Companies who focus on the process of transformation, not just the outcomes, are the ones who are able to distinguish themselves from their competitors with better products delivered faster. Once they discover the joy of constant innovation, leaders will make life better for their customers and their employees alike.

Digital Transformation is Not Just a Tech Revolution

Organizations that create a culture of innovation, a state of perpetual evolution and improvement, can deliver their goods or services faster, better, cheaper, and with a better customer experience, all the while remaining competitive in their respective markets.

Everyone knows this by now, and “transformation” is a common goal.

But so many companies get one thing wrong: it’s not just about implementing new digital technologies. Sure, that new SaaS might improve processes in your accounting department in ways you never imagined. Sure, that collaboration tool makes your teams better at their jobs. And sure, your customers love your new retail app. These are just tools, however.

You might employ a range of tech tools at your business that help you along your journey. But it’s never just about the tools.

It’s about how you begin to rethink ways of doing things.

Tech is Only Part of the Puzzle

Tech development is so exciting right now. You might solve an inefficient workflow problem with a great new cloud-based software solution. Next, you might schedule a series of successful app rollouts. This might enable you to offer new products more efficiently and reduce time to market. You might start enrolling new users with your product because your teams improved its UX. Great.

But what got you there? What enabled you to achieve those goals? It’s the team mindset, the culture of innovation, the big-picture thinking that your managers were able to achieve that really matter. If you have those assets in place, the kinds of successes just described can continue to happen over and over again, well into the future.  

Beyond technology, true digital transformation is about creating an environment where people can respond to opportunities, where they have the support and the means (and yes, the tools) they need. This requires transforming not just tech platforms but also underlying design and culture.

The real goal of digital transformation is a human style of transformation: a mindset change that lasts forever.

Putting Experiences First

So, if adopting new technologies isn’t the real goal of digital transformation, then what is? It’s really all about human interactions… how people experience your brand, whether it’s through your product, your customer service, your employee onboarding process, your social media, or your payroll department. All this falls under the realm of User Experience (UX), whether those users are your employees or your customers.

Digitization Serves Good UX

Think of digital transformation as a state of perpetual evolution… always improving, always innovating in a continuous loop of feedback and improvement. No matter what the state of your brand’s digital health might be, there’s always something to look forward to on the journey ahead. Consumer tastes change, their demands evolve, and upstart competitors are always there to solve their problems in a better way.

Even the world’s top innovative companies, like Salesforce, Netflix, and Apple, aren’t done with their digital transformations. They’re still looking for ways to speed up product development cycles and improve efficiency in ways that meet customer expectations. They know they can’t rest on their laurels and that to continue delighting consumers, they’ll need to continuously keep churning out new ways of solving their problems.

So it’s worth repeating: all of that requires not just new tech but new ideas, a holistic outlook, and a flexible, accepting attitude toward organizational change. Once you’ve achieved those lofty transformation goals, you can truly say you are well on your way to digital transformation. Then, all you have to do is keep the ball rolling and never stop — companies should never stop evolving and should never consider their journey of digital transformation to be over with.