Digital Transformation is a Journey, Not a Destination

Enterprises have had to adjust their business strategies to account for the rapid pace of change and transformation of the last few years. Factors such as technological innovation, decentralized work, and data volume have triggered an acceleration of digital transformation (DX) plans. For many, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns also sped up the pace of digitization as businesses rushed to establish continuity plans for their distributed workforces.

As a result, this caused organizations to take a step back and assess their digital transformation initiatives and strategies to ensure they keep pace with today’s changing business environment. Customer expectations have changed as well over the past few years, as shoppers increasingly engage with brands online for their shopping needs, in addition to brick-and-mortar stores.

As such, customers expect seamless user experiences that keep them engaged and have reasons to keep interacting with the brand. Businesses today need to take stock of systems, processes and data within the enterprise to ensure they’re in place for an always-on digital transformation journey.

What to Consider Along Any Digital Transformation Journey

Digital transformation is about breaking down barriers between technology and the users who are engaging with it. These barriers commonly create inefficiencies that can slow businesses down, which have a cascading impact on their market competitiveness.

Before any digital transformation journey can begin, it’s crucial to understand your company’s desired goals and outcomes and what that means against the backdrop of the wider business strategy. Having complete alignment on what the organization hopes to get out of digital transformation will ensure that most everyone in the company, across levels and lines of business, understands their role in driving the business forward. To accelerate this effort, businesses should make efforts to educate the appropriate teams on how these changes will directly impact those who work for them. This helps drive buy-in and trust.

The process of identifying digital transformation goals and outcomes looks different for every organization. For many, it can involve assessing internal systems and mapping new technological solutions to them to achieve better business outcomes. It’s crucial that leadership takes a step back and conducts a thoughtful review, ensuring that each department and team’s needs are accounted for, and that the proposed technological solution underpins business goals. Shoehorning new solutions without a meaningful assessment of needs, goals and outcomes can kill digital transformation before it even begins.

Digitally Transformed Data

Digital transformation also seeks to knock down barriers between datasets and those who need access to the data. Silos like these impact effective customer outreach strategies and hinder a great customer experience (CX). The need for interoperability between where data is stored and those who need access to it is a critical driver of digital transformation and is one that must be prioritized.

Enabling easier access to data through digital transformation gives businesses the ability to make real-time decisions based on up-to-date data points and analytics. Given the breakneck speed of digitization, the need for agility means everything today. Whether it’s the pandemic, technological innovation, or other disruptors, the ability to react effectively to a market shift is essential. When built thoughtfully, digital transformation offers improved visibility and provides a path toward acting on timely decisions to keep pace with change.

Digital technology can drastically course-correct a business struggling with efficiency and data silos, but it should be practiced periodically, reviewed and re-assessed. Digital transformation is an ongoing journey, and not just a destination. Digital transformation truly never ends, it only continues to grow and advance alongside a business. Now is the time to take stock of digital needs, map measurable and reasonable outcomes to them, and use the power of technology to drive innovation.

We welcome you to get a consultation on your digital transformation strategies and learn how Actian can help supercharge them with data. Connect with us today.

About Traci Curran

Traci Curran serves as Director of Product Marketing at Actian focused on the Actian Data Platform. With more than 20 years of experience in technology marketing, Traci has previously held senior marketing roles at CloudBolt Software, Racemi (acquired by DXC Corporation), as well as some of the world’s most innovative startups. Traci is passionate about helping customers understand how they can accelerate innovation and gain competitive advantage by leveraging digital transformation and cloud technologies.