digital transformation case study

digital transformation case study

Digital Transformation: A Case Study

1. Introduction

The organization under study in this case is one of the world’s largest insurance companies, which I will call Sampo. Understandably, the company has a highly selective process for a case study, and I was fortunate to be invited to the preliminary meeting to discuss my potential involvement. I was tasked with understanding and building a narrative around one of the many ongoing technology-based projects. After an initial scoping chat with the IT director, it was decided that the most interesting area of study surrounded the development of a digital platform to enable easier and more efficient data sharing between the three key areas within the division. This project is quite far-reaching in that it involves multiple teams based in two different countries (coincidentally, the UK and my native Ireland) and represents a shift in the mindset of the division as they pivot towards a more digital way of working. There was no real reason to choose this as a focal project for myself, and for an insurance company, there are more obvious uses for technology which may be deemed as a more interesting study. Having worked in IT as a programmer and systems analyst, I have had experience in all sorts of different tools and systems, but the type I am most well-versed in working with is data. I have built a career working with data that is the lifeblood of systems and the engines which process it. This ranges from BI report writing, ETL development, and general system maintenance and automation. I have a good understanding of how to best manage and maintain data, and proper data governance is a topic I am passionate about. I am also a firm believer that data should be made as easy to access as possible, with consideration as to who can access it and whether it is suitable for their purpose. Knowing all this and having discussed what the goal of this platform was to be, it seemed a logical fit to sculpt this as a case of how IT in said company can directly drive change within the business for a more efficient digital way of working.

2. Challenges Faced

Given the importance of information in today’s economy, an industry-wide system that can improve the sharing of information could provide. There was concern of being left behind by large competitors that are setting up business-to-business marketplaces. These digital marketplaces would put much of the purchasing and distribution process on the internet. This would result in lower operational costs and prices, giving these companies a cost advantage over firms that have not made the transition and further intensifying competition.

The digital revolution created a new market where information is the primary currency and technology is the engine of growth. A key to success in this new market is getting the information to the right people – and doing it quickly. The faster information moves, the faster business goes. Computers and communication technologies allow new ways to analyze data and increase the capacity to make decisions. For competitors, this technology has the potential to make available the same information and the same tools at the same time. A temporary competitive advantage could be converted into a long-term one. A firm can transform an innovation into a new process, which gives it a competitive advantage.

3. Strategies Implemented

Overall, the strategies implemented were concrete tactics to change the behavior of past and potential UOW students. This is important to ensure that it is a long-lasting SaaS and the UOW market target is hit on all phases. Step by students to institutions and on to parents to compare success in changed a very wide targeting spectrum. Data throughout the process will be analyzed at various intervals to configure which was the most efficient method. This is a measure of success with predictions correlation between action and the various changes behavior, noticeable UOW student and stakeholder loyalty and success in changing student and or parent to UOW staff.

Finally, the optimization phase could take quite a while if we compare 3-4 months. This is expected to incrementally improve the UOW strategy and web engagement to deliver increased ROI. A faster yet controlled offer of adoption and a hearty commitment to current and new feature sets will support this. Step to next phase is dependent on UOW success to navigate from one here at different levels lasting 6-18 months. This strategy definitely had the most well thought, but is seen to be a very slow process lasting nearly years if we compare it to the marketing activities phase.

Cross-channel measurement is an attempt to understand complex customer journeys and identify the highest performing channel on put by measuring channel cost by conversion rate to determine key successes. This is a gradual and evolving process.

Content and mobile experience are self-explanatory. It was to create relevant and engaging content that appeals to the audience. This is one of the most efficient ways to market and is seen to have high potential if done correctly. High potential was to have people who stick around and keep coming back to the UOW site, and it shows to be efficient with mobile traffic increased by 79%. This learning process will be continuous, testing and optimizing created a cycle of iterative improvements. This was all achieved using the Adobe platform.

Audience manager and segment integration have similarities with the previous strategy. An objective was to connect web behavior to engage more effectively. This was done by generating prospects and families by leveraging first a predefined segments. Steps were to drive them to relevant and engaging content while continuously testing and optimizing. This was to improve the audience experience so that visitors will continue to come back to the UOW site.

Email marketing and lead nurturing go hand in hand with the strategy before. This was basically a method of engaging the particular target market using email. This may have been an attempt to get some more specific details on the alumni they wish to target. This data was collected by ongoing testing and refinement inclusive of a more personalized segmentation communication and timetable.

The marketing automation method was used to improve the engagement experience of the visitors, consumers, and supporters most at risk for funding withdrawals. This was a follow-up from the vice-chancellor and is seen to be much more efficient than attempting to improve broad-based awareness high convention rate.

The following phase was to speak about the various strategies that were employed in order to make sure that the predictions were all a success. There are six strategies that were mentioned and discussed at length. They include marketing automation, email marketing and lead nurturing, audience manager and segment integration, content and mobile experience, cross-channel measurement, and optimization.

4. Results and Benefits

The results of this project have been transformational for The Co-operative. Shifting from extremely manual and time-consuming processes to a fully digital system has saved both time and money. The organization has seen enhanced visibility and control over their projects, with data being readily available to the right people at the right times. This has brought the ability to make better business decisions based on factual data. Overall project turn-around time has improved vastly, with scheduled tasks and automated notifications ensuring timely progression. The risk to project success has been minimized with clear governance and repeatability of successful projects. Through delivering successful business outcomes using Microsoft technology, Intelogy has brought about significant return on investment for The Co-operative. The nature of a SharePoint-based solution means it can be reused and reconfigured throughout all areas of the business where there is a requirement to manage projects. This is resulting in an overall total cost of ownership much lower than the Co-op’s previous system and has provided sustainability for the future.

5. Lessons Learned and Future Recommendations

What Robert learned from his previous attempt was that initiative must be made from the top of the organization. The problem was that strategy was the weakest link for IT; little to no understanding of what function IT should be doing. An education of what IT does and what it should be doing was not going to happen overnight. It was also learned that while the start of the training initiative was a good idea, it was too early done without even knowing the destination. This would cause further confusion and other failed projects. Step one was to have leadership educated on IT strategy. Having worked closely with the analyst, the analyst learned of a strategic planning approach for IT and offered to do it alongside the analyst at a much lower cost. A budget was created to plan around a future state of where IT needs to be. This budgeting and planning initiative would continue for the next 3 years and it showed to be a great success. This was later to be known as phase 1.

As a new IT leader, Robert was unsure how to begin transforming IT. He decided that the best way to start was by training his own staff on various technologies and breaking the ideas to leadership. This tentative step was met with resounding failure. The new IT staff resisted change and there was little interest from leadership. The initiative became the joke of the company, also giving the impression that IT was to be taught how to do their own jobs. This was a firm lesson that there needed to be a formal IT plan and this was taking the wrong approach. Unsure what to do, Robert had requested that a Gartner analyst come on site to talk about. After becoming engrossed in a conversation about what IT should be doing, the analyst offered to provide consulting style work at no cost at the analyst research to learn from the event. Now armed with a new understanding of strategy, a redesigned IT initiative began.