The digital transformation in companies – also known as digital journey – provides improvement in performance, besides optimizing processes through technology. The implementation is done in stages, because it is essential that the organization is committed to adapting and generating competitive advantages.
The innovation process must be continuous. After all, new solutions appear in the market all the time. Therefore, companies are increasingly investing in research and development to offer quality experiences to their customers.
The ideal is that this is a task not of a specific sector, such as information technology, but of each of its employees. Faced with this, establishing a culture of innovation and digital transformation is fundamental for everyone to work together to generate improvements.
It is worth reinforcing that, to start this process, it is not necessary to completely modify the business model in the first stage. The manager can maintain traditional activities, but use technology to improve processes.
An example of this is the agribusiness sector, which has seen changes in productivity happen from the improvement of tools used in the field.
Some benefits that your business can gain by adhering to the digital transformation process:
1. Fewer manual processes
Some of the solutions available in the market, such as the management system, help companies to automate their processes. Therefore, activities that used to be manual, such as filling out spreadsheets and compiling data, are made easier. The information is digitally saved and can be accessed from anywhere, anytime.
2. Increase of quality in delivery
Another benefit of using technological solutions is the possibility of standardizing processes according to the company’s quality standards. The equipments are already programmed to work with excellence and efficiency. Therefore, from the simplest operations inside an office to the production on the factory floor, there will be a considerable increase in quality.
3. Customer satisfaction
The digital transformation in retail is transforming consumer behavior. More and more people use the Internet to make their purchases due to its ease and diversity of options. Therefore, when the company meets the new demands of the customer, the possibility of increasing satisfaction is greater. Therefore, it is increasingly important to have a well structured and responsive website, an online store, and use social networks for communication.
4. Gaining competitive advantages
Investment in new technologies, such as Business Intelligence (BI), allows access to company and consumer data in a more integrated and simple way. This facilitates the development of new strategies to meet the needs of your audience more effectively. It also generates more value for the client, putting the company ahead of the competition.
5. Cost reduction
With a management system, it is possible to have more accurate financial data. This is a great differential when it comes to planning your next investments and making cuts in ineffective spending. In addition, process automation and elimination of bureaucracy optimizes time and consequently reduces production costs.
6. More security
Digital transformations also reduce the risks of errors and data loss. This is due to mechanisms such as encryption, digital certificates and digital signatures, which are offered by technology companies. They guarantee the integrity and confidentiality of data, protecting the business and customers.
7. Increase of productivity
To achieve goals, employees must have time to devote to the processes that generate the most added value for the organization. The automation of processes is an excellent way out, since the most bureaucratic processes can be eliminated from the routine. There is yet another gain: everyone will have more willingness to think about other innovations for the work environment and for the business.
8. Possibility of expansion
Using the internet as a means of selling is an excellent opportunity to explore new markets and win more customers. Many companies are investing in online stores and digital strategies such as content marketing, e-mail marketing and interaction through social networks to reach audiences from different regions and countries.
Main challenges of digital transformation
Any kind of change brings impacts to the business and, at first, may cause strangeness or not be well accepted by all. In this process of technological transformation, some challenges can be found along the way:
1. Managers closed to change
Companies whose high leadership does not see value in the changes will hardly be able to maintain themselves in the market. This is because innovation is an increasingly urgent need. The beginning of a digital transformation needs not only the approval of managers, but also their engagement with the news.
Leadership by example is still something very strong, especially within large organizations. If not even the managers give importance to the use of new technologies, hardly the other employees will care to follow in the process.
Therefore, it is essential that the CEO and the other managers of the organization know the benefits of this transformation and are responsible for transmitting the new vision to everyone.
2. Difficulties in dealing with new technologies
There are different employee profiles within an organization. Some of them will probably face more difficulties to adhere to the technologies deployed, sometimes caused by fear of what is new. It is important to offer training and encourage the continuous use of these new solutions.
A good tip is to start implanting the technology in small processes and show, little by little, the results to the employees. In this way, they will be able to see the positive impacts more quickly. This increases the possibility of being interested in what more innovations can do to improve the work routine.
3. Not creating a culture of innovation
In many cases, the structure and culture of the company are internal barriers that prevent the use of new technologies. This is a process that needs to happen continuously, but there is the challenge of creating a culture focused on innovation within the company. Therefore, it is necessary that employees are encouraged and feel at ease to propose new solutions.
4. Lack of clarity in strategy
When defining innovation strategies, they need to be clear and with well-defined goals so that people can understand which paths they need to follow. Without this, it’s hard to know how much your company has managed to optimize the processes and if it can still go beyond what it has already achieved.
In the case of larger organizations, which have several branches, it is necessary to think that there are particularities in operations. This way, it’s no use wanting to adopt the same strategy for all the units, because the chance of going wrong in any of them is big. That’s why it’s important for managers to develop flexible action plans, according to local needs.
5. Poorly structured IT teams
In order to continue the innovation processes, it is also necessary to invest in the structure of your team. Especially in employees in the Information Technology area, a sector that needs to be considered strategic for the company in the transformation.
The professionals cannot be overloaded with millions of tasks. Therefore, they must have time to reconcile current activities and studies of new technologies for the company.