Digital know-how

AI, machine learning, big data – is your head spinning from these topics popping up everywhere, yet you know too well you should “do something with it”? To support business leaders who want to get started with data, but struggle with the “how, what and where”, we developed a second edition of our well-received masterclass “Make Disruption Work” – one that centers on exactly these topics.

While remote working can be a substitute for desk jobs, things are quite different in a (B2B) sales environment, which usually relies on face-to-face interactions. This situation requires a shift in way-of-working, as well as an unexpected surge in digital commerce and customer engagement. In this article, we share our thinking on how to keep the engine running in (B2B) sales, while being unable to physically visit customers.

Over the past few weeks, our main focus has been with the health and wellbeing of our families, friends, and employees. All of us had to think of pragmatic solutions to make this new life work. B2B business leaders asked themselves: “How do I keep my factory operational with public transport being shut down?”

Over the past decade, SparkOptimus has nurtured “disruptive thinking” to make disruption work. The crux of this thinking is to let go of daily routines and think out-of-the-box about how to better serve (existing or new) customers, putting their needs first rather than products or services. Interestingly, the COVID-19 outbreak forced us all to apply disruptive thinking, maybe without even noticing. Jobs that couldn’t be done from home suddenly could and supply chain gaps were filled by local sourcing. Digitization is further accelerated, with new challenges but also opportunities ahead, as we are moving towards a “1.5-meter-distance-society”.

As digital disruption has become a major force across industries, organizations have responded with significant investments in digital transformation.[1] Unfortunately, recent research suggests that most of these efforts fail to meet or exceed expectations.

With people all over the world being urged to stay at home, digital is quickly becoming the new normal, resulting in a sudden increase in the urgency of digitization and a further acceleration of digital businesses, both in direct-to-consumer and in business-to-business markets.

The history of retail is, in one sense, the history of data technologies. From the ancient clay tablets first used to tally grain, to standardised account ledgers, to digitised computer spreadsheets; commerce has driven the development of technologies that enable the collection and use of data. And as each new technology has emerged, businesses have adopted it across the board.

Who should you pick to lead your company’s digital transformation?