Digital transformation won’t look the same for every company. In fact, it rarely ever will. Some might prioritize a transition from primarily physical services to technology-enabled services, such as healthcare providers exploring telehealth and remote monitoring technologies. Others might simply be considering ways to meet customers where they’re at— online and more specifically, on social media. 

Regardless of what digital transformation means for your organization at this point in time, if you’re still asking ‘why digital?’, your target audience has already left you in the dust. In the evolving and often cutthroat world of business, leveraging technology has become a standard expectation and when done well, it can provide the competitive advantage necessary to achieve long-term success. 

I sat down with Growthride's Digital Health Advisor, Chris Henderson, to discuss the broader role of digital in business transformation. Here are our top three reasons to embrace a digital-first business mentality.

1. Get to know your customers’ needs on a deeper level

The availability of advanced data analytics technology at our fingertips allows businesses to track user journeys and develop deeper insights than were ever previously possible.

Taking the time to track and understand your customers’ wants, needs, and expectations is one of the most valuable uses of technology today. It ensures your product and marketing efforts are thought out and targeted, and provides an advantage against competitors who may still be shooting in the dark. 

While you may engage external native digital partners, true customer understanding cannot be delegated. Dive into your analytics and get to know what the metrics mean below the surface. Done well, it can uncover layers of customer needs that are yet to be addressed.

2. Cultivate more authentic customer relationships

Now that you’re leveraging data to understand your target customer base, use those insights to cultivate genuine connections and value. Transparent and secure information sharing is essential in building loyal customer relationships. The current digital landscape allows for near-real-time business updates, interactive Q&A’s on social media and apps that keep users up to date and in the loop on causes they care about. 

An honest relationship is not built around who you want customers to believe you are but around true openness and sometimes vulnerability. With social media usage and call-out culture at an all-time high, brands have a responsibility to maximize transparency in all ways possible. Society will dig up the truth one way or another.

Additionally, pay attention to what your customers are saying and show your sincerity in response. According to Statista, 47% of U.S. consumers have a more favorable view of brands that respond to customer questions or complaints on social media. Social and review platforms provide brands with an opportunity to continue the customer relationship beyond point-of-purchase and these touch points can leave a lasting impression. 

3. Drive business efficiency 

Whether it’s in regards to the business experience, the market, or customer needs, digital provides the ability for businesses to change, adapt, and respond faster than ever before. It allows for increased agility and capabilities to explore even broader market opportunities and adjacencies that support continued business growth.

Business communication platforms, project management tools, video conferencing, and other digital resources allow for increased business efficiency and the growth of a ‘work smarter, not harder’ culture. 

Automation is another great example of this. Whether it’s AI-automation, cloud-based automation platforms, or the integration of workflow automation tools, there are opportunities to automate simple work processes that support and free up employees for higher-value work. 

Evolving automation capabilities doesn’t mean that half the job force is soon to be a thing of the past. Those human-to-human relationships aren’t going anywhere and they’re the interactions that make your business memorable. Embracing automation tech simply means improved productivity, fewer bottleneck moments and more value-adding work from your fellow human workforce.

A digital-first business strategy doesn’t mean digital-always. It means embracing it when the problem calls for a digital solution and recognizing when it does not. 

While most aspects of business allow for a degree of taking past learnings with you into the future, digital doesn’t work the same way. Digital is constantly evolving and only forward-looking. If you look back for too long, you risk quickly being left behind.

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For more info/questions about this topic or business transformation in general, please reach out to us at accelerate@growthride.com. We’re always grateful to keep the conversation going!