The right platform for your digital transformation
Digital transformation needs a technical basis, but digital platforms should not be an end in themselves: What is important in the introduction of new digital platforms is how companies use their own resources in a clever way, and why it is an advantage to seek support from a professional digital agency.
Users like it simple when it comes to information or the purchase itself — they want to choose the best route for their current situation, whether it is research by smartphone or an order and pickup from a nearby dealer. It is not easy for companies to meet these requirements since this usually requires a change of business model and processes as well as the integration of all channels — with all the product data, availability, customer history and not least the content management for several channels. Without high-performance digital platforms this is barely feasible, therefore the introduction of a suitable system is properly viewed as both necessary and urgent. The choice of system however is both complicated and time-consuming for businesses to handle alone. For companies and their IT and purchasing departments, this is generally new territory and there are no specialists who know this market. Therefore, information must first be gathered, and functionality, compatibility, offers and prices compared. Furthermore, no vendor can fully satisfy all requirements: There are content platforms for the distribution of content via several channels (including planning, monitoring and analysis), e-commerce platforms, product information systems (PIM) and CRM systems — often already in use but seldom up-to-date. This means either acquiring more than one system or having to make cuts. A common mistake is that a platform is initially chosen and installed at the beginning of a digital transformation. The better way to select and build a digital platform is to do it using a digital roadmap as the focus. The best result is to end up with a solution that satisfies the requirements. Involving experts with good market and product knowledge in the selection process is the best way to decide upon the strategically appropriate digital platform. Against this background it seems wiser for businesses to use their own strengths primarily for the analysis and development of their own business model, and to work together with an experienced full-service digital agency in the field of strategy development and technical implementation.
Find the business model first, then the technology
One such project at ecx.io is the digital roadmap, which includes analysis, strategy and roadmap planning and takes between 3 and 6 months, depending on the customer. The first step concerns how the company would like to be positioned in the market: What is the future business model? The considerations concern the way in which interactions with customers and stakeholders are conducted, but may also be about the extension or modification of sales channels, for example supplying end customers directly, expanding e-commerce, additional services or expansion in new regions. Often however, just changing conditions in the market, new competitors and changing business models are reasons for companies to develop a digital roadmap.
The role of the agency is the structured processing of all aspects that need to be considered in a digital roadmap, and in particular it should contribute to the understanding of digital transformation as a holistic and ongoing process of change. However, the representatives from the company itself know their own market, the customers and also their own strengths better than anyone else. In this phase, the consultant is often the sparring partner with a lot of experience in the digital field and from other projects.
Adapting internal structures to the business model
Working with an inter-departmental multidisciplinary team is necessary for a complete analysis, strategy development and also for sustainable implementation. The “silo” mentality, often still widespread, must be overcome. The user is at the centre of all the activity and this fact must also be reflected in the internal corporate structure and the nature of the collaboration. On the one hand, the activities of the customer-oriented areas, such as marketing, communication and sales, should therefore be closely interlinked and co-ordinated, and needless to say the IT department must be involved from the outset. On the other hand, there is also a certain backward integration — in the manufacturing sector in particular digitalisation also affects the transformation of production itself, the new platforms being heavily involved in the processes right through to individual product and machine data.
Only after the business model and all its resulting requirements have been defined can the selection of the appropriate systems for the construction of a digital platform be addressed. In the process used at ecx.io, this stage is only one of a total of 12 steps. As a rule, two to three systems are combined. The technologies used must therefore be interlinked, integrated into the existing systems and adapted to the particular requirements. In the majority of cases however this works without any complex individual programming as there are already a sufficient number of sample solutions — one just has to know them. With an extensive and comprehensive knowledge of technology, and up-to-date experts in several technologies, the right solution quickly follows.
Using agile methods for the digital transformation
The implementation is carried out using agile methods and short development cycles (sprints). This means seeing the first results as early as possible, even if all the planned functions have not yet been integrated. In this case, testing and content editing can be started, while the additional functions are being developed in parallel.
If digital transformation is seen as an ongoing process and the platforms used merely as a means of implementation, it also follows that changes in internal collaboration must likewise be permanent. The new tools must be used, further developed and adapted to changes and new customer requirements. To state it clearly: It is not about a one-off project, with the team being dissolved after implementation. Constant change requires flexibility, but also teams and employees who deal decisively with digital transformation. Ultimately this development is much more profound than the introduction of a new tool.
