According to Bard, Google’s answer to ChatGPT, the phrase “digital transformation” appears more than 2,500 times on the websites of the top 100 EDI providers in North America. It appears 171 times over 10 of our web pages alone.
Clearly, there’s a connection between EDI and digital transformation. Before we explain how managed EDI services can accelerate it, let’s look at what digital transformation is-- and isn’t.
What is digital transformation?
The query “What is digital transformation?” returns more than 480 million results. So we know it’s a hot topic, and there are millions of ways to answer the question. Most of the answers are wrong.
It may sound counter-intuitive, but at its core, digital transformation isn’t really about technology. It’s about changing how the organization does business.
It begins with thinking differently about how we use technology to create new opportunities and better experiences for customers and trading partners. For example, WD 40 radically rethought its e-commerce strategy to hit new revenue targets.
Rather than focus on gaining more physical shelf space alone to grow sales, leadership aggressively pursued enlarging their online shopping footprint via Grainger.com, Amazon, and Ace Hardware.
The company doesn’t break out e-commerce sales figures but as of May 31, 2023, they reported e-commerce sales grew by 35% from the previous year.
Recognizing that new growth initiatives had to start online, the company transformed how it expanded their market. In the process, they’re seeing transformative results.
How managed EDI services can make digital transformation a reality.
So what’s the role of EDI in digital transformation? And how can managed EDI services support and advance those efforts?
Remember, EDI was the original digital transformation technology. It pioneered the idea of paperless transactions. And thanks to its stability and security it continues to evolve and grow.
So while few question the value EDI brings, keeping EDI systems running at optimum speed and accuracy can claim valuable IT resources. That’s a problem.
Digital transformation requires a champion leading the way.
Managed EDI services can free up more time for senior IT leaders to focus on creating momentum for innovation that goes beyond B2B integration. The first step is figuring out how to articulate your vision to non-IT audiences.
How to Communicate the Benefits of Digital Transformation to Non-Technical Stakeholders and Decision Makers.
Persuading business line leaders to support moving digital transformation from a vague aspiration to an approved road map is never a slam dunk, no matter how necessary it might be.
But whether your organization embraces changes or resists new tools and processes, getting stakeholder buy-in involves four important steps:
- Focus on the business benefits. The key to pitching digital transformation to the C-suite is to focus on benefits they care about—improving productivity, profit margins, and customer service.
- Use clear and concise language. Successful digital transformation initiatives won’t fly without cooperative non-IT stakeholders to propel them forward. That’s because Stakeholders can’t embrace what they don’t understand.
When pitching this audience, use layman’s terms whenever possible. And be sure to define any that might be a speed bump to their understanding.
- Provide examples. One of the best examples of digital transformation is Walmart. Their digital transformation journey began in 2011 and has driven double-digit growth in online sales since 2013.
- Be patient and persistent. It’s going to take some time for non-IT stakeholders and influencers to understand the benefits of digital transformation. But we’ve seen time and again how the rewards can justify the investment of time and emotional energy needed to pull it off.
Let Remedi Help You Accelerate Digital Transformation
If EDI system performance and talent issues are distracting you from critical IT priorities, we can help.
Reach out to learn how Remedi helps companies work smarter and faster, save money, reduce errors, and pursue new opportunities.
