Series: Digital transformation - What is the digital transformation in 2020? 1/6

Above all, the digital transformation is not a fad. For the economy, it is a change as important as the industrial revolution and one that profoundly alters the way we produce and consume. On top of that, studies show that this transformation is not only constant, but accelerating.

Indeed, in a survey created by   McKinsey on Digital Transformation,we see that more than eight in ten respondents say their organization has undertaken a digital transformation in their business in the past five years. This notion therefore requires SMEs to adapt in order to stay in the race. Deloitte publishes a study indicating that 65% of French people make online purchases while only 15% of SMEs sell their products/services on the Internet.

There are many definitions of digital transformation, also frequently referred to as numeric transformation, on the internet. They vary slightly depending on the sensitivities of the blogs/websites on which you find them.

Because digital transformation is different from one business to another, it can be difficult to find a definition that applies to everyone. However, in our opinion, it is defined as the integration of new technologies into a targeted area of a company with the goal of improving its products, processes and strategies. Digital transformation must therefore lead to fundamental changes in the way a company operates and sometimes involves abandoning long-established processes to adopt new practices. 

Some variants add a totalitarian notion of "all processes and strategies", but we do not think that every company can apply this to the letter. Indeed, other factors must be taken into account, such as the sector of activity, the means available, etc.

The user, whether a customer or an internal part of the company, is at the centre of any digital transformation, so the majority of the objectives of a transformation must focus on this end: improving the user experience.

Nevertheless, this development may be hampered by cultural or even traditional habits for some companies.

Take hospitals and clinics, for example. Despite the advent of smartphones and other connected objects, some doctors still use "pagers" (you know that little black box hanging on your belt). These objects, although practical, are now largely outdated by the Internet of Things (IOT) technologies on the market.

Insurance is another example of companies that seem to be afraid of the digital transformation. Indeed, to date, only ⅓ of them allow their clients to make their declarations online and only ⅓ has interfaces for their clients that allow them to view their contracts. Insurers who have gone through the digital transformation and have provided their clients with web and mobile interfaces have noticed an overall time saving on their work, a productivity gain, and an improvement in their customer relationships. 

As you have understood, technology and digital tools are at the heart of digital transformation. Very often, it is a question of going beyond business processes that are nowadays outdated. Rest assured, all your processes are not to be reviewed, quite the contrary! This is why, before taking the step of digitalization, it is necessary to ask the right questions for your company and its employees. So, in the next article we will see why digital transformation is important and to what extent it can propel your business. 

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