本文源引自塔塔通信集团副总裁Amit Sinha Roy在2024年3月9日发表的文章，采用中英双语排版，由ImmersiveTranslate提供翻译支持。
The so-called “digital transformation” went from a nice-to-have to a full-on imperative seemingly overnight. Businesses that had been incorporating more digital-first strategies were forced to adapt quickly in the face of the pandemic, radically altering not only how their organizations functioned, but the products and services they offered their customers, and how they supported those offerings.
所谓的“数字化转型”似乎在一夜之间从“可有可无”变成了“势在必行”。面对疫情，那些一直采用更多数字优先战略的企业被迫迅速适应，不仅从根本上改变了组织的运作方式，还改变了他们为客户提供的产品和服务，以及他们支持这些产品的方式。
This imperative meant big business, too. It’s estimated that global investment in digital transformation topped $1.5T in 2021 alone. And it’s not done yet. As per Statista, these same estimates say that this global investment could nearly double by 2025.
这一势在必行也意味着大生意。据估计，仅 2021 年全球数字化转型投资就超过 1.5 吨。而且还没有完成。根据 Statista 的预测，到 2025 年，全球投资可能会增加近一倍。
This is because digital transformation is not a one-and-done strategy, it’s an iterative process that impacts both internal functions and customer-facing infrastructure. For brands prioritizing digital transformation, smart investment can mean stronger organizations, better customer experience and an increased focus on important initiatives like sustainability.
这是因为数字化转型不是一项一劳永逸的战略，而是一个影响内部职能和面向客户的基础设施的迭代过程。对于优先考虑数字化转型的品牌来说，明智的投资可能意味着更强大的组织、更好的客户体验以及对可持续发展等重要举措的更多关注。
What digital initiatives mean for customer experience
数字化举措对客户体验意味着什么
The eCommerce revolution has been in the making for decades. However, even just 10 years ago, online sales only accounted for about 6 percent of all retail purchases according to the US Census. The pandemic drastically accelerated these numbers, with the share of sales to eCommerce surpassing 16 percent in the US, with an even larger proportion globally. And the genie is out of the bottle; it has been reported in Forbes that estimates show by 2026 that percentage could reach 26 percent globally.
电子商务革命已经酝酿了数十年。然而，根据美国人口普查，即使在 10 年前，网上销售也仅占所有零售采购的 6% 左右。疫情极大地加速了这一数字的增长，美国电子商务的销售额占比超过 16%，全球这一比例甚至更高。精灵就从瓶子里出来了；据《福布斯》报道，预计到 2026 年，全球这一比例将达到 26%。
In this new digital-first retail environment, priorities are shifting. First and foremost, business models are changing to maximize profits for organizations. Rather than selling products via larger retailers, brands offering everything from cars to toothbrushes are taking a direct-to-consumer (D2C) approach. By selling directly via their website – or through a host of social channels they control – brands can cut out the middleman and earn far better margins on their sales. It’s no surprise that D2C sales increased by 16 percent between 2021 and 2022, according to Insider Intelligence.
在这个新的数字优先零售环境中，优先事项正在发生变化。首先也是最重要的是，商业模式正在发生变化，以实现组织利润最大化。提供从汽车到牙刷等各种产品的品牌不再通过大型零售商销售产品，而是采取直接面向消费者 (D2C) 的方式。通过直接通过他们的网站或通过他们控制的一系列社交渠道进行销售，品牌可以省去中间商并获得更高的销售利润。据 Insider Intelligence 称，2021 年至 2022 年间，D2C 销售额增长了 16%，这并不奇怪。
Brands entering the D2C space are now being put in direct competition with giant global brands that have invested heavily in digital services and infrastructure for years. They say a rising tide lifts all boats; however, this increased competition means businesses, both big and small need to embrace the digital transformation of their customer experience.
进入 D2C 领域的品牌现在正与多年来在数字服务和基础设施方面投入巨资的全球巨头展开直接竞争。都说水涨船高；然而，竞争的加剧意味着无论大小的企业都需要接受客户体验的数字化转型。
What this means is creating a frictionless experience across all channels, from the moment a customer first encounters a brand, through the purchase process, and beyond.
这意味着从客户第一次接触品牌的那一刻起，一直到购买过程，以及其他方面，在所有渠道上创造无摩擦的体验。
During the pre-purchase phase, brands need to smartly and ethically use all of the data at their disposal to provide a personalized experience for their customers. The purchase phase needs to seamlessly connect all social and commerce channels. Having said that, an area that digital transformation has really impacted customer experience has been in post-sales support.
在预购买阶段，品牌需要明智且合乎道德地使用其掌握的所有数据，为客户提供个性化体验。购买阶段需要无缝连接所有社交和商业渠道。话虽如此，数字化转型真正影响客户体验的一个领域是售后支持。
Through the evolution in machine learning and artificial intelligence, brands can provide customers real-time answers to their product and order queries without expanding support staff. By deploying cutting-edge chatbots and automated support systems – bolstered by back-end data management platforms – customers can get the answers they need to resolve any issues far faster than waiting on hold for a customer service representative.
通过机器学习和人工智能的发展，品牌可以为客户提供产品和订单查询的实时答案，而无需增加支持人员。通过部署由后端数据管理平台支持的尖端聊天机器人和自动化支持系统，客户可以比等待客户服务代表更快地获得解决任何问题所需的答案。
Bolstering a digital-first global corporate structure
加强数字化优先的全球企业结构
The pandemic not only disrupted how we shop, but also how we work. For many organizations, even if the digital transformation wasn’t a priority, it became a necessity to keep providing services and support to clients through uncertain times.
这场大流行不仅扰乱了我们的购物方式，也扰乱了我们的工作方式。对于许多组织来说，即使数字化转型不是优先事项，也有必要在不确定的时期继续为客户提供服务和支持。
Those early days of figuring it out have evolved into a wholesale reevaluation of how organizations are structured, and this shift has been strengthened by emerging digital tools.
早期的探索已经演变成对组织结构的全面重新评估，而新兴的数字工具又强化了这种转变。
The emergence of better cloud storage, collaborative work tools, and enhanced communication platforms has made it so organizations are no longer limited in the talent pools they can draw from. Top talent can work remotely for companies anywhere in the world, all connected by a new generation of digital tools that enable never-before-seen connectivity.
更好的云存储、协作工作工具和增强的通信平台的出现使得组织不再受到人才库的限制。顶尖人才可以为世界任何地方的公司远程工作，所有这些都通过新一代数字工具连接起来，实现前所未有的连接。
By promoting remote work, organizations are also able to spearhead sustainability initiatives that are becoming increasingly important in the modern corporate environment. Reducing commuting for workers by creating stronger digital workflows can have a reverberative effect on green initiatives.
通过促进远程工作，组织还能够带头实施在现代企业环境中变得越来越重要的可持续发展举措。通过创建更强大的数字工作流程来减少工人的通勤时间可以对绿色举措产生反响影响。
Modernize networks with a hyperconnected ecosystem
通过高度互联的生态系统实现网络现代化
In the current business landscape, organizations find themselves immersed in a vast and intricate web of suppliers, customers, and partners. To truly embrace digital transformation, it becomes imperative to establish a hyperconnected ecosystem that encompasses this entire network.
在当前的商业环境中，组织发现自己陷入了一个由供应商、客户和合作伙伴组成的庞大而复杂的网络中。要真正拥抱数字化转型，必须建立一个涵盖整个网络的超连接生态系统。
A hyperconnected ecosystem goes beyond mere connectivity; it ensures seamless collaboration and is infused with intelligence, enabling organizations to thrive anytime, anywhere. By embracing hyperconnected ecosystems, enterprises can transform their workforce, supplier and customer experience management systems, and associated platforms. This transformation empowers enterprises to harness the full range of benefits offered by digitalization.
超级连接的生态系统不仅仅是连接；它确保无缝协作并注入智能，使组织能够随时随地蓬勃发展。通过采用超连接的生态系统，企业可以转变其劳动力、供应商和客户体验管理系统以及相关平台。这种转型使企业能够充分利用数字化带来的全方位优势。
With hyperconnected ecosystems, enterprises can transcend geographical boundaries, operating seamlessly across continents and countries. It facilitates enhanced performance; meeting customer demands for improved services characterized by lower latency and heightened security. Additionally, it fortifies supply chains and ensures network availability, providing a robust shield against potential vulnerabilities.
借助高度互联的生态系统，企业可以超越地理界限，跨大陆和国家无缝运营。它有助于提高性能；满足客户对以更低延迟和更高安全性为特征的改进服务的需求。此外，它还可以强化供应链并确保网络可用性，从而提供针对潜在漏洞的强大保护。
It’s never too late to start investing in digital transformation
开始投资数字化转型永远不会太晚
The concept of digital transformation isn’t a pie in the sky goal anymore. Whether organizations have already taken these steps or are merely in the initial phases of planning them, the number of resources at their disposal is growing every day, and the job is never fully done.
数字化转型的概念不再是天上掉馅饼的目标。无论组织已经采取了这些步骤，还是仅仅处于规划的初始阶段，他们可以使用的资源数量每天都在增加，而且工作永远不会完全完成。
When taken seriously, a digital-first approach can dramatically impact customer experience and completely reinvent corporate structures, all while enabling organizations to take on larger initiatives like sustainability.
如果认真对待，数字优先的方法可以极大地影响客户体验并彻底重塑企业结构，同时使组织能够采取可持续发展等更大的举措。
Fortunately, we’re also at a moment in time where communications and technology companies, as well as ISPs, can reliably foster these growing digital ecosystems through better connectivity on a global scale.
幸运的是，我们正处于这样一个时刻：通信和技术公司以及互联网服务提供商可以通过全球范围内更好的连接来可靠地培育这些不断发展的数字生态系统。
