If ever industries needed proof that digital transformation is a business imperative, today's COVID-19-driven climate would be it. Thanks to the numerous technologies at our disposal, many businesses are able to operate seamlessly from home. Technology also enables us to crunch data quickly but carefully to find solutions and to inform us of happenings in real time. Some companies have also been able to leverage automation to produce PPE and other products outside of their usual remit in a number of days.
If anything has been made clear since the pandemic came down on us, it's that a) we need to take contingency planning more seriously now that we've learned the hard way that anything can happen at any time, and b) digital transformation is the key to business continuity.
The businesses that had embraced digital transformation have prospered and those that didn't have struggled. Not to point fingers, but what was once considered a bold decision by Primark to not go digital would later haunt the retail giant, which went from making £650 million per month to nothing at all due to its lacking online presence.
Although the need for digital transformation is now louder and clearer than ever, it won't remediate the hesitations that some businesses have about embarking on it. So, what do companies need to digitally transform with confidence?
Digital transformation doesn't have to be disruptive
The term 'digital transformation' doesn't do itself too many favours. It comes with the connotations that businesses need to stop everything, rip their infrastructure from the ground up and create a Utopian-style office that you'd expect from a sci-fi. In other words, it's overwhelming, and it's no wonder that businesses may wish to stay put.
However, digital transformation does not need to be that way at all (although you could certainly go that route if you wanted to). Instead, companies can focus on incorporating technologies rather than replacing.
Businesses and services of any type are eligible for a digital transformation. Thus, organisations should focus on strategically applying technologies to them that would optimise processes, reduce overall costs, and improve overall convenience.
Of course, the next question is: how?
Neota Logic
Neota Logic provides a great way for us to demonstrate how organisations can digitally transform their services confidently and with ease. The company has been guiding professional services through their digital transformations for over 10 years and brings a comprehensive framework for success to support customers through their journey.
Neota believes strongly in "the power of widening access to professional services through technology." As such, the company's aim is to become the global standard for any organisation committed to delivering that access.
This mission has powered the creation of their unrivalled no-code AI automation platform. Customers from KPMG to Littler are taking advantage of the Neota offering to quickly automate any aspect of their services.
For businesses that are fearful of the change digital transformation may bring, Neota is the obvious answer. By beginning the digital transformation journey by only automating some service aspects, businesses can enjoy optimised processes without changing the nature of the service. The customer-client relationship will also remain unchanged, enabling companies to digitally transform while always having peace of mind.
As mentioned earlier, digital transformation can be overwhelming given that not everyone is a digital expert. Neota takes the unease out of digital transformation by delivering a no-code development platform that anyone can use. In fact, it eliminates the need for any developers at all by calling builders of applications 'authors', emphasising that you don't need developer expertise to work with it.
The platform boasts ease of use through its visual, drag-and-drop rapid application builder, Neota Canvas. Authors can use this to define questions to be asked, conclusions to be reached, reasoning to be followed, and more. In turn, you only need to give Neota a little to get back a lot.
While the platform presents its case well, we asked one of the Neota experts to explain in their own words how their offering can take the fear out of digital transformation:
‘Rapid development, no-code platforms like Neota Logic enable any subject matter expert to not only quickly and effectively turn their expertise into runnable applications, but also the ability to build and iterate digital solutions very quickly (based on user feedback, adoption etc) until a final version is deployed. No more being the middleman between the end-users and your IT team – have all the control yourself!’
Jackson Liu, Global VP Markets & Growth at Neota Logic
To round up, reluctant businesses shouldn't wait for pandemics to force them into their digital transformation. It's a lifeline for businesses, and we are seeing much evidence of this in our lockdowns today. Thanks to offerings such as Neota, getting started has never been easier or more accessible.