Digital transformation: why you should start your journey now
The words digital transformation are appearing in more business conversations, particularly as hybrid and flexible working become more common.
It can sound like a major technology project involving new systems, large budgets and several meetings nobody asked for.
In practice, digital transformation can be much simpler. It means using technology to improve the way your business works, remove unnecessary manual tasks and make services easier for customers and employees to use.
You do not need to change everything at once. Starting with one slow, repetitive or awkward process can be enough to begin.
What does digital transformation mean?
Digital transformation is the use of technology to improve business processes and create a better experience for customers and employees.
That might mean replacing a manual task, making information easier to access or helping a team complete the same work from different locations.
The goal is not to use technology for the sake of it. A new system is only useful when it solves a real problem.
Useful outcomes might include:
- Reducing repetitive administration
- Giving teams clearer information
- Making services easier to access remotely
- Improving consistency across locations
- Reducing time spent moving documents between people
- Making costs and activity easier to track
A digital-first approach does not mean removing every piece of paper or automating every decision. It means looking at how work is currently done and asking whether there is a simpler way.
Why change if your current process still works?
A process can technically work while still taking too long, costing too much or relying on one person knowing exactly what to do.
That becomes more obvious when teams work from different locations, customer expectations change or the business begins to grow.
Digital transformation does not need to begin with a complete overhaul. Small changes can remove bottlenecks before they become larger problems.
Start with the tasks that regularly cause delays, duplicate effort or lead to somebody saying, “That is just how we have always done it.”
The aim is not change for the sake of change. It is making sure the process can still support the business as its needs develop.
Examples of digital transformation
Print management
A print management system can let employees send documents to a shared print queue and release them securely using a card or PIN.
It can also help organisations review printing activity, manage access and understand how much paper is being used.
Document and productivity apps
Apps can help teams convert documents between formats, turn scanned notes into editable text, create audio versions of documents or translate content.
The useful part is not the number of features available. It is choosing tools that remove a real step from an existing process.
Business communications
Hosted phone systems, web conferencing and online chat can help employees communicate without being tied to one desk or office.
This can make it easier to support customers and colleagues when teams are working across several locations.
Sending and receiving post online
Office post is another process that can be managed digitally.
With Postworks Send, teams upload letters through an online platform. Postworks then handles the printing, folding, enclosing and postage.
Postworks Receive™ can help businesses manage incoming mail by opening and scanning letters, then making them available digitally to authorised users.
This gives businesses a digital mailroom without depending on one office printer, one franking machine or one person being available to distribute the post.
How to start your digital transformation journey
Digital transformation will look different for every business.
Begin by choosing one process and asking:
- What problem are we trying to solve?
- Which steps take the most time?
- Where does work regularly get delayed?
- Who needs access to the process?
- What should improve for the customer or employee?
- How will we know the change has worked?
Once the goal is clear, you can compare technology based on whether it solves that problem rather than how impressive the feature list looks.
This guest article was written by Document Network Services, which helps businesses identify processes that could be improved through digital technology. Visit the Document Network Services website to learn more.
