The world of business is rapidly digitising as new technologies advance every day. Digital transformation, therefore, is driving huge, quick growth for many companies across a range of industries and for a huge array of processes.

The phrase “digital transformation” itself may call to mind huge corporations, high-rise towers and a fleet of IT engineers, programmers and data analysts working round the clock on the company’s digital strategy.

However, digital transformation is increasingly vital for small businesses as well and, as the process of adopting digital solutions becomes more widespread, those that don’t act early are at risk of being left behind and opening up a gulf between them and their competitors.

Here are three simple initial steps that your small business can take to begin driving its digital transformation and embracing the benefits of new technologies.

Automation
Automation is a great way to increase the efficiency of your business and free up time to focus on driving growth. These systems deliver benefits by automating tasks that previously would have been done by staff and are a perfect way to eliminate monotonous, time-consuming tasks that require little actual skill or effort but take up valuable working hours.

Solutions like a virtual assistant can help to automate processes like scheduling meetings or sourcing documents that you might need at a moment’s notice. Without automation, such tasks can bog employees down in menial administrative work and mean that working hours aren’t being focused on growing your business and revenue.

Data analytics
Data analytics enables you to log and access data regarding your business and provide you with valuable insights that can help drive greater efficiency. Whether it helps you create more effective marketing or to strategise better for the future, analytics are an invaluable part of digital transformation.

Data analytics can provide you with unbiased analysis of your sector, trends among consumers and even your performance in comparison to rival businesses. With such insights, you’ll be better equipped to make the right decisions to move your business forwards.

Go to the cloud
Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the need to undertake digital transformation has arguably never been so pressing. One core reason for this is the huge increase in remote and flexible working that businesses have seen since the pandemic first forced employees to stay out of the office.

This looks set to be a trend that lasts long after the pandemic, so it’s something businesses should embrace. One of the best ways to tap into the advantages that remote working can deliver is to migrate your business to the cloud.

Moving to the cloud offers you flexibility, enabling your employees to collaborate and communicate as well as ever, no matter where they’re working from. Not only this, cloud solutions can also deliver such digital advantages as greater scalability, giving your business more scope and capacity to grow, more reliable systems (not to mention round the clock support), as well as top of the line cybersecurity protection.