EDITOR’S COMMENT
utility of solutions depends on the stage your
company is at in the transformation journey.
From mobile sales and field services, to
wireless sales counters and warehouses, to
advanced inventory management; different
solutions provide new ways to reduce costs,
improve the customer experience and also
improve the bottom line.
4. Not everyone in your company
will feel comfortable with digital
transformation
Society and technology are changing more
quickly than most companies can adapt.
From enterprise resource planning (ERP)
to cloud computing, new tools, platforms,
and channels are creating unprecedented
opportunities to connect with customers
and improve internal processes, but only for
the businesses agile enough to transform
and adapt to these new digital realities.
Even so, there’s no single roadmap
for digital transformation and the path is
different for every company and industry.
However, there must be attempts to
get employee buy-in from the start.
This requires a commitment to digital
technology from the boardroom to all
levels of staff. You should have leaders with
the right mindset and motivation to lead
the digital transformation process.
5. It’s no good having data if you
don’t know what it means
Firms that undergo a true digital
transformation programme put data and
information at the heart of their technology
focused business models. Many are
shocked to see just how much information
they had but were not utilising properly.
The new data landscape provides you
with unique opportunities to turn data
into insights – the fuel for any digital
transformation journey – with real-time
updates providing opportunities for better
business decision-making.
In fact, Forrester Research has found
that more than 70 per cent of decision-
makers report planned or current initiatives
to encourage more data-driven decisions,
making unlocking the value of integrated
business data critical to success in today’s
modern distribution marketplace.
6. Digital transformation won’t
grow your profits overnight;
embrace change as part of a
wider growth strategy with
measurable goals
Change is a constant in today’s dynamic
marketplace, but it’s important to be
realistic about what you can achieve in a
short time. A recent survey we sponsored
highlighted how high-growth companies
embrace change. A total of 76 per cent of
high-growth companies prefer constant
innovation to business stability, while only
49 per cent of low-growth companies do
so. In an age where innovation is driven
by rising customer expectations, growing
companies have distinct short-term goals
that embrace innovation and business
change as part of a wider transformation
journey for growth.
7. Digital transformation should
make your business more
adaptable but it won’t make you
immune to competition
It has never been more important for
business leaders to carry the torch for
digital transformation, but the most
important factor is making sure digital
potential is translated into competitive
advantage. This requires top executives
to champion the deployment of flexible,
digital technologies that change the way
they engage with their customers.
As Gartner rightly states, “technology
shapes business strategy, but market,
political and financial factors prevail.”
Nevertheless, embracing the right
technology brings people together, allows
businesses to land and expand into new
geographic locations with minimum
resources and makes the product
development life cycle more responsive to
consumer demand than ever before.
8. It takes more than just
digital technology to encourage
collaboration across departments
and divisions
To begin digital transformation, you need
to look at your business from the inside
out; consider the tools and systems you
use, what works well, what doesn’t and
ways these can be improved. But when
technology is heralded above all else,
there becomes an even greater disconnect
between employees and the challenges that
their business is trying to solve.
There might be isolated investments
that are doing very well, but they’re
still isolated. New solutions must be an
enabler aligned with a bigger mission,
to evolve internal processes, structure
and culture, or to match the evolution
in customers’ behaviour. Consider how
you communicate both internally and
externally, the strengths and weaknesses
of your staff and if their skills are fit for
purpose. Do you need staff with more
digital skills and will you need to recruit
them throughout the process?
9. Your customers don’t
think about your digital
transformation, but they do
expect it to happen
The digital trends that are impacting
every part of business operations will
not slow down, and it’s the same playing
field for all of your competitors and every
start-up that’s gunning for a piece of your
world. Your customers expect that you are
embracing digital transformation because
they are doing so and they need you to join
them on the journey.
10. You can talk the talk, but
make sure you walk the walk
To make digital transformation happen,
high-growth companies don’t just pay lip
service to ideas such as new technology
and innovation; they back them up with
investment. The growth survey we carried
out found that, in the coming year, 88 per
cent of high-growth companies are planning
significant investments in technology and
innovation, while only 49 per cent of slow-
growth companies are doing so.
Digital transformation is different
for every business. Some will have more
challenges than others; but while some
will also embrace more technologies
than others, being aware of these 10
considerations will be helpful to every
business that is embarking – or has already
embarked on – this journey.
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