How Customer Demands are Impacting Today's Organizations

As we mark nearly one year since COVID-19 and the shiftof nearly all business activity online, organizations have been forced tocontinually adjust business operations and adapt to a new and remote normal. Lookingahead, digital transformation, defined as the use of new, fast and frequentlychanging technology to solve problems and customer experience, defined asinteractions between an organization and customer, will continue to play majorroles.

The evolving digital transformation and customerexperience landscape is largely being driven by customers themselves, ratherthan organizations. With social distancing measures enacted and a limitedopportunity to visit store locations in-person, customers expect immediateaccess to services and for them to be simple, intuitive and easy to navigate. Inthis new landscape, organizations that recognize and embrace the importance of digitaltransformation and customer experience will excel in the future.

Searching for seamless experiences

Although face-to-face interactions were becoming lesscommon before the pandemic, organizations were forced to remotely enableseamless customer experiences with limited notice and adopt technology thatfacilitated this interaction amid the shift to online. In our increasinglyuncertain, digital and 24x7x365 world, customer experience should be viewed asthe top priority in ensuring loyalty.

In addition to considering the ongoing pandemic whenlooking at their digital transformation and customer experience journeys,today's organizations need to recognize the expectations of different agegroups. As younger, more digitally-savvy generations enter the market andleverage their buying power, these individuals that have grown up with theinternet at their fingertips will expect frictionless online experiences toaccess the tools and services they want.

Traditional barriers persist

Despite the importance for organizations to evolve, wecontinue to see the same roadblocks when discussing digital transformation andcustomer experience. Cost, complexity of the project and resistance to moveaway from the status quo are common pieces of feedback when speaking withorganizations about their digital transformation and customer experiencejourney. Customer demands are changing, whether organizations are prepared ornot. While the pandemic forced customers online, it would be naïve to think thedigital revolution we saw amid the pandemic will dissipate.

Digital transformation and customer experience is ajourney, not a destination

Change is a constant in our society. Even before thepandemic, as customer demands evolved organizations were forced to adjustbusiness operations and begin their digital transformation. What customers wantand expect out of the organizations they interact with will continue to shift,which is why it's important organizations embark on a digital transformationthat allows them to continuously evolve rather than viewing the transformationas a point in time. It should be seen as a multi-faceted process that accountsfor the individuals using the service and process they go through rather thansolely focusing on the technology involved. The pandemic also highlighted theimportance of not only having a seamless customer experience but ensuring thereis a built-in feedback mechanism so loyal customers can guide organizationswith candid opinions.

It is imperative organizations realize that digital transformation is here to stay. While government restrictions on the pandemic and social distancing efforts will change, the demand for seamless online interactions will remain. Although it can seem daunting, working with a solutions provider to outline what changes should be made and the tools required for this can relieve organizational strain and ensure a business' long-term success.

To learn more about how CDW Canada can help move your organization's digital transformation and customer experience journey forward, or if you're interested in getting started and would like to learn more, contact our CDW solution experts at 800.972.3922 or visit CDW.ca/digitaltransformation.