The needs, demands and expectations of businesses and customers have drastically changed over the last 12 months, so has our way of doing things. Although we are still responding to the impacts of COVID-19 from a health and economic perspective, Australia is well-positioned to recover and rebound from the COVID-19 crisis, if we act strategically and quickly.
Where we are now
There is a cornucopia of articles and media releases that discuss the leaps in digitisation that has occurred in response to COVID-19. Topics range from the future of work, the new normal, digitalising supply chains and customer engagement. However, there is a common underlying thread, the digital transformation and change that has occurred across the past months would have normally taken several years.
According to the Mckinsey Global Survey of executives, companies have experienced accelerated rates of digitalisation by up to three to four years, and many expect the changes to be long-term. However, the question for government and business leaders to reflect on is, how to make these changes stick in the long run?
Embedding strategies
At GWI, our perspective is that to reap the benefits of the digital advancements made during the pandemic, organisations need to be proactive about embedding their digital transformation initiatives.
GWI Consulting Director, Jon O’Brien says “like any transformation that has occurred, it’s a bit like stretching a rubber band, unless you put actions in place, the transformation that has occurred will be undone as people go back to the old way of doing things, and the rubber band snaps back to its original position”.
For many businesses, these changes are temporary solutions put in place to meet increased demand and shifted expectations. For example, the federal government’s delivery of services adapted during the pandemic in line with the changing needs of the Australian public, making many programs available digitally. The department realises the significant opportunity for them to take advantage of the new changes and announced a review of their Digital Strategy. Digital Transformation Agency Minister Stuart Robert explained that the digital refresh will “take into account the changed world we find ourselves in now”.
Unless other businesses and governments take into consideration the changes that occurred due to COVID-19, rather than being 1-2 years out of date, they could find themselves lagging by several years.
Review and refresh
Now is the time to take the necessary steps to review and refresh digital strategies ensuring they continue to progress and enhance their service delivery as we move into the new normal. Not only that, but robust digital strategies provide a valuable competitive advantage that businesses can leverage to thrive in the new economic environment. As digital transformations become more of a priority for businesses than ever before, there is ample potential for organisations to embed digital changes into in their recovery plans and help them reap the benefits of their COVID-19 response.
GWI has worked with a range of organisations to design and implement digital strategies that enable them to maximise the use of data and information within their company. You can read more about some of the engagements we’ve done in the digital transformation space here. Get in contact with us to find out how we can help your business review and refresh your digital strategy.
