Digital Transformation: Changing the Way We Do Business
Online sales overtook in-store sales for general merchandise in 2019. Even McDonald’s began replacing cashiers with kiosks in 2018, and we’re all familiar with the now-common telephone voicemail call trees.
The digital landscape is reshaping customer service and interactions, as well as revolutionizing back-office functions. From automated billing to just-in-time inventory management, technology is changing how businesses operate.
In Phoenix and throughout Arizona, the digital transformation of business presents exciting opportunities for growth and improvement.
What Is Digital Transformation?
Serving customers isn’t new, but how businesses serve customers is changing. Much like how the telephone once revolutionized business communications, today’s technologies are transforming operations. These changes influence everything from processes and culture to customer experience expectations.
Digital transformation goes beyond simply moving from paper and spreadsheets to computers and the cloud. It’s about rethinking how to engage with customers, build loyalty, and increase efficiency. Instead of just doing the same old things faster, digital transformation encourages businesses to use new tools in innovative ways.
There are countless opportunities to improve efficiency and decision-making if you take the time to reimagine your processes. The ultimate goal is to provide a more personalized and superior customer experience.
Every Business Is a Tech Company
Around the world, digital transformation is shaping societies. For instance, Finland and Sweden lead the charge in Europe, with half of all companies using cloud services. Transactions in these countries are nearly cashless, with most payments made via card or mobile phone.
In the Middle East, Israel is investing over $275 million to digitize national health records as part of its effort to advance drug development. Meanwhile, Singapore is making strides to become a “Smart Nation” with significant government funding.
Here at home in Phoenix, local government investments in digital infrastructure are attracting companies like Uber, Yelp, and Shutterfly. For mid-size and small businesses, digital transformation is about integrating technology into all areas of the organization.
Opportunities to Engage Customers
Is your business ready to provide seamless service both online and in person? Today’s customers are always connected — nearly all American adults carry mobile phones, and almost 75% have internet access at home and work.
Mobile devices, apps, and predictive search functions allow customers to get what they want when they need it, transforming their expectations for service. Customers are now more informed and have more options than ever before, and often, their first interaction with your business is digital.
Digital-First Thinking
A digital-first approach means rethinking how you interact with customers. It’s about building relationships instead of relying on cold calls. It’s proactive, not reactive. At the customer service level, it means adopting the communication channels your customers prefer, such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Websites, reviews, forums, and fan communities are also part of this ecosystem.
In marketing, digital transformation means shifting away from offline strategies like billboards, radio, and TV and instead focusing on data-driven, personalized messages. This approach leverages customer relationship management (CRM), search engine marketing, and targeted email campaigns.
For sales teams, digital transformation enables a more thoughtful approach. Instead of saturating the Phoenix area with cold calls, savvy salespeople use social media to share expertise and build meaningful connections.
Initiate Your Digital Transformation
To ensure success in transforming your business process and culture, focus on these three fundamental areas:
Targeted Customer Interactions Customers expect companies to treat them as unique individuals. They want to be recognized by name, and they expect personalized service based on their purchase history and preferences. Using a CRM system is essential for recording customer interactions, analyzing data, and creating highly targeted content.
Seamless Experience Across Channels With today’s “always-on” technology, customers expect round-the-clock service. It’s essential for businesses to be accessible and responsive across multiple channels — in person, over Twitter, via an online help desk, or by email. Your goal should be to provide a unified customer experience, regardless of when or where interactions occur.
The Right IT Environment Technology is essential for powering a digital strategy, yet many companies hesitate due to cost concerns. Managed IT services offer a way to maintain a dynamic, flexible infrastructure without the expenses of managing servers, networks, or software updates.
Change the Way You Do Business
Arizona businesses ready to move beyond simply doing things faster should embrace digital transformation to improve their operations. By focusing on customer engagement, seamless experiences, and the right IT infrastructure, you can build a better, more efficient business.
Here’s how to get started:
- Focus on processes that add value instead of just speeding up old ones.
- Use CRM to record customer interactions and leverage data for targeted communications.
- Build an IT environment that supports your digital transformation efforts.
Ready to discuss your business’s digital transformation strategy?
Contact Us Today!
Online sales surpassed in-store sales for general merchandise in 2019. Venerable McDonald’s added kiosks to replace cashiers beginning in 2018. And all of us have experience with the ubiquitous telephone voicemail call tree.
The digital landscape has changed the face of customer service and interaction. It’s also changing the way the back-office functions, too. Automated billing, just-in-time inventory, even mobile phones have changed the way we do business.
Here in Phoenix and in Arizona as a whole, the digital transformation of business opens up opportunities for growth and improvement.
Read on to learn more.
What Is Digital Transformation?
Serving customers isn’t new, but HOW you serve customers is changing. Just like the telephone revolutionized business communications, new technologies change the way businesses operate. The change affects processes, culture and customer experience expectations.
The digital transformation is no longer just about moving from paper and spreadsheets to computers and the cloud. There are opportunities to re-think how to engage with customers, build loyalty and increase efficiency. Instead of doing the same old things faster, digital transformation is about using new tools in a new way.
There are many opportunities for improvement if you just ask yourself to create a better way to be more efficient. Or maybe the big question is a better way to move data for better decision making. Ask yourself how your business can give a more personalized and superior customer experience.
Every Business Is a Tech Company
Around the world, digital transformation is transforming societies. In Europe, Finland and Sweden lead the wave of change. The integration of digital technology into society is visible daily. Half of all companies in both countries use cloud services. Commerce is nearly cashless, with most transactions conducted with a card or mobile phone.
In the Middle East, Israel is investing more than 275 million dollars to digitize their national health records as part of its bid to develop new drugs. In Asia, Singapore’s bid to become a Smart Nation is funded by millions in government grants.
Here at home, Phoenix local government investments in infrastructure mean attracting and retaining businesses like Uber, Yelp and Shutterfly. For mid-size and small businesses, the digital transformation is about integrating technology into all areas of a business.
Opportunities to Engage Customers
Is your business ready to deliver seamless service online and in-person? After all, your customers are always connected. Nearly all American adults carry a mobile phone and close to 3/4 have internet services at home and work.
Embrace the tech that has transformed buying habits. Mobile devices, apps, and predictive text searches allow customers to get what they want at the moment of need. It’s changed the way customers expect to be served.
Customers are more informed and have more choices than ever. Often, the first contact a consumer has with your company is a digital experience.
Digital-First Thinking
Digital-first really means rethinking your customer interactions. It means building relationships instead of better cold calls. It’s proactive, not reactive. At the customer service level, it means adopting communications channels that your customers use. For example, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and more. Websites, reviews, forums, and fan communities are all part of the mix.
In marketing, digital transformation means reducing investments in offline marketing like billboards, radio, and TV. Instead, choose data-driven, highly personalized messages. This means using customer account management, search engine marketing, and directed emails to deliver content.
Sales teams can better approach customers with education and relevant content. Instead of spraying the Greater Phoenix Metro with ads and cold calls, the smarter sales approach is using social media for outreach to share expertise and build relationships.
Initiate Your Digital Transformation
There are three fundamental areas that ensure success in changing your business process and culture.
Targeted Customer Interactions
Customers expect companies to treat them as unique. They want to be recognized by name and their purchase history and preferences catered to. The only way to do this is to collect and use their data.
A CRM to record the history of your customer interactions is necessary. It allows analysis and study of customer-related data. With this information, you can create the highly-targeted content that customers prefer.
Deliver the right message to the right person at the right time.
Seamless Experience Over Any Channel
Always on tech has made customers demand service. Anything they want, at any hour, anywhere in the world is the norm. Customer service responses aren’t limited to Monday through Friday, 9:00 – 5:00.
It is entirely possible to work with a customer in-person, over Twitter, online helpdesk, chat and then follow up by email.
Tech is the only way to be accessible and responsive 24/7/365. Wrap all interactions together to create a single digital customer profile.
The Right IT Environment
The right tech to power up digital strategies is basic for business. So why are so many companies dragging their feet?
Cost.
Hardware, software and the people to run it all are expensive. Add in the complexities of telecommunications (also digital in today’s world) and the risks grow. On top of that, all that data and decision making information comes from cloud-based CRM or enterprise software.
Managed IT services allow a company to utilize expertise to be dynamic and flexible without the expense and worry of server and network management. Even better when cloud services take away the worry and expense of updates and patches.
Change the Way You Do Business
Arizona companies ready to move beyond doing business faster for doing business better should consider their next step. A digital transformation offers ways to engage customers and potential customers.
Deliver a seamless, personalized customer experience regardless of channel, time or location. Transforming your thinking and culture starts with the right tools and the right mindset.
So, here’s how to get started:
- Move on from doing old processes faster. Think about processes that add value.
- Use CRM to record customer interactions and give data to drive customer communications.
- Create the right IT environment to support these efforts.
Ready to discuss your business’ digital transformation strategy?
