How Digital Transformation is Driving Business Growth

There is no getting away from it. Digital technology has slowly taken over business and our lives. However, it has not been as bad a thing as many may think. The digital revolution has actually done a lot of good – so far. For example, this technology has forever changed the way we live and work. In fact, the digital transformation has had a greater impact on marketing, how we work and how businesses operate and conduct maintenance of their operation. You could say that digital technology has pushed us forward at greater speeds and nudged businesses to grow at an alarming rate compared to how they expanded prior to the introduction of this technology.

But how exactly has the digital transformation helped business?

That’s actually an easy one to answer. Computers ushered in a new age when they became user friendly tools that enhanced business. Here’s how they did that:

1. Online Billing

It won’t be too far into the future when nobody will be able to remember the “old days” before online billing became the norm. Believe it or not, billing used to be a manual procedure that involved either a handwritten invoice or a typewritten one. That eventually changed to a computer-generated invoicing system. The only common thread through this transformation was the need for paper and printing ink. Online billing flipped that process on its ear by producing digital billing and invoices that could be sent through the mail to customers. Only the mail used at this point was electronic and not the post office kind of mail service. Digital delivery of invoices was instant and saved on postage, paper, assorted other office supplies and most importantly, time.

2. Customer Communication

Again, there will be a point in current history when no one will remember how you used to communicate with customers when in business. The most recent format was e-mail which would have eliminated telephone communication for various reasons. An electronic mail response gave you a paper trail to follow should things go sideways for some reason. Plus, email just made it easier to take care of customer requests because you could use the email as a marketing tool by including links and information to craft a value-added response. Now that has been virtually replaced by the chat box known as a customer communication platform. The chat box provides instant results speeding up customer service from however fast email might have been.

3. Websites

At one point in history, if your business was going to expand, it usually meant you were either moving into a bigger building or adding a ‘satellite’ office in a nearby town. Business expansion in today’s digital world is typically in the form of a website. This removes the cost of moving into a bigger location as well as setting up a new location. Plus, with the worldwide web powering your online property, your expansion into the internet now puts your business on the international stage. Plus, with newer and more functional eCommerce solutions, your online store can be open 24/7/365 and generate business while you sleep or go on vacation or don’t feel like going to your storefront location. Business growth could not be easier or faster.

4. Advertising

With small community newspapers closing left and right, it is no wonder that new technology has had an impact on how we learn about products and services in our little part of the world. Digital marketing has created several different ways in which you can reach potential new customers who may not have otherwise been aware of your existence. In fact, this new wave of advertising has opened up a completely new niche of business. Digital online marketers have popped up and taken advertising to a whole new level. The competition is as fierce as it was when newspaper, radio and billboard advertising were the norm. Now you can get your message in front of people – and target those you want to reach – thanks to this digital transformation.

5. Social Interaction

One more way in which new technology has assisted individuals and business to grow is through the interaction that was created through social media. There are several platforms that you can have business profiles on and gain access to users from all over your community, country and the world. There has never been anything like it where you can post something about your business online and receive immediate feedback from someone halfway around the globe. Social media has brought us all together, turning the planet into a smaller neighborhood as a result. Plus, with social media profiles you can market your business at a nominal price and still generate income as a result. Business growth through social networks continues hourly and daily.

In Conclusion

The tools exist to turn your business into something far greater than you could have imagined if you were in business as little as twenty years ago. The technology in the digital world has streamlined business operations tremendously with online billing and invoicing. Inventory control has been greatly enhanced as how one can expand their business with the assistance of the internet. Marketing and promotion has also been transformed into a new format that is highly successful with tools that permit target marketing. Communication has also improved considerably as well as customer interaction.

The digital transformation brings a huge impact on how we do business and who we do business with. If your business has not jumped aboard and gotten involved in some way, it may just get left behind. Entrepreneurs have embraced the ease with which they can launch a business – it’s as easy as a website and some marketing tools – and become successful at a fraction of the cost of how it used to be done. The important thing to remember is that although the internet appears to not be slowing down, there is no way possible that we would ever go back to how business used to function before the worldwide web took over our lives and business.