After digital transformation, we continue to build on our differentiated customer experience to protect and extend our competitive advantage. But we’re better and faster now.
Background
Previous articles in this series explained how digital transformation is about applying technology to create a differentiated customer experience. Since digital transformation impacts every function in your company, it requires an enterprise strategy that balances culture and technology. Under culture, we discussed change readiness and digital proficiency, along with change management.
Now we’ll see how the transformation not only improves the customer experience, but also improves the company’s ability to execute. And that will be critically important for the future.
Staying Ahead
The purpose of a digital transformation is to create a differentiated customer experience that gives us a sustainable competitive advantage. We focus on the customer, innovate, and differentiate. And now we’re ahead of the competition.
But how do we stay ahead?
We can’t just sit back and admire our achievements. By the time our transformation is completed, the competition is probably looking for ways to leapfrog us.
So, we must continue to focus on the customer and innovate. Remember, the purpose of a strategy is to protect and extend our differentiators. We have to continuously think about, and implement, new ways to delight our customers.
That means our digital transformation is never really over. And that’s good news — as we’ll see in the next section.
Ability to Execute
We discussed in several articles of this series how digital transformation is an enterprise strategy that balances culture and technology. We said that culture is the difficult part, and it consists of building digital skills and creating an environment of change readiness.
So, when we say that the digital transformation is never really over, we can take comfort in knowing that we now have the culture to continue innovative improvements.
If we successfully executed our transformation, we should have a digitally fluent, change ready workforce. The team should be eagerly waiting for the next opportunity to further improve the customer experience. The Board and executive leadership should have greater confidence in the company’s ability to set and achieve challenging goals.
The digital transformation not only creates a differentiated customer experience but should further differentiate the company by their ability to execute.
Conclusion
Forbes reported that 84% of digital transformations fail. McKinsey had the number at 71%. Either way, that’s bad news.
I hope that this series of articles was able to shine some light on the challenges commonly faced in digital transformations and provide good insight about how to succeed.
We have thousands of readers and followers, and I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with many of them. I’m pleased that my advice has helped a lot of people and organizations. And I love the insight that I get from you.
If you’re embarking on a digital transformation, planning to do so, or have already started, and want to bounce ideas, discuss any concerns, or just ask questions, email Emily at Emily@WolffStrategy.com and she’ll be happy to schedule a call with me.
This concludes the series C-Suite Guide to Digital Transformation. You can find the individual articles on our web site at https://wolffstrategy.com/article-quick-find. If you would like the entire series in one PDF, email Emily and request The Authentic C-Suite Guide to Digital Transformation. We’ll be happy to send it to you.
Larry Wolff is the founder & CEO of Wolff Strategy Partners, a boutique consulting firm specializing in Enterprise Strategy Management and Digital Transformation. Larry has served as CEO, COO, CIO, CTO, chief digital officer, and management consultant for public, private, international, and emerging growth companies. His specialties include corporate and IT strategic planning, technology led business transformation, business and IT turnarounds, merger integration and large-scale project rescues. His methodologies span industries and scale to companies of all sizes.
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