthier work-life balance. Digital Transformation For Your Business Before taking any decisive action, It’s essential Digital For Your Business to defineTransformation what digital transformation means Before taking any decisive action, It’s business essential for you. What critical areas of your to define what digital transformation means do you want to improve? What are the short for you. What critical areas of your business and long-term benefits? These considerations do you want to improve? What are the short will help you draw up an effective digitaland long-term benefits? These considerations transformation strategy for your business. will help you draw up an effective digitaltransformation strategy for your business.
