Moving to hybrid work? Prioritize digital transformation

Just as the beginning of the pandemic forced companies to rethink their digital priorities, there are now new and pressing questions for businesses that have emerged as the world slowly re-opens.

Businesses will be faced with an inflection point yet again, asking themselves questions such as; should we transition to a hybrid workplace model? Are we keeping up with changing customer and employee expectations? Is our network ready for new apps, users and data? With customers expecting always-on, digital-first experiences, it is critical for businesses to stay ahead of the curve and continually innovate.

It’s been well over a year of dramatic change, proving no one knows exactly what the future will bring, but one thing we do know for certain is that the pandemic has propelled the pace of digital transformation (by about 4 years). According to the recently published Microsoft 2021 Work Trend index, a vast majority of companies across the globe will be embracing hybrid work.

• 73% of workers want flexible remote work to continue

• At the same time, 67% are craving more in-person time with their teams

• 66% of leaders are considering redesigning their office spaces to accommodate hybrid work

• Shrinking networks are endangering innovation

• Consistent high productivity is giving way to an exhausted workforce

With these facts in mind, the big question for business leaders becomes: how can you be certain your particular priorities will set your business up for future success?

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Business first

Digital transformation is not one thing. It’s different for every business. And it’s not about adopting technology for the sake of staying current with the latest solutions. It’s about adopting technologies and new ways of working that make sense for each particular business.

The goal is to filter digital transformation priorities through business priorities. Do your customers and employees need to access your website anytime and anywhere? Do you need increased flexibility in sales channels? Can you improve your hybrid workplace culture and collaboration?

It can be tempting to offload this responsibility to IT departments. Yes, IT plays a role in how new technology is deployed, but they may not be privy to higher level business strategy and the long term roadmap. Digital transformation is always best when it’s driven from business priorities and fully supported by the leadership team.

Getting trusted advice

So how should your business determine which priorities to commit to? There’s often a gap in knowledge between the business goals and how to go about achieving them through technology. Consultation with knowledgeable experts can help you create a roadmap to align business needs with technological capabilities. Enterprises typically pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop their roadmaps and even more to have them implemented. Mid market businesses can now access a similar advantage with this free service and partnering with TELUS.

For businesses looking for shorter cycles with more actionable and focused advice, TELUS offers a complimentary technology consultancy service. Having worked with businesses of all sizes across all industries for decades, TELUS brings a unique blend of expertise in business and technology alike. Trust matters, which is why our consultations present options from within and outside TELUS.

So how does a TELUS consultation work?

Evaluating performance indicators

Shortly after requesting a consultation online, your business is connected with a TELUS Solutions Architect for a discovery call where they build a business profile along key indicators, including:

• Marketing and branding

• Customers

• Competitors

• Employees

• Foreseeable Risks

• Opportunities for growth

In essence, TELUS looks to understand where your business is today, where you want to be, and what gaps may be present. Using this information, the team of Solutions Architects perform a gap analysis to create recommendations that will help your business overcome these gaps using technology. For example, one business started with an ad-hoc and point solution-based approach to addressing their technology needs. The executives' desired outcome was to build a structured, well-thought-through plan to implement technology that would enable their growth strategy and make them more agile. They also needed this plan to be repeatable across their other businesses. Upon being engaged, the TELUS consulting team built a proactive approach for this business, with an emphasis on cyber security and an exploration of cloud vs on-premise technologies as well as a professional assessment of their LAN environment and support models. In addition, there was also a recommendation to explore virtual care, to support employees’ engagement and minimize the impact of the pandemic on their mental health.

Informed decision making for the future

Every business is trying to reach and delight more customers. As customer expectations change, as new business processes emerge, as new opportunities present themselves, companies must adapt. With so much change upending the last year, businesses are faced with bridging the divide between physical and digital worlds like never before. Leveraging every trusted source can help inform leaders how to tackle new challenges with a thoughtful approach and chart the way forward.

Book a free consultation today. And find out how to empower your business to grow in the future.

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