Digital transformation is the techie term everyone is talking about, but what does it really mean and why is it important?
It is something that could benefit anyone, in any sector, of any sized company. It can be defined as “the acceleration of business activities, processes, competencies and models to fully leverage the changes and opportunities of digital technologies and their impact in a strategic and prioritized way.”
Digital transformation can be as simple as taking paper-based processes and digitising them. Compiling them in a ‘digital filing cabinet’ to make searches, queries and archiving more efficient.
However, it can also be about keeping up with the latest digital innovations. This can lead to increased customer satisfaction, profitability and improved speed-to-market. This could relate to internal processes, marketing strategies, external communications and so on.
Digital competition is a huge factor into the success of a business, and utilising digital transformation. Large and long-established businesses are being thwarted by new, digital-born start-ups.
However, Gideon Kay, European CIO of Dentsu Aegis said: “I don’t think there’s such a thing as digital transformation, I just think it’s two words that people put together. There is rapid transformation that is driven by technology. Yet all change in society and business these days is impacted by some level of technology.”
Gideon makes a very valid point; that digital transformation is not a concept in itself but more a holistic name for a variety of professional processes. This is why digital transformation is so important, because it’s no one thing and will never mean the same thing to every business.
It is about finding ways to improve business process and performance using digital programmes, software and solutions. It could be as simple as using a CRM or CMS to better track and measure performance and customer relations.
Whatever you want to call it, or however you want to do it, digital transformation is all about using digital software or technology to transform how a business runs. It can make things more measurable, improve accuracy in reporting and so much more.
If you want to find out more about making a start on transforming the digital strategies of your business, why not get in touch.