Businesses in the modern age have always needed digital technology but the COVID-19 pandemic increased the need across all industries. Technology, once considered complementary tools and systems, have now become a must-have for businesses that want to remain relevant and retain a competitive edge. “Digital transformation” is no doubt a buzzword but what is it to your business?
What is Digital Transformation?
Digital transformation is the adoption and deployment of digital tools, processes, strategies, and systems to achieve business goals. What you must know is that digital transformation differs across organisations. The success of digital transformation in a company is dependent on factors such as its industry, the size of the business, business goals, etc.
Regardless of the size of your business, it is important to have a digital transformation roadmap. A plan that allows you and your employees to adapt to the rapid changes as they arise. The digital landscape is ever-evolving and if your business is not prepared, it will be left behind. Digital transformation goes beyond having the latest software or digital infrastructure. It’s about selecting the best tools that suit your specific needs, improving how your employees work, and upgrading your customers’ experience.
Now, some tools can ease and support your digital transformation journey. These tools are essential for businesses that want to stay alive and ahead.
10 Must-Have Tools to Support Digital Transformation
The workplace and consumer demands are rapidly changing, constantly. To keep up with this pace, it is important to have the right tools. These tools satisfy business needs from communication to payroll, and many more.
1. Collaborative Suites
In an organisation with different units, collaboration is essential. Not just collaboration, but mobile collaboration. This gives your employees access to data and resources from anywhere at any time. They can share information in real-time.
There are quite a number of collaboration suites you can select from. There’s Google’s G Suite and Office 365 by Microsoft. These suites increase productivity in your workforce, allow easy management of data and efficient execution of tasks, and maintain the flow of business operations across the organisation. Remote and on-site workers can also collaborate easily.
2. Communication Tools
Effective communication in the workplace cannot be overemphasised. It is vital for the success of any organisation. In a time when the larger part of the global workplace worked on-site, communication was easier. Now, the workplace has transformed into other models like the remote and hybrid workplace models. Without the right tools, communication and doing business can become more tedious and complicated.
This causes a demand for flexible communication tools that allow co-workers, employees, clients, and management to exchange crucial business data seamlessly. With this, tasks get done faster, there is an increase in the quality of employees’ performance, and customer satisfaction is enhanced.
3. Cloud CRMs
Businesses that can keep up with customer/client demands and provide not just their preferences but a plethora of choices can remain at the forefront. But how do you know their demands and preferences? With Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software.
This software collects, organises, and stores customer data across your business channels in a central location. With it, you can analyse, understand, and predict customer needs to create strategies that align with them. That’s not all. You can reduce repetitive tasks and redundancy through automated tasks, reduce sale cycles, enhance sales and retain more customers.
4. Digital Adoption Platforms (DAPs)
What’s digital transformation without digital adoption?
Digital adoption is the major challenge businesses face with digital transformation. It is the main reason behind the failure of digital transformation. Without an adoption strategy, all of the tools listed in this article can’t be adopted successfully. Why?
Most organisations rarely train their employees on how to use and adapt to new technology they adopt. It might be due to a lack of time or training resources. A digital adoption platform solves this problem.
It is software that integrates with your existing systems and allows your IT team to create in-app guidance (tips and tutorials) to allow employees to navigate apps easily. It is highly recommended for onboarding sessions with employees, customers, and users. This platform lets you monitor user interaction with newly adopted tools. This way, you can see what they struggle with and make necessary adjustments (feedback management).
5. HCM platforms
Human resources in any organisation are perhaps the most complex to build and manage which is why your HR department needs every help it can get. With Human Capital Management (HCM) software, your HR team can streamline and optimise the following from one interface;
- Recruitment processes
- Onboarding and training
- Administrative affairs
- Reporting
- Planning
- Payroll and benefits, etc.
This takes care of the month-end hassles the HR team typically encounters. The Hidden Brains Human Resources Management System (HRMS) is the perfect solution to all your HR needs. Fully integrated with an employee self-service portal and seamless integration with third-party systems, this solution helps your HR unit intelligently manage all your HR operations.
6. Cloud Storage Tools
Data is the soul of any technology and must be given the maximum security. Without data, there is no digital transformation. How secure your data determine the success of digital transformation to an extent. To prevent data loss or the breach, you need to upgrade your data security. The most effective way this can be achieved is by using cloud storage tools.
They allow your workforce access to resources they need at any time from any device while protecting them (the resources). Cloud storage can be accessed through cloud service providers. Some of these tools can be used for free or at an affordable rate.
7. Employee Self-Service Platforms
Long gone is the era when employees have to go through tedious manual processes to get data or access benefits. Now, there are employee self-service platforms. These platforms give your employees the ability to upload and update their personal information, get important data, and have access to information on benefits, employee handbooks, company updates, and policies without the HR department. They can also check-in, and manage their schedules.
New hires can as well sign required documents online and be on-boarded.
As described above, the Hidden Brains’ HRMS solution features an employee self-service platform that gives your workforce access to information that matters.
8. New Generation Intranet Platforms
You may remember the older version of the intranet. Platforms built on those models had zero ability to collaborate or make changes. But not the new-generation intranet platforms. These platforms allow and enhance digital transformation in your organisation.
They ease corporate communication and subsequently, collaboration internally (through a strong sense of team for employees), and externally through sharing on social media and via emails through newsletters.
Your IT unit in collaboration with the HR department and internal communications can collect and store all corporate data in a central location, and scale employee productivity, and engagement. Consequently, a strong corporate culture is built.
9. Payroll Management Tools
Payroll management is one of the stressful tasks your HR team has to deal with. It is time-consuming and repetitive. Why stress when the process can be automated?
This way, it is done faster, easily, and more accurately.
A payment management tool centralises and manages all things payroll related from absences to expenses, working hours, etc. It’s not only beneficial for the HR department. Your employees can also track their expenses and request time off. This saves everyone the time and stress of filling in forms and spreadsheets. Instead, they can focus on important tasks.
Our HRMS solution has payroll management features that allow you to enjoy the benefits listed above and more.
10. CMS platforms
They say content is king, and businesses of all kinds now create content to educate, interact with, and sell to their customers/followers. Your business may also focus only on content creation and management. To do this without a hitch, you need to adopt content management system (CMS) software.
A CMS platform allows you to upload, customise and publish your content on the web. You no longer need to write codes to make changes to your website with the intuitive features of a CMS platform. There are numerous CMS platforms you can select from bearing in mind your management needs. Ensure you make the right choice.
All of these tools may not be relevant to your business needs. The first step in your digital transformation journey should be to identify your business needs and which digital tools suit them.
Need help?
At Hidden Brains, our experts are ready to help you identify these needs, their solutions, and how best to adopt them. Beyond our consulting services, we offer industry-specific solutions and services to help your business make the best of technology and support digital transformation.
Want to get started?
Send an inquiry to [email protected] or call +231 915 740 0338.
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