Adding Value Through Digital Transformation in 2022

The concept of digital transformation is something that many people have been familiar with prior to lockdown, but there has been a significant ramp up recently, with 97% of businesses claiming that they accelerated their digital transformation efforts at the start of the pandemic.

Businesses may be gently returning to their usual practices, but it’s still important to prioritise digital transformation. Adaptation and improvement should always be considered by businesses to remain competitive, which is why digital transformation is key.

Here, we delve into three ways that companies can create value for employees and customers through the benefits of digital transformation.

Provide benefits for your employees

According to research conducted by SnapLogic, manual and repetitive work was a burden for 90% of workers, having a drastic effect on their productivity in 2017. But a lot can change in the space of four years. A 2021 survey from the same company found that employees have benefitted from AI and want to see it implemented more in the workplace because it hugely increases their productivity.

Artificial intelligence is no longer seen as a threat to the human workforce. Instead, we’re recognising the power it gives us by automating repetitive, time-consuming work. 81% of workers say AI improves their output, with 68% calling on their employers to invest more into it.

Data analysis and storage are the main areas in which employees can be supported by AI. Specifically, they offer the benefits of tools that gather disparate data sources and highlight trends and insights. Expand this by implementing tools that can automate other laborious tasks for your employees, such as approval processes or data entry.

Customer experience improvements

 Interacting digitally is an expectation for customers. Businesses that rely on traditional methods of contact risk alienating the digital-savvy consumer and losing out to the competition. While it’s important to offer long-established service channels such as the telephone, customers expect support online and out of hours.

Chatbots are one of the many AI tools you can implement to offer support for customers when you are unavailable. They can act as a guide for typical queries, thus allowing customers to self-serve without human contact. This can free up your customer service advisors’ time too, allowing them to focus on helping customers who need that human support.

Ensuring your AI tool is an added value to your service rather than a replacement is essential. Not being able to reach a human at all is the biggest frustration for UK customers, so make sure chatbots aren’t your only option.

Consider showcasing this data throughout your office. Highlighting your business’ key performance metrics in your workplace using digital signage screens can give your employees insight into business priorities and performance.

It’s beneficial for your employees to gain an understanding of how their work contributes to wider business goals and performance, and one way to do so is to display company performance throughout the office to provide visibility of what’s important right now. Seeing KPIs improve right in front of their eyes, in real time, can make them feel valued and motivated. We know motivation is critical to employee and business performance, but shockingly, only 8% of UK workers report feeling motivated in 2022.

Given the need to adapt to alternative ways of working during the pandemic, digital transformation was adopted quickly. However, it remains an important factor for businesses, despite the UK being on the long road to post-COVID recovery. Motivation and productivity within employees as well as enhanced customer experience can be improved through digitalisation. Digital transformation is essential for businesses in 2022.

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