Digital Transformation Series Part 2: Digitalizing Core Business Processes

This post begins the second of a six-part series on how digital transformation will impact the future workplace, and businesses. Let’s start with an idea that many business leaders understand: the potential for growth comes from innovation and high levels of customer satisfaction. Because clients increasingly expect fast, personalized communication, enterprises are challenged virtually every day to improve their outdated information systems and manual business processes so employees have the resources they need to truly deliver.

The most successful business transformation initiatives address people, process and technology holistically with the goal of ensuring that information effectively flows across the business. Executives look at what the information is, the processes related to the information, and the interaction of key players in the process between each other and the information. In fact, for many, the process becomes the primary focus, documenting what information is used, where it comes from, how it intersects with the process, and who is interacting with it. In this way processes are improved, information and players identified, and opportunities for automation uncovered.

When it comes to the level of importance placed on automating business processes, AIIM research finds that this is high on the list for many organizations. Seventy-five percent of survey respondents report that this is a “must do” in their business model, making it more of a requirement than a “nice-to-have.”¹ As part of a strategic initiative to digitize business processes, it is essential to understand who the players are, anticipate their needs and potential changes that will impact the process, redefine internal and external customer experiences, and make modifications as required to meet these expectations. AIIM research reveals that 75 percent of respondents report being less than 70 percent of the way to reaching this level of understanding and flexibility.

In my next post I’ll spotlight why, in digitizing your business processes, you need to think about data capture as a key transformation element requiring serious attention. Until then, feel free to visit the Business Process Outsourcing page of our website. There you will find additional insights on industry trends and best practices including case histories, whitepapers and more.

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1. AIIM Industry Watch. “Digitalizing Core Business Processes”