Digital Transformation is evolving daily. What was modern and new yesterday became essential in today’s setting. Therefore, there are several trends your business should be aware of if your goal for 2023 is to be a leader in your market or if you want to differentiate from your competitors.
But first, let’s define what is Digital Transformation?
At Allsop, we understand Digital Transformation as the process of using digital technologies to create new or modify existing, business processes, culture and customer experiences, to meet changing business and market requirements.
It is a “reimagining of business in the digital age”.
Put simply, it is about looking at what we want to do or are currently doing and seeking to improve that experience using digital technology.
And this is also the why – “seeking to improve”.
You should not do Digital Transformation just because you think you need to appear modern or because someone else is doing it, and you need to stay competitive. These can be valid reasons, but the primary goal of any Digital Transformation project should be to improve – whether that be your processes, your customers, or our planet.
So, now that we know what type of Digital Transformation we will talk about, let’s check the main Digital Transformation trends in 2023.
Digital Transformation Trends 2023:
- Death of complex ERP platforms
- AI is a genuine help to your business
- API to connect your systems
Death of complex ERP platforms.
Yes, ERP platforms are essential for many businesses. Some cannot even imagine their daily work without this software. However, in 2023 and onwards, it will change. The main issue with complex ERP systems is the difficulty to implement, support and run them. In some cases, it’s impossible to have an ERP system without internal IT support. In fact, statistics show that around 87% of companies seek guidance for ERP implementation on the whole.
Now, what is the solution to this, you might ask?
In 2023 companies will start investing in low-code or no-code solutions that don’t require an extended IT team. In the upcoming years, user-friendly platforms will be built in a way that any employee in your company can change required data, construct and download reports, and do it all without IT specialist help.
Where is the hook?
These low-code or no-code platforms will focus only on one group of tasks rather than be spread thin among many departments. However, it might be a great fit for your company if you want to fill gaps in your business with new technology rather than change the culture of the whole business. This approach helped SaaS companies like Salesforce or Workday to dominate the market because they provided a great, low-code solution for specific departments.
Best part?
As it’s a no-code solution, it’s a great fit for any type of business and could be implemented relatively cheap. So, going into a new year, set a clear strategy for your business and identify what type of software you will need to succeed in 2023, and it might be that low-code solution will be a perfect match!
AI is a genuine help to your business.
Gone those days when companies could choose any technology they want as in 2023 your business will need to take a more strategic approach to the world of tech. One thing is certain, AI will continue to rise and bring more and more companies on board. However, you shouldn’t be afraid of it.
What we see from our experience, whenever businesses hear words such as AI, RPA or BI, they assume their employees will be replaced by machines or robots to lead the company. It is simply not true.
In 2023 AI will showcase its full potential by bringing value to all departments in your business if you implement a software solution.
For example, with the Declining Account feature built by Allsop, you will be able to track customers that are not purchasing as much this week as they have on average over the past 13 weeks. This small AI tool will empower your Customer Service team to contact those clients and clarify the reasoning for the changed behaviour. Therefore, it will provide an opportunity for your business to keep the customer who is ready to leave.
API to connect your systems.
As we have highlighted above, the main trends in 2023 will be low-code solutions and AI-designed data. However, all of these technologies won’t be able to work without API. In fact, one of the main pitfalls of Digital Transformation is the lack of integration between all existing systems in your company.
Integration is how your systems will interface with each other – and getting this right can be the difference between a successful Digital Transformation and a failed one.
These days, most systems have an API (which stands for Application Programming Interface) or some other interface which allows systems to be programmed to either send or receive data with each other. However, just because they have an API, it doesn’t mean they can interface with other systems in the way you want or need them to. APIs typically have a specification, and this outlines what you can and cannot do with it.
For example, your accounts system might have an API to let you export your data to a visualisation tool, but if it doesn’t have an API to create invoices, then you might find it difficult to integrate with your online shopping site. For this reason, it is recommended that you review your existing systems for the integration methods they support and use that to help plan your digital transformation journey.
In some cases, this can highlight what systems you have that may need to be upgraded or replaced to achieve your goals. But always ask your Digital Transformation partner if they can review other ways to integrate your systems that may not be part of a published API or interface before making these decisions.
Conclusion.
Digital Transformation will continue to dominate many industries in 2023. Some companies will go along with the changes and start to implement smaller solutions for a quick win or specific set of tasks. Whereas others will continue to push their expensive ERP system to provide accurate results. If you want to be a part of the first group and drive changes to your business, contact us for an initial FREE of cost call to identify if future changes will be beneficial for your company.
