It is undeniable that the relationship between companies and the public is undergoing a major digital transformation. From time to time, companies feel the need to transform themselves to meet the needs of the market. Today, the weight of digital platforms is shaping the way companies present themselves and sell products and services. In this article, we will discuss ways to stimulate this transformation in order to keep the web relevant and strengthen the relationship with your audience.
What is being a digital company?
Many people believe that the digital transformation of a company is related to some form of the company’s online presence. Although this idea is not wrong, the issue is much more complex and involves many aspects of the corporate and digital world.
The great goal of digital transformation is the possibility to offer integral and agile support during all the processes of a company, whether these processes are logistics, sales, finance, customer service, among others. This means that the digital company unites different tools to maintain a quality service, even when there is no physical contact between the company and the customer.
Are only fully online companies considered digital?
It makes sense to think that a digital company is one that is immersed in the online world and does not operate outside it. However, to be considered a digital business, the establishment can have a physical base, as long as it offers services available online and in a fast and efficient way.
How to start the digital transformation
Because of the speed of transformation, many companies are frightened by the mindset that they will have to make sudden and immediate changes. However, besides not being necessary, a disorganized and hurried change can bring immense losses and make the entire transformation unfeasible. Of course, if the company performs a transformation in an agile and organized way, the response to this will be very good. The problem happens when the organization decides to make these changes without the help and support of professionals with experience in the area.
What are the most common consequences of the wrong digital transformation?
As discussed in the topic above, performing a digital transformation without expert support can be very risky. Depending on the depth of the company’s involvement in the process, the consequences can even be irreversible.
Unnecessary expenses
Even for companies that work with technology and information, it can be difficult to find technical support to carry out a good digital transformation. Because of this, when performing this process independently, the company runs great risks of making some wrong decisions.
There are several online programs for digital transformation, each with a different objective. It is very common to hire one of these services without first understanding how it works and what it is used for. Thus, the company gets stuck with a service that it doesn’t even need, which causes problems for the financial sector.
Loss of quality
The main goal of these changes is to help the company serve the customer better, but in some cases the opposite happens. Unfortunately, not all platforms are well equipped and the system is not satisfactory. When the customer tries to make use of this technology, he ends up frustrated by having a bad experience with the brand. This problem is so serious that the customer may never return.
Confusing communication
Having an online presence means much more than keeping a website or a URL up and running. The most effective way to keep the company’s image relevant in the online market is to offer different platforms to customers. The challenge in this process is to make sure that all these platforms have the same kind of communication. In other words, they need to be aligned in order to work properly. When this does not happen, there is a risk of customers and partner companies losing confidence with the network due to lack of organization.
What are the advantages of digital transformation?
During the most critical period of the pandemic, there was a huge growth in online sales platforms. This particular case arose because of the need for a new trading space, as the old avenues were not available. In the beginning, the public that was not used to this modality was wary of buying goods over the internet. However, the good experiences with the platforms were able to transform the vision of these customers and thus, large e-commerces gained even more supporters.
This scenario demonstrates the potential that digital transformation has to change the public’s view of a company. The network that used to be seen as unreliable for making online sales is now a success because it meets customer demands. Read below for other advantages of using the digital transformation process:
Reach more customers with digital transformation
Anyone who owns a physical store or chain knows that location can be decisive as to the success of the business. Generally speaking, there are two ways to choose where your business will be located:
- In a prestigious space;
- In a space with a high volume of customers.
Each of these choices implies a different consequence for the company, because the focus of customers is not the same. In the first case, the focus is on customers that are concerned with the company’s image, and prestigious locations attract this public. On the other hand, for companies that are concerned with sales volume, the best is when the network is close to the public.
Now, imagine if it were possible to unite the advantages of these two options?
This is the great differential of the Internet: the broad and fast reach of customers. To get a specific portfolio of buyers, you just have to make sure that the digital platform has quality and offers a good service. And this does not prevent other customers from getting to know the company and becoming interested in the products or services available.
More interesting feedback
It may not seem like it, but feedback is one of the most important parts of working with companies. With the support of digital platforms, companies are able to create spaces to talk to customers in direct and indirect ways. The direct form involves chats through social networks or the website itself to answer questions or provide general assistance.
As for indirect feedback, this can be realized with a little more analysis about the company’s reputation in the online world. It is not uncommon for customers to make compliments or complaints on social networks. This can be used in the company’s favor, even in negative cases, to better understand how to have good relations with the public.
Increased visibility
The truth is that the Internet works as a great showcase in real time. In addition to being recognized by a larger number of people, the presence on the Internet helps the brand to become fixed in the public’s mind. You have probably heard the phrase “if you are not seen, you are not remembered”, right?
As the digital world facilitates the emergence of more and more companies every day, competition can become extreme in these spaces. Therefore, the bigger and better the company’s contact with the customer, the greater the chances that this will be converted into sales. This is exactly why some companies are creating profiles on all possible social networks.
How to start the digital transformation process?
Now that you know the benefits of this process, you may be wondering how to perform an efficient digital transformation. Well, the word that sums up this activity is effectiveness. This means that the process needs to be well done and ready for customer use as quickly as possible.
For this the ideal is to find a team that can accompany this process and develop relevant digital systems. So the first step is to study the market and find out which company is the best in the business.
How to find out which company is best for your digital transformation?
In business, choosing a partner is always a challenge. That’s because in addition to choosing an efficient company, you need to find one that shares the same goals and has a compatible corporate culture. Here are some details to keep in mind when looking for a digital transformation company:
Variety of services
A good digital transformation company has more than one service related to technology and information. To make an agile transformation, it is necessary that the company has all the technological support for software creation and platform launching. In addition, it is important to be able to count on the company to evaluate the quality of this transformation and the use of it by clients.
Communication without difficulty
One of the biggest problems when carrying out a digital transformation is the lack of communication between the contracting company and the contractor. For online platforms to reflect the companies’ values, the team needs to recognize features of the network and pass this knowledge on to the contractor. Only then will the digital transformation proceed in a coherent and complementary way to the corporation.
Constant updating
Dealing with the digital environment means recognizing that changes will be intense and constant. To ensure that you are not left behind in the face of transformations, the ideal is to get the support of a company that is interested in updating and seeking improvement. You can see this when you evaluate what kind of programs companies use and what theories they are based on.
See how skilled professionals can help with digital transformation
Before undertaking a digital transformation in a company, it is necessary to conduct a survey on the strengths and weaknesses of the network. For this, all issues involving the company’s digital platforms, such as websites, social networks, and the technical side, such as software and applications, are evaluated. After this survey, an action plan is created with the most urgent needs and ways to solve them with the following steps:
Administrative reconnaissance
Before deciding to undertake a digital transformation, companies usually go through a process of mindset change. This is closely linked to the network’s desire to stay relevant and keep up with market trends. This does not mean that the company needs to completely change to fit the standards of the digitalized society.
By talking to specialized professionals, companies begin to recognize possibilities for growth that they had never imagined. In this way, they tend to change their conservative mindset to new possibilities for expansion.
Testing platforms
Although there is a general idea about what must be done for a company to succeed in the digital economy, this process is not linear. In other words, each company has different needs and performs uniquely with the solutions found by the specialized team. With the support of such a team, the company has the peace of mind of knowing that it will have the best results.
This is explained by the tests performed by the team to understand whether or not the innovations match the company. Thus, the chances of error are reduced and an agile and efficient transformation is made possible.
When is the best time to carry out a digital transformation?
Those who believe that it is necessary to make the digital transformation before the launch of the brand are mistaken. This idea is gaining strength nowadays because of the great relationship that new companies have with the digital market. But this does not mean that other companies cannot adapt to this situation and compete for relevance in this same space.
Therefore, the best time for digital transformation is when the company recognizes the need for change. Whether during the start of the company or after years in the market, the result will be satisfactory in both ways.
Does digital transformation contribute to the company’s security?
With the increased use of technology, new cyber dangers have emerged that put long-standing jobs at risk. Today it is hard to find a company that does not work with some kind of technology, even if it is only a basic control system. This shows that a lot of important data can be found online, which is not always an advantage.
On the one hand, having information available online speeds up the work and reduces the volume of documents stored by a company. On the other hand, it increases the risk that this information can be stolen and used for third-party interests.
So digital transformation, when done right, helps a company increase its online security. This can be done by strengthening company websites and applications, or in the IT system. To ensure maximum effect, several strategies are used at once, depending on the customer’s request.
Does digital transformation involve marketing?
In some ways, digital transformation can have an impact on the marketing of companies. In case of complete and extensive transformation, digital marketing is worked on as a form of improvement in the company.
As many brands develop online communication platforms, it is necessary to recognize some techniques and strategies to better utilize these resources. This is the clearest way to realize the impact of marketing during this process.
Another way to realize this impact is after the process has been carried out. Many companies, especially the older ones, look for ways to update themselves to change a little the idea that customers have about the brand. After the renewal, it is common for brands to clarify the changes and point out the advantages of this process. This is a form of marketing that helps to attract new customers interested in the potential of the network to change.
Can digital transformation change the way we work?
It is not a certainty, but the company’s operating model may change, and this is not a bad thing. Since the transformation is done with the greatest possible care and with in-depth evaluations, when there are suggestions about changes in this matter, they predict great improvements. In some cases the change is small and only necessary because of the new services made available by the company.
For example, a company that has never been online and then starts to have profiles on social networks needs to renew its working method. Of course, this does not interfere in all areas of the company, only in the digital points.
Or a company that needs to speed up the delivery of final products, starts to use software customized for the company, the team that works directly with this process will be impacted.
Does digital transformation harm the humanization of the company?
No! Although many parts of digital transformation are related to process automation, this does not harm the humanization of the company. In fact, being able to rely on the ease of automation in some areas helps the company to be able to provide efficient human support to customers. Furthermore, it is possible to make some changes to adapt the automation to the company’s needs.
Conclusion
Digital transformation is a reality and an opportunity for lasting success for companies that adopt the system quickly. To carry out this process quickly and efficiently, it is essential to have the support of a specialized company with experience in the market.
If you are looking for competent professionals to help your company succeed in the digital world, count on Monitora. To find more information and services about innovation and technology in the corporate space, check out our Blog!
