The digital-first business strategy is not just improving customer experiences, but also creating great employee experiences. By leveraging digital technologies in business processes, companies can boost productivity and employees can improve their satisfaction.
In the Foundry’s 2021 Digital Business survey, the top-ranked digital business goal was boosting employee productivity and performance, cited by 44% of respondents.
A clunky digital employee experience can be costly. It means that people can’t move as quickly and efficiently as they would like to. When people struggle to make progress, they look outside the company. Digitalization is a trend in business that is impacting the employee experience in many ways. It includes aspects like improving productivity, boosting creativity and fostering new levels of collaboration and connection. All of which are highly empowering to the working individual.
A key change to enhance the employee experience is replacing outdated legacy processes with new digital ways of working: agile and automated processes. Workflows are streamlined and human errors are reduced due to the integration of digital technologies that automate manual processes and address operational inefficiencies. All of the operations are executed more efficiently, thanks to these streamlined workflows which enable businesses to reduce operational costs.
Think about UPS as a good example of how the logistics industry has undergone the most significant changes related to the development of digital technologies. In 2013, UPS deployed Orion, a route optimization system, to provide their drivers with the most efficient delivery routes in terms of distance, time and fuel consumption. From the perspective of UPS employees, ORION is an enhanced version of GPS because the data it uses is tailored to their needs. The company expects to reduce annual costs by $300 million to $400 million starting in 2017.
Ultimately, change is inevitable and continuous – there is always more to do. This is what makes agility so important in digital transformation.
Final Thoughts
Businesses are feeling increasingly pressured to keep up with the changes in the environment. The progressive adoption of technology is also a contributing factor. That being said, a properly implemented digital transformation strategy can help you not only gain an immediate competitive advantage, but also prepare your company for future growth. Ultimately, the goal of digital transformation should be to improve the daily experiences of your customers and employees.
Choose to embrace a digital-first mindset, and you'll build a strong, innovative business that's ready to thrive in the digital economy. In a digital landscape, it is highly recommended to start small and to remain humble. Consider testing and learning as you go along your digital journey.
All companies need to focus a little more on digital integration and that's why we're here. Contact us if you want more information on what we offer and how we can help your business succeed.