Digital solutions use technology to improve operations and provide new channels for customer interaction. They can help businesses remain in the game, meet customer demands more efficiently, or boost growth. It requires careful planning to select the most appropriate digital solutions. Here are a few key aspects you need to take into account when choosing a complex digital business solution.
Many digital solutions involve the use of a variety of innovative and scalable technology which allows them to expand with the business and adapt to its requirements. However, this flexibility comes with costs. It’s not uncommon that successful solutions create demands for expanded service that is more personal, as well as more variability. The problem for digital businesses is to appreciate complexity that adds value but avoid complexity that doesn’t.
Complex digital solutions can automate routine tasks, which decreases the amount of time that employees are occupied with tedious administrative tasks and allows them to focus on more important tasks. They can also improve processing of data and allow for better decision-making by monitoring data in real-time. Additionally these solutions can cut costs and make it easier to scale the business.
The art of articulating the significance of these abstract capabilities is a problem for sales professionals. They require a plan to describe how the solutions can deliver concrete rewards for specific customer requirements and they should be able to change their value proposition as the requirements of different customers change. Jeanne Ross is a principal researcher at the MIT’s Center for Information Systems Research and coauthor of Designed for Digital: How to Plan Your business for a Long-Term Success (The MIT Press, 2019). Follow her on Twitter @mit_cisr.