With the recent crises (yellow vests, Covid), the subject of digital transformation has returned to sit at the table of major issues in the company. More than ever, the long process of digitizing organizations requires a clear vision, an understanding of new customer challenges, a reorganization of teams and working methods, not to mention the necessary investments to match ambitions. If you add to this the lack of digital skills of some members of your team or even employees resistant to change ... the mountain can seem impossible to climb. Here are 7 keys that seem essential to the success of the digital transformation of the company .
Define objectives Vs stakes
Once you have defined the vision and have shared it, define
SMART objectives (Specific and Simple, Measurable, Achievable and Accepted,
Realistic, Time-bound) in most of the company's projects (HR, management,
marketing, sales, support).
And to maximize your chances of success, you can also use
the OKR method (Objectives and Key Results in VO).
Used to drive objectives and connect them to actions
throughout the company, the OKR method has been widely adopted by GAFA, and
more generally in well-known technology companies such as Linkedin or Facebook.
OKRs are divided into objectives (what the company wants to
achieve) and 4 key results over periods of three months, to remain agile and to
be able to measure progress in real time.
Whatever method is chosen, we know from experience that
without clear and shared objectives, there is no transformation.
Data and the customer at the center of decisions
Companies are sitting on gold mines, the fruit of years of
work: their data. Problem, they do not
always know it and do not have the means to exploit them .
With the advent of Big Data , the situation is changing. With the democratization of SaaS
tools (see below), it is easy to centralize these data and especially the turn
into actionable information . The data gleaned during all these years are
used, among other things:
• to
generate additional revenue
• to make
or confirm "business" decisions , based on data.
• to better
manage the activity
• to
improve the customer experience
The customer as an engine of growth is the major commercial
innovation of all these well-known companies: Amazon, Slack, Linkedin, Netflix,
Facebook etc.
Start with the customer is also taking care of your online presence
Start by working on your online presence, where your
customers are. This is where they start or continue their buying journey. 80%
of them get information online before buying (Ifop) and in B2B, 88% of the
customer journey is done online (Forrester).
An effective site to attract
and convert
First, if not, creating an effective website . A real
showcase for your business, your website must be flawless and easily "findable"
by your prospects . Mobile and secure of course (yes in 2020 ...), it must also
offer the best user experience to your Internet users, by responding to all the
problems they may arise.
Beyond the purely "visual" aspect, your website
must also include an e-commerce part, or at least a "funnel" to
generate leads (contacts, prospects, quotes).
How? 'Or' What ? By producing your own content, including on
a corporate blog .
"On the internet, you have the same number of square
meters as a multinational"
By becoming your own media (personal branding, corporate
blog, social selling), by creating and publishing your content (articles,
videos, infographics ...) addressed to your ideal audience, you will captivate
your personas and naturally attract them toward you.
To do this, create attractive content for your customers and
prospects, which certainly entertains them, but above all which helps them to
solve their problem.
Likewise, the creation of so-called "premium"
content will serve you to convert your visitors into prospects. You are spoiled
for choice: guides, case studies, customer achievements, ebooks, webinars,
calculators, tests ... accessible via your site internet but also via your blog
articles.
A chatbot to start a
conversation
In 2020, a chatbot also seems essential to us to answer
technical or commercial questions. One of our clients saved the equivalent of 2
full-time jobs by reducing customer service requests by 80%, while improving
the user experience!
The chatbot, also called conversational agent, is a program capable of “discussing” with an
Internet user, either by following pre-established scenarios (simple chatbots) or by using artificial intelligence and
machine learning (intelligent chatbots).
Social networks as a sounding
board
Interacting on social networks (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube,
Instagram, Linkedin) is still essential. But there is no point in being present
on several social networks if you neglect your communities, if you only shower
them with promotions, or if you do not measure the ROI. It is the strategy
adopted according to an audience to be reached that defines the networks to be
used.
A successful online presence, for example, is the company:
Align your teams: first and foremost sales and marketing
Too often, the sales team and the marketing team each evolve
on their own , even though they are both stakeholders in the purchase journey
and guarantors of the customer experience .
The relations between these two “rival” teams, yet
complementary, generate friction.
However, there are solutions to reduce them , such as
Smarketing , a management technique to effectively align these two services and
derive a benefit in the medium to long term.
Team alignment is fundamental to a successful
transformation. You will not be ables to override it.
Example: The efforts of a great marketing department and
pro, engaged, and helpful salespeople can be overwhelmed by poor customer
support .
For further :
Why and how to align sales and marketing teams?
Raise awareness and train your employees
Everyone thinks that it is others who have to change and
adapt. However, successful digital transformation involves removing many
obstacles , especially in terms of internal organization.
It requires a real human transformation, a mobilization
around a shared vision and an awareness of your teammates to the challenges of
digitalization, in particular to
customer culture.
Continuously training your employees in the use of new tools
and methods, and freeing them from their concerns and fears is fundamental. The
leader can (must) also be accompanied to give the impetus.
Deploy the necessary tools
The advent of SAAS software, PAAS platforms and whatnot have
revolutionized daddy, siled and non-collaborative tools. And this in all
departments. Including the account 'with Maryse, HR with Frédérique, through
Alain in the business or Paul in the production.
Sébastien, for his part in marketing, finally deployed a
good CRM (Customer RelationShip Management) to manage and centralize sales and
marketing, as well as customer support .
As this tool concerns above all that which pertains to the
customer and that this one is at the heart of the transformation, it goes
without saying that it takes your business into a new era, by aligning the
marketing and commercial objectives to better serve and build loyalty,
regardless of the channel used.
It is preferable to get support in choosing a solution that
will be adopted by your sales and marketing teams and which will make them work
together.
Switch to cloud computing
Who says SAAS says cloud computing. The "cloud" is
the end of servers that crash and the imponderable costs of maintenance and
updating. You "rent" and pay for an all-inclusive subscription.
All company data is stored and secured on the servers of companies whose business it is, in accordance
with the GDPR. Above all, with cloud computing, this data is accessible from
any computer connected to the Internet, which greatly facilitates online and
therefore collaborative work within the
company. And it is not the recent crises that will contradict it.
Lots of specialized companies offer simple outsourcing
solutions so that you can focus on your core business while having an efficient
and available information system.
Switch to the cloud also favors teleworking , or hybrid
office / home modes.