A shift toward the digital space for many businesses isn’t entirely something new, it has been happening for the better part of two decades but at differing paces – this past year has pushed this forward further as many may have to adjust to a more permanent change to remote working in response to the pandemic.
Whilst this has been a detriment for some, it does provide many opportunities for all businesses looking to make the change and may help lead many into a position to recover faster than if the change hadn’t been made at all.
The biggest opportunity noticed for many has come from the ability to streamline a lot of processes that have been identified throughout the change – the move away from an office environment and the introduction of different digital tools has given more clarity over the day to day workflow and process and has been able to identify areas of downtime or obsolete positions early on providing an opportunity to restructure and reorganise, and this will be vital for many as they continue their own digital transformation by eliminating processes that had otherwise had no use.
In a similar vein, the change to digital platforms through the likes of Zoom or Teams as a major utility does bring some challenges in the limits they have, certain functionality or certain tools may not be entirely fit for purpose leading some to experience early issues during the initial change, but it again provides yet another opportunity for development in this space to create and enhance the tools being used and provide all of the utility that had previously been missing – without a shift to remote or digital, these tools would have continued to remain undeveloped and unused, and this change has been vital in ensuring the space moves forward.
The impacts have already been noticed in many different business sectors as a digital shift has been happening at an incredible rate for quite some time, and we’re now starting to see how those traditionally found in the brick-and-mortar setting are open to making the change too, but also will become the space with the most uncertainty. Back when eBooks first launched, land-based bookstores found difficulties remaining open as the transition occurred, but some time later many brick-and-mortar locations found a surge of visitors once again seeking a more familiar experience, the same is happening now in some gaming sectors as betting shops around the world are closing in favour of an online digital change such as Betting 24 – with that in mind, digital transformation certainly isn’t fit for all business, and this next year may show those who have made the change find a growing wave of nostalgia to bring back a more pre-digital feeling, and only time will tell. There’s no doubt that the future is looking increasingly digital, however, and it’s now becoming more of a question for when the others will get onboard, as opposed to an if they will get onboard with change.
