Digital Transformation: Why it Matters

What does Digital Transformation really mean? Learn what it means for you and why businesses must digitally transform to survive—and thrive.

You’ve been hearing a lot about digital transformation, but what does it really mean? While there’s no single definition—it means different things to different organizations—most agree it’s essential for continued success in today’s digital world. Recently, 96 percent of leading decision makers surveyed  said digital transformation is important or critical. And, 55 percent say that failing to act can result in financial losses in a year or less.

Why the Inaction?

Still, in many organizations, there seems to remain a sense of complacency. Some may think digital transformation is simply another buzzword, promoted by system integrators and software vendors as a reason to buy more. IT folks may think they’re transforming by launching a new mobility initiative or moving a process to the cloud. And on the business side, this may provide a false sense of progress toward digital transformation. But is it enough?

There are many different perspectives why digital transformation is needed—to improve customer experience, to optimize operational efficiency or to expand into new markets, for example. But one thing is clear—whatever your end goal, the customer needs to be at the core of your digital transformation strategy. With a focus on the customer, digital transformation becomes a rallying cry for the entire organization, aligning everyone—business, marketing, IT and others—around a common cause.

Time to Collaborate

While critical to enabling transformation, collaboration between teams isn’t always easy. In fact, 77% of the business decision makers we surveyed said their IT and marketing teams could be better aligned to deliver on digital transformation efforts. It’s important to start thinking beyond silos. IT for example, isn’t just a technology execution engine or a body-shop—it can provide consulting and technology innovation. By enabling the business to be more self-sufficient, IT can free up its sown resources to be more strategic, elevating its role to boardroom status.

Every organizational process or staff action affects the quality, speed and ultimate satisfaction of your customer engagement, so true digital transformation will require IT teams and Marketing to work together, and the CMO and CIO must rally around this common cause.

Take the First Step

This blog post is the first of a 10-part series that highlights what you need to know to start planning your organization’s digital future. You can also get these insights now in, “The Digital Ultimatum: Why Businesses Must Digitally Transform to Survive—and Thrive.” It’s the first step toward learning how to optimize the customer experience and achieve organizational excellence using tools and technologies that enable digital transformation.

Download the full report now to learn more about driving digital transformation in your organization.