Digital transformation is a subject in which more and more companies are interested. This is hardly surprising, since it impacts every facet of business enterprise, and most importantly customer relationship management.
But, how can we drive success? What elements must be taken into account?
Forrester is an independent company that provides customers with market research advice on existing and potential impacts of technology. Forrester identifies 5 keys to success with digital transformation within an organization.
First of all, let’s define what a « digital company » is ?
According to Forrester, a digital company is a company that « exploits digital technologies to both create a new source of value-added and increase operational agility for customers ».
But many companies are not yet “Digital companies”…
The digital transformation raises many challenges for an organization from different points of view :eg. from a financial point of view, from a technical point of view but also and furthermore, from a human point of view. That’s in this latest element that we decide to focus on through this article.
When we speak of digital transformation, we think instinctively of the customer relationship, digital purchasing modes and loyalty building. But we often forget that good CRM is driven by women and men. They are working in-house, following processes and exploiting their skills and tools to create value. Too many companies have launched big transformation projects without really considering their impact on the personnel….
According to Forrester, what are the other elements which need to change in order to succeed in the digital transformation ?
- To have a digital strategy
Only 31% of organizations interviewed by Forrester think that they have a digital strategy. A very poor percentage that reflect the fact that many companies have not started yet their digital transformation which is after all an inevitable change.
- The digital strategy must be conducted by the CEO
57% of organizations which have a digital strategy consider that the CEO has to conduct the digital transformation. However, the digital transformation is a transversal project ! It is a project that should involve all the different departments of a company. These different departments have to gather and and make the most of the skills of each one to support efficiently their collaborators in this digital transformation.
- Mobility, top priority of investment
67% of companies consider that investments in mobility are essential.
- Remove organizational barriers
For 57% of organizations interviewed, the digital transformation has not started yet because there is a lack of expertise and competencies within the organization.
For 52%, there are functional coflicts/disagreements between the digital actors.
- Customer perception
Only 15% of companies consider that the digital experience they propose is superior to the customer`s expectations.
Forrester identifies 5 keys to succeed on the digital Transformation of a company. But, it is important to take into account other factors and to keep in mind that your collaborators are the ones who make the success of such a project !
Employees: key elements of the digital transformation
All these changes, related to the digital transformatio obviously impact employees who must adapt to new cultures, new organizations, new processes and new tools that they must imperatively appropriate.
Many studies unequivocally confirm that:
- only a quarter of employees feel completely at ease with modern digital practices.
- half of all employees feel they do not get proper support on digital tools. (According to a study conducted by Shortways)
- three quarters of employees think that the technologies and software used in their workplace are not very efficient.
Digital strategies are clearly overlooking the needs of employees, the end-users of digital tools, despite the obvious fact that they a key to successful digital transformation!
Digital is not just about technologies; it is above all about people!