What Is Digital Transformation? - Azzure IT
Azzure IT

What Is Digital Transformation?

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Digital Transformation – a phrase that is thrown around more and more in our world. Ultimately, the movement is here to stay, so it is important we familiarise ourselves with the concept of digital transformation, as well as how it might affect our day to day lives both inside and outside of work.

By definition, digital transformation is ‘the adoption of digital technology by a company to improve business processes, value for customers, and innovation.’ This, however, isn’t always the clearest description to act upon for every business, since digital transformation will look different for everyone.

Digitisation is happening more and more every day, affecting our day to day lives without us even realising it. Companies’ adoption of digital technologies has sped up by three to seven years in just months, the effects of the recent COVID-19 epidemic has greatly impacted this, highlighting the importance and necessity of moving forward in a digital world and the benefits this will have.

Because of this, it leaves companies and businesses across the world with no choice but to adapt to the current trends and changes that the world and its consumers are a part of. For many companies that sell traditional goods in stores, digital transformation for this group will include providing an online way for customers to shop with them through an e-commerce platform.

Other takes on digital transformation include:

  • IT modernisation (cloud computing)
  • reskilling employees for new software/digital platforms
  • Implementing digital tools like AI to free more time for employees to deal with creativity & problem-solving tasks
  • Adjusting processes in person and online to adapt to customers’ needs

For many companies, it can be difficult to know where to start with their digital transformation journey. There are three main points of digital transformation: People, Process & Technology. By breaking down each step thoroughly, it allows businesses to create a clear, simple and effective plan to follow in order to take steps towards digital transformation.

Firstly, it is important to consider exactly who will be affected by potential changes within your business. Highlighting who will experience changes and in what way allows companies to communicate with their employees and have an open and transparent conversation about upcoming changes.

Secondly, having an in-depth understanding of your customers’ needs makes creating an effective process for change easier. It’s important to understand your customer and exactly what they need from you. This in turn helps you to develop an efficient process to deliver products or services in the most effective way.

Finally, investing in high-quality technology that can withstand the test of time as well as scale and adapt to changes in progression is key to being successful with your digital transformation process. Taking the time to build a reliable plan and having the backing of all necessary stakeholders is important but will ultimately be worthless without the investment of the correct technology. Research and understanding of what technology your business needs is one of the most important steps of the process.

Digital transformation can be a long, time-consuming process, but it is necessary to keep your business moving forward. By focusing on your customer and understanding how to better fulfil their needs, it will ultimately make your digital transformation journey easier, as well as more successful in the long run.

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