As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes synonymous with modern business, you’ll hear the term digital transformation a lot. If you’re not familiar, here is the definition borrowed from our Ultimate Guide to Digital Transformation:
Incorporating new business applications to digitize data and applications. This will also transform the way the company works and looks at its operations.
Digital innovations produce a tangible ROI.
In every industry, companies are adopting new tools to increase productivity, improve customer experience (CX), and make more informed decisions. Among SMBs and enterprises alike, there is a growing appreciation for the insight provided by big data. From product road mapping to social media advertising, digital transformation initiatives almost always emphasize making better use of available information.
And, the real-time benefits don’t stop with data analytics. From supply chain managers to customer experience staff, repetitive tasks can be automated with AI-powered virtual assistants. Freed from repetitive tasks, talented teams can focus on higher ROI activities that require higher-level thinking.
As much as we love software-driven success, don’t just take our word for it. There are plenty of examples of successful digital transformations available for reference. In this article, we wanted to highlight a few noteworthy favorites.
From automated beer delivery to shorter roller coaster lines, we think you’ll enjoy learning how digital technologies have helped some household names thrive!
1. Anheuser-Busch InBev.
As the world’s leading beer producer, Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB) hardly needs an introduction. From Budweiser to Natural Light, AB manufacturers 6 of the 10 the most popular brews on the market.
What isn’t as well known, is how AB has deployed cutting-edge tech to augment its B2B sales processes. Just a few short years ago, AB released its Tapwiser app to serve as a digital shopping portal for bars, restaurants, and other wholesale accounts.
Designed to augment the wholesale account manager’s efforts, TapWiser lets buyers instantly perform a variety of tasks, including:
- Shop AB InBev’s entire catalog of beers
- Place restocking orders based on historical sales data
- Scan barcodes with smartphone cameras to identify individual products
With over 5,000 downloads of the Android version as of March 2020 and an average rating of 4.6 stars in the Apple App Store, AB’s strategy of deploying tech to make wholesale buying easier looks to be winning!
2. Disney.
An absolute powerhouse of entertainment, Disney’s business model is packed full of examples of digital transformation. Among the highlights is how the Disney team has taken advantage of IoT technology.
In 2015, the blockbuster mill invested $1 billion in wristbands to make Disney World visits just a bit more magical. Using RFID technology, guests use the wristbands as digital wallets, hotel keys, ride passes, and more.
Not only are the wristbands infinitely more convenient than carrying around wallets, passes, and badges, they enable Disney to improve CX. By understanding how guests use the park, when restaurants are busiest, and what rides have the longest lines, Disney staff can anticipate guests’ needs ahead of time, and shift resources accordingly.
3. Sprint.
Starting just a few years ago, the telecommunications giant, Sprint, decided to evolve its business model to include more AI tools and augmented customer support, and do away with cumbersome legacy systems. The five-year, multi-billion dollar plan eliminated billions of dollars of unnecessary costs while focusing more technology and effort on CX.
Just a few years later, and Sprint is widely regarded as a digital transformation thought leader. Today, over 30% of Sprint’s customer interactions are handled through AI-powered conversation interfaces. Additionally, the AI-enabled interfaces empower customers to update service and billing information right from their smartphone.
Another interesting highlight is Sprint’s success with reduced waste. With a whopping 83% of its customers utilizing paperless billing, Sprint is #1 in the telecommunications industry.
But according to Chief Information Officer Scott Rice, Sprint is far from done. In a recent article, he was quoted saying:
“Innovation is continuous, and it’s always evolving. There’s never really an end to it. As long as you stay focused on that, you’re sure to be successful.”
AI-Powered Business Processes.
If you enjoyed these digital transformation wins, we have good news! Every day, businesses around the world are reducing waste and increasing productivity with smart systems like those described here. From workflow automation to AI-powered helpdesk solutions, SaaS vendors continue to bust bottlenecks and make work more enjoyable for all.
If you’d like to check out some examples of our own success stories, you’ll find them here.