When you hear the words “Digital Transformation,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Huge companies? Tons of money? Sure, for large corporations like banks, digital transformation requires heaps of money and time because they have vast operations and thousands of staff. They’re simply not that nimble when we talk about something that will probably overhaul an entire system.
But when it comes to small and mid-sized companies, like IT businesses in Australia, digital transformation can and should be part of your day-to-day thinking. When it comes to business operations, it is an opportunity to significantly impact your system by streamlining the processes involved.
However, digital transformation isn’t a one-off project you just do. It’s not something that can be done and finished overnight. It’s called “transformation” for a reason and not “magic.” Digital Transformation is a process. It’s achieved by taking a structural look at all aspects of your business and the underlying foundations you operate on. By looking at the root of the system, we are assured proper troubleshooting and rightsized solutions. It’s bound to take time but it’s not impossible whatever the current state of your business is.
At a high level, every business really has three key functions:
- Sales and Marketing
- Accounts
- Operations (your service/product delivery)
Within each of the functions, there are several processes that you do every day to achieve the desired outcome. It’s within these processes that you can start to digitally transform your business. This simply means looking at ways to leverage technology to make the process more efficient and accessible.
But none of this transformation can happen unless you have your technology foundations in place—Systems, Support, Security and Strategy.
If you rush in trying to “automate” your business without calibrating and fixing the foundations first, you’ll be wasting money in the end. Some of the common mistakes we see are investments in new tech to fill a gap, not getting the most out of your existing platforms, and ignoring the needs of your team.
You don’t always need the latest and most high-tech tools; you need the system that’s right for you and the business. Maximize what you have in your current infrastructure and build on it. Digital Transformation is not always a massive overhaul. Sometimes, it can just be a renovation or a simple repair here and there. Whatever it ends up being, the result is still an optimized technological architecture that’s going to drive performance and eliminate unnecessary procedures for you.
The key takeaway is before you rush into digital transformation, you must have a clear understanding of the technology you have in place today. Ensure that what you have is going to support where you want to be. And if that’s not the case, then change is the decision you need to make.
If you are not sure where you are at give us a call and we can walk you through the process to kick off your digital transformation journey for your IT business in Australia. You may also visit our Business Optimisation and IT Support Brisbane page to learn more!
