Don’t just go with the hype
Digital Technologies enable organisations to connect with customers in their day to day activities. This can deepen relationships, promote your brand efficiently and improve profits. There is no general recipe to do so that will apply to all organisations and situations. Gartner even predicts that over 80% of multichannel implementations will fail mainly based on the fact that the focus is misplaced on the channel (“lets create an APP”) and that the organisation structure is not ready for these new opportunities. Often even the IT landscape does not allow quick changes and fast data delivery to new digital channels.
Digital initiatives need to align with business strategy. Often parts of the organisation start their own digital initiatives that lead to confusion for the client. Funds need to be reallocated cross-departmental. Multi-channel initiatives have to be aligned and ownership needs to be defined looking at every channel on how it is integrated in the customers life-cycle.
Don’t get caught by the hype and overreact in developing APPs that will not be used. Look at what customers need and their experience within the different channels. How can you create loyalty and get them engaged.
Your digital strategy will, when done right, drive your digital transformation.