The last few years have seen the rise of digital transformation as both a buzzword and a tangible approach to business technology. The hype surrounding digital transformation has led some businesses to believe it’s a fluffy term that doesn’t really mean much. But those who know the truth see digital transformation for what it is: a change in both technology and business culture that is the future of operations. Businesses that embrace digital transformation have the opportunity to transform their customer journeys.
To understand more about what digital transformation is and can do for business, let’s explore the concept.
What Is Digital Transformation?
Digital transformation is a process through which a business shifts its technologies in an effort to simplify and streamline workflows and communication and even change its approach to operations. It is how businesses overhaul their structure and operations to remove clumsy, old ways of doing things and emerge into a new era of productivity and efficiency. A few types of these changes are below:
- Hardware to software
- Manual to automated
- On-premise to cloud
- Enhance legacy systems
- Middleware versus ERP customizations or migrations
- Being able to change a process in months versus years
Digital transformation means leaving behind paper-based processes and on-premise hardware. It does not always have to denote completely getting rid of legacy systems, but it does refer to the digitization of those analog business processes. And in a cultural sense, digital transformation requires that members of the business buy into changing the way operations have always run. Real digital transformation isn’t just about upgrading technology. It’s about intertwining people, processes, systems, and silos for a more intuitive customer experience.
Why Is Digital Transformation Relevant and Important?
As more businesses move to more configurable software-based tools and the cloud, they see vast improvements in the way work gets done. Intelligent automation, robotic process automation, and artificial intelligence are helping them:
- Automate manual processes that once took significant amounts of time and labor.
- Connect more fluidly with both external parties such as customers and internal parties such as employees.
- Enable omnichannel experiences for customers.
- Increase the efficiency of customer interactions.
- Access remote workforces to garner top talent regardless of location.
- Utilize configurable tools that share a common platform that avoid customization.
- Realize operational and compliance savings.
- Scale more easily by adding or subtracting staff as needed.
- Leverage the power of real-time data analytics to improve operations.
Soon, businesses of all sizes will employ software and cloud-based tools to work faster and better. As more businesses onboard these solutions and work through digital transformations, the ones that lag will be left behind by great distances. Digital transformation is crucial for companies that want to stay competitive in any industry because configurable and flexible software will soon leave its predecessors in the dust.
What Technologies Are Involved in a Digital Transformation?
Digitizing Documentation
In a digital transformation, businesses will move away from paper and enjoy the efficiencies and productivity associated with electronic document management.
Automating Business Processes
Business Process Automation (BPA) means using software to automate manual processes and improve the way information moves throughout an organization. It reduces processing time and increases accountability in a workflow.
Going Mobile
The bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trend is here to stay, and businesses that capitalize on employee preference for tablets and smartphones are one step ahead. Mobility solutions help businesses manage the influx of information that occurs as a result of operations going mobile, and they keep data secure as well.
Robotic Process Automation
Businesses can adopt robotic process automation (RPA) to integrate automation capabilities that allow them to realize greater levels of efficiency and process optimization. Cognitive capture, process orchestration, and analytics all give a business a foundation of intelligence automation.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) helps machines become autonomous, and it reduces the need for human involvement in processes and operations. Intelligent automation solutions leverage AI technologies to improve customer and employee engagement and deliver greater insights into gathered data.
Access Analytics
With more and better technologies, businesses are processing more data than ever before. Insight Analytics provides visibility into information a business captures so the company can make strategic decisions. Business intelligence solutions provide real-time, secure analytics and data integration.
There are dozens of other technologies associated with digital transformation, and the possibilities are endless for a business that makes the move to software and the cloud. If you’re interested in what digital transformation and today’s technologies can do for your business, contact us or schedule a demo with All Star Software Systems today.
