You know it, we know it, most of the world knows it: the future is all about embracing a digital-first mindset.
But are your leaders sold on the idea?
The C-Suite can get a bad rap when it comes to embracing digital — often characterised as a bunch of old hats confused and shouting at cloud servers. And yet, there’s sometimes a little truth in that caricature. Maybe you’re running a lean operation, and your leaders only see the expense — not the ROI — that comes with digital transformation?
Keep reading for some talking points to help you change their minds.
The business case for digitisation
What does it look like to embrace a digital future?
Becoming a top digital player in your sector can directly increase revenue by 3.5%. You can also hit profits 15% higher than your non-digital competitors.
Those are pretty impressive numbers — even if they aren’t all that surprising for those of us in the know. Your C-Suite, on the other hand, should be quite interested in the myriad ways that tech can boost your company’s performance.
Digitisation makes you more efficient, for one. Legacy systems (and, heaven forbid, traditional paper-based workflows) create lag, lots of room for error, and allow unnecessary overhead to slip through the cracks.
Modern digital systems cinch up all of the problems nicely. They tend to be condensed and all-in-one. And if they aren’t, they integrate neatly with your other services. Digital alternatives also tend to have handfuls of automation to help you save time and are far better at reporting, notifications, and analytics.
Combined, these factors lead to a faster, cheaper, and stronger business model. And if that doesn’t boost your revenue — and pique your leaders’ interest — then nothing will.
Digital tools inspire greater employee engagement
Another key reason to embrace digital is that it’s exciting for your employees. That may sound like an ambiguous reason to invest, but it’s as concrete and data-backed as everything else in this post.
Research from PwC found that digitisation can drive employee engagement on several different fronts. It can increase your employees’ connection with and enjoyment in their work. Like anything new, it’s fun and breaks up the monotony!
You can also use tech to encourage collaboration by providing smarter, sleeker digital tools to empower better teamwork.
Iterative digitisation for risk-averse directors
Finally, if you’re still having a hard time convincing your C-Suite, you can show that the digital transformation process doesn’t have to be a complete, all-in-one overhaul.
Instead, start small! Find something that you can easily replace with a digitised solution. Then, find another. Once you’ve found several small ways that your company can invest in embracing digital, you’ll be much closer to convincing your leaders that it doesn’t have to be a groundbreaking (read: risky) investment.
Start embracing digital with Thunk by your side
Need some support, guidance, and software to power your digitisation efforts? That’s what we do best. Thunk can be your go-to team for design-led digital experiences. We can even help coach and mentor your C-Suite to see the inherent value.