THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

Many times, from what we read and the information we receive from advances in science and technology, it gives us the feeling of being in a future like the one we read in science fiction novels. The truth is that we are experiencing a digital industrial revolution that is changing many things, from the personal and professional level and even the way we work.

Now, how revolutionary is it? Are we moving so fast that organizations need to adapt quickly and run without missing a beat?

It all depends on the level of transformation that the organization can execute and assume. We should not expect that tomorrow, in a bakery, the bread will be freshly made and delivered by a robot without human intervention at some point. Now, according to which industries, the functionality and connectivity of the robots is undoubtedly appreciable even though human intervention is still needed in some link. Not only from the organization but also from the assembly line itself. Well, in short, that would be an example of a remarkable level of major digital transformation.

But is digital transformation expensive? Are large budgets, eloquence, plans, projects, etc. needed? There is precisely a part of the revolution that we live today. New companies and technologies are emerging that break or change the market paradigm. Even, there are already small companies that can compete with relevant companies. Therefore, the digital transformation will have a certain level depending on what we want to do. Beacons (https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beacon) do impressive things and are not especially expensive depending on what we want to do with them.

An example is that I have been able to implement a new sales channel in a small local chain of bakeries. Well, this bakery, whose brand is LA REPOSADA has implemented a new sales channel at little cost. We only needed a corporate email to sign up, a Wi-Fi connection and a smartphone to install an application (http://www.manzaning.com/). It is done!

The level of digital transformation seems ridiculous but it is already a beginning. And as I sometimes comment to my AGILE SALES PRO clients, digital transformation, whatever the level, the size of the company and even the industry, will never be a reality if companies do not risk investing and trying new things. Yes, it can be done step by step, but taking risks implies the conviction of the most relevant stakeholders within an organization: the workers, managers and shareholders. These stakeholders will determine the level of digital transformation and its subsequent success in processes, return on investment, etc.