Implementing digital transformation initiatives can provide unrivalled benefits to how companies operate and eliminate long-standing inefficiencies that bring growth to a standstill. Yet, it’s not just internal business challenges that digital transformation can address. The focused application of digital transformation programs can lead to a greatly enhanced customer journey, in which customers receive a truly personalised experience.

In this 5-minute read, you’ll find out how to use digital transformation to gain unrivalled insights into consumer behaviour, tailor business services more accurately and create a seamless multi-channel experience for customers.

Data is now rightly considered to be one of the most valuable assets a company holds. When used effectively, digital transformation initiatives can give firms the ability to collect an array of customer data and allow for comprehensive insights into consumer behaviour to be gained.

“So many business leaders made their business cases for Digital Transformation projects on the notion it would save money or earn profits. Very few considered how much value digital transformation might deliver to their clients and customers - that’s precisely the new market direction”, explains Mike Wittenstein, founder and managing partner of StoryMiners, a customer experience design agency.

Ensuring that digital transformations are focused on customer outcomes will help guarantee that only the most appropriate solutions will be introduced. Once relevant data has been gathered it can be analysed to understand a range of powerful insights around customer behavior and intent.

“Mining your customer data, both historical and current, will let you anticipate your customers’ and clients’ needs earlier. When you know sooner what people want, you can deliver a better experience (fewer steps, lower cost, higher satisfaction, added value) and do it at a lower cost”, adds Wittenstein.

One of the most impressive benefits of a customer-orientated digital transformation programme is its ability to offer personalised content and recommendations to tailor business services and content more accurately.

“Digital transformation can allow organisations to be there at the moment the customer needs them, often in real time. It can take the old recommendation engine - for example, recommending a winter jacket based on the fact that someone bought wool a sweater - and actively recommend the correct designer and colour palette based on the customer’s complete history,” says Adam Toporek, president of the customer experience consultancy, CTS Service Solutions

Most companies have a wide suite of services or products that are offered to their clients. Previously, customers had been left with the unenviable task of working through the solutions presented by a business and making the decision themselves of what would be the best fit.

Businesses are now able to provide the most up-to-date and relevant content to current and prospective clients, once a clear customer profile has been established.

Creating a multi-channel experience is the ultimate aim for customer-focused businesses. Reaching this goal is far from easy and will require a unified approach from disparate business units. But undergoing a digital transformation can create a seamless multi-channel experience for customers and ensure no matter what channel they use, they have a unified profile.

A forward-thinking digital customer experience will establish a comprehensive customer profile and only offer tailored services that meet the exact needs and challenges faced by the client. Reducing friction in the customer journey can result in not just higher sales but also a happier customer.

“If you prioritise customer value creation during a redesign, the customer often receives more value than competitors offer them. In return, the business maintains goodwill, reduces churn, and enjoys higher profit margins because the focus is zeroed in on precisely what the customer wants,” says Wittenstein.

Customers in virtually every sector are increasingly time-poor and expect their interactions with businesses to reflect the ease of use shown by consumer brands, like Netflix and Uber. By positioning digital transformation programmes towards customer needs, detailed insights into their behaviour can be unlocked and relevant content can be presented throughout their journey.