How Remote Work Is Enabling Digital Transformation

With remote work becoming the norm for companies, digital transformation is not just about adopting new technologies. It's about staying competitive in a marketplace where all businesses are expected to have digital innovations.

Subjects about innovations in an already digital landscape may sound redundant, but technology continues to evolve and reinvent itself every few months. Just think about how revolutionary technology from 20 or 30 years ago is now obsolete. 

The truth is that there's more to digital transformation than just upgrading your software. Staying updated and relevant in business is integral to staying competitive, which means adapting to the latest technology in your business needs.

Although working in a distributed company is part of digital transformation, there’s more to it. Remote work requires companies to be adaptable and provide the perfect field for developing new technologies.

Digital transformation has made it easy to receive a Slack message from a coworker or share a file on Google Docs for review with a click of buttons, but that’s just a fraction of the opportunities that abound for innovations. It has become important that companies adapt and implement workflows that rely heavily on digital innovations.

Most companies are seeing the benefits of adapting to these innovations and have embraced these changes to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Global spending on digital transformation technologies and services will reach $2.8 trillion in 2025, according to IDC's Worldwide Digital Transformation Spending Guide.

Let’s dig into what this looks like in the workplace and why it’s one way for your business to become more efficient, agile, and competitive.

What Is Digital Transformation In The Workplace?

Digital transformation is a broad term that describes adopting digital technologies in an organization. It involves adopting new systems, processes, cultures, and customer experiences or modifying the existing ones.

It's not just about technology; it's also about culture –how people work together in new ways. It's driven by the desire to improve efficiency, value, and innovation throughout your organization.

There are two primary components for this transformation: innovation and adoption. Innovation refers to creating new products and services that deliver value to customers, while adoption refers to implementing these innovations throughout an organization.

But why do businesses need these changes in the already advanced technological landscape?

For various reasons but most importantly because using technology is a tool for innovation and growth. It means thinking outside of traditional boundaries when it comes to communication with customers and other businesses alike.

If you want any shot at succeeding in today's hyper-competitive market, you need to get on board with the transformation —before your competition does.

Benefits of Digital Transformation

Understanding that not adapting new technologies can cost companies volume, revenue, or clients is crucial. After all, customers already use these technologies in their daily lives, so they wish to see them in action when doing business.

Here are some of the benefits that technological changes can bring to your company:

• Reduce costs, increase efficiency and improve customer experience. When you use a digital infrastructure or automate processes through technology, your employees can be more efficient and, in turn, provide a better service.
• Enhance collaboration, productivity, and innovation. Using digital tools can ease communication for your teams, especially if you work in a remote environment. Recording a meeting, using a notetaking AI or even having a digital workspace to share relevant company information can make your employees more productive.  
• Prepare for future challenges with a more agile workforce. When your employees have the tools to make their job easier, they are more likely to embrace challenges and find creative solutions with the help of technology.
• Enable your business to compete in a digital world. When your business is up to date with technology, it can stay ahead of the competition by offering innovative services that tech-savvy clients are looking for.

Companies that undergo this process are more likely to succeed in the long run. They become more agile and efficient, which enables them to tap into new markets, reach new customers, and stay relevant in the modern business world.

Why Is Remote Work Important For Digital Transformation?

When you go remote, your employees need digital tools that will allow them to do their daily tasks. Using these tools for essential duties makes companies more prone to use new technologies in other areas.

No doubt remote work is a catalyst for companies using more digital technology because it drives companies to adapt their workflows to the digital world.

Plus, it makes the company culture healthy and adaptable. Excellent remote-first culture has all systems in place to make employees feel at ease, knowing they have all the resources to get the job done and the communication channels to ask questions or propose ideas. 

The combined power of remote work and digital technologies give companies a competitive advantage. Both of them have permanently changed the way we work –and the way we live. The only question is, how can you harness the power of remote work and digital technologies to improve your company culture?

The answer is simple: you must create a flexible culture that takes advantage of all available digital tools.

That means providing employees with the tools and equipment they need to succeed in their jobs—including the ability to communicate quickly, efficiently, and effectively with coworkers.

What Are The Phases Of Digital Transformation?

With the increasing demand for digital innovations, more organizations realize just how important it is for them to renovate their workflows. Besides, customers used to the fast-paced interactions of social media and mobile devices will expect the same level of access from the companies they are working with.

In the first edition of the State of the Connected Customer report by Salesforce, 58% of customers surveyed said that technology had changed their expectations of how companies should interact with them. That’s why companies should use existing technologies to improve business practices and deliver better services.

There are three critical phases to digital transformation: strategy, implementation, and execution.

In the strategy phase, you identify your goals and develop a plan for achieving them.

• The implementation phase involves getting from where you are now to where you want to be. This includes planning, budgeting, and staffing for new resources such as people or software applications.
• The execution phase is the nuts and bolts of putting your plan into action. This includes training, communication, and implementation.

In any case, the first step is to define what success looks like for your organization. This will help you determine how far along in the process you are and where you need to go next. There should be a change in mindset as well as operations and systems.

What Are Real Examples Of Digital Transformation?

Digital transformation involves taking an organization from its current state to a future where technology transforms how it operates and interacts with customers, partners and employees.

The transformation can be as simple as automating routine tasks –like processing invoices– or as complex as rethinking business models –like selling your products through subscription services. Leaders must be especially adept at reacting quickly to changing consumer and competitor demands.

There are several ways that technology can accelerate growth for your company:

• Streamlining operations. Automation tools allow businesses to streamline routine tasks like managing inventory and paying bills — freeing up employees' time to focus on more strategic projects.
• Creating new products or services. AI applications like chatbots and voice assistants can launch new products or enhance existing ones. For instance, collecting data from customers' interactions can help predict their needs.
• Enhancing customer experience. AI can help businesses deliver better customer service by tracking customers' interactions with the company, identifying pain points, and suggesting solutions.
• Overcoming talent gaps. The increasing demand for skilled workers in the digital economy has created a shortage of qualified candidates in many industries. But machine learning can help businesses automate some of their most labor-intensive tasks, freeing time for employees to focus on more critical tasks.

Some tangible examples are companies that have reinvented a commonly used service. For instance:

• Uber transformed the taxi industry by using an app and data to provide a new personalized service.
• Airbnb work policy took the traditional hospitality industry to a new level by providing a new way to book accommodations.
• Netflix went from a DVD-by-mail company to a streaming video service using digital technology to reinvent its business model. The company now uses machine learning to recommend movies and TV series to users based on their previous viewing habits.
• GroWrk provides smart IT equipment management that enables companies to scale and hire talent globally from a single digital platform.

Conclusion

Digital transformation and remote work have changed the way that people think about—and manage—work. Combining these two trends has meant businesses are more reliant than ever on technology to empower their employees.

Remote work has altered how companies operate and will continue to disrupt traditional corporate hierarchies. Meanwhile, technology will enable remote workers to be productive and successful from anywhere in the world.

As the world becomes more connected, companies must find new ways to ensure their workers have access to the best tools and equipment possible. That means giving workers access to data analytics and business intelligence tools to make informed decisions about how their organization can benefit from technological initiatives.

Staying ahead of the curve for companies also means providing employees with the right equipment to fulfill everyday tasks. You can count on GroWrk to set up, scale, and manage a distributed workforce through top-of-the-line IT equipment management in more than 150 countries. Request a demo today and let your company take its next step towards the digital world.