The Cost of Digital Transformation

CRM, ERP, Procurement tools, HRIS, Intranet… You may be familiar with these software categories. But at what cost?

There are inevitable costs when you deploy new software and train users. But there are also costs that can be reduced or even eliminated (news that should delight your colleagues in the Purchasing Department and the CFO!).

Software training, user onboarding, application support optimization: discover all our keys to reducing the costs associated with your digital transformation projects at the end of the article. But before that, let’s explore in key figures, the real costs of digital transformation.

The Cost of Digital Transformation: Training and Onboarding Users on Software and Applications

1. Training and onboarding your employees: a must to overcome digital incompetence

56% of employees believe that they don’t have the skills required today to master digital technologies (source: Randstad)

Your employees’ digital literacy comes at a cost and directly impacts their productivity. It affects your entire organization and is reflected in your return on investment. It’s possible that you invest in software and applications that are rarely used—or even go unused. As a result, the delay in realizing the value of your tools increases, ultimately affecting your company’s digital transformation and competitiveness.”

2. Creating engaging training content is costly and time-consuming

Whether you need to train newcomers on your business tools or introduce an entire department to new functionalities, creating guidance and support content takes time. This time significantly increases when content is in the form of PDF operating procedures or e-learning modules that require constant updates.

• 43h: the average time it takes to organize face-to-face training (source: Chapman Alliance LLC)
• 79h: the average time it takes to organize a basic e-learning module (source: Chapman Alliance LLC)

Application Support and Maintenance: The Hidden Cost of Digital Transformation

1. Helpdesk, Service Desk, IT hotline: essential expenses to support your users

Implementing new software also requires sufficient user support. Regardless of the solution you choose, supporting users with their digital tools has a cost. How many application support engineers or IT support technicians are in your team? How much time do IT teams spend resolving user tickets?

• 40% of IT spending goes to application development and maintenance (source: Gartner)
• 24.2h: the average time support teams take to respond to internal tickets (source: Zendesk)

2. Support and maintenance costs increase with constant user demand

Users need real-time support, and this includes outside traditional office hours.

• 53% of users have no support when working outside regular office hours, and 61% wish they did (source: Econocom – IDC)
• 53% of consumers expect a response from customer service within an hour, even on weekends (source: Edelman Digital)

Ensuring ROI: The Cost of Digital Transformation and Software Adoption

1. Companies are equipped with software and applications that are not always used

Your company may have many applications, but are users making full use of them? Maximizing your software adoption ensures a positive return on investment.

• 36: the average number of cloud computing services used per employee (source: Skyhigh Networks – McAfee)
• 28%: of enterprise software is unused (source: 1E)
• 37%: companies waste an average of 37% of their software budget (source: 1E)

2. The misuse of digital tools is just as costly as their non-use

Misused software can lead to lost productivity, IT team overload, and employee frustration.

• 85% of users lose at least 1-2 hours of productivity each week searching for information (source: Dynamic Signal)
• 45.7% of CRM customers have end-user adoption rates above 90% (source: CSO Insights)
• 50% of ERP implementation projects fail the first time (source: Technology Evaluation Centers)

Digital Experience Management: Optimizing the Cost of Digital Transformation

1. Frustrated employees disengage from their tools—and your company

Your employees are like internal customers: if their needs aren’t met, they may abandon tools or even disengage from your organization.

• $11,358: the average cost of a disengaged employee in the U.S. (sources: Gallup, LinkedIn)
• 1 in 26 unhappy customers complain; the rest churn (source: Esteban Kolsky)

2. Employees’ expectations for digital tools are higher than ever

Ensuring a smooth digital experience is key to long-term transformation success.

• 59% of people say they have higher expectations for customer service now than a year ago (source: Microsoft)

Reducing the Cost of Digital Transformation: Practical Solutions

1. Lowering training costs

• Reduce content creation time: Use microlearning directly integrated into your employees’ software.
• Reduce content update time: Leverage scalable training materials that adapt to tool upgrades.

2. Cutting support costs

• Provide real-time, 24/7 support: A Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) like Lemon Learning provides interactive guides directly within applications.
• Enable self-service support: Users can find answers within their software without needing IT support.

3. Maximizing IT investment returns

• Support users from onboarding: Implement Learning by Doing to train users as they work.
• Continuously engage users: Use push notifications to keep employees informed and engaged with their tools.

Conclusion: Optimize the Cost of Digital Transformation

Software training, application support, and digital adoption: with these strategies, you can sustain digital transformation at a lower cost! As digitalization accelerates, companies that successfully onboard employees onto their tools will gain a competitive edge.

Do you have a software implementation project? Are you reworking your business processes to become more digital? Contact our team to discuss how we can help!