Digital transformation is more important than ever during the coronavirus pandemic. Companies must be nimble and acknowledge that the world we live in has been fundamentally changed by COVID-19, social distancing, and working from home.
If you’re able to develop and deploy new digital strategies and tools that will connect with your customers and prospects during COVID-19, then you will be more likely to survive and even thrive in the new normal.
Here are 8 digital strategies you can use to help accelerate your digital transformation over the next few months:
Rethink your business
Companies that invest in digital transformation, while looking at both the short-term bottom-line as well as overall long-term results, will survive this pandemic and come out the other side even more competitively positioned.
Think about how you can change your sales processes to reach new target markets or to provide new services:
- Is there a new market for your products or solutions now that more people are staying at home and social distancing in order to help flatten the curve?
- Can your company reach a new prospective client base and provide a specific service?
- Are you able to offer a price break on relevant products to current clients or potential clients to help them during the crisis?
Find new prospective clients
Think about how your company can shift its focus to reach a new target market or audience. For instance, your business may be selling to large, enterprise organizations with thousands of employees and clients. These companies typically have a much longer sales cycle and make decisions at a slower pace.
During the COVID-19 crisis, opportunities for change must happen at a faster pace:
- Can you provide additional services, such as cross-sell and up-sell opportunities, to current clients?
- Are their organizations you can sell to that are more agile and can make quicker purchasing decisions?
Focus on what customers want
What do your customers really want from you? For instance, if your clients are using a healthcare mobile app, you may assume they want to review their insurance claims and pay their bills online. But what if they also want to find a doctor, learn more about COVID-19 symptoms, or access additional healthcare services? It’s important to know how customers are currently using your mobile app and then add extra features to help support them.
Start small with digital strategies
Digital transformation doesn’t happen overnight. You may want to consider incorporating a mobile app to help you communicate effectively and efficiently with your remote employees and provide COVID-19 updates and information. Initiate small digital strategies that create quick wins and then continue making improvements and adjustments. Migrate more of your IT assets to the Cloud and consider using more everything-as-a-service (XaaS) tools.
Create virtual events
Many conferences big and small have been canceled around the world due to COVID-19. Think about creating virtual events in order to bring groups together without worrying about social distancing. Even if it’s just to unite your remote workers via a video conference call or host a happy hour at the end of the day, it’s great to see everyone’s face.
Be prepared to adapt
Things will go wrong, and in this current environment we don’t know when we will be back to normal. Or even what the new normal might be. Now may be a good time to get more creative with collaboration tools and new technologies to connect with employees and clients. What was once nice to have may become “crucial to have” to help your business thrive over the next few months.
Keep improving the process
In order for businesses to thrive in the medium and longer term, it will be necessary to revisit your digital strategies. Think about developing plans for future upgrades, upscaling your digital infrastructure, and hiring new employees to provide you with the best chances of competing in the new normal.
Find ways to help out
Many companies are stepping up to the plate and chipping in to provide much needed products and services to the healthcare industry. Organizations from various fields are revamping their machinery and factories to produce hand sanitizer, face masks, ventilators, and more.
We can all do our part to help out. Look for ways in your community to offer your organization’s services to assist others. We are all in this together!
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