Why Use Digital Transformation Consulting Services?

According to data from Statista, worldwide digital transformation spending is projected to reach 3.9 trillion U.S. dollars by 2027. That’s right, trillion with a “T.”

Digital transformation isn’t just a fad. It’s a vital business strategy, especially in today’s fast-paced and ultra-competitive environment. If your company isn’t adopting digital technologies to stay ahead of the curve and enhance the customer experience, you’re falling behind the competition.

But tackling a digital transformation project without the help of experienced professionals can be difficult. Undertaking this kind of company-wide shift must be done properly in order to avoid missteps that could impact your company’s performance and bottom line.

Digital transformation consulting services help you navigate the complexities of digital transformation with the guidance and advice of seasoned technology experts — experts who know what it takes for digital transformation to be successful. Keep reading as we dive deeper into digital transformation consulting and learn why it’s important, what challenges to watch out for, and what solutions a digital transformation consultant can help you implement to keep your company on the cutting edge.

What Does Digital Transformation Consulting Mean?

Digital transformation is an organizational change that involves integrating new digital technologies like automation, cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and more. The aim of any successful digital transformation is to build upon a company’s existing infrastructure, which may include outdated or legacy systems, and to use a process of incremental change to disrupt normal operations as little as possible throughout the project.

Digital transformation consulting isn’t just guiding your company through change management at a high level. For example, at Focused Labs, we work as embedded partners, getting hands-on and building the necessary software and systems.

Digital transformation consultants work closely with your DevOps team, high-level company executives (CIOs, CTOs, etc.) and your IT department to create a digital transformation framework — a kind of roadmap that guides the timeline and strategy of your company’s transformation — and implement the digital solutions that form the bedrock of your transformation.

Experienced consultants know what makes the digital transformation journey successful:

• Legacy system modernization: Digital transformation projects involve upgrading legacy systems to more modern applications while preserving the core functionality of your existing systems.
• Incremental change: The goal of digital transformation is not to overhaul systems and workflows all at once, but instead to do so gradually, step-by-step, to avoid disruption to your company’s normal operations. Your transformation consultant can help you outline the steps to accomplish this.
• Data-driven decision making: Any consultant knows that decisions shouldn’t be made without proper metrics and data. A transformation consultant can help your company use data analytics to make informed decisions about your transformation strategy.

What’s the Value of Digital Transformation Consulting Services?

You may be wondering: Is it really worth it to hire a transformation consulting firm?

In short, yes. There are many valuable benefits to digital transformation consulting services. But it’s important to find the right fit for your company. There are “big-box” agencies that will embed themselves in your organization, and then not let go — or, there are “anti-agency” partners like Focused Labs that use a depreciation model, ensuring your company is self-reliant once we hand over the reins.

A few of the many benefits of digital transformation consulting services are:

Technical Expertise

The first reason that hiring a digital transformation consultant is so valuable is simple: They’re technical experts and have the experience and know-how you need to make this kind of large-scale business transformation successful.

Consultants can help you evaluate your current or legacy systems, help you create a digital transformation strategy that makes sense for your company, and identify the tech tools and digital capabilities you’ll need to meet your goals.

Proper Transformation Methodologies

Your consultant will analyze your business model, various business processes, and operating model to understand your company’s workflow and business needs. From there, they’ll be able to implement the right transformation methodologies for your requirements.

Consultants also prioritize incremental change throughout the transformation journey; this ensures as little disruption as possible to your company’s operations and end-user experience.

Business Value

Consultants provide true business value by making sure your company’s digital transformation isn’t just a one-and-done event. They’ll help you think about sustainability for the future of your business, as well as scalability should you expand into a new market or your operational needs increase.

Digital Transformation: Common Challenges and Pitfalls

Digital transformation projects aren’t without their challenges — challenges that digital transformation consulting services help you overcome.

Some of the common pitfalls of transformation that an experienced consultant can help with are:

• Lack of leadership: Seasoned consultants help ensure the proper leaders are in place to guide your company’s transformation, aligning direction and vision between department heads, IT, and stakeholders.
• Technical debt: Technical debt occurs when the technical providers working on your company’s transformation use an easier or faster solution, rather than the right one. Consultants can identify and prevent this problem, ensuring optimization of your infrastructure for efficiency and scalability.
• Resistance to change: Through effective communication and change management strategies, consultants address resistance to change and help foster a culture of adaptability throughout your company.

To overcome these challenges, digital consultants will employ a holistic approach that integrates team development, strategic planning, leadership guidance, and technical expertise. Now, let’s take a closer look at some of the specific tools, strategies, and solutions a digital consultant will use to facilitate your company’s successful digital transformation.

Solutions and Strategies of a Digital Transformation Consultant

So far, we’ve learned about the broad strokes of what a digital transformation consultant helps with. But what are the specific tools, technologies, and solutions these experts can help implement at your company?

The list includes — but isn’t limited to — things like:

Cloud Migration

By migrating applications and data to cloud-based platforms, your organization can benefit from increased scalability, flexibility, and cost-effective solutions. Consultants facilitate a seamless cloud migration, ensuring minimal disruption to business operations while unlocking the full potential of cloud technology, including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), and much more.

Process Automation

Digital transformation consulting services help you discover and identify manual, repetitive tasks that can be automated using technology like workflow automation tools or robotic process automation (RPA). The result? Cross-departmental enablement of error reduction, lower operational costs, and accelerated task completion.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Leveraging AI-powered data analytics and algorithms, consultants help your organization make data-driven decisions to power your digital transformation. From predictive maintenance on medical equipment in a healthcare setting to demand forecasting in the retail industry and everything in between — AI helps you streamline operations and unlock new opportunities for growth.

Customer Experience Design

Customer experience design is another critical focus area for digital transformation consultants, as organizations strive to differentiate themselves through exceptional customer interactions.

Consultants can employ design-thinking methodologies to understand customer needs, pain points, and preferences, designing more personalized experiences across all touchpoints. From user-friendly interfaces to intuitive navigation and much more, customer experience design ensures that every interaction with the brand is meaningful, memorable, and positive.

Interested in Digital Transformation Consulting Services?

Utilizing digital transformation consulting services doesn’t mean outsourcing your business’s entire transformation and leaving it to chance. It means partnering with seasoned professionals who have the technological expertise, digital experience, and change-management know-how to get your transformation across the finish line on time and on budget.

Focused Labs’ digital transformation consultants and technology experts are standing by to help make your company’s digital transformation initiative a success. Our three-part process prioritizes incremental modernization and we employ a depreciation model to make sure your team isn’t reliant on us after the project is complete.

Want proof of concept? Check out our case studies for real-world success stories from companies just like yours. And when you’re ready to embark on a digital transformation journey, do it with the industry’s leading experts — Focused Labs. Reach out today to get started.