As consumers move to the online world, the transactions made in person are decreasing. Smartphone shoppers boosted online retail spending in the UK to a whopping, record high of £133bn last year. Consumers are more connected than ever before and it’s your responsibility to be there for them immediately. So, how do you know when it’s time to undergo a digital makeover?
1. Your customers aren’t being responded to immediately
Customers won’t wait for tomorrow and the 9-5 is outdated. Customer experience should be at the heart of any organisation.
If your communication methods are kept within the four walls of the office this makes it nearly impossible to communicate with customers around the clock. Of course, your staff need time away from the office and time to disengage with their work commitments. However, if a service/product you provide is massively faulted and your customers need help, it’s not good enough to wait until the office is back open to respond.
By storing emails, data and applications in a secure cloud platform, you have the ability to be online when it matters the most to your customers.
2. You need a competitive advantage
The marketplace is crowded and it’s the forward-thinking organisations that are winning. Always-on businesses are creating more interest due to the service and convenience they are offering. Traditional working hours do not represent modern life. A CSO Insights report showed that 65% of sales reps’ on-the-job time was non-client facing. By utilising cloud technology that can globalise your business, location is no longer by a concern and your staff can get to where they need to be, putting you in front of potential customers you would’ve never been able to reach previously.
3. You need better processes to keep up
Outdated technology means outdated processes. Storing crucial data on thousands of pieces of paper is no longer sufficient and makes it complicated to manage the input of data.
4. You need to improve work/life balance
Although it is essential that businesses are always connected to their customers, it’s just as important that workers are getting the balance right between work and their personal life. Work-related stress already costs Britain 10.4 million working days per year. It’s essential that businesses are doing what they can to lower this by providing flexible solutions that make work life, work for their staff.
By introducing new technology, organisations are giving their staff the tools they need to make the distinction between work and play. Employees who believe that they have good work-life balance work 21% harder than those who don’t.
5. You need to comply
It is thought that only 5% of UK businesses are fully prepared for GDPR. Businesses need to start thinking about where their customer data is held. It’s not efficient to store data in the four walls of the office alone. They need to consider the different routes to compliance. Storing data in a secure cloud environment provides organisations with a head start on the journey to compliance.
We believe technology is the key to providing businesses with more opportunities, better customer service and improved processes. For more information on how to undergo a digital transformation in your organisation, do not hesitate to contact us.
