Digitization is underway in all areas, including in the private sphere (online product subscription, electronic document management, stores, marketing, etc.).
For companies and in particular SMEs, digitization is a subject that raises many questions and uncertainties.
The digital transformation induces changes in the daily life of employees, in the organization of the company and sometimes requires changes in its economic model.
The success of a digitalization process is first and foremost a matter of method and communication.
Here are our recommendations for a successful digital transformation of your business: 4 tips.
First a study of the existing system 👌
The success of a digitalization process depends above all on the quality of the inventory.
The mapping of existing processes, the inventory of tools used, the analysis of the interconnections between the various departments of the company, the precise knowledge of communication strategies, are all elements that must be analyzed before starting.
The objectives of this digital inventory are multiple:
- understand what are the needs, how they are covered today (by which tools for example) and what are the main problems in the treatment process,
- identify digital or non-outsourced actions. In this case, the competence is not in the company which implies associating the service providers with your inventory,
- know the main problems encountered by the different services and prioritize them,
- associate employees very early in your digitalization project. The sooner your teams realize that the digitization of their daily lives will bring them improvements, the faster and easier it will be to implement the envisaged solutions.
- to convince employ them out of the need to digitize the business because a bad education can ruin everything.
Important : This work consists of writing specifications, by simple and scalable construction. The mapping of the existing is a "business" document co-constructed between the different actors in a process and understandable by everyone. It highlights all the sources of optimization (both in terms of quality and costs).
Ask yourself the right questions: what are your digital challenges ⁉️
Does your company already have its website? Does it use emailing tools or operate digital solutions (SaaS, ERP, CRM software, etc.)? It already has a digital component but without this necessarily being structured? These are good questions if you want to succeed in your digitalization.
The current situation of many companies is to have activated many digital levers without really knowing for what purpose or what it really brings. In this case, the role of digitization is not clear and actions are not coordinated and organized.
Setting up a business digitalization process is not about activating technical solutions or technologies just because they are used by your competitors or they are offered by the most popular providers of the moment.
Based on the diagnosis, you should clarify your issues, those on which you want to work, and then decide, if necessary, on the tools and digital resources to be implemented.
For exemple
- the challenge for the marketing department is not to be on Facebook but to know why the company must use social networks and therefore set objectives before considering the means: Facebook is only a tool to achieve to well-developed ends.
- Electronic document management (EDM) is a great way, but there are other effective solutions depending on your challenges and your goals.
The best way to focus on the issues is to think about the customer journey and not the tools. If the contemplated reflections on dissent to be a reflection tool, so much the better: but the tools should not be an end in themselves.
The central question is clearly to know whether the digitization of the company makes it possible to fluidify the customer relationship, improve the quality of service and reduce costs. This is how you can identify the priority operations to optimize.
Involve the whole company to anticipate change management 🌟
The success of a digitalization project depends first and foremost on the commitment of the management team and a strategic vision. It also depends on the company's ability to involve all teams because all departments of the company are involved.
In the field of marketing and communication, the impacts of digital are very evident. Of course, there is in the first place the implementation of a structured and effective action on the internet and social networks but, beyond that, many other opportunities which will ultimately concern all the services of the company. 'to open. By way of example we can cite:
- changes in the product offering, opening up to new markets, taking into account new forms of competition or new distribution channels (market place, etc.),
- modification of the pricing logic for commercial offers,
- external or internal communication and customer relations.
This is why it is essential that everyone understands the approach and the target vision of the company and the objectives of digitization because, in the long term, all your teams will be concerned and will have to adapt to new modes of operation and communication. The digitization of a company is not the stake of a company department, it is first of all a profound movement of support for change that goes through all the hierarchical and individual chains of companies.
Support for change then becomes a key step and the company must allow employees to upgrade their skills and train themselves in the requirements of digital processes.
Prioritize digitization projects 👌
Digital transformation of your business is a complex project that must be done step by step. This is all the more essential if your teams are reluctant to face the impact on their businesses and their "habits". It is not a question of making a revolution but of initiating a process of development which allows at each stage to demonstrate the effectiveness of your action to gradually involve all employees.
Digital is a constant evolution and becomes very effective if we set up a self-learning process. We put in place a first brick, we measure the results, we optimize, we start again with a second brick then a 3ème … Ainsi de suite.
The more we practice, the more efficient we are, the better we sort out the ephemeral micro-trend that does nothing and the real evolution to understand and integrate.
In conclusion
A digitalization process is a project that structures the company and mobilizes employees over the medium term.
It must be initiated on the basis of a precise diagnosis of the existing situation encompassing organizational and managerial aspects and around skills and systems.
Get support from a digital professional. He will be able to guide you to adopt the right methodology.
Stay4DigitalBoom will, through its external eye, facilitate the appropriation by your employees of organizational or procedural changes.
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