Digital Transformation: How to Implement

Digital transformation is a change that we are experiencing as a society: as the world becomes more and more digital, it’s natural that companies do it too. This is not a change in what businesses do, but rather how they do it (the platforms and procedures they use).

The concept of digital transformation is not exactly new. But it has certainly gained a different sense and preponderance in the recent months. Companies that wanted or have planned a carefully delineated digital transformation strategy were forced to make, in weeks, changes that they hoped to implement in months or years! And all due the Covid-19 pandemic and the need for isolation and homeworking.

Many organizations and industries are now awakening to the opportunities, but also to the challenges, of digital transformation. For this reason, we will present you a step by step to implement a consistent strategy of digital transformation in your company.

1 - Discover your "why”

Try to answer the question "Why digital transformation will benefit your company?” It must have a defined purpose and the benefits of its implementation must be clear to all stakeholders.

2 - Align the digital transformation process with your business goals

After aligning the digital transformation strategy with your organization's values, the next step is to ensure it meets your business goals. Define which goals you have and then demonstrate that leading the company to digital is the inevitable path to achieving them. This alignment is imperative for a successful digital transformation process.

3 - Run tests

As you introduce new routines, new procedures, new platforms or even new functions within the company, some of them will work better than others. Most likely, during the digital transformation process, you’ll have to test different approaches and adapt to those that work best.

4 - Manage the risks

Digital transformation often implies changes to the business model itself and it requires the adoption of new processes and new technologies that allow companies to be more competitive in the digital age. Risk control is a very important aspect, as each step must be carefully calculated in terms of the effort involved and the expected outcome.

5 - Prepare for a change in organizational culture

Digital transformation, and the different way of doing and thinking about things, can be highly challenging for a company's employees. The organizational culture needs to be open to experiment and, naturally, to fail. I’is very important to ensure that people and new technologies and processes are on the same page.

Some examples of tools that enable digital transformation within a company can be: instant messaging software, such as Slack, for example; recruitment platforms on which candidates can submit their applications (such as LinkedIn); CRM and sales tools in which it’s possible to store information and manage all communication with leads and customers, such as HubSpot; or video conferencing applications, such as Skype or Zoom, that allow remote meetings.

The possibilities are several! What seems evident is that the digital transformation brings a lot of benefits to organizations:

• Greater efficiency in resource management and automation of processes and tasks;
• Data driven management, based on more accurate data and information about customer behavior;
• Improvements in customer experience;
• Easier collaboration between departments;
• More agile and innovative operations.

Would you like to lead your company towards digital transformation? Today is a good day to start! Feel free to reach us in case you need some help.