What Is Digital Transformation?
Understand What Digital Transformation Is, Without The Buzzwords and Hype
“Digital Transformation”, “Digitalisation” and “Digitisation” are terms that we often hear in business – like all buzzwords it’s important to understand the core business drivers and benefits and not to get caught up in the hype.
Firstly, digitisation, digitalisation and digital transformation all have different meanings and are steps that each build on the other.
Digitisation refers to the practice of changing analogue data to digital formats – think conversion of data and the creation of databases. This leads to “digitalisation” where the digitised data enables technologically driven change within organisations and society – this refers to the actual process and includes beneficial outcomes such as; big data, blockchain and the internet of things.
From Digitalisation To Digital Transformation
Building on digitalisation, Digital Transformation relates to organisations embracing and adopting digital technologies as being fundamental to their business or operational strategy. Common examples include Uber and Air-BnB that have utilised digital technologies to facilitate their business model. Without access to sophisticated digital technologies these business would not have existed – let alone achieved rapid growth and market penetration.
Digital Transformation can also be realised within a part of an organisation or in part of their process. For example consider an organisation utilising an AI (artificial intelligence) enabled digital interface in their go-to-market strategy to enhance the customer experience in a way that would be cost prohibitive in traditional individual interactions. The AI engine is able to do the work that previously would have required a large administrative or customer service team or may not have even been possible. The digital interface enables the customer to interact directly with the AI engine, database, or booking system.
At a less extreme example, digital transformation may relate to using a cloud based sales system to change the way a company’s sales force works in order to improve efficiency and responsiveness and enhance the service level they can provide to customers. Even the process of going paperless within an office can be counted as digital transformation and can deliver real benefits in efficiency, accuracy, and reporting.
The key is that “transformation” requires a degree of innovation or change to business practices or processes to realise benefits in efficiency, interactivity and user experience, or control. Ndevr has the specialist skills and experience to help our customers achieve their digital transformation.
Managing Digital Transformation Projects
As with any significant business change, decision makers face the dilemma of effectively managing the risks of the change, controlling the costs, while ensuring that the benefits are realised and the project delivers a positive return on investment.
Embarking on a digital transformation therefore brings with it both opportunity and risks and it is critically important to secure the right business partner with the relevant expertise to ensure the transformation is both meaningful and realised.
Ndevr has a proven track-record of delivering successful digital transformation projects for our customers.
Our technical expertise in business systems means that we are able to guide the expectations of the organisation and the specifications of the solution to make sure that they are both aligned. This extends to the overall strategy and the day-to-day benefits which will come from the digital transformation.
Through our experience in similar projects, we understand the risks and opportunities and work closely with our customers to apply the benefit of our experience to their unique situation to design and deliver an appropriate system and the related changes to business process and operations.
Our expertise in project management ensures that the project runs smoothly and the risks are managed. Our expertise in change management enables us to be on the front foot dealing with the inevitable cultural change and challenges that come with the transformation.
To embed the technology and the change within the organisation we offer comprehensive training programs that are backed by ongoing 24/7 user and technical support from our Australian based call centre and support team.
Whether it is looking at a complete overhaul of the ERP system, moving to a paperless office, or transitioning to a cloud based business system, Ndevr has the knowledge and experience to help. Working with businesses of all sizes across key industry sectors, we are happy to assist with projects of all sizes and often adopt a staged approach to control costs and ensure project success.
