Digital Transformation: Is Your Organization Getting It Right?

Organisations might believe they’re switched on to digital transformation, but does their vision really cut to the core of their business and does it really deliver where it matters most—customer experience?

In today’s fast-paced, rapidly evolving world, the stakes are higher than ever. Organizations that are prepared to embrace technology disruption and transformation will outperform the rest, while those that do nothing put their business at risk.

Digital transformation is everything, providing organizations with countless opportunities to get ahead and prosper. However, as with all major industry changes, there are also many challenges to overcome in order to achieve the best possible results for (a) your business and (b) your customers.

Organisations that have the right strategy and processes to deliver digital transformation will undoubtedly get ahead.

There are lots of different products and various technology out there, all designed to help organisations achieve their visions. But one of the main challenges for organisations wanting to drive digital change is knowing where to start.

The most effective digital transformation results are undoubtedly achieved by having strategies and processes that are:

• logical;
• have a clear structure;
• are delivered in the right order;
• start by identifying customers’ wants, needs, pain points and challenges; and
• require involvement from everybody within the organisation—from the CIO and execs, to sales and marketing.

For example, as obvious as it sounds, if an organization’s customers are wondering why they can’t see their deliveries online, then the organization should be making these details available. Yes, it might be another step in the process to have to factor in, but it’s a valuable step that’ll reduce costs, improve their customer experience, and help build customer loyalty.

Delivering the best possible customer experience can make all the difference between simply delivering digital transformation and becoming a digital transformation leader.

However, as pivotal an area as it might be, it’s an area where most organisations’ digital visions fall down. A lot of organisations tend to talk about the need to be customer-centric yet many don’t truly consider their customers when it comes to the design of their business.

Organisations need to work from the outside in and take the time to research their customers and identify who they really are. For instance, what are their requirements? What is their buyer journey? What do they need to overcome their challenges? How can the organisation meet their customers’ needs?

A good starting point for businesses is to invite their customers to play an active role in helping design and shape their organisation by getting answers to these questions. Once this valuable insight has been gathered, they can then start to build their internal processes to ensure that what they’re delivering is 100 percent customer-focused.

We now live in a world of disruption and transformation underpinned by technology where it’s no longer enough to be product experts. And it’s a world where many of today’s digital transformation leaders are providing value-based solutions that utilize best-in-class deployment techniques and are implemented by specialists.

As challenging as digital transformation might be for organizations to incorporate into all areas of their business, it’s a challenge that brings with it a wealth of opportunity—not just to get ahead of the curve, but to get even closer to customers and deliver the best possible customer experience yet.

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Philip Rawlinson is the managing director of AlfaPeople UK, a market leader in providing the Microsoft Dynamics Solution for over 10 years. AlfaPeople offers a range of Microsoft Business Solutions from Dynamics AX and Dynamics CRM to Social Engagement and Business Intelligence.