In this fiercely competitive market, organizations are attempting to implement digital technologies in order to remain competitive, boost productivity and efficiency, and raise profit margins. In this article, we will discuss the advantages of digitalization and how it can positively impact your business model.
The advantages of digitalization are increased efficiency, increased productivity, lower operational costs, improved customer experience, higher agility, enhanced employee morale, improved communication, increased transparency, improved competitive advantage, and faster decision making.
If you want to automate your business, minimize actual costs, and establish efficient processes, that’s excellent, but there are no shortcuts. Companies are embracing the digital world in greater numbers than ever before. However, progress toward modernity and digitalization must be carefully planned, and the use of technology systems must be carefully considered.
Business process automation is a vital component of the digital transformation equation in an era where being competitive implies quickly adjusting to change. Using BPM tools, organizations can start their digitalization journey.
Manual processing delays, human mistakes, and inefficient business processes can no longer be disregarded; they are costing businesses thousands of dollars per year and that’s why most organizations realized the importance of digitalization.
If you are looking to get inspired to start your digitalization journey, check these powerful quotes.
What is Digitalization?
Digitalization is the use of digital technology to transform a company model in order to improve revenue and value-added prospects. It is the process of moving to a digital business.
It incorporates the process of adapting old business models to new technologies and embraces digital technology’s potential to collect data, identify patterns, and make smarter business decisions.
The purpose of digitalization is to describe the process of enabling, improving, and transforming business operations through the use of digitized data and technologies in order to transform how organizations conduct business and improve productivity.
These procedures and interactions may not be entirely digital, but they do rely on digital technologies more heavily than they did previously.
Digitalization necessitates the digitization of information. Organizations cannot embark on the digitalization path unless they have digital assets and automation is one of the most effective ways to implement it.
I strongly recommend reading the below article to discover the difference between Digitization & Digitalization
Digitization vs Digitalization: What’s The Difference? (theecmconsultant.com)
What are the advantages of digitalization?
Digitalization is vital for our future that is why organizations all throughout the world are adjusting their operations to be digitally compatible. Many businesses have realized the importance of digitalization and already converted or invested in new business models. Consider communication, music, eBooks, and online shopping. This change will not spare any industry.
It is no secret that businesses must continually change in order to stay viable. In our current digital world, organizations don’t have any choice but to embark on the digital transformation journey.
Organizations may run more effectively, save expenses, and boost production are some of the advantages of digitalization in business. In summary, it is a matter of life and death for them.
The advantages of digitalization are:
#1- Streamline processes
Every business is continuously looking for innovative methods to improve efficiency. If you want to become more efficient in business, you will need to embark on the digitalization journey.
When a business process is automated, you can expect reliable outcomes every time. Automating processes and related business rules will help your organization achieve greater transparency and fairness.
Efficiency is defined as how well time, effort, and money are utilized to complete a task or achieve a goal. One of the most significant advantages of digitalization is that it reduces the time it takes to complete a task, the effort necessary to complete it, and the cost of doing it correctly.
#2- Higher productivity
When you automate manual repetitive processes, you free your employees from monotonous job tasks and allow them to focus on more difficult and innovative initiatives that will help your business function more efficiently.
With business process automation systems, tasks may be done more faster and with fewer mistakes. Finally, process automation enables employees to make better use of their time at work.
#3- Reduce operational costs
Every business owner’s objective is to save time and, more importantly, money. Manual tasks and processes are intrinsically slower than automated activities and processes since they are conducted one at a time.
Inefficient processes cost organizations up to 30% of their annual revenue. When business procedures are done manually, there is a far greater chance of resources being squandered.
Digitalization enables the most efficient and cost-effective use of your core resources.
Digitalization has the potential to save up to 90% on operational expenses.
Source: Forrester
#4- Increase transparency
Depending on the process you’ve decided to automate (financial, billing, collections, sales, and/or support), critical metrics can be gathered and reported on to provide you with the crucial information you want.
Transparency in business processes is critical for long-term success. If processes and their status are digitally monitored, higher management will have more faith in how things are done.
Well-documented processes and transparent workflow boost an organization’s visibility. Managers don’t have to worry about employees forgetting what they’re supposed to be doing since everyone understands what they’re supposed to be doing at all times. When leaders visualize processes, they can immediately identify bottlenecks and opportunities.
#5- Quality and consistency
One of the most important advantages of digitalization is that it guarantees that each operation is carried out in a consistent manner, resulting in high-quality, dependable output.
If you automate your customer service follow-up process, for example, your consumers will receive the same quality of support from your company every time.
Because of the assurance of quality and consistency, as well as the time and efficiency benefits, you may begin designing higher-quality, more feature-rich products with little or no increase in manufacturing time and costs.
#6- Less human error
When operations are automated, the likelihood of human error is considerably decreased.
When it comes to doing tasks, humans are more prone to error than machines. Machines never weary and can run constantly 24 hours a day. So let us assign what we don’t want to perform to computers and concentrate on more challenging tasks.
#7- Governance and reliability
Because automated processes are consistent, you can rely on them to
- Run your business
- Provide reliable procedures to your clients, giving you a competitive edge.
Workflow automation’s dependability guarantees that critical corporate governance operations are carried out 100 percent of the time and in compliance with the law.
#8- Enhanced agility
Businesses, now more than ever, must stay up with the fast-paced digital environment. They must be able to swiftly respond to any market shift, upheaval, or new opportunity.
Organizations should be agile enough to shift directions rapidly and to do so, agile techniques should be adopted across all departments, and when business processes are automated, it allows to modify and adapt to changes at a relatively fast pace.
#9- Improved employee morale
When employees are required to focus on manual repetitive tasks, it reduces their ability to learn, develop, and advance professionally. Employees benefit from digitalization since it automates these repetitive activities, allowing them to engage in more significant initiatives and so enhancing their morale.
#10- Better decision making
Digitalization and information management work hand in hand; as information is analyzed, it transforms into knowledge, and knowledge leads to better decisions.
#11- Personalization
Personalization has significant impact on how your customers connect with your brand. Through Bi tools and advanced data analytics, your organization can understand better the insights of its customers experience and craft a highly tailored experience for individual users.
In addition, it allows to understand the history of your customers interaction so it could suggest products or content that align with their past behaviors and preferences. Without digitalization, this could not ever happen!
#12- Eliminate bottlenecks and bureaucracy
Digitalization plays a role in eliminating process bottlenecks and tackling bureaucracy within organizations. By effectively automating tasks and optimizing workflows, BPA tools minimize the chances of bottlenecks caused by errors or delays. It also facilitates sharing of real time data and foster collaboration ensuring smooth information flow across departments.
Moreover, digitalization often brings transparency providing insights, into processes and decision making. This should reduce bureaucracy of decision making within your organization as it becomes easier to visually track and optimize workflows.
#13- Security
One of the most critical topics that organizations are trying to minimize is the increase of data breaches through effective security measures applied on digital assets. There are a lot of options that you could implement such as role-based access control, encryption, watermarks, and two ways authentication to protect and secure your most critical data.
