Look through these software categories and discover how they can bring value to your business.
Digital transformation remains a pivotal strategy for companies aiming to stay competitive and embrace innovation. You might wonder, “Isn’t everyone digitally transformed by now?” Surprisingly, the answer is no. Despite significant advancements, many businesses, especially small to mid-sized enterprises (SMEs), are still catching up in their digital journey. In fact, a significant percentage of digital transformation initiatives still fail due to various challenges.
According to a report by McKinsey, approximately 70% of digital transformation efforts do not reach their intended goals. This statistic highlights the relevance of this process but also its complex nature. Understanding and leveraging the right tools can make the difference between success and failure. This article explores essential digital transformation tools that can help businesses thrive in the digital age.
Table of contents:
Digital transformation involves integrating digital technologies into all areas of a business. The goal of this revolution is to fundamentally change how organizations operate and deliver value to customers. It’s more than just implementing new technologies into company structures. It’s a cultural shift to a digital workplace that requires businesses to continuously experiment, grow, and pivot to level up within their respective niches.
Historically, the digital transformation trend started with the advent of computers in the second half of the 20th century. The globalization caused by the rise of the internet, as well as common access to customer data and the invention of various digital tools, prompted many businesses to enter the online realm. Interactions with consumers started to change, and the rise of mobile technology in the 21st century accelerated the need for any firm to be digitally present.
We’re now in the post-pandemic, modern era of digital transformations based on cloud computing, high-level data analytics, AI (artificial intelligence) and machine learning, blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT). The rapid tech advancements and the increased demand for digitally oriented products and services require companies that want to stay afloat to quickly digitize and adapt to changing customer expectations.
Digital transformation requires an elaborate decision-making process, many resources, and a strategic plan. However, it’s worth it for several reasons:
Tools play a crucial role in every business that wants to discover the full potential of digitization. Numerous categories of software systems and apps are responsible for different operations that provide additional value to organizations. They can significantly improve interactions with customers, sales processes, and marketing operations. Let’s take a closer look at the eight main types of digital transformation tools.
IT service management software helps businesses manage and automate the work of IT support teams and keep track of their IT assets, which is crucial for delivering and managing IT services efficiently. It helps businesses align their IT support processes with business goals, ensuring that the tech infrastructure supports and enhances general operations. Additionally, many ITSM tools provide automation solutions to handle repetitive tasks and free IT teams to focus on more complex activities.
ITSM software products are essential for every company. Their benefits include:
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CRM software helps manage the company’s interactions with current and potential customers. It uses data analysis to study large amounts of information, helping to improve customer relationships and increase profitability. It’s the most essential tool for sales departments that can save hours of work spent on manual data entry and crafting individual messages for each customer. Many modern CRMs are boosted with AI functionalities to automate mundane processes and speed up conversions, allowing salespeople to handle cases that require individual human touch.
Popular CRM tools include Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zoho CRM. The choice should always depend on the individual requirements of the company. Although these big players have similar features, they vary in terms of pricing, customization, integrations, and add-ons.
In the era of remote work and global operations, tools to support collaboration and communication are probably the first apps implemented within companies. They enable the seamless exchange of messages and files and allow team members and their clients to connect via audio and video calls. Regardless of each party’s location, such software makes it easy to quickly connect and discuss the latest changes or current status of the project.
The most established communication tools in digitally aware companies are Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom. In addition to text messaging, organizing calls, and sending files, some of them have features that support daily contact between stakeholders, such as automation bots, screen sharing and recording, and, of course, emoji reactions.
Knowledge management systems store, organize, and retrieve knowledge to help employees find relevant information faster, improve understanding of internal processes, as well as foster collaboration in and between departments. In times when humanity generates millions of terabytes of data every day, there’s no doubt that businesses have to handle more documents, procedures, invoices, and other types of data than ever. Having one space dedicated to keeping them in order is crucial for keeping up with operations and business goals.
Tools like Confluence, Notion, and SharePoint are dedicated applications for this particular need—they act as a central knowledge base, making information easily accessible. Since the rise of large language models, it’s also possible to get a tailored, automated knowledge management tool with a chat interface that makes finding and extracting information even faster and easier.
Cloud solutions provide scalable and secure storage options for businesses. They enable easy access to files from anywhere and offer robust data protection. This way, remote teams can collaborate on shared projects and exchange necessary files in real-time. Keeping them on individual computers is not only inconvenient but also risky – in case of hardware failure, everything stored there is gone. Cloud providers deliver technological solutions that are almost immune to downtimes and offer advanced backup features.
The simplest and most cost-effective cloud storage apps include Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive. For more sophisticated requirements, companies can turn to services like AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud. They act not only as storage spaces but as whole software architectures that can be customized to handle internal and external systems. This way, companies don’t have to invest in on-premise infrastructures.
Every company aiming for digital transformation needs new specialists and tech experts onboard. Streamlining the recruitment and hiring processes is essential for HR departments, which sometimes have to process hundreds of resumes for one position. An app that manages job postings, stores applications, automates scheduling and enables communication with candidates is more than enough to create productive HR workflows and speed up finding the right candidates. Some apps also have AI features that generate messages, interview questions, and job descriptions. Moreover, they support onboarding efforts.
The most prominent examples of ATS are Greenhouse, HiBob, and Workable. They help thousands of businesses, including big players and established corporations, find and hire the right talent efficiently.
Posting regularly on multiple social media channels is imperative for brands that want to reach out to new clients and stay in touch with their current audience. However, preparing content and publishing it manually is time-consuming. That’s why social media marketing apps were made – to automate social media presence management. Such tools allow marketers to schedule posts, monitor communities, and analyze performance in one place.
Omnichannel social media marketing tools include Hootsuite, Buffer, and Sprout Social. Marketing teams can tailor them to their needs and use them daily to engage with leads and build brand awareness online.
Companies that want to thrive in their industries and be a few steps ahead of their competitors should invest in data analytics. Fortunately, there are a multitude of tools that support analysts in their efforts. For a few years now, manual data entry has been widely replaced by powerful algorithms that process vast amounts of information and extract relevant conclusions automatically. Software solutions that use these algorithms also enable data experts to prepare insightful and visually appealing reports that make business intelligence understandable to all stakeholders.
Tableau, Microsoft Power BI, and Qlik are only a few examples of tools that help businesses make data-driven decisions and identify new growth opportunities.
We’ve presented eight categories of tools fundamental for successful digital transformation. Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean introducing them will immediately result in positive change. Without a plan and ROI metrics, it can be challenging to understand their impact and implement necessary changes. Here are some steps to evaluate the effectiveness of your investment:
Define clear objectives: Establish what your business aims to achieve with digital transformation. Is it to increase revenue, improve customer satisfaction, or reduce operational costs? Integrate tools that focus on the priority goals first.
Identify key performance indicators (KPIs): Determine the metrics that will help measure success, such as customer acquisition cost, average order value, or employee productivity.
Compare pre- and post-implementation data: Analyze performance metrics before and after implementing the tools. This will showcase areas for improvement and the achieved objectives.
Consider qualitative benefits: Include qualitative benefits like improved employee morale and customer feedback in your evaluation. Even the best numbers can become a problem if they negatively influence stakeholders.
Selecting the right tools for your digital transformation journey requires careful consideration. We’ve already mentioned that such decisions should always be based on specific requirements and goals. Here’s a more detailed list of recommendations that will help you find the perfect tools for your brand:
Assess needs: Understanding business challenges and your teams’ objectives is necessary to pick tools with the necessary features and level of advancement adjusted to individual and group preferences.
Learn about possibilities: Explore resources on the pros and cons of different software solutions, such as buy vs. build or cloud vs. on-premises. Alloy Software’s blog has many useful articles on picking digital transformation tools, which will help you decide what to invest in.
Evaluate options: Research various tools and compare their features, pricing, and user reviews. Look for tools that integrate well with your existing systems. Many providers offer free testing periods to check basic functionalities.
Scalability and flexibility: Choose tools that can grow with your business and adapt to changing needs. If you plan to enhance your operations in specific departments, or you expect significant client base growth, aim for apps and systems that can be easily expanded in a short time.
Vendor support: Consider the level of support and training offered by the vendor. Good support can make a significant difference in the successful implementation of new tools. It’s also crucial when technical difficulties occur.
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Digital transformation is not a one-time project but an ongoing journey. Leveraging the right tools means businesses can achieve spectacular results in all areas of business. The tools highlighted in this article are essential for any business looking to thrive in the digital age. Our recommendation is to pick the ones that correspond with the most strategic business needs at the moment and progress towards more digital tools that will transform the company step-by-step. Embrace the change, invest wisely, and measure your success to ensure your digital transformation efforts lead to the desired outcomes.
