Digital Transformation Challenges and How Small Businesses Can Overcome Them

At this stage, many small business owners understand that digital transformation is needed to survive in today’s constantly disruptive times. And yet, seventy percent of digital transformation efforts fail.

Considering that companies perceive such efforts as technology issues rather than the organizational challenges they truly are. However, entrepreneurs cannot allow those dreary statistics to stop them. Also, do not assume failure is a given for your small business.

The advantages of digital transformation are truly undeniable. However, it also comes with its fair share of challenges, particularly for small businesses.

Let’s explore the top digital transformation challenges and provide practical solutions to overcome them.

Why Is Digital Transformation Hard?

Digital transformation isn’t just about using new computer stuff and better ways of doing things in a business. It’s a whole new and smart way of doing what’s important for your business.

So, when a company tries to do digital transformation, they need to think about everything. Digital transformation challenges help companies get ready for the future, compete with others, and grow.

But it’s not easy. Here’s why:

1. It’s Complicated: Digital transformation challenges involve updating old software and using lots of different new things. This can be hard to do and manage.
2. People Don’t Like Change: Some workers might not like changing how they do things. They might want to keep doing things the old way, making it hard to use new tech and ways.
3. Not Enough Skilled Workers: There aren’t always enough experts who know how to do digital transformation. This can be a big problem.
4. Old Systems: Sometimes, old computer systems get in the way of using new tech. This makes it tough to switch to digital solutions.
5. No Clear Plan: Making a good plan for digital transformation that matches the company’s goals is tough. If there’s no clear plan or good leadership, it can slow things down.
6. Security Worries: Keeping data safe and following privacy rules is super important. But it can also be tricky to do right.
7. Not Enough Resources: Digital transformation can cost a lot of money. Smaller companies might not have enough money or people to do it.
8. Tech Keeps Changing: Technology is always getting better and different. Keeping up with the latest trends and what customers want is hard.
9. Measuring Success Is Tricky: Figuring out if digital transformation is helping the company make more money can be tough. Sometimes, it’s not easy to see the benefits right away.

Digital Transformation Challenges to Overcome

Digital transformation offers new chances for businesses to come up with fresh ideas and grow. However, it also makes us think hard and maybe even change the most important parts of our business.

Here are the top 11 problems to think about when starting digital transformation projects in 2023:

1. No Plan for Change.
   When organizations don’t have a clear plan for handling changes, their chances of succeeding in digital transformation drop significantly.
   To excel, you require a robust strategy for transformation that entails pinpointing issues. This will help establish connections with all stakeholders and leverage a change management blueprint to initiate the process.

1. Changing Customer Needs
   Organizations change over time, especially with events like COVID-19. Digital transformation challenges takes a long time, and customer needs might change during that time. Be ready to adapt to these changes and use new technology when needed.

1. Limited Budget
   Digital transformation costs money. If you’re not careful, the cost can go up because of unexpected work or changes in customer needs. Know your goals and budget well to avoid overspending.

1. Measuring Success
   It can be tough to see how well digital transformation projects are doing. The benefits might not be clear right away. This makes it hard to convince people to invest in more digital projects in the future.

1. Complicated Software and Technology
   Enterprise software is complex, and new technology can be scary. This can be a big problem when organizations are trying to switch to digital ways. Leaders should think about this early on and choose easy-to-use systems that work well together.

1. Isolated Departments
   Sometimes, different parts of an organization don’t talk to each other. This can slow down digital transformation because people don’t work together well. Good communication and collaboration are important.

1. Changing the Culture
   Many organizations are used to old ways of doing things. They don’t like change, and they find new technology hard to accept. Changing this mindset is a big challenge in digital transformation.

1. Getting People to Use New Tools and Ways
   Sometimes, people don’t want to change the way they do things. This is especially true when you introduce new software. To make sure employees use these tools, you need to give them good training and support so they can become experts quickly.

1. Worries About Security
   Some companies worry about their data and security when they move to digital systems. They might be scared of cyberattacks. To protect your data, have a plan and get expert help.

1. No Digital Transformation Plan
   Before you start changing old systems with new digital ones, you should know why you’re doing it. You should have a plan for how you’ll do it and what parts of your organization need an upgrade.

1. Not Enough IT Skills
   To succeed, you need a skilled IT team. Finding good IT people can be hard, so some organizations outsource the work. Others create their IT team or have an IT leader who makes plans.

Tips for Overcoming Digital Transformation Challenges

Here are seven ways businesses can beat the difficulties of digital change and make the most of new digital tools and technologies.

• Get input from employees.
  Getting feedback and involving your employees can help a lot when dealing with digital changes. It means working together and making sure your employees are part of the process. This way, you can learn from them, find any problems, and come up with better solutions.When your employees feel listened to and included in making decisions, they are more likely to accept and get used to new technologies and ways of doing things. This feeling of ownership and commitment can make your digital changes work faster, making your organization stronger and better at handling new technology.
• Keep an eye on things and adjust.
  Since digital changes keep happening, it’s important to have a way to always watch and check how things are going. Having a system for always watching, checking, and evaluating what you’re doing lets you find where you need to make things better and make changes right away.This way, you can make sure your digital plans keep fitting with your business goals, you’re using your resources well, and you’re fixing problems before they get big.

  In the end, always keeping an eye on things and making changes when needed makes your digital changes work better and last longer. It helps your organization stay strong in the fast-changing digital world.

• Get a digital help tool.
  When you get a new digital tool or way of doing things, it won’t automatically work well. You’ll need to teach and support your workers or users so they can use these tools properly. Get a digital help tool, which gives companies easy-to-use tools to make helpful information inside the app. This helps users learn how to use the app and get ongoing support.
• Form a team to lead change.
  Examine your existing workforce and identify those who wield influence, exhibit creativity, and demonstrate reliability. Assemble a collaborative unit comprising these top-performing personnel from various departments to establish a dedicated team with a central mission of driving transformation.Several essential components of orchestrating organizational change include Strategize – Organizations should meticulously assess their processes, establish priorities, and formulate fresh strategies accordingly.

  A thorough plan should be meticulously documented, encompassing all details of the changes, such as which processes, resources, and phases it will encompass, when it will commence, who will assume responsibility, and so forth.

  Commence from the upper echelons of management – Senior management levels wield considerable decision-making power; hence, they should be entrusted with decisions regarding investments, technologies, processes, roles, and responsibilities.

• Get help from digital transformation experts.
  Not all changes are as big as a complete digital transformation. Many organizations have never done this kind of change before and don’t have people inside who know how to do it, which can be challenging and intimidating.Hiring a company that specializes in digital transformation challenges will give you the confidence of having professionals who have experience with this kind of change and know what they’re doing.
• Connect your business goals with your digital transformation challenges plan.
  Why is your organization going through digital transformation? This should be the main focus of everything you’re doing when you’re making new changes.Understand what your customers need, where they’re facing problems with your products or services, and where things are not working well in your current processes. Look for outdated systems that need upgrading. In the end, your transformation plan should directly support your core business goals.
• Cultivate a Transformational Work Culture
  The significance of the human element has been firmly established.As reported by Forbes, the cornerstone of organizational digital success lies in initiating the change process with humans rather than technology.

  A judicious approach to mitigating employee resistance to change involves engaging the entire team from the outset and maintaining transparent and frequent communication.

• Go for Strategic Budgeting
  A budget should be prepared based on overarching goals, strategies, priorities, timelines, anticipated outcomes, return on investments, and other relevant factors.Flexibility should be built into the budget to address any emerging challenges or issues.

  While the obstacles of digital transformation challenges may appear daunting to some organizations, with the right mindset, appropriate resources, and diligent effort, successful transformation can be attained, and the ensuing benefits will vindicate the exertion.

Final Thoughts

For businesses to stay competitive and keep up with the digital changes happening today, it’s really important to beat the challenges that come with digital transformation.

Using technology to make finding commercial funding easier and faster is what GoKapital does. They have a team of Advisors who are always ready to give people a free consultation to help them find the best funding option.

Whether someone has been running a business for a long time or is just starting out, GoKapital can approve them for the funding they need.

GoKapital partners with various business loan programs, including unsecured business loans, merchant cash advances, revenue-based loans, lines of credit, equipment leasing, invoice factoring, and more. They also provide real estate financing options like hard money fix and flip loans, commercial real estate mortgages, cash-out refinancing for investment properties, financing for foreign nationals, and more.

Through their relationships with private lenders and their knowledgeable team of advisors, GoKapital offers more funding options and better approval rates than local banks. They are eager to help companies grow because their success is GoKapital’s business.

GoKapital is committed to helping entrepreneurs quickly and easily find business funding through a clear application process.

They derive satisfaction from assisting their clientele with integrity, exceptionalism, and a sincere commitment to their business prosperity. Have we also mentioned that their staff consists of seasoned experts hailing from diverse domains such as finance, technology, and entrepreneurship, comprehending the intricacies of managing a company?

That’s why they know how vital it is for people to find business funding easily and swiftly.