How to achieve a more remarkable customer experience using digital transformation (Dx) solutions?
The idea of delivering the best possible experience to the customer is the heart of every organization … this is not new.
What is new is using digital transformation (Dx) to achieve a more remarkable customer experience. If you don’t adapt to customers’ needs in their preferred mediums, your company will lose the battle.
Even though digital transformation is catching on, research shows that most organizations are experiencing significant failures regarding their rollout of Dx. One of the leading causes of these failures is the resistance to digital change that affects and influences a company’s culture.
For Digital Transformation to be successful, it needs to start at the top. And even though Dx affects virtually every aspect of your business, it has the most impact on your customer’s experience.
As one of the most experienced Manage Service Providers in the Twin Cities, we embraced Digital Transformation several years ago. Our philosophy is that every technology project should have an ROI component attached to it.
Because you can’t improve, what you don’t measure
And because we have made Digital Transformation a part of our support system, we have partners, prospects, colleagues, and other industry people asking us how we do it.
So, we wrote this brief article to discuss how Dx really starts with your customers, and how it positively affects their experience.
We’ll also give you real-world examples of how embracing Dx has made significant improvements to their bottom lines.
What is Digital Transformation (Dx)?
We define Digital Transformation as integrating digital technology into all areas of your business. This results in fundamental changes to how your company operates.
Dx is a foundational change in how an organization delivers value to its customers. It’s really more about people than technology.
Digital transformation is the process of using digital technologies to create new, or modify existing business processes. Including culture, and customer experiences to meet changing business and market needs.
When your technology tools align with your knowledge, insight, and strategy, you will experience measurable and extraordinary results. Digital Transformation is the use of new, fast, and frequently changing digital technologies to solve problems. It is about transforming processes that were non-digital or manual to digital strategies.
The most significant misunderstanding with Digital Transformation
The most common understanding is that digital transformation is only about the application and use of cutting-edge technologies. The thought is that all digital tools and platforms, especially if they are new or cutting edge, are transformational.
It is easy to find organizations that have invested in a new digital tool. Only to have it remain unused by employees or unable to deliver the intended impact on the bottom line.
And most often, this occurs because there was no Return on Investment (ROI) metrics attached from the start.
2 critical concepts with Digital Transformation
- Technology as an investment, not just an expense
- ROI of your technology investments
For example: If you were talking with your stockbroker and were investing in stocks, you would be looking for a return on that investment. A few months after you bought the stock, you would check your stock and see if your investment had grown.
Of course, you expect it to grow and give you a decent return on investment. IT and technology should be precisely the same way. Your technology investments should address a specific problem. However, also it should show you a positive ROI over time as well. If it doesn’t, there is a problem.
To measure that return, we give you specific criteria you can use to measure and report that return. This criteria will allow you to gauge if the technology is doing what you expected. You can then show your leadership team that your investment was fully recouped in X amount of months, along with a measurable ROI.
The Digital Conscious Customer
Technology has transformed your customer’s habits. Mobile devices, apps, automation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning allow customers to get what they want, the moment they need it.
And all of these digital technologies have caused a significant shift in your customer’s expectations. Causing added pressure on you to keep up with your competition.
Customers will rate you on their digital experience first!
Digital-first changes how you interact with your customers
For customer service teams, you no longer have to rely on the phone to ring. Instead, your customers are now using multiple channels to look for support. Including review sites, social media, and community forums are all part of their experience.
For sales teams, digital and technology first involve replacing social media selling for cold calling and knocking on doors. Most of your customers are active on social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook, where your presence needs to be.
For marketing teams, technology-first means lowering the investment in offline activities and investing in digital-first marketing opportunities.
For the C-suite, you have to remember that digital and technology transformation begins at the top. If your ownership and management do not embrace new technologies, this will trickle down to your employees and eventually negatively impact your customer’s experience.
5 ways to improve your customer’s experience
- Starting at the top: Leadership focus on everything digital
- Tracking customer data, so you can leverage it
- A new agile technology focus
- Every technology project must have an ROI component
- An IT and technology partner that focuses on Dx
Real-world Digital Transformation example: Healthcare: A 201% ROI Annually
THE COMPANY: A mid-sized healthcare company in the Minneapolis-St Paul, MN metro area, provides unique mental health services to its clients. They employ some of the most creative professionals in the field and then COVID-19 hits.
THE CHALLENGE: COVID-19
The “new normal” meant that in-person visits were limited, and the company was forced to pivot to online telemedicine. After some searching, they found an established telemedicine application that each clinician could implement from their home offices. The product worked well, and the clients reacted positively to the online sessions …but, this solution was very, very expensive and was not going to be a viable long-term solution
The need for a Digital Transformation
A Dx workshop with the healthcare provider uncovered these needs:
- Reduce the monthly price of a fully functioning telemedicine solution
- Brand the solution with their newly trademarked online offering
- Allow for access to new solutions through their website
- The solution needed to be HIPAA compliant
The Solution: Microsoft Teams
Our development team created a telemedicine solution using Microsoft Teams as the backbone. With an open API, our team was able to connect the Communication functions within Teams to the existing company website, making the end-user logon experience intuitive and easy to use
A CASE FOR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
This company was faced with a tough challenge. Their business was 100% face-to-face … and then COVID-19 ravaged the country. Their services are significantly vital to the community, as people’s lives were dramatically changed because of COVID.
They needed a transformation, and this technology provided a path for the company to transform. Their willingness to pivot and use technology to create a new and very effective telemedicine environment saved their business and allowed them to continue to help others.
Their creative transformation – using Microsoft Teams – allowed them to roll out these new services with a very healthy ROI on their investment
Conclusion
In today’s always-connected, digital-first world, organizations are forced to earnestly implement a Dx strategy if they haven’t already.
Digital transformation offers you an opportunity to connect and attract digital buyers and deliver a seamless customer experience regardless of what digital channel they choose.
If you would like to learn more about Digital Transformation, maybe these articles will help
How To Create An Effective Digital Transformation Strategy
Your Culture Is The Driving Force Behind Digital Transformation
Or, if you are further along with your search and would like to start a conversation, just click on the link below.
