Preparing for Digital Transformation
Pick your platform
Committing to one technology platform to power your digital transformation is one of the bigger decisions you are likely to make as an SMB …so doing the research is pretty serious stuff. We spoke to director, Tom Powell and his team at furniture retailers Oak Tree Mobility to find out what groundwork they did before deciding to go with Salesforce.
1. Take a look at what other businesses are doing
Talking to businesses similar to your own is a great place to start gathering information. Using your existing network as a starting point, there will be much to learn simply by talking to as many people as possible who have gone through the processes. Beyond your network, The Salesforce World Tour London event is a fantastic showcase for hearing other businesses’ case studies. Closer to home, if you want to meet organisations in your area using the platform, try attending a Salesforce User Group.
‘When I saw how businesses were using the platform, and the results they were seeing, I was sold.’
It was a combination of these three information sources that led Tom Powell to conclude the Salesforce was the right technology for Oak Tree Mobility.
2. Think about your main business purpose
Although Oak Tree Mobility is a furniture retailer, Tom’s important insight was that they needed to move away from a product mindset: in fact it was great customer service that lay at the heart of their business success. To offer the best possible experience to their client base, their prime differentiator would be managing that customer data to drive stellar service-levels.
‘First and foremost, what we do is customer relationship management, so we needed a system that enabled us to excel at that.’
Think carefully about what drives your organisation and go for a platform that specialising in delivering on this business model.
3. Start talking to the experts early
Choosing an implementation partner is part science and part art: they need to have the right skill set and experience, but the chemistry needs to be good too. Making a final choice can take some time, but it’s also an excellent opportunity to get some free insights and advice on the digital options available to you. The sooner you begin this process, the more you will learn and the better the outcome.
