Digital Transformation, Part 6: Examples of digital transformation done right

[SDenecken]

Every business should jump at the opportunity to improve and transform, especially when there are great rewards to reap, and when not doing so could be harmful.  The never-ending advancement of technology presents enterprises with countless promising opportunities for every aspect of their business.

If you had the chance to double the number of customers or make your employees twice as efficient, wouldn't you take it?

Digital transformation is not something to be left for the future.  In fact, quite a number of businesses have already begun their successful digital transformations.  For any doubtful readers that remain, let me convince you of the benefits of digital transformation with three outstanding examples, for which we had the pleasure to co-innovate: Marriott, Nespresso, and T-Mobile USA.

Marriott

Marriott has done an excellent job using technology for learning, engagement, and sharing across its 15 brands.  Rather than letting its large size hinder any changes, Marriott focused on tapping into the value of its employees.  It accomplished this by adopting a collaboration solution to highlight best practices, accelerate decision-making processes, collect proposals, and rank ideas.  This solution ensures that innovations and information don't fall through the cracks and can instead be shared across the enterprise.

This fundamental aspect of digital transformation involves networks and collaboration

The core of Marriott's efforts lies in sharing.  This fundamental aspect of digital transformation involves networks and collaboration (see Digital Transformation, Part 3: the Building Blocks).  To make this transformation comprehensive, key executives at Marriott came up with a shared vision centered on collaboration and mobile (see Digital Transformation, Part 4: The Role of Leadership). Next, Marriott adopted Work Patterns to bring the sharing of best practices into its company culture.  This ultimately improves Marriott's business practices and increases customer satisfaction.

Sharing also extends beyond the company.  Through collaboration with vendors on project requirements, Marriott has reduced the time of issue resolution. Having successfully adopted these measures, Marriott is agile and ahead, ready to handle future challenges.

Nespresso

Our next example is also my favorite, given the amount of coffee I consume. Nespresso provides another illustration of digital transformation done right.

Nespresso's overarching goal is the same as it has always been: to provide customers with the perfect coffee experience.  What has changed is Nespresso’s incorporation of technology to achieve this, allowing for an even greater focus on the experience aspect of its products.

The desire to win new customers, gain a deeper understanding of its customers, and manage complex buying processes triggered Nespresso's transformation.

The desire to win new customers, gain a deeper understanding of its customers, and manage complex buying processes triggered Nespresso's transformation.  Its initiatives are supported by a modern customer engagement solution based in the cloud, complete with network capability.  Its cloud solution serves as an innovation platform with a full-fledged sales solution capable of handling the entire buying cycle: pricing, quotes, and orders.  With the help of these networks, Nespresso pulls information about its customers from external sources like social media. Nespresso now can also engage directly with its customers, a market that the industry calls “a segment of one.”

Nespresso's digital initiatives have proven fruitful.  Benefits include greater penetration into new markets, higher sales and user adoption, better sales productivity, and better visibility across the entire engagement cycle.  Business processes are faster than ever thanks to its new capabilities, with delivery and innovation cycles now as short as four weeks.

Most importantly, Nespresso has a single, simplified, and optimized view of its customers across all channels (an omnichannel) and systems, irrespective of connection method. It encompasses customers who engage via the website, via mobile, at an airport vending machine, or those who plan to meet George Clooney in a flagship store...

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