Digital transformation: how to change quickly in turbulent times

Market uncertainties caused by the Covid-19 crisis have put digital transformation on the agenda for many executives. Along with harsh competition and ever-increasing client expectations, these uncertainties have pushed many companies to the edge with a simple yet very hard choice: digitalise or die.

 

According to the WHO, 2022 may be the year we see the end of the worst of the pandemic. There’s no way organisations will go back to their pre-pandemic habits and routines. We’ll see more and more companies ride the wave and accomplish a transition to digital.

 

But how do you not only survive but change in the quickest and safest manner? We’ve been down this road many times with more than 200 of our customers across the globe, and we feel your pain. We have made some mistakes and now we know how to avoid them.

 

Let’s break it down and see a few digital transformation cases of some of our customers.

 

Leaner solutions for Scandinavia’s leading airline

 

Let’s take a situation that a leading airline group in Northern Europe with 150 routes to 90 destinations found itself in. The airline’s cost management system caused delays in the operational process. For example, it took up to four days to calculate fuel budgets.

 

We were responsible for business operations of the client’s production control systems, which performed flight data aggregation and calculated charges and profitability. Our experts replaced the outdated system, developed new modules for it, and gradually took over operations and support of six other IT systems.

 

Eventually, this helped the client to halve IT costs. Today, it only takes 25 minutes to calculate the fuel budget and the solution saves millions of euros for the airline. Thus, we showed our deep understanding of the financial and aviation field working as an integral part of the client’s team.

 

E-commerce solutions for a multinational manufacturer

 

Here is another story. One of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment and marine and industrial engines was striving to get the most out of online sales. It decided to create an all-in-one comprehensive e-commerce portal for B2B and B2C spare parts sales. The main challenge was to do it quickly and to adapt the platform for the client and its customers to different markets worldwide.

 

The solution initially developed by Sigma Software proved to be of so much value that it has been further implemented at several other client companies, gradually becoming a fully-fledged e-commerce platform unrivaled in its compatibility with companies in the automotive industry.

 

As of today, the platform is used by 11 international brands and more than 150 dealers from more than 50 countries to sell the company’s parts, country-specific assortment and their own products through the solution developed and maintained by our team. We’ve developed B2B and B2C e-commerce platforms and portals. These solutions allow the client to significantly enhance the efficiency of sales channels. In addition to this, more than 10,000 end-users have already made direct purchases from the portal through the B2C part of the solution.

 

Real-time solutions for a leading provider of software for construction sites

 

A leading Nordic IT company that develops solutions for the construction industry wanted to make construction sites more sustainable. The decision was made to simplify and digitise the processes by creating a real-time access management system.

 

This system is now used on almost every construction site in the Nordic region. 15,000 sites with 500,000 workers across three countries use it daily. The solution is now sold as a service on different scales using various sets of modules and varying business models.

 

Moreover, our business team is also helping the client implement a business product strategy for the market.

 

Final thoughts

 

Historically, digital transformation has long been perceived as a pure IT function. This is no longer the case. Today, it goes far beyond covering the whole business and many organisations seem to look at digital transformation from a much broader perspective. This includes not only the technologies themselves but, even more important, the people and processes around them. As shown in the stories above, digital transformation reimagines the whole nature of your company’s strategy, approaches, and culture.

 

Today it’s hard to imagine the business of the future without IT. And as the need for technical solutions will only grow, businesses need to understand IT more and more. If a company wants to be truly digital, it really is time to start digging into this. IT roles in turn, must acquire a business mindset.

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If you need advice or any kind of help with your digital transformation journey, feel free to contact us. Sigma Software provides services in a wide range of industries such as media and advertising, telecoms, finance and banking, healthcare and many others.

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by Valery Krasovsky, CEO and Co-Founder, Sigma Software Group