What it Means for a Company to Go Digital in 8 Easy Points

Almost every company wants to “Go Digital.”

That's great! But the first step is to lay out what that means for your company. Assuming you are clear on what qualifies as digital to begin with. Let's assume not and start from there instead. 

What is Digital?

As is the case with most things, perspectives on these topics comes in all shapes and colors.

To some administrators, technology must be everything, must come before anything. To others, digital is an approach toward communication with consumers. To others still it is the belief that anything than can be digital, should be digital.

However dissatisfying this may sound, those are all slices of the same pie. You really shouldn't disqualify one in exchange for the other. The best way to frame this varied concept is to determine which descriptions and definitions best apply to your business, then arrange them with reference to your hierarchy of priorities. 

When administrators or leaders fail to do this, they risk derailing efforts and wasting a painful array of resources. You don't want to be one of those leaders. Trust me.

Digital Is a Procedure

Although pundits may be at odds about the best definition of digital, I believe that digital refers to a procedure, a way of doing things. It subsumes all of the tactics, the tools, the strategies under one banner and plants as an imperative the need for better processes, to take risks, to experiment, and to constantly check-in with the consumer. 

To put this more concretely, there are various competencies that a company should possess to eventually go digital and then be digital. 

1. Experimentation

Going digital entails openness. You must be open to change, to experiment, to try things out and happily accept the possibility of failure. In several firms, establishing fresh boundaries would entail creating fully-branded businesses in adjacent categories; while for others, it would entail recognizing fresh new value pools in predominant sectors.

2. Commitment 

Commitment must emanate from every person in a company, and especially it's higher ups. Going digital requires dedication and commitment from every person. It takes time, energy, patience, creativity, and innovation: all things that are sustained by an unshakeable commitment and dedication to the company. 

3. Sharing Ideas, All the Time

The Internet has created a number of opportunities for information sharing, and for totally disruptive platforms to take root in the workforce. Not only are efficiency enhanced by digital technology the order of the day, but an entire new line of workers has emerged that can provide specialized services at a margin of the cost compared with previous rates. Outsourcing, freelancers, and contract work is far more typical and often most cost-effective. 

4. Consumer Behavior

Consumer behavior. I would like to think that in the abstract we all understand what this means. Consumers wield a tremendous amount of power: their commentary, their feedback, their decisions are arguably more entwined with the success of companies than ever before. Research into consumer behavior is a well-spring that can lead a company to success if used intelligently. The consumer will tell you what to change, what works, what doesn't, and where to send more money. Today's market is far more democratic than it used to be. 

5. Consumer Journey

Consumer journey refers to the experience that an average consumer goes through when they deal with your company. In an ideal situation every aspect of this journey has been premeditated, calculated, and is constantly being surveyed for useful information.

Being mindful and utilitarian about consumer journeys means reviewing data and targeting consumer preferences so you can meet them. In so doing you will save time and money, and guarantee that your strategies hit your target demographic and cater to their preferences, expectations, and needs. 

6. Brand Presence

Brand presence goes hand-in-hand with consumer behavior and consumer journey, and it spills into customer experience (which is the proceeding point). The brand should be wherever the consumer is and the content and messages should be adjusted accordingly so you can capture and retain as much as possible. For example, if you notice that your target consumer has started relying more heavily on their desktops, or one of your new products is mobile-oriented, then make sure your brand is present.  

7. Customer Service

Customer service is the pièce de résistance. In the past customer service was headed up by human beings. Now you can automate certain processes to ensure streamlined customer experiences, attention to complaints, and create conduits for information gathering, without needing to have a single human on the front lines. Do this wherever possible. Consumers have come to expect expediency and flawlessness. Of course, it isn't possible to assure that every time. When it doesn't happen, call it a failure, remediate the situation, and move on. 

8. Digital Decision-Making

Going digital involves the use of data to enable the organization to make enhanced and swift decisions—with the decision making delegated to smaller teams—while establishing highly repetitive and quick approaches to carrying out tasks. Such reasoning should not be restricted to merely a few tasks. The thinking ought to be integrated within all of the operational processes of an enterprise, as well as resourcefully forming partnerships with outside firms in order to broaden the needed capabilities. With a digital approach, a business is able to even out organizational silos, stimulate cross-functional alliances, and create a company culture that fosters new idea creation.

A Different Perspective on Going Digital

From an IT perspective, the move to digital involves the establishment of a dual ecosystem that dissociates legacy systems taking care of an organization’s more acute tasks while operating at a slower speed, from those nourishing swift-paced, typically consumer-facing interfaces.

Digital IT is characterized by a progressive delivery approach where cross-functional tech teams gather and improve upon existing processes and software systems in order to assiduously release new software features in a swift manner. 

In that sense, going digital means creating new conduits of business evolution. Although there will be variations in the diverse interpretations of what it means to go digital, there are commonalities inherent to successful digitalized companied. At the very least that provides a starting point for action so that the philosophical debate can continue without as many casualties. 

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