Digital Transformation

Digital Transformation has become a very popular term over the last couple of years, and it is almost impossible to avoid references to it when looking at any industry publication, whether online or in print, that see it as a critical initiative for any forward-thinking company these days.

But what does the term mean for your organization? It would seem that this transformational journey would look very different depending on where you are starting and how much change you are willing to take on. Do you still have a fax machine? Your journey is starting from a very different place than the company that is wrapping up their go-paperless project.

Wikipedia states that “Digital Transformation is not necessarily about digital technology, but about the fact that technology, which is digital, allows people to solve their traditional problems. And they prefer this digital solution to the old solution.” This makes sense when old processes are significantly improved through the application of technology. So, where does your company’s digital transformation start and what benefits will you reap?

How Your Company Benefits from Digital Transformation

I recently viewed a presentation that former colleague and industry pundit Tom Rieger presented as part of a webcast by AIIM, an organization that focuses on information management and the technology that enables it. What I found interesting is that context here was not as important as the message. The fundamentals of his presentation transcended industries, job roles, and geographies and provided a brass-tacks assessment of what we’re all up against.

One of the most alarming points that Rieger makes early in his presentation is that our customers’ digital experience is not measured against a digital experience in the same realm, but rather against the “last best digital experience.” In a survey associated with the presentation, 94% of respondents agreed with that premise. So you’re not just competing against your traditional competitors, you’re up against the new hotel booking site, or someone’s latest banking transaction.

Having said that, only 8% of the survey respondents replied positively to the question “Compared to your competition, do you think your organization does a better job at using technology to engage and service your customers?” So, on the digital battlefield, we’re losing to non-competitors in overall online experiences, and we’re not even doing a good job leveraging technology in our own competitive landscape.

With the growth in the number of input channels coupled with the increased use of text-based, app-based, and social media-based communication between a business and its customers, companies must focus on improving the digital experience. Let’s talk about how you can leverage the broader FieldConnect portfolio to give you the tools to capture key data more effectively, leverage newer communication channels, and give your customers a better overall digital experience.

Access Tom Rieger’s presentation on Digital Transformation here.

And you can view the research behind the presentation here: