What is Digital Transformation?
Customers, employees, and everyone in between have certain expectations of modern businesses, and being digital-based is certainly one of them. However, rushing into a digital strategy can have its own pitfalls (like a poorly crafted website that actually ends up costing you money), and that’s why a well-planned digital strategy is a crucial part of any business looking to modernise.
So…what is digital transformation exactly?
What does business transformation mean?
Digital transformation is a type of business transformation, and that’s precisely what it sounds like - a measured plan that brings change to a company, in this case, incorporating digital across the board.
Defining digital transformation can be put most simply as ‘keeping up with the times’. To be digitally based is no longer an option for business, but an essential, and something that’s expected by your customers as well as any would-be employees who are judging your employer brand. This can include almost any and every area of your business, such as:
Customer experience and service
Customers want convenience. For example, an ecommerce site riddled with issues will inevitably lose sales, or a self-service chatbot that sends customers in circles will damage satisfaction levels.
Operations and internal infrastructure
Digital platforms are designed with efficiency in mind. From online file sharing to secure data storage or simply a reliable communication platform for asynchronous communication, digitising your internal processes can save time and boost productivity.
Marketing
Are you harnessing digital to get your brand known? This can include everything from a social media presence to a slick website, and a frequently updated LinkedIn page, of course.
Data and analytics
Numbers speak stronger than just about anything else when it comes to business, and there’s no easier way to track your metrics than with digital tools. Reporting and forecasting can be made easy, with data shared with key staff with a click.
Company culture
In 2025, no one wants to work for an old-fashioned company. Staying on top of tech trends will keep your team feeling like their work, and their skillsets, are constantly relevant and meaningful (failing on this front can harm your retention figures). This goes right down to the sort of devices you’re giving your team — there’s nothing quite so demotivating as being asked to work with an out-of-date laptop.
What is a digitisation strategy?
A digital strategy is your plan of action to modernise your company. It involves carefully auditing your current brand, and defining digital transformation in the context of your own company’s current needs. Here’s a basic rundown of how to get started with your own digitalisation strategy:
Explain digital transformation to stakeholders
Your first port of call is making sure that key decision-makers in your business know how vital this strategy is. Explain digital transformation in terms of objective metrics. Are your application rates lower than competition? Are your bounce rates on your site pages worryingly high? Do customers tell you directly that they are having issues with your current site, app, or chat bots? Stakeholder buy-in depends on having the facts to hand so you can prove that digital transformation is essential.
Consider what you need
As much as every business would love to leap into the digital age in one easy jump, reality is never quite so simple. Whether it’s budget constraints or complicated legacy systems, you should start by prioritising what you need most, and how long it’s likely to take. Look at competition here, there’s very much a sense of keeping up with the Joneses when it comes to the sort of tech people expect as standard.
Plan your projects
With your research done and decision-makers onboard, it's time to get a plan in place. Where has your company been falling short, and which change will have the best return on investment? Make a plan, and decide where to start.
Measure, maintain, motivate
Getting a new program or site up and running is just the first step, make sure to keep an eye on how it's all performing and if you need to make any changes. There’s a wealth of digital solutions out there, so if your first choice of platform doesn’t work out, you won’t be short of alternatives. Remain dedicated to keeping up with digital advancements and innovations — it can be incredibly morale-boosting for a team to know embracing new technologies is part and parcel of the culture.
What are digital transformation companies?
With digitalisation being such a vital part of modern brands, digital transformation agencies have become an industry in themselves. So, you might find that hiring a professional digital transformation consultancy is the most efficient way to get your transformation up and running.
And while these one-stop-shop digital transformation agencies exist, once you’ve given your current digital presence a good audit, you may find you don’t need a digital transformation consultancy so much as more specialised assistance. For example, you may need help from IT professionals to get your internal infrastructure modernised, or an SEO agency to make sure you have a real online presence.
Finding digital talent
There’s a shortage of digital talent out there, that is, employees equipped with the digital skills many businesses need. So, if it's about attracting this talent to your business, you need to make sure your own digital strategy is something tech-savvy candidates will be drawn to.
With LinkedIn, you can make sure you’re finding the very best candidates for your needs, with all the digital tools you could need to build a team of tech pros. From AI tools to advance search options, we make it easy to hire your next team member.