When we talk about digitalisation in the business world, some people relate it to the huge range of platforms, tools and applications created specifically to deal with this technological era. However, when a company decides to embark on the path towards digitisation, it is important to know that we cannot remain on the surface. A digitised company is not just one that has technological platforms or tools, but an organisation whose operations are profoundly altered and benefited by it.
The true digital transformation of a company completely changes the way it operates. The objectives are redefined and seek, as a priority, to optimise processes, improve competitiveness and offer added value to our public, always aligned with principles and values that connect us with society.
This is why digitalisation must be conceived as a gradual implementation process that requires the creation of new methodologies and business strategies. The way of working is being redefined and all actors within the organisation must adapt to this structural change. For a company to truly begin this transformation process, it must take into account a series of key factors:
Creating a corporate culture of digital transformation
Processes and operations change radically in order to adapt to this digital era. This is why a transformation must be driven from the top down through each and every employee. The reformulation of the company’s purpose and the metrics of value exchange with society are the first step. A vision focused solely on shareholders loses relevance in the face of the dynamism and influence of an empowered society that demands commitments to sustainability, diversity and other values that are critical to it.
Implementing new business models
If we want our organisation to correctly adapt its activity to the digital transformation, we must create new business models and new patterns of action that help us to respond to potential customers. These new value propositions go directly through the modification and adaptation of operations and methodologies.
Knowing the new customers
The digitalisation of our society has led customers to find new ways of interacting with businesses. Their sources of interaction and communication have changed and we, as an organisation, must adapt to this change. It is essential that we know the new customer profiles created in this new environment and that we look for value propositions and business strategies that allow us to get closer to them.
The importance of data
The implementation of technology and the governance of data makes it a valuable asset for any type of organisation. Technological tools provide us with a wealth of information about customers and the competitive environment and it is our great opportunity, as a digitised organisation, to take advantage of this data to understand the changing needs of customers, build business models and generate additional value around our activity.
In short, we can conclude that to refer to a digitised business is to talk about an organisation whose operations have changed in essence to adapt to this new environment. Having an Instagram account or having information in the cloud does not meet the challenge of digitisation. If we really want, as an organisation, to transform our activity to the digital maximum, we must change our purpose, our methodologies, the way we market our products, the way we communicate… a whole road to travel in which platforms and tools are a transcendental element as a means, not as an end.
