The pandemic has accelerated digital growth by up to three or four years (in terms of customer and supply-chain interactions and internal operations) and this is only likely to increase as digital transformation continues to impact all industries.

But how can digital transformation boost growth in your business?

An overview of digital transformation

Across industries, digital transformation is impacting the trajectory of businesses.

As an example, the professional services sector could achieve a boost worth £16bn if it continues to invest in digital transformation.

The use of technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), advanced analytics and robotics are also becoming more widespread.

In manufacturing in particular, the digital transformation trajectory of the industry has been impacted significantly by leveraging not just the new technology, but the information and data generated by them to optimise processes.

Customers are also moving online more than ever before, with respondents to McKinsey’s survey on digital transformation finding that respondents are three times likelier now than before the crisis to say that at least 80% of their customer interactions are digital in nature.

Long story short, digital transformation is catalysing growth… but how?

It boosts employee productivity

The workforce is no longer static, and many businesses are operating with hybrid and remote workforces.

Digital transformation has enabled businesses to increase employee productivity through the use of cloud software, hosted systems, and even Voice over IP (VoIP) telephony to streamline communication and workflow.

Cloud software in particular has enabled productivity to remain high no matter where employees are based.

Additionally, infrastructure can be moved to the cloud to avoid logistical and communication issues that would otherwise occur.

It streamlines your processes

Though automation has been subject to scrutiny across industries, there is a simple truth – processes that can be automated should be automated in businesses to save time and money in the long term.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, for example, can contribute to business growth by removing the necessity to manually record and track all potential leads.

Customer outreach can be tracked, the number of leads increased, and collaboration can be centralised through using a CRM.

For businesses looking to further increase their efficiency by freeing up time for other aspects of the business, outsourcing IT is another area of digital transformation feeding business growth.

In conclusion

Digital transformation, when leveraged effectively, is a competitive advantage for SMEs everywhere.

Ultimately, digitalisation should be viewed as a way to bring value to businesses and solve problems whilst evolving with the technology available.

By automating and outsourcing processes where possible and using technology to collaborate across your organisation, you can use digital transformation to function at peak performance and productivity.

If you’d like outsourced IT support or to find the best technology solutions for your business, get in touch with Prism today by calling 0345 121 7770, or fill out our contact form.