A digital transformation is a necessary change, but it can’t work without buy in and leadership from the top down. This is something the company needs to do together, and some tough choices are coming. With a likely high price tag and disruptions on the cards, the company is about to go through a challenging time; making sure everyone at the top understands this is a powerful first step.

Before embarking on your digital transformation, you will need to know exactly what needs to change.
To do this you will need to do a complete, top to bottom analysis of your current technology and systems in order to:  

• Review business processes and highlight inefficiencies
• Identify technology gaps or areas where your existing systems fall short
• Define functional capabilities needed to effectively support or improve your processes.

Digital transformations are not as much about technology as they are about change. A thorough digital transformation will likely change the way everything is done in your company and will therefore require a culture of agility, communication and open mindedness.  

Leaders will need to take ownership of the transformation and prepare all involved well ahead of any actual proposed developments. Employees, clients and other stakeholders will all need to understand the transformation strategy and how it will affect them. Training sessions will need to be organised and feedback sessions should be incorporated into the strategy at each step to see if the changes are working as proposed. This is an exciting time that will hopefully end up with your employees working on fewer mundane tasks and clients getting better service. Make sure they know that this is what the effort is about.

With so much exciting new technology around it’s easy to get carried away with what you decide to implement. It is important that whatever projects go ahead are done to the benefit of the business and that they do not put pressure on cash flow and savings for other projects. Speaking to your accountant should help you determine which areas are most critical for advancement, and which will have the biggest impact on company operations. They will also be able to assist you in developing a roll out plan, so you can be sure to get all you need within a reasonable timeframe.

It’s one thing to read about these new technologies online and quite another to truly understand how they might impact your workplace. Proper research and expertise need to be included when deciding which elements of cloud computing, edge computing, AI, Data Analytics and Digital Experience will make a difference for your business. Would better reporting help you to make decisions? Do you have a large remote force that needs better organisation? Do you have a factory floor that could do with less wastage? Your business’s needs will determine where you have to invest.

Your digital transformation is not the time you want to cut corners with your technology partners. When choosing which solutions to use, don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions around whether the technology is scalable and easily adaptable for future needs. Does your partner share the same vision as your organisation? Do they understand your industry? Do they provide support for upgrades and downtimes, and what does that support look like? Will you be down for a day or a month? Does the technology work with your current systems, or will you need to retrain everyone? How future-proof is your partner?

Critically, you need time and budget to educate and train your staff on your new systems. It’s futile implementing new technology if no one can use it. This needs to be built into your timeline. As an added benefit, investing in employee training has been shown to increase employee satisfaction, business efficiency and consistency so don’t be afraid to give your employees the skills they need to operate in a modern workplace.

• Ensure fair remuneration and that each team member’s salary is optimally structured.
  
  
• Put the basics in place: Employment contracts, salary slips, leave and sick leave, job descriptions and performance reviews.
  
  
• Offer incentives for employees to increase their earnings – from simply working extra hours to profit sharing for achieving company goals.

• Team members should have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities, and how it contributes to achieving the team’s goals.
  
  
• In addition to safe, clean and friendly working conditions, each team member should have the right skills and the right tools to make their contribution to the team’s success effectively and efficiently.
  
  
• Be sure to provide practical means to track the team’s progress to maintain motivation.

• Non-monetary perks that have proven to be very popular include flexible working hours, extra time off, transport, childminding facilities, fun social activities and opportunities to volunteer
  during work time.
  
  
• Health and wellness programmes are an affordable and practical option to help team members to better care for their health, improving productivity and reducing both absenteeism and presenteeism (when team members are at work, but are too ill to perform their duties).

• Regular and prioritised communication – from weekly team meetings to reports with regular due dates are crucial to share information and provide feedback to the team and individual members.
  
  
• Provide all team members with opportunities to share their input, actively seek out suggestions, listen to understand and work to build consensus, which is likely to result in the best decisions.
  
  
• Define common goals and clear steps to achieving these goals.

• Be certain to celebrate milestones and successes with the team, recognising each team member’s efforts.
  
  
• Define the lessons learnt from failures and adjust the team’s approach accordingly.
  
  
• Consider team-building activities that can foster cooperation and build trust and team spirit.

The best time to send an invoice is when you and your relationship with a client is still fresh in everyone’s minds. Ask for the invoicing details up front, so you can send the invoice with the final deliverable.

The invoice should request payment immediately, or failing that, at the end of the month and not only when you need the money. Smaller businesses are likely to comply, and bigger companies may rush faster to ensure you get paid promptly within their next payment cycle.  Making the assumption that your client needs leeway or payment time scales well into the future only guarantees your invoice loses priority.

If you are going into a large contract, it’s wise to do some groundwork on your client. One of the biggest reasons for non-payment is the client’s own cash flow worries. Getting some intelligence from other clients, or if possible, running a background check on them, will ensure you don’t invest huge amounts of time and resources into defaulting clients. If you do establish a client might default, you don’t have to cut them off, simply invoice with the intention of being paid up front, or at least request a deposit and include a punitive “late payers’ fee” or interest on non-payment to encourage them to prioritise you.

Your larger clients are going to be fanatical about their payment cycles. Ask them upfront when they need to receive invoices and make sure you get the invoice in before that date. Failure to do so will often mean a 30 or even 60 day delay in payment.

If you have a client who uses the same service regularly, don’t be afraid to ask for retainers and other contracts, to be paid by debit order, to cover the costs rather than invoicing each month. Be sure to offer perks to encourage your clients to take you up on these offers.

When it comes time to pay, even struggling companies will want to pay the people they know and like first, over the anonymous supplier. Knowing who at your client is responsible for the invoice and following up politely with them is a great way to ensure your invoices are treated with priority.