Digital transformation in business: inevitable for growth?

4/10/2021

Credibility, vitality and competitiveness are just some of the challenges of integrating technological tools in the context of digital transformation businesses. These require a profound overhaul of the internal organization and processes, in order to adapt them to customer expectations. Find out what are the key steps in a digital transformation successful in business.

What is the digital transformation of businesses?

La digital transformation of businesses is the process of digitizing their entire activity through the integration and use of available technologies (CRM, marketing automation, etc.), in order to maximize its performance. It is now at the heart of business priorities, but its implementation remains a major challenge: it requires profound changes in operational and commercial terms, but especially at the human level. It is in fact fundamentally restructuring the organizational culture, its functioning and its business model. By definition innovative, the digital transformation breaks with the past and disrupts established processes, as well as the relationship with its customers.

It is based on four essential pillars that directly impact the internal organization and its external relationships:

  • the omnipresence of the Internet: a prospect now has a multitude of channels to approach a company and its offer. If the latter have been highly digitized in their uses with the emergence and multiplication of available tools, the company must be able to follow this trend and meet their new expectations;
  • the abolition of spatial and temporal barriers: the development of digital technology has seen the disappearance of the limits of distance and temporality;
  • dematerialization: it allows you to stay connected and alert at all times, even in a situation of mobility. This advance has witnessed the rise of teleworking, a trend that has become a right for employees eager for freedom, who are more concerned than ever about their quality of life;
  • the concept of the Internet of Things: physical objects are now connected to the Internet and able to communicate, to create bridges between the material world and the digital and virtual sphere.

However, the digital transformation In business is not limited to the adoption of tools and technologies to improve existing processes; it involves global change, which requires businesses to constantly innovate and question their model.

The goals of digital transformation for businesses

The improvement, consolidation and harmonization of processes are at the heart of the objectives of digital transformation businesses. These structure its management and define the course of activities in line with customer expectations. Using new technological resources must streamline the organization internally to facilitate the work of teams, in order to enrich the customer experience and impact business results. It is considered that a digital transformation successful should include the integration of tools to meet the following objectives:

  • Establishing operational agility, fluidity and transparency: the use of management tools designed to streamline processes improves the quality of exchanges between partners to promote collaboration. They also help to be more responsive, in order to accelerate sales cycles, changes, and decision-making;
  • Harmonize and optimize the organization: the redefinition of processes increases the efficiency of teams tenfold, facilitates the integration of new recruits and saves time thanks to automation;
  • Improving the customer experience and conveying a strong corporate culture: knowing your target audience makes it possible to offer them a better customer experience, which is reinforced by well-established operations in terms of exchanges. High-performance tools boost the responsiveness of teams and increase visibility, in order to always better serve its customer: the company gains in legitimacy, which has a positive impact on its brand image.

La digital transformation of businesses meets a need for performance and growth for the company, in order to develop, increase its turnover, to listen more to its customers and to establish its credibility. It implies the creation of a global ecosystem, which challenges the established order and requires a review of the company's strategy.

Increase your performance

The automation of commercial processes is one of the foundations of business change. This aspect involves not only an internal reorganization in order to encourage collaborative work, but also the implementation of efficient dedicated digital tools, such as CRMs. At a time when timeliness is appreciated, the company must process a customer's request instantly and therefore automatically. Automation promises considerable opportunities, a finding highlighted by the Mckinsey study, which reveals that the most advanced European companies in terms of digital transformation have growth rates that are almost 5 times higher than those that have not made any changes. These figures illustrate the importance of outsourcing time-consuming, repetitive and tedious tasks to machines as much as possible. Accelerating processes using technology frees up valuable time for employees and improves their competitiveness.

Thus relieved of a boring workload with low added value, employees can focus on tasks that will bring added value to the company according to their skills. The company therefore capitalizes on its partners, who gain in development and can make significant savings in terms of hiring and avoid too sudden turnover problems. Automation also offers a higher level of quality: the automated machine is approaching infallibility. Finally, the renewal of its processes results in change and dynamism that increase the motivation of teams tenfold and bring concrete results for the company.

Establishing credibility

Regardless of the field of activity considered, the credibility and attractiveness of a company on the market are measured by its degree of digitalization. An active presence on social networks convinces the prospect of its solidity and seriousness; a company must be connected to exist. Even before any consideration of lead acquisition, the visibility of a brand serves its image and reputation and installs a feeling of trust in the prospect. Likewise, a website will form the first impression of the prospect; it is the first point of contact to discover the world of the company. The use of digital tools indicates the ambition of a company and its ability to adapt to maintain its innovative image. This is particularly important in the field of customer relations, with the almost essential use of a CRM. These platforms are intended to collect and store data in order to analyze it, which is called Big Data. Exploiting this information provides in-depth knowledge of your customer, especially in terms of their purchasing journey. It is thus easier to advise them in a personalized way and to offer them a tailor-made service, a guarantee of quality service. With ever more informed customers, the company can meet their requirements and prove its credibility by presenting services that live up to their expectations.

Stand out from the competition

Despite its unavoidable nature, not all businesses have yet opted for the digital transformation. It can therefore prove to be a major competitive asset to distinguish itself on its market and thus establish itself as a reference in the field. Using available technologies and tools is certainly a first step; but taking the initiative to create new uses in order to continue to offer a unique, attractive and innovative experience, offers the possibility of attracting more prospects and putting customer relationships back at the center of your concerns. Future technologies promise significant growth rates and respond to the gradual withdrawal of physical reality in favor of the virtual. Humans are connected, the object must also be connected and they must be able to interact ever more strongly. Meeting the challenge of digital transformation In business requires rapid implementation, because it is better to test a strategy and fail than to let the competition get ahead by delaying the deadline.

The stages of implementing digital transformation

Developing a strategy may seem easy, but the operational implementation of a digital transformation Hardly is. It is necessary to be agile in identifying and exploiting growth drivers and to regularly question ourselves in the face of this large-scale work. The exercise requires being methodical, while remaining attentive to new uses and the behavior of consumers who will intuitively doubt the marketing and commercial strategies of companies.

Assess the level of needs

The analysis of the means used is essential to assess the level of digitalization of the company and thus develop a strategy based on relevant deployment axes. Because more than acquiring new technologies without real reflection or clearly defined objectives, the challenge of digitalization is to transform systems. What are the problems we are facing today and why is this tool going to help us do better? If the main objective is to improve the customer experience, a CRM will make it possible to take care of exchanges with its customers and to gain in reactivity and productivity. Using such software also makes it possible to collect and store valuable data on prospects and customers, in order to understand their buying journey. In addition, the exploitation of data is a prerequisite for increasing sales and performance; customer relationship management and measurement tools are essential for achieving company objectives.

Implement a strategy

La digital transformation is not a unique and established structural model; it will necessarily vary according to the needs and objectives of the business and will continue over the long term. It is based on an innovative vision combining the use of new tools and the alignment of processes with an agile tactical approach, in order to obtain better results. The fungibility aspect is also at the heart of the challenges of a digital transformation ; the tools put in place must adapt constantly, in order to respond to constantly changing circumstances.

Because while a few adjustments and renovations can improve certain aspects of a company's activity, other areas need innovation to achieve results and create major opportunities. Deploying an omnichannel communication strategy is one of these powerful growth drivers for businesses. Multiplying the points of contact with the consumer contributes to offering them a global and unique experience, which places them at the center of it. Such a marketing strategy attracts more qualified traffic that will turn into a customer more quickly and simply increases the power of its message. Digital signage is a new communication tool that businesses have at their disposal to adopt this innovative and attractive approach. With their customers in points of sale or their employees internally, digital signage increases the effectiveness of its communication campaigns tenfold. Thanks to screens placed in strategic locations, the company broadcasts relevant multimedia content remotely and in real time, to arouse the curiosity of their target and interact with them.

Securing digital transformation

In order to ensure the success of a digital transformation, it is important to focus on your talents. Employees already in place must benefit from support to upgrade their skills, in order to adapt and so that they too can adopt this development approach. Such a transformation also leads to the recruitment of new profiles who are the bearers of the dynamic of company renewal. La digital transformation profoundly changes the organization of the company and requires being open to new ways of doing things. It encourages the adoption of a test and learn culture, a philosophy that encourages employees to test their ideas and collaborate, giving them the opportunity to fail and correct their mistakes. This mentality makes you gain in reactivity and agility in order to constantly adjust your positioning. Because now, businesses have to make decisions more quickly, and especially more regularly; flexibility and flexibility help innovation and make it possible to withstand competition. Adherence to this logic requires the definition and analysis of relevant KPIs (key performance indicators) in order to measure results and quantify return on investment. These data highlight the approaches that have been the most successful, those that deserve improvement, or even those that should be abandoned for lack of benefits. La digital transformation overturns existing models and requires learning approached with humility and the overcoming of its limits through innovation.

Consider the human dimension

To adopt a digital transformation promising results, it is essential to reflect on change oriented towards the needs and expectations of its customers. First, the company must be able to understand its persona, analyze its interactions and measure its behavior by using means to understand it and to better address it. The customer must therefore be at the heart of their concerns and their strategy: the customer evolves faster than the company and dictates the rules to which they must adapt. Ever more informed, knowledgeable and expert, the customer is proving to be the strong pillar in the face of retailers. The company must then bring itself up to its level in order to hope to meet its requirements and thus convince him.

Digital signage at the service of the digital transformation of businesses

 

The digitalization of businesses represents a real challenge, but also countless opportunities for development and growth. Digital signage is a marketing channel that many companies use in this context, in order to offer unique experiences to their customers and employees. More than an innovative communication tool, it allows you to create a strong connection and to interact with your target audience. Cenareo participates in the digitalization effort of businesses, thanks to its management system adapted to digital signage. To boost sales or improve internal communication, digital signage offers a vast space for expression to broadcast ever more impacting content. Very easy to use, the Cenareo solution is naturally deployed in the organization of the company. Your teams can thus manage your screen fleet in real time, remotely, and intuitively.

Looking for powerful tools to implement in your strategy of digital transformation ? Opt for Cenareo and its digital signage management software to increase the engagement of your target audience. Agile and flexible, this solution with a high ROI offers companies the possibility of developing and distributing campaigns on screens instantly, for a unique experience and tailor-made communication.

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