Technology has vastly improved the ability of companies to operate more effectively, execute their marketing strategies promptly, and become more resilient by bringing their business online.

Your company’s digital operations encompass how employees and customers connect, buy, sell, and interact across digital platforms and channels. A well-planned and executed digital operations plan can make internal processes run smoothly for employees while simultaneously providing a seamless, positive customer experience.

With a clear, strategic approach and thoughtful execution, digital operations can set your company apart from the competition, drive measurable improvements across your company, and capture financial benefits for the long-term.

Developing a digital operations plan

Knowing where to begin amidst the endless offerings of digital business operating platforms can be daunting. We’re here to help as you ease into the process, taking it step-by-step while analyzing what works for you and your customers.

Step 1: Support your marketing efforts by knowing and understanding your customer.

Before you invest time and money into a new digital operations plan, ensure that you are focusing your efforts on your customer’s desired experience.

Ask yourself questions like:

• What is your customer’s journey from discovering your brand, to making a purchase decision, to becoming a brand loyalist?
  -- What actions will they be taking along this journey?
  -- What information will they be seeking?
  -- How will they be delivered that information?
• What level of communication does your customer expect from your brand after their purchase? This varies depending on the nature of your product or service.
  -- How will they be communicating with you (e.g., chatbot, phone support, email)?

Step 2: Establish clear goals for your digital operations.

• What current digital operations are you using across your supply chain? Are you satisfied with the results of your current online operations?
• How can you provide a more streamlined experience for yourself, your staff, and your customers? Can your current digital tools be integrated to increase efficiency across your organization?
• Are your products or services available to purchase online? How are you using your digital operations to market your products and services?
• What measurable goals will you track through your digital operations? Return on investment? Customer engagement?

Step 3: Research tools that will leverage your existing operational framework to find what works best for you now and in the future.

Does your operations strategy utilize tools that scale up with your business growth?

Step 4: Choose technologies that will increase your marketing efficiency while supporting your team and your customers.

Implement your digital operations framework

You have gone through the steps to develop a results-driven digital operations strategy. Now it’s time to put it to work.

Step 1: Invest time in learning your technologies and how to optimize their functions.

Digital operations can be implemented with few or many different technologies, depending on your needs. Take the time to pilot your new tools to ensure that they’re operating effectively and that you’ve implemented a streamlined process.

Step 2: Go live with your new digital operations framework.

When you feel confident that your digital processes are going to work for your customers without any issues, put them to use.

Step 3: Analyze and adapt.

Similar to other pieces of your broader marketing strategy, you want to ensure that you’re tracking the results of your newly streamlined digital operations strategy.

Check in on the measurable goals that you set in Step 2 along with feedback from staff and customer service inquiries.

• Are there patterns of feedback that point to an opportunity to improve the customer experience?
• Do your measures demonstrate improvement over time?

Step 4: Implement next steps.

Have a look at your defined goals and determine the next best steps to get you there.

Choosing and implementing a digital operations strategy is unique to your business. What works for your competitors may not work for you, and vice versa. Let margo help customize your strategy to increase your operating efficiency and marketing effectiveness.

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