Digital transformation is one of those trendy buzzwords that a lot of professionals like to throw around in conversation, even though they may not fully understand the value behind the concept. Simply put, digital transformation is using digital technologies to sharpen business processes, drive productivity, and give your employees more innovative ways to succeed. These concepts apply to all departments, from accounting to sales, marketing, HR, and customer service.
With definitions out of the way, where does digital transformation happen? After all, you've probably tried out some productivity apps, implemented collaboration tools, and maybe even moved your files to the cloud. You've nailed the digital part- but where's the actual transformation? Let's talk about that below.
Digital Transformation Must Be Unified
To say our world is not the same as a few short years ago is an understatement. For one, we have a work from anywhere model mentality. Additionally, to meet the demand for shifting behaviors and consumer expectations, unified communications as a service (UCaaS) is the way to go.
In a nutshell, UCaaS brings all your internal and external communication tools together, serving them up in one unified space. Instead of opening ten or twelve apps for phone, messaging, video, and the like, everything is on one platform. Suddenly, communication becomes seamless. You and your team have access to every tool in the toolshed from anywhere, on any device. You're more productive because everyone within your organization stays connected.
Is that really such a big deal? It is. It's where transformation begins to take hold.
Focus shifts from searching for a solution to having a reliable unified platform for all your future solutions. Collaboration and problem-solving capabilities soar. Co-workers and experts are on-hand, working across departments to get things done. Team members talk to each other by message, video, or phone from anywhere on any device. Work happens everywhere and isn't confined to the office.
How important is cloud communication to business outcomes? One study found that 74% of business CFOs think that adopting UCaaS will have the most impact on their company's transformation.
Digital Transformation Must Be Backed by Data
Once processes begin to click into place and your company adopts the new workflows, it is essential to start looking at the data provided by your UC platform or contact center. Are phone calls and digital meetings getting shorter or longer? Are your sales teams accessing important marketing collateral more often? What's happening to the overall bottom line? The answers are within your data.
Here are some ideas on what to measure:
Quality of Service or QoS: it may seem obvious to gauge call quality for voice, but to track QoS truly, you'll want to look at all the performance tools you use to communicate, like video conferencing with customers or team members.
Employee Adoption: distributed workforces can lead to loss of information if everyone isn't using the same technology. Knowing how much time your employees spend on which tools helps you understand the shortfalls and offer support.
Employee Engagement: the easier it is for your team to do their jobs, the happier they'll be. The more satisfied they are, the better they'll perform. Monitoring engagement is much richer with UCaaS analytics, where you're able to view everything from active presence to meeting participation in real-time, whether your employees are on-site or remote.
Peak Times: is your productivity waning during your busiest times? When is your team using collaboration tools? Do they need more resources? Answering these questions is easy when you monitor peak times, ultimately leading to higher efficiency and quality.
Compliance: compliance analysis lets you see if your employees follow the guidelines set forth to keep your customers and business secure. If not, you'll know where the deficiencies are so you're able to address them.
Collaboration Time: how effectively your team works together can be measured by tracking how often they collaborate. Are they able to easily join meetings from anywhere? Do they use messaging to get real-time answers needed to complete projects? Do you know how many meetings they sent or received last week?
Of course, not all metrics are created equally, and you'll have to decide internally what really matters to your organization. Once you do, it's a good idea to make internal initiatives and measure them on a regular basis, perhaps every 3 to 6 months. Once you're hitting your desired benchmarks, be sure to set new goals.
Digital Transformation Must be Accessible
Another important thing to note is that digital transformation generally starts with UCaaS because it's the communications platform that brings your company together. The 'unified' part of UC means to place all of your mission-critical tools in a single platform, and modern offerings make those apps accessible from any device. That means your entire office suite now securely resides on every employee's cell phone, laptop, or home computer, making it much easier to remain highly productive.
Rome wasn't built in a day and perhaps neither will your UCaaS strategy. Your transformation may happen in stages. Everything you do today is the foundation for tomorrow; there isn't a one size fits all solution. You may choose to start with a hybrid move, where some services stay on location as you move others to the cloud. Whichever way you decide to handle the conversion, be sure to have a plan and follow it.
With real digital transformation, your business becomes primed to scale into even more important features, become more efficient, and provide better levels of customer service in the future.
To learn more about planning your digital transformation to CCaaS contact us here.
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