Through the years an upgrade in tech has become the primary goal of digital innovation in businesses. In the name of maturity, more and more industries are beginning to try to pump information technology into their process, operations, and way of doing things. While many organizations hope to join the trend of digital transformation, digitalization is faced with a cultural atmosphere that resists change, limited sharing and collaboration, readiness issues, and even shortage of talent. While most organizations want so badly to change, existing practices are just not suitable for digitalization, which can also entail huge investments, in the long run. For most organizations, digital transformation projects can also be time-consuming and expensive.

So where does one start the transformation initiative?

We all can agree that being sought by and adored by customers and stakeholders is the single most important factor in the success of any organization. Hence the root of all transformation that is beneficial, gainful, and cost-effective begins and ends with one driver in mind. The customer.

But generating this customer success doesn’t require being perfect.

Analysis of various research reveals that there are three primary factors that are common across “different organizations wanting to transform:”

They meet the needs of their customers and stakeholders extremely consistently.
They periodically do things that delight customers and stakeholders beyond their expectations and needs.
These activities ultimately result in HR ROI for the business.

Below, we’ll test this theory with your own Organization or Functions, examining how sought after and adored you are by your customers. Go through and answer the following questions with your team, then discuss whether the answers reflect a need for transformation:

How often do you meet the needs of your customers and stakeholders extremely consistently?

Often
Just Right
Not as much

How often do you do things that delight customers and stakeholders beyond their expectations and needs?

Often
Just Right
Not as much

How much activity have ultimately resulted in ROI for the business.

Often
Just Right
Not as much

Reflect and Answer with the Team.

For answers that come out as “just right” and “not as much” which specific areas of the business do you think need transformation?

Write down these “specific areas” within these areas and jot down what needs improvement or transformation.

As we’ve seen, the business case for meaningful and successful digital transformation all boils down to the customer.

Businesses need to consider what will make their customers happy first before they can focus on anything else. Innovation should be driven by the end-user as opposed to just being something you “throw” at them later down the road after a release or product launch date has been set. If any business wants to succeed in today’s world and compete against other businesses who are looking for ways to stay ahead of the curve, it needs an effective digital transformation strategy – which includes understanding how people think (and buy!).

Contact us for more information on digital transformation.