The power of alliances in digital transformation

Undergoing significant digital transformation is no simple feat with deployment requiring significant investment of both time and money. Tata Consultancy Services’ Gopinathan Krishnaswami reveals ways in which companies can overcome the potholes that line this road. 

Business 4.0^TM – a framework of business behaviours that optimises the digital advantage to create customer value – is one of the most significant overhauls that an organisation can undertake. This not only needs investment in new digital technologies, but also a vital change in an organisation’s culture. To reap the maximum benefits of Business 4.0 – which includes flexibility, agility and increased productivity – the business and its leaders must adopt new behaviours to make the most of these technologies, and thus, create customer value. For example, digital technologies have enabled new levels of agility and flexibility allowing businesses to embrace riskier opportunities.

Adapting to digital transformation requires large-scale restructuring and change not only in processes but also in business planning.

“Digital technologies have created a landscape that promises high returns on risks taken and virtually no growth for ‘safe’ options, as it gives the competition an easy victory.”

To maximise digital advantage, businesses need to think big and focus on the potential value to the customer.

But digital transformation is not an easy process, and if not handled correctly, it can be difficult to sustain in the long term, even for organisations in digital savvy industries such as media and telecoms. Deployment and maintenance can be costly, both in time and money; legacy systems need to be integrated or replaced; and talent needs to be constantly upskilled. As increasing amounts of data are created and communicated, security and privacy become even more crucial than before, both for employees and customers.

One solution to tackle the challenges of digital transformation is to leverage strong, well-defined partnerships. Selecting the correct partner(s) allows organisations to focus on what it does best. It also offers the necessary expertise, experience, and support to deliver business results for digital transformation.

Pairing up

All the expertise and experience for digital transformation may not reside with one single partner.

Businesses need integrated solutions for complex transformation projects.

“Not only do strong technology partnerships provide integrated solutions and enable organisations to overcome their technical limitations, they can also help businesses grow.”

They can do so by creating value, lowering deployment time and reducing total cost of ownership, improving customer experience and enabling borderless growth by opening up new markets across the globe. This often needs a strong base built on seamless digital IT services and digital infrastructure.

Rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) works with strategic partners like Tata Communications to build end-to-end integrated solutions. All of these solutions are tailored for each customer depending on their needs, whether they work in manufacturing, retail, financial services and insurance, consumer packaged goods, high-tech or utilities.

For example, a major deep-water drilling contractor, managed from London but with remote rig locations across the world, struggled for consistent IT experience and stable connectivity. Tata Communications along with TCS helped consolidate the firm’s network and applications. The joint applications and business support services, combined with a managed hybrid WAN with Tata Communications’ IZO SDWAN, meant that the company now enjoys smooth business processes empowered by seamless connectivity in all locations.

In another case, TCS and Tata Communications helped transform customer experience for one of the world’s largest beverage manufacturers.

“The solution involved installing a global cloud-based contact centre using a hybrid connectivity platform to connect agents across 11 locations, all under a single service level agreement.”

The joint solution addressed the infrastructure as well as the application layer, including interactive voice response (IVR), high-availability call recording and speech analytics.

The right partnerships can help organisations function in a more intelligent, agile and automated fashion, otherwise known as Business 4.0. This not only helps in the short term but will ensure that they are ready for the added benefits that will come from technologies such as 5G and more sophisticated artificial intelligence. Ultimately, collaborating with the right team improves a business offer. Just like a restaurant owner would design a better menu with a chef or a carpenter could build a better house with an architect, digitally transforming a business enhances the infrastructure, efficiency and most importantly, service to customers.

Find out more about how the Tata Consultancy Services and Tata Communications partnership allows organisations to leverage global WAN capabilities across a range of industries here.