The digital transformation is here, even for those who don’t want to see it.
It appears in every contact with clients with a superior value, UX, personalization. These points are interconnected by means of technology, but it is important to aim at what really matters.
We had to learn quickly about humanizing digital content to keep connectedness after past months social distancing. We quickened the pace and yet we are at the rear-guard, because digital maturity can’t be compelled. No shortcuts, no jumps, but quickly, we need to think about evolving.
Talking about digital transformation is in the past
Anyone who thinks there’s time left to transform their business needs a shock, or they may have competitiveness problems. Increasing the coffee dose can help, but it is not enough, the team culture is the starting point. People train exhaustively to develop efficiency, daily reinforcing processes, practices, and procedures, which remain important, but they are the tools, not the solution.
In essence, digital transformation is about how we use data to change people’s lives, delivering superior solutions at every point of contact, channel, and situation, and for unique people.
The more a company scales its operation, the more different people relate to the brand. To create value, you must administer and process data about different needs.
Friedrich Hayek, Austrian economist and philosopher, who won the Nobel Prize, already argued that the economy is organic. He said that people are not board game pieces, which can be moved by the will of a bureaucrat’s decisions. They will make their own decisions in pursuit of happiness, even in authoritarian regimes.
If that already made sense at the beginning of the last century, it now pulses as a throbbing toe after stubbing. Digital transformation extends the world of business relationships and increases the effects of our differences.
We can’t think of these changes just as trends involving big data, disruption, AI, and other phenomena and technologies. There is no single solution, a type of service that satisfies different consumers, from different cultures, in several countries, with diversified income patterns.
It is not just companies that are being transformed. Society is changing and people who need to join the movement. Anyone can launch an incredible product, but it won’t go beyond an invention, eligible for the museum of novelties, if people don’t learn or don’t buy into the idea behind it. Innovations are created by people.
The great change is to live with the better solutions to problems. We use technology for that, and it enables us to do much more, but we have to step up so we don’t fall behind. That is true for companies and countries.
So, how do we structure this trajectory?
Start at the outset
To know where to start with digital transformation, some may cave in to the temptation to make a list of things, such as installing a bot and using blockchain, but nothing can be reduced to one or two measures. It actually gets down to how to use it whether than simply using it.
Besides that the foundations of transformation start with leadership, which needs to commit to changes and decentralization of decision-making power, which can be difficult for those who are used to it. Nowadays, clients have a great deal of that power, and they have a more present voice, even though often it’s not directly, they still participate in the decisions.
Ideally managers should use empathy and information to make decisions about experiences, products and services based on the consumer’s perspective. It does make sense, right? After all, if they decide to go elsewhere, there goes a good opportunity.
Additionally, team engagement is also noteworthy. And more: Learn to live with mistakes, because they are part of the process of learning. Clearly, there are limits, but an employee cannot be avoiding changes for fear of being punished or overcharged for elementary mistakes that do not compromise the business.
- Strong leadership
- Talent building
- Employee training
- Tool upgrading
- Communication efficiency
All of these points need to run well when we talk about effective data and contacts flow. It all comes to that.
#1 Processes: Organizing to do well
The processes here play a special role, but they are not just about efficiency, quality of execution, and productivity. Digital processes are more flexible and personalized, aligned with the customer’s journey and dynamic.
Procedures that follow a pattern can finally gain with automation, which leaves people freer to take a strategic position dedicated to solving complex problems and situations. Enough with losing time and resources!
Automated and digitized processes also generate more information. And this one helps identify bottlenecks and adapt actions, when wisely used. In digital companies, processes must progressively and automatically evolve, as do the agile methodologies.
#2 Models: changing with the wind
At the outset of television, the same programs broadcast by radio stations were showed on TV. Eventually, a new language emerged.
The same thing happened with the Internet. The first websites reproduced graphic material for dissemination, paper catalogs and were not very interactive. A little because of the technological limitations of the time, but also because of the way people saw communication.
For obvious reasons, advertisers were not used to receiving answers on their billboard ads. Now messages arrive from everywhere.
With digital transformation, it’s not different. We start with the same language and form: the business model. But that is not what airlines have done recently when they innovated the way they sell tickets. Our parents did not fly as we do, and that changed with the digitalization of the companies in the sector, which started to operate with:
- new business model
- lower price
- online comparison
- elimination of intermediaries
Practically every model changed, the channels, the value proposition, the activities, the resources, and the relationship with the public. At the same time, the technological revolution that the industry needed was no greater than what many e-commerce sites already do, but the impact was significant.
#3 Experience: feeling the result
Experience involves a comprehensive survey of behavior data and habits that allow you to identify the customer’s journey in detail and ensure the best of all worlds.
The question is, even the transformation of the air sector that we use as an example is already a little part of the past. There is much more happening in the market, as the customers discover, in a blink of an eye, what is good for them, then quickly acclimate and start to ask for what they want, without any embarrassment.
So, experience has become part of value. The consumer wants to live a good life, and that includes moments when he is comparing, asking for things, making exchanges, recommending and even complaining or waiting for something. The more enjoyable the experience, the more value the product and service have.
But that’s how it’s always been, no customer ever wanted to wait too long, not be heard, having trouble dealing with a software interface, and finding what they wanted on the site, or going through any other inconvenience. But brands were not concerned about that – and some have changed, but digital transformation knows how to charge the price.
And it is not only that experience that has become digital, the consumer and the exchange of experiences as well. People love being aware of the experiences, hearing testimonials and being awake to opportunities.
True UX effects
The significant impact of the entire process relies on an approach where transformation is a digital strategy, not a simple change of procedures. If companies simply implement digital projects instead of recreating an experience-focused model, they could lose a lot.
The connection between the user experience and digital transformation is essential. The experience design promotes major changes throughout the user’s journey, from the moment he starts researching till when he makes up his mind and relates.
For the UX to have a real impact, it must be more connected to data than to new technologies or features. Based on data, companies can review their business model and experience design to simplify the journey.
Traditional management is outdated
Companies strive to use digital resources to improve efficiency and increase revenue. This is step one, which is based on a common vision. It is important and helpful because it can free the team from repetitive tasks with the use of automation. Before that point, it can be very difficult for some businesses, especially larger ones, to set the team on a more strategic, really customer centric focus.
But, strategically thinking, the secret is to develop different ways of doing things, instead of just trying to be more efficient or better than competition. That is to say, it is not about technical talent, but about thinking skills in how to make digital transformation happen, which goes beyond imagining how it should be.
Renew old processes
In this new universe, companies need to provide for an operational perspective change. Most processes do not generate differential because they are built on the best way to perform a procedure.
This functional approach cannot consume the company’s energy, it needs to focus on providing a unique and personalized experience. After all, digitally speaking, processes are constantly being shaped.
Reviewing procedures is part of the digitalization process. Innovation and digital technologies will eliminate the need for many bureaucracies and controls. There is no reason to demand things like stamps. Obsolete processes and procedures will no longer make sense, but if everyone is used to them they may not realize the problem before a review or a angry customer complaint.
The world speaks, you listen
Digital transformation occurs in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environment: VUCA. It means that the reality around the company will always change, that many variables cannot be predicted, and they will be numerous, and complex, and that the meaning of things can be interpreted from opposing, ambiguous points of view.
If the company is unable to structure itself to face this reality and adapt to it, it may be impossible to survive in the market. It is this structure that can make the world a little less complex, to engage people and minimize the effect of what is impossible to predict with better precision on other predictable variables.
The squad of galaxies
There is no customer satisfaction without an incredible team. First of all, the team needs to be satisfied, because only a very few people who are dedicated to helping to solve other people’s problems if they have not solve their own.
Additionally, people must engage in a common purpose. And none of this occurs without a strategy thought out since the selection process. It is much easier to empower the right people than to transform those who have no affinity with the company’s vision of the future.
By the way, empowering is another key point in digital transformation. No matter the sector, the technology is everywhere. Therefore, at least knowledge about a skill and the technology applied to it is necessary.
We must be different
Every communication professional is well aware of all differentiation strategies. Brand positioning, experience, business model and a number of tools need to work to show that our solution is unique in order to fill the right space in the market.
But the differentiation strategy needs to be something comprehensive. To stand out miles ahead of the competition, the aim is to deliver a set of features and make a difference . The greatest influence on competitiveness is the difference in value delivered to the consumer.
The customer knows it all
We already know that customer service is an important key, but the way the team uses self-service needs to change. Basically, the first approach to it has been based on cost savings. Just think of supermarkets, which are the best example, based on an old concept of marketing: the industrialization of services.
Instead of having a grocery assistant to pick up the products the customer ordered at the counter, the buyer chooses what they want, in other words, the customer takes part in the service process. And the costs appreciate it.
But in the context of digital transformation, self-service is not just about reducing operating expenses. This is only an additional benefit, a freebie for the company. The biggest advantage is that the customer is served by the person who knows best about what they want: the customer themselves.
You will not find a satisfaction survey in which the buyer complains about himself, but it is wise to be aware of the difficulties they will face if the design of the experience does not ease his search.
All on the basis of data
Digital transformation is a big challenge. It is normal for a company to face difficulties in getting the most out of real and deeper opportunities for change. But blockchain is a technology that facilitates this process.
This system causes a good volume of electronic parts containing data to communicate, collaborate, and conduct transactions safely without human intervention —validating data and sharing results globally.
Cloud storage has contributed, allowing consumers and businesses to connect around the world, but blockchain technology is in fact the next big leap. It is much more than an inert file saved in the cloud. Smart contracts can automatically perform services and interact with multiple payment and registration systems.
Platforms, the queens of everything
Integrated platforms are powerful in transformation because they bring together multiple technologies and are genius at promoting communication. Partners, freelancers, customers, suppliers, and company branches can interact and contribute based on project and task tracking.
Traditional companies are used to managing the time people spend on projects, but platforms ensure the best: they manage delivery results. It is a change, both in the way of managing business and determining the value of what we do, which is usually associated with what is known as the “labor theory of value”, which comes from historical scholars such as Adam Smith, David Ricardo, and Karl Marx.
Digitally, a job delivered with agility is what is really worth. In addition, time-managing is unfeasible at a distance. Remote work depends entirely on the platform, which can bring together big data, data analysis, AI, machine learning, mobility, security, social media, and method.
Good platforms are built as a process management technology. That’s why they go hand in hand with digital transformation and still maintain operational and strategic focus.
They extend the way we do business and operate processes. After all, they allow you to do the same activities faster, cheaper, and more efficiently. At the same time as we improve global vision, seeing everything in the company in a more systemic way.
Digital transformation almost always generates changes in operation, and platforms bring it to life, improving data dynamics and flow. In addition, digital platforms also offer a unique condition for testing new processes and functionality, reacting to these tests and repeating them until they reach the desired and superior condition.
The market demands evolution
Keep in mind that other players will not stand still. Every technology you use is also accessible for them, and will help them to reach the same level, no matter how well you started. This means that market conditions are heated and that the company’s strategic vision will need to evolve so that it stays strong.
In fact, there is a term which we must repeat: evolve. It translates a lot of what we are sharing with you here.
If the company has a good ability to evolve fast, the gain of competitiveness will be huge. The reason is easy to notice and understand: Digital transformation increases the importance of speed. It is not a question of climbing a few steps to stay at the top, but of climbing continuously towards the crest.
A word to the wise is enough
But what if we had to summarize in one last paragraph: Digital transformation is about leaders who inspire, brands that transform, teams that engage, commit to UX, and value proposition. And essentially, it is about how to make changes that in fact impacts our lives positively.
With Cinq’s help, Alelo has achieved it all. Check out the case!
