In the ever-evolving business landscape, digital transformation has garnered significant attention over the past few years. Many agencies emerged during that period, proposing services to guide companies through this transformative journey. However, as digital experts, we, at Human37, observed that these approaches often fell short, remaining superficial, theoretical, or politically driven, resulting in less-than-optimal outcomes which can often be summarised as another slide deck.
When launching Human37 - our customer data strategy agency - our objective was to help companies address their business challenges and improve the customer experience they deliver to their clients by embracing data and technology. After a couple of years, it has become obvious that through the mandate we are embracing for our clients, we are actually playing a crucial role in their operational digitalisation.
This made us realise there were better ways to accompany clients in their digital transformation. Using management teams to set the vision, projects as the practical means to transform the company and operation teams to drive the transformation.
Is Human37 a digital transformation agency?
Not at all.
The attentive reader has noticed that I actually used two different terminologies in the first paragraphs: (1) digital transformation and (2) digitalisation. Before jumping further into how at Human37 we concretely help our clients, let’s go back on the definition of each concept:
Digitalisation - refers to the process of using technology to automate tasks, streamline operations, and make data more accessible. It involves using data and digital tools (technology) to enhance existing processes and workflows
Digital transformation - is a more holistic approach that involves reimagining business models, processes, and strategies. Digital transformation is more about fundamentally changing how a business operates rather than improving existing processes.
Embracing Operational Digitalisation:
While digital transformation is a desirable goal, it often demands substantial resources and time, leading to high failure rates. Many projects become overwhelmed by their theoretical nature, hindering progress. At Human37, we believe in digitalisation as a practical approach that delivers quick wins while laying the foundation for future digital transformation. Our focus on digitalisation ensures tangible business value is generated along the journey, empowering companies to achieve sustainable growth.
Human37's Approach to Digitalisation:
At Human37, our core expertise lies in defining, designing, and co-operating customer data strategies for our clients. We recognize that this strategic framework, coupled with operational projects, serves as the catalyst for digitalisation. We emphasise the importance of a cross-organizational approach, where all departments involved in the customer journey collaborate to express their business needs and ambitions. Together, they transform these requirements into concrete use cases and develop a blueprint for the underlying customer data infrastructure or MarTech stack, ensuring the support and delivery of these use cases.
The Power of Cross-Organizational Alignment:
Why should digitalisation be cross-organizational? The answer lies in efficiency and impact. Most departments share common data points or require similar technologies to fulfil their business needs. Establishing a shared vision, both from a business and technical standpoint, fosters synergies and economies of scale. Consider the following scenario:
Acquisition Manager: Creating look-alike audiences based on the top 10% clients in terms of lifetime value to enhance acquisition campaign performance.
Retention Manager: Offering special rewards to the top 10% clients in terms of lifetime value to improve long-term customer retention.
Customer Support Manager: Prioritizing customer tickets based on customer lifetime value to allocate limited resources effectively.
These distinct teams share a common reliance on specific data points, illustrating the potential for collaboration. Cross-organizational alignment compels teams to build a unified vision encompassing business objectives and technical implementation, enabling organizations to implement or enhance processes and workflows effectively using data and technology.
The Four Pillars of Digitalisation:
Human37's approach to digitalisation yields several impactful benefits, which can be categorised into four key areas:
Breaking Silos: Many companies operate in silos, hindering a unified customer journey experience. We help companies integrate disparate systems and processes, fostering collaboration and creating a comprehensive view of the customer journey.
Creating Efficiency: Digitalisation drives internal and external efficiency. Internally, streamlined workflows, reduced costs, and improved employee productivity are achieved. Externally, customers enjoy a seamless experience, easily accessing information and interacting with the company.
Automating Tasks: Manual tasks are time-consuming and prone to errors. By automating data collection, reporting, analysis, and marketing audience segmentation, we enable companies to save time and reduce the risk of errors, boosting overall efficiency.
Enabling New Business Opportunities: Digitalisation unlocks fresh business possibilities by providing companies with innovative ways to interact with customers and create value, fostering growth and adaptability.
Conclusion:
Digitalisation paves the way for successful digital transformation. As a practical approach, it can be adopted in a continuous and iterative manner, generating business value throughout the journey. We, at Human37, have demonstrated the positive impact, both internally and externally, that digitalisation creates for our clients.
If you would like to explore the details of our work with other clients, please feel free to reach out. We are always eager to engage in insightful discussions.