The business world grows more competitive every day, and business owners must adapt and use every tool they can to stay competitive. One such tool is digital transformation, which can do wonders for your business if done correctly. Technology has the potential to radically improve efficiency, customer experience, and growth. While embracing new technology can be scary, keeping pace with the digital age is a must if you want to stay in business in Brighton.
What Is Digital Transformation?
In short, digital transformation is the integration of digital technologies into your business. At a base level, that may involve rethinking your traditional business models to include things like automation, data analytics, and more. It might also mean opening an e-commerce platform to supplement your brick-and-mortar Brighton business, or adopting a customer relationship management (CRM) suite to help you keep in touch with your customers.
If this seems like a luxury or a nuisance, it isn’t — for small businesses especially, it’s all but a necessity. Companies that don’t keep up with technology risk falling behind competitors who are using those tools, and the result could be fatal to your business.
Among the many advantages of transforming your business:
- You can more easily compete with larger companies by using technology to level the playing field a little.
- You can respond more quickly to market changes and consumer demands.
- You can improve efficiency across your company, which will lower costs and put more profit in your pocket.
- Assistant technologies can improve the customer experience by personalising and tailoring services.
Having a digital aspect to your Brighton business wasn’t always that important. But the COVID-19 pandemic changed all that. The pandemic kept millions of people in their homes, forcing them to make many purchases digitally. Though the worst of the pandemic is now behind us, people have gotten much more used to doing business digitally, as well as working remotely and having more interactions online. Digital transformation has become a key driver in terms of a small business’s long-term success.
How Are UK Businesses Faring in Digital Transformation?
More and more, small businesses in the UK are realising the importance of using digital tools. According to a recent report by the UK government, digital transformation is spreading far and wide, and soon even the smallest company, in Brighton and across the UK, may be partially digital.
There are real benefits to this adoption of new technology. 82% of small businesses recognize the benefits of using digital tools, while 65% of business owners believe digital tools help them respond better to customer wants and needs. But this doesn’t mean digital transformation comes without its challenges. Lack of technical know-how, financial constraints, and other factors can make it difficult to embrace new technology effectively.
Brighton, it seems, is doing particularly well in this regard, with a thriving tech scene and a forward-thinking business community. Small businesses throughout Brighton are in a great position to use digital transformation to their advantage — but for those who might be struggling with the question of how, here are a few tips.
Tips on Transforming Your Brighton Small Business
Develop a Plan
As the old saying goes, “failing to plan is planning to fail.” Before making any major changes to how you do business, take some time to develop a clear and actionable plan. Look at your current situation and ask yourself what technologies you’re currently using, where you could use some help or improvement. Then lay out your objectives, whether it’s to improve customer engagement, streamline operations, or cultivate a more profitable online presence. Once you’ve clearly defined these goals, you can better identify the digital tools that will help you achieve them.
Hire the Right People
While some digital transformation can be handled in-house, chances are you’ll need the services of an outside professional, such as a digital marketing specialist, web designer, or IT person. When in doubt, it’s better to rely on the skills of a trained professional than risk making a grievous error.
Have a Website? Optimise It
Your website is the beating heart of your business, so you should make sure it’s clean, elegant, and easy to use. It should also be optimised for mobile devices, as most users now do business that way. To enhance customer support, consider getting an AI chatbot to help answer common queries and help guide customers through the purchasing process.
Integrate Digital Tools
As previously mentioned, using a CRM or integrated accounting system can go a long way toward optimising your processes. When you do integrate new digital tools, make sure you maintain good security hygiene as well: use encryption and precautions such as two-factor authentication, and make sure both yourself and your staff are educated on best practices for cybersecurity.
Finally, be aware digital transformation is an ongoing and never-ending process, so make sure to periodically review your systems and update them as necessary.
