The web turned 33 in 2022; over the last three decades, it has changed our world like no other technology. It's empowered us to build experiences we'd never have imagined. As its creator, Tim Berners-Lee said to mark its anniversary, "The web has become a public square, library, doctor's office, shop, school, design studio, office, cinema, a bank, and so much more."
One of our payoff lines at Digital Solutions Group (DSG) is that we are digital by design. This comes from the core of our business and how we started as a digital-enablement business with www.digitalmall.com. DSG enables businesses to optimise how they serve their customers, adapt to new market realities, and optimally embrace digital transformation.
Digital by Design considers the work of design visionaries who are reimagining the relationship between technology, products, immersive environments, and human interaction. The result is a captivating assessment of pioneering approaches in business, art and design that encompasses a broad spectrum of humanist values, humour, magic, and sensory experiences.
To remain relevant, businesses must become Digital by Design. While this may sound like another buzzword, it's also a fundamental concept that will help businesses thrive now and in the future.
DSG and the IEC: A case study in digital enablement
On the 28th of September 2003, The Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa awarded a consortium consisting of DSG as the primary contractor with the IEC Contact Centre. The first registration drive initiated by the Independent Electoral Commission in November 2003 highlighted the need for capacity planning to address the unanticipated, high volume of calls and associated resource capacity and cost after ten years of democracy at the time.
DSG utilised its Contact Centre Blue Print staffing application, which accurately calculated the number of staff required per hour to manage the inbound call volumes presented, indicating that a minimum of 530 Contact Centre resources for a period of fifteen hours per day over three days would be needed to deliver the required service level of 85% effectively. The prohibitive cost led DSG to propose an IVR platform as a solution. We also automated enquiries via the web, ATMs and SMS to deflect as many calls from the contact centre to self-help channels.
The deployment of the digital tools for automation resulted in 62% of the calls being handled by the IVR, over 2 million SMS enquiries and many ATM transactions, and a return on investment within a few days. The IEC and Digital Mall were awarded the public sector innovation award for the most effective solution for service delivery within the government.
What is a Digital First Business?
A Digital First business is a company that has established its operations and business processes focusing on digital technologies to enable the way they do business. Many emerging Fintech companies claim to be doing things more cost-effectively because they are digital natives. Their business model is based on using margin efficiency to become more competitive and profitable in the long term. Using digital platforms to automate specific customer journeys and processes allows them to scale quickly. As Bezos said, "Your margin is my opportunity."
Digital by design businesses are agile organisations that use data to make decisions and create customer experiences that are personalised and optimised for the end user. These businesses integrate digital technologies and data into their entire value chain, from product design to marketing campaigns. A Digital First organisation may even turn data into an asset that can create additional revenue streams.
Why are Digital First Businesses Important?
Digital First businesses will help businesses win customers now and in the future. As customers shop online, they expect everything to be easy and personalised. They want to quickly find what they're looking for and be guided through the checkout process without being bothered. If customers have to jump through hoops to get what they want, they're not likely to come back.
Digital businesses make this happen using the latest technology in machine learning and artificial intelligence. They may use self-service channels such as Bots or voice recognition that allow customers to find products quickly and easily. Personalisation technologies enable companies to create the perfect experience for each customer, whilst new augmented and virtual reality tools can help customers visualise products and find the right one for them.
A Digital State of Mind
A digital-first business mindset isn't only about adding an e-commerce store to a website, closing down offices, or moving marketing online. It's about seeing where a company might benefit from cloud services and how we can create better customer experiences through better integration and by making all the information available for employee and customer experiences.
Today, you can also adopt a Kaizen mentality and stay adaptable by embracing continuous technological change, process improvement, people training and efficiency.
Key considerations include: Invest in the right technologies to improve your customer experience, such as artificial intelligence and voice recognition tools, as well as those that help your business run more smoothly and efficiently, such as robotics and augmented reality. Align your business model and operating model with your strategy, ensuring the right balance between people, process and technology. Keep your eyes on the horizon, being flexible and open to change, ready to pivot as necessary to meet new challenges and opportunities.
Why become a Digital First Business?
It's a fundamentally important mindset for modern business leaders and a critical principle when undertaking any innovation or business transformation. Being a Digital First business improves Customer Experience, Productivity, and creates New Revenue Streams.
Research suggests that the top benefits of adopting a digital model are that it improves operational efficiency (40%), allows for faster time to market (36%), and helps meet customer expectations (35%). According to research, about 56% of CEOs said their digital improvements have already improved profits.
The future of business lies in being nimble and agile enough to adopt new technologies while ensuring they meet customer needs effectively. #DoingSomethingGreat means adopting a digital-first mindset that embraces the continuous change that technology affords.