In this article, you will be introduced to the concept of digital transformation and how to transition your business from in-office to working from home. Although it seems simple, the transformation process will be complex, as it requires continuous learning, concerning not only the tools, but the whole method of doing business. Starting the process by yourself takes time, with switching all your operations to digital, and adapting to this way of operating.

What is digital transformation?

Digital transformation is a process where companies rethink their use of technology, by moving to the cloud, using software’s, remote teams, apps, artificial intelligence, etc. In other words, transformation is a change of the business model, the way business and people are organized, communication, information storage, administration, and the integration of all available digital tools and technologies into your system. Of course, not every company is able to adapt to a complete transformation. Some companies or services are not able to do it at all, or only to a certain extent, some can be transformed by sectors and levels, and there are some companies that are 100% based exactly on this type of doing business.

Why?

As our market is expecting major changes in the way we do business, many small and medium-sized companies will have to start working remotely, and in doing so they will face a difficult task and a great challenge. The ultimate goal is for employees to retain their jobs, for employers to keep their companies from shutting down and to keep the economy alive. First and foremost, all employers and employees will need information and knowledge on how they can transform their ’Modus Operandi’. Also, there are many benefits of working remotely that we already wrote about. You can check out the text and all the details here.

Where to begin?

First of all, you need to analyze which processes and procedures can be transformed. No doubt about it, you can digitize some of them like written, audio and video communication, holding meetings, the exchange and storage of documents and materials. Not only those, but also team management and the organization of tasks, their monitoring, time management, project management, taking care of your users, complete data management and it’s information, and even in many cases distribution.

Preparation and testing

Based on capabilities and needs, you need to compile a list of tools you need, a timeline, and systematize the transformation. In order to save your time and reduce your research, the end of this text will consist of a set of tools for specific processes.

As with any project, once you have defined a plan, preparation is required.

You will need to prepare a method for functioning, to define clear procedures for who, what, how, when, where and why. Organizing these procedures well is one of the key aspects of further business. Accordingly, you will need to approach the transformation by integrating the tools you need into your system. Before integrating people, you will need to learn the basics of using the tools and to make a plan for the integration of people and their roles. Gradually integrate them into the system and let the leaders design a new business model with you.

Building 

Building is a continuous process that, in our understanding, lasts throughout the whole life cycle of this type of doing business. Since it is implied that all the aforementioned steps have been taken, and that you have habilitated yourself and and your key people to use the tools and transit to working remotely, now is the time to include your entire team, to encourage them, to teach them, and to build the whole system together. You should introduce them to the various tools, processes and procedures gradually, so that they can apply the gained knowledge to the best of their ability and to be sure that new organizational chart you have set up is fully operational.  That’s how you know that your people won’t be overwhelmed and you will avoid overworking them and potentially them burning out.

Keep in mind that the transition is crucial and so is the way you perform it.

Networking

Many wonder about how to put their networking strategy into action.

Of course, in times when everything is normal in our environment, we will attend events as we did before.

In a state of emergency, such as this one with the COVID-19 virus, we will refocus to digital environments, which is the topic of this article.

All events will take place online, through different platforms. On such platforms you can communicate, which leads to meeting other people, exchanging opinions, knowledge, information, etc. Also, if you haven't (you should’ve) by now, it's high time you signed up for the business social network - Linkedin. It's a great source of information and knowledge, you can directly find the people you want to connect and communicate with in different ways. Many businesses also make a profit through this social network, so it is an additional source of income.

Tools

So far, I know you must’ve thought to yourself, show me the tools! To get to the tools, you have to understand your capabilities, needs and how this works.

We will list some along with their main features. The usage of these tools in their main version is free.

Trello: A virtual office, through which tasks can be organized and delegated to different team members and sectors; time management; projects; employees

Zoom, Skype, Yammer, Slack: Tools for communication between teams and individuals - written, audio and video communication including the exchange of materials and content;

Zoho: CRM - Customer Relationship Management;

Google Drive: Storage of materials, documents; you can use as a desktop;

Google Calendar: Time management; organization of meetings, time slots ...;

Clockify: A tool for keeping track of time spent working;

Calendly: An appointment scheduler that offers your free time to the other party and automatically saves the event to a calendar;

Grammarly: Personal Assistant for English;

TeamViewer: The ability to collaborate and manipulate your colleague's computer due to some difficulties;

LastPass: Password storage.

Good experience and an example have the author of this article. His digital transformation path started with joining the Luxembourg Slovenian Business Club. LSBC is a virtual innovative organization, and the whole team works remotely. It means that the whole organization is using the mentioned tools. The first challenge was to learn these tools and to lead the team remotely. After 3 weeks of using them, it already becomes a habit. After two years from that moment I can say that it helped me a lot, it was a great innovation and a kind of preparation for these difficult days.

Have a nice transformation, and a productive future.