The current trend towards digitalization forces most businesses to adapt and think digital in order to get with the current flow. Such change is, first of all, provoked by the customers who now expect timely and relevant information and need it in the correct format on the preferred device. Now it is the consumer’s journey that defines the rules and the marketing strategy of most brands.
Companies are massively embracing technology and integrating new and customer-oriented plans in most business strategies. They are shifting from traditional and common to digital ways of providing their services and increasing customer’s experience with the brand and moving with the trend. According to research, most companies have already put a 12-month plan to complete this shift, while there are still more than 47% of those who haven’t yet started.
Let’s look deeper into the ongoing transformation and how it determines the way businesses work and satisfy the new digital-oriented clients.
Overview of the Digital Transformation
Integrating technology into everyday workflow, changing the way companies operate, and interact with clients, providing them with outstanding digitalized experience determines digital transformation.
Customers and their level of satisfaction are considered the main leading factors and influence the process of transformation. Those companies that choose to transform are getting more engagement. Brands get clients who are ready to try the brand’s products and services, refer them, and purchase for a higher price. Such customers bring the brand an amazing opportunity to increase its revenue, becoming the main driver of transformation.
Defining the Digital Customer
Modern technologies have significantly changed the existing buying habits, allowing people to get exactly what they need whenever they ask for it. Companies now need to act according to the modern customer and their expectations as the latter have massively changed. Now everyone is constantly connected, following the trends and becoming app-native. This makes the overall situation slightly complicated due to people’s awareness of how to use technologies. Now they rate companies based on the experience they get in the role of digital clients which forces brands to change their way of interaction with the audience.
There is no cold calling anymore. With people being always active on various social platforms, cold calls have given way to social selling. Companies are now reaching out and building relationships with their target audience instead of just waiting for them to come. Educating clients through relevant content and expert opinion, shared through currently famous platforms, is an effective way to start.
On another hand, a new marketing strategy should be data-driven and always oriented on the customer. Implementing SEO and marketing strategies based on customer’s accounts will allow brands to meet their expectations and speak their language. All the communication becomes highly individualized and is conducted through various social channels where customers seek out the required support.
Thinking Digital
When companies start to think in a new, more digital way, they get a chance to attract the modern customer, engage and interact with them in a more efficient way, meet and, if successful, exceed their expectations. The process of involvement in digital transformation is complex, yet possible.
First, technology is key to making existing digital strategies more powerful and efficient. Companies need to use agile and flexible systems with cloud technologies which will help them to be acting fast. With the ability to try new low-risk projects, companies manage to meet client’s demands much quicker. And with the help of customer databases, various applications, and analytics, all the information can be recorded in order to define a complete customer image. Brands that know when and for what reason customers decide to work with them, are able to build relationships with them and improve their experience.
Secondly, deriving from the first point, nowadays people want to receive a one-of-a-kind experience with an individual approach, with all their preferences being carefully considered. According to statistics, most clients tend to build long-term relationships with that brand which distinguishes them as repeated customers, knowing their history of purchases and current product preferences. In order to obtain such information, companies need to think about investing in CRM, which helps to analyze all the data related to each and every customer and store it for the future. For instance, based on the client’s basic requests, inquiries for additional support, and their product quotes, the brand can get a better understanding of its customers and create a targeted campaign to meet individual needs. Having an opportunity to send a personalized message at a specific time to the client, brands are now able to provide highly personalized consumer experience.
Thirdly, the mission of every company is to provide experience within multiple channels. Modern technologies allow people to expect a better and faster experience when interacting with brands. More than half of them want the answer from the brand’s side within an hour, regardless of the time of request submission. Such demand has forced many companies to extend their working hours or become accessible 24/7 in order to offer better and faster customer service. The difficulty also lies in the fact that customers nowadays are using multiple channels. They shop online, look for reviews on social media, and leave their feedback through mobile applications. Brands that are able to tie it all together will get a complete digital profile of their customers and manage to satisfy them on multiple levels.
Conclusion
Living in a fast-moving, technology-driven world, companies need to consider investing in digitally transforming their business. It will allow them to interact with their clients and deliver on their demands and expectations. Brands need to implement cloud solutions, focus on providing seamless and highly personalized experience in order to involve in the new digital reality and ensure that all the expectations are met and exceeded.
If you haven’t yet planned your transformation, drop us an email, and we will get you started.