Digital transformation no 'simple fix' for companies

Organizations are under pressure to digitalize customer experiences, but there are many considerations business leaders must take into account before they begin, and organizations must ensure they are prepared, recruiting experts Hays said in a recent report.

Whether companies use predictive analytics to anticipate behaviors or deploy artificial intelligence technology-driven chatbots to provide a service that’s both efficient and on-par with competitors, business leaders need to implement change, explains Dirk Hahn, strategic director at Hays Group.

“But this isn’t a simple fix; it’s a major reworking of your business processes that requires you to invest your time, money and people resources into providing a user experience that can compete in the digital age,” he said.

The recruitment firm advises businesses to redefine failure and encourage their employees to be less risk-averse, rather than being afraid of failure, as it’s often companies that are willing to take risks where innovation succeeds.

Organizations must be prepared to make mistakes and learn from them, which is essential to the success of companies' digitalization, the report noted.

For digital transformation to be a success, businesses must foster a company culture of openness which not only encourages innovation, embraces digital change but is also realistic about the process at the same time, Hays said.

“Getting workplace culture right is essential,” Hahn added. “You must prepare your staff for handling change – and that means ensuring they realize it goes beyond understanding that it won’t be smooth sailing.”

Also, an organization’s workforce must be kept informed of the changes that are expected to happen and the report suggests that employees need to become part of the process, and the key here is good communication.

To carry out digitalization, organizations may need to look outside of their own business to find the talent they need. As technologies involved in building a modern digital business are often new and come with steep learning curves, filling the skills gap means hiring new staff and building a roster that can be developed internally and shared with existing staff, according to Hays.

Digital transformation requires agility and the ability to recover when you stumble and fall, the recruitment specialist said. By practicing new skills that have been acquired, organizations can move on from mistakes to deliver the digital services their users and customers are demanding.