From the time we switch off the morning alarm to the time we switch off our wi-fi connected smart light before we sleep, technology is touching every aspect of our lives today. Powered by the amount of information that we generate (that totals up to hundreds of zettabytes), technology is changing the way in which business is done. The rise of disruptive organizations like Uber, for example, is because of the changes in the technological infrastructure around the world. They did not create the conditions that led them to thrive – they evolved the old business models that were archaic and redefined what their offerings are, how they operate, and interact with their customers. Needless to say, those who embrace digital transformation will be the ones to thrive, to move ahead.

Managing customer experience through digital transformation
At an earlier company townhall, Marlabs’ President of Digital Transformation & Strategy rightly pointed out how enterprises are no longer looking for transformation, they want value-driven solutions that are backed by speed and precision.

“In a digital world, that’s only possible if it is design-led, and through solution exploration not limited to just developing code, but coming up with smarter ways of looking at problems and solutions. It’s not a human vs machine competition, but more around how humans can augment artificial intelligence and create a better world.”

There are plenty of benchmarks to figure out the scale of an organization’s level of digital transformation, but the most indicative of all these metrics is the simplest one: Customer Satisfaction. People interacting with the app or service of an organization is a positive digital outcome in itself.

It is up to the organization to convert this outcome into an experience, where the customer feels compelled to use it again. Even if the customer is not happy, the tools made available by digital transformation enable employees to take the negative sentiment, analyse it and try to solve it. This way, every employee becomes an ambassador for the organization, and that’s when business outcomes start becoming stellar.

Importance of digital literacy for transformation
Forrester’s latest research on digital business maturity double downs on business leaders considering accelerating the shift to digital business the most critical priority in 2021.

The fact that digital transformation is not just limited to one field, but encompasses multiple areas of interest – engineering, manufacturing, software, even agriculture – underlines the necessity of having a digitally literate workforce. Organizations that invest in the continued development of their employees continue to develop at a faster pace. Organizations that have pedigree of innovating in IoT, cybersecurity, customer experience and other fields have to stay at the cutting edge o the development – at an organization like Marlabs, there are always around 300-400 employees who are getting upskilled every six months in the field of their choice. This level of diligence to digital literacy comes in handy during digital transformation, where employees don’t just learn how to solve problems, but do so with the latest and the best way to solve them.

The future of digital transformation
A recent webinar on digital transformation with Forrester’s Nigel Fenwick shed light on what it takes for successful transformations. “Most successful transformations are CEO-led, they take a top down approach and ensure there is a culture of obsession with customer satisfaction. Transformative firms are incredibly focussed on the customer and begins with an outside-in focus on customer value.”

If history has taught us anything, ‘change is the only constant’ would be right at the top of it. Organizations aiming to complete their digital transformation need to realise that investing in today’s technologies may bring them up to speed, but can hardly offer any advantage. The organizations that invested in AI a few years ago when it was still nascent, are reaping benefits today. Similarly, Quantum computing is at a similar stage where AI was, and will be huge by 2030s. AI and machine learning, IoT, blockchain, and cognitive computing are a few of the sectors that can gain prominence and be essential parts of the digital transformation of an organization.

Driving the future with obsession
Hyper personalization is going to drive the customer experience in the future, where data is used effectively to cater to people at a personal level – en masse. This act of building individuality into their offerings can help organizations to provide memorable experiences to their customers, without ridiculous overheads. The tools of digital transformation can help organizations bring that personal touch and make customers feel like a part of family, who respect the brands because they feel cared. This level of loyalty can only be termed as ‘Omnipresence’, which is when customers see a brand as their brand. When organizations manage to reach this level, their business will automatically thrive. It is this Customer obsession that sets great brands and organizations apart: They know that product is important, but making the customer feel great ensures they come back over and over again.

Vikas Kumar
EVP & Chief Commercial Officer,
Marlabs