The Digital Mentor: The Cornerstone Of Digital Transformation

In the last two years, digital transformation has become a priority issue for many companies worldwide. The Internet has established itself as an essential tool in any organization, allowing online communications, access to cloud storage services, transforming the relationship with the customer through social networks, and adjusting services and offerings to the customer’s actual needs through big data. In this article, we will talk about the figure of the digital mentor, the critical piece for companies in the transformation process.

digital transformation

Countless technologies can improve the efficiency of any company, regardless of whether it is a traditional small business or a large multinational company. When we talk about digital transformation, we refer to the integration of these new technologies in the operation of a company to improve its performance and service to the customer. 

The digitization of a company, therefore, does not mean only the implementation of e-commerce or social networks but the use of any information and communication technology (ICT) that can improve its processes: data storage in the cloud, automation of flows of work, data analytics, big data, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), connectivity, cloud computing, 3D printing, cybersecurity… 

A process of these characteristics implies very various actions, from buying more powerful computers or installing an ERP to re-educating the mentality of the members of the organization. After this transformation process, they must work aligned with the new technologies. 

Whether a single technology is adopted or a profound transformation is made, digitization must be seen as a commitment to the future towards new working methods that make the most of the organization’s human potential and develop the company into better smart offices.

What is a digital mentor?

The mentor is the person who leads the digital transition of a company. This is crucial since it will define how and when the said transition is carried out and the necessary strategy to achieve it. Still, it will approach said process focusing on business development, with the ultimate objective of improving the company’s positioning and its cost-effectiveness. 

The digital mentor is an external expert who performs a punctual service of great strategic value for the company. Organizations resort to this figure because of their experience and knowledge, which are essential when carrying out a movement as complex as digitization, which will profoundly affect their internal functioning in practically all areas. 

On the one hand, having a digital mentor will help the company transform digitally, having a vast knowledge of tools and needs that they can cover, as well as their suitability: taking into account the specific company model with which you are working. On the other hand, it will carry out this transformation by focusing on helping the organization achieve its objectives while maintaining a purpose and aseptic approach, free from the personal implications and subjectivity that inevitably affect the organization’s members. 

What are the benefits for the company of having a digital mentor?

The digital mentor will manage to relocate the company to the market while minimizing risks. The main advantages that this figure will provide in the digital transformation process are: 

Speed. We are talking about a figure who analyzes the company and its objectives and knows the strategies to achieve them. This means that someone can make this transition faster than the organization could with its resources. 

Efficiency. A digital mentor knows the most appropriate formulas, the most frequent errors and obstacles, and how not to fall into them. This, therefore, guarantees us a digital transition process in which the risks are minimized to the maximum. 

Autonomy. Having a mentor means having occasional support until the digitization process is complete, but a dependency relationship is not established. The mentor will leave the company when it has fully adapted, and part of his job is to make it work autonomously (this may require training team members to use implemented technologies). Logically, the mentor can be recurring in case of crisis, updates, etc., but it will not be an important figure for the company’s proper functioning but support. 

Reinforces the value of the company. The mentor’s goal is to improve the company’s competitive advantage exceptionally. Usually, companies that use a digital mentor work, but they are lagging from a digital point of view or know that they can improve and make their processes profitable. The mentor will allow this weak point to be reinforced without neglecting everything that does work and allowing the digital update to support the company’s strengths. 

Saving. Digital mentoring entails a high cost for the company, not only because of the mentor’s fees, but because of the technological update that it will generally require, and sometimes even the hiring of experts who will become part of the staff. In contrast to this, we find the savings that can be achieved by avoiding the hiring of agencies, the trial-error (inevitable when we do not have expert advice) and the increase in sales, which is the final objective of said operation. On the other hand, not updating the business model or doing it without the necessary knowledge can mean the disappearance of the company.

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