Digital transformation is probably on your mind right now. COVID-19 has disrupted nearly every aspect of business as we know it, and the digital transformation of your enterprise is one way to ensure you are communicating with your customers, employees, and suppliers in a new normal that’s been defined by social distancing and self-isolation.
There are many ways to start digitizing your business. Here are a few tips regarding that.
Consider What Information You Need
A good start in digitizing your business is to think about what information you need at your fingertips. How much data do you need to store? How often do you want to access this data? Do you want all of it accessible at once, or would it be okay if some of the files were stored on different hard drives? If a part of your business requires special security measures, that’s another factor.
There are also a few questions related to how the data will be organized: Where will this go concerning other information? Are there any particular files that should be included in folders with other similar files? For example, if I have photos taken at an event and they came from several different cameras (iPhones), do I organize them by camera or by event name/date/time stamp?
Automate Repetitive Tasks
Automating repetitive tasks can save you a lot of time and money, but there are many other benefits to automating your business.
- Avoid errors: Automation reduces the chance of human error by removing the need for labor-intensive manual processes that can lead to costly mistakes.
- Save time: Automation allows you to accomplish more in less time, allowing your staff more free time for more important tasks.
- Improve productivity: Automated systems help improve productivity because they do not require employees’ constant attention to function properly, which means fewer distractions and better focus on higher priority work. This also gives your business access to powerful technology without having to hire expensive consultants or developers who may not be familiar with your industry’s specific needs or challenges (such as compliance requirements).
Find Your Goals
Before you can develop a strategy, you need to define the problem. So, what exactly is the problem?
Many businesses have a hard time getting started because they fail to define their goals. If you do not know where you want to go, how will anyone help get you there? Make sure that your business has clear and measurable goals in place before starting any digital transformation process.
It is also important not to get bogged down by other people’s expectations — even if they’re well-meaning! You know your company better than anyone else does; therefore, it is up to you to decide what kind of changes will work best for it. The key is finding the balance between ambition and realism when setting digital transformation targets for yourself or your organization.
Invest in an ERP Project
ERP can help you manage customer data more effectively and efficiently. By digitizing your business, you will be able to:
- Improve the quality of your customer database
- Better manage customer relationships
- Easily integrate new information sources
A group of people dedicated to ERP integration is key. The team can help you:
- Identify the right software for your needs and then select the best provider.
- Create a plan that will help you efficiently reach your goals.
- Stay on track and make sure that everyone involved has clear responsibilities, deadlines, and deliverables.
So, investing in an ERP integration project is of utmost importance. Not only will it help streamline certain functional aspects of your business, but it will also improve customer relations. It will become much easier for your business to manage customers and utilize newer information resources.
Create and Maintain a Digital Inventory
Setting up a digital inventory is one of the most important steps you can take to digitize your business and make it more efficient. Having a paper copy of everything in your warehouse is no longer enough. You need to have an electronic version so that you can track the movement of products through your supply chain and make fast decisions when it comes time to restock or reorder items.
Before you can start creating this digital inventory, though, you first need to decide what kind of system will work best for your business. A great place to start would be using a cloud-based system like Salesforce Commerce Cloud or SAP Hybris Commerce Cloud (which may require additional fees).
Both provide robust features such as order management systems, real-time reporting tools, sales analytics dashboards—and much more! These platforms also allow for integrations with third-party providers so that other functions such as customer relationship management (CRM) software are possible as well.
Invest in Business Intelligence
Business intelligence is a term that can be used to describe the process of collecting, analyzing, and applying data to improve business decisions. Business intelligence tools are used by companies big and small to help them make better strategic decisions. It is also important to note that these tools aren’t just limited to big corporations—they have benefits for all types of businesses, including yours!
Business intelligence is often divided into two categories: operational and strategic. Operational BI focuses on getting work done by providing an integrated view of information across an organization’s systems, while strategic BI helps you make better decisions about your organization’s future direction through predictive analytics or forecasting models. You might also see “decision support” or “analytics” in place of “business intelligence.”
If you want your company’s digital transformation efforts to be successful, you must focus on investing in business intelligence solutions as part of those efforts.
If you are still unsure whether digitizing your business is the right move, consider this: more than 60% of companies surveyed by Gartner indicated that one or more competitors have already adopted an ERP system, and many believe they need to do the same.
The bottom line? It is time to put your company on the path to digital transformation.