The six stages of digital transformation

When did you last rely on a physical map for navigation or send a document via a fax machine?

It’s a scary thought; your business might be in danger. Technology is coming for you faster than ever. Imagine the Terminator but not quite as hostile. 

Whether you like it or not, the digital age is upon us. But change doesn’t need to happen overnight. Small steps can be implemented today to get you on the right path. By embracing digitization you can secure your business's future and avoid threats from revenge-seeking, futuristic cyborgs.

Our digital transformation strategy is what you need to save your future. In the words of Arnie himself: come with us if you want to live.

Basic digitization

Are you still using a filing cabinet for documents? Are you still signing documents in wet ink? The first step is to sort out all that paper. 

The solution to this is simple: scanning. Use an old printer or rent one, because after this you’ll never need a printer/scanner again.

• Step 1: scan your files and send them to your computer.
• Step 2: Use an OCR tool to make your scanned documents readable by computers.

Now you can read, search and even edit your old paper files online!

Establish a basic digital presence

71% of all businesses have a website, and 91% of US businesses are using some form of social media for marketing. Business transformation is vital to survival in the modern world; if your business isn’t online yet, you could be missing out on a ton of potential clients. 

It’s so common these days for people to research your business online before reaching out to you. Setting up a website and hiring someone to manage your social media presence – even if it’s just a Facebook page with your opening hours and contact info – opens up a customer base you may not have considered before.

Building a digital foundation

You’ve got the groundwork in check. Now it’s time to lay some foundations. This involves taking all those scanned and OCRd documents from step one and sending them straight into the cloud. 

This might sound technical but it’s easy peasy. You can just use Google Drive. It's a cloud storage solution with more than enough space to take your freshly digitized files; and heaps tools to make working on them easy.

If you’re setting up Google Workspace for the first time, read our in-depth blog here to set up your workspace quickly and painlessly. 

Expanding your digital transformation 

You’ve been dabbling in the digital, but now you’re ready to step up your game. 

The goal of expansion is not to grow your business into a multi-headed beast of untameable and confusing tools; it’s to use multipurpose tools that condense the chaos and streamline your processes.

One example is a customer relationship management (CRM) tool like HubSpot, which can make email workflows easier, store customer data and manage customer support; all from one place. 

Here are some other tools you could implement at this stage:

• Slack - make intra-office email a thing of the past
• Lumin - a PDF editor that lets you edit, store and collaborate on work from one place
• Asana - handle project management at the macro and micro levels
• Google Analytics - track website data, monitor ad performance, and see where customers are dropping off; all from one dashboard

These tools are designed to take the place of multiple others; so you can jump on Slack and dump email, text, and most update meetings. You can put your work in Lumin and use it as a shared library, a place to give feedback, and as an editor to action that feedback.

Integration

At this stage, you’ve become a tech wizz. You’ve even started talking about your “stack” at dinner parties. From here, it’s all about taking the apps you have and integrating them. 

No, we’re not talking about 12th-grade math class here. Integration is the action of connecting your software systems so they can share data and simplify your business processes. When looking to implement another app, ensure that it can integrate with your existing software stack. The majority of popular software tools can freely integrate with each other.

One example is Google Workspace, which integrates with thousands of other softwares so you can open your Google Doc straight from Drive into Lumin, AppSheet, BeFunky – whatever you need in the moment.

Another example is Slack, which integrates with tools like HubSpot and Figma so you can send and receive updates on work from one place.

Automation

When you think of automation what comes to mind? Coding? Self-driving cars? Revenge-seeking cyborgs? 

Thankfully it's not that technical (or terrifying). Automation is using technology to perform tasks automatically. Begin by identifying processes or tasks that take too much admin time. What tasks are repetitive and time-consuming? Common uses are: data entry, follow-up emails, and posting the same thing to every social media profile.

The next step is finding a way to automate these. For example:

• Lumin Sign can send signature requests and follow-ups without you having to lift a finger. 
• Metricool allows you to create one social media post and hit “send” once; sending it to every profile you have.

If you’re looking to automate your software processes, Zapier is worth checking out. It’s often described as the "glue" connecting apps, and a browse of its library could pay off.

Fostering a transformative culture

You have climbed the mountain. You are standing at the cuttingest edge and you are ready for anything.

Our advice: stay ready. Digital transformation is a never-ending endeavor with new technology consistently on the horizon. Advanced AI, next-gen microprocessors and quantum computing aren’t far away. 

Experimenting and testing new technology is a must to stay ahead in this dynamic digital age. It’s important to embrace a proactive approach to ensure your business can stay resilient against technological threats from the future. In saying that, don’t just jump on the next trend for the sake of it. No, you can’t use ChatGPT to balance your accounts just yet.

If you’re ready to kick off your digital transformation, why not start with documents?