Envisioning and implementing digital transformation in 2022

The idea of transformation floats around us like champagne bubbles this time of year  — yet can fizzle out just as quickly. But working toward a digital transformation is a New Year’s resolution you shouldn’t let fall flat, particularly given the growing popularity of hybrid work arrangements.

According to a 2021 ABS Household Impacts survey, nearly 41% of people are now working remotely at least one day a week, a two-fold increase since the start of the pandemic. The better integrated these colleagues can be with all your systems, the more efficiently your team can achieve its goals.

The phrase digital transformation can sound intimidating, but is really just about undertaking a series of steps and processes to help your small business break down silos, work more efficiently, garner and utilise more data, automate workflows and help re-energise your office. Underpinning all of this — or any strategic change management strategy — is the creation of a clear vision, implementation of strategy and good communication.

It may all sound heady, but small businesses will need to fully integrate digital workflows to enable hybrid work given the pandemic-related restrictions and shifting consumer preferences. Furthermore — and perhaps most importantly — consumer engagements will flow far more seamlessly when your entire “back end” is integrated, resulting ultimately in greater customer loyalty.

What is digital transformation?
Backing away from buzzwords and diving into more tangible goals, let’s break the process of digital transformation into a series of steps to help improve the delivery of your products or services:

• Automating workflow
• Gathering customer data
• Automating the communication between human resources, marketing and sales teams (or tools)
• Improving customer service in an automated fashion, perhaps online chat tools
• Leveraging data by way of using smart algorithms to deliver relevant information that can inform and support strategy

Common sticking points
A few common — and some seemingly contradictory — pitfalls often derail the process of digital transformation:

• Failing to envision the process from start to finish
• Lack of communication among the team
• Reliance on a single software solution to do all the things you need
• Implementing separate software solutions for different tasks which don’t inform each other
• Failure to iterate

Any transformative endeavour should include a conceptual view and overall plan of action, crafted after doing some analysis and thinking from a bird’s-eye view. The goal is to align your tools so they work in harmony as one system – not disparate pieces. And if something isn’t working? Don’t hesitate to step back and attempt a second iteration. Digital transformation can sometimes be a trial-and-error process in its early stages.

Automate to energise
Teams that can collaborate weaving together individual projects more cohesively because automated tasks are being handled in the background save time, money and employee energy.

If you would like input from experienced advisors as you craft and iterate your digital transformation strategy throughout 2022 — and want to consider how it fits into your overall business plan — WMC Accounting can help. Reach out today to access a range of services and expertise for helping your business maximise its potential and help more customers.