Data is everywhere and in different forms, but if you intend making meaningful use of it, you need it in the form you can manipulate it to give you more information than in its raw form. The method of transforming data from its original state to digital technology to provide actionable information is called digitizing. Business data digitizing, therefore, entails converting available business data into machine-readable formats to provide timely information to carry on business activities like production, marketing, and sales in the most efficient way possible.
In today’s fast pacing world, data must be machine readable to be meaningful in problem-solving processes. Digitized data can help cure diseases, urbanize rural communities, improve the education system, enhance military warfare, and bridge communication gap. With digitized data, businesses can increase marketing efforts and boost sales.
Data categorizing is easier when data is digitized; this is why it is necessary for every business to think of best ways to convert available data into a digital format to enhance data handling which makes it easier to develop action-oriented decisions to deliver product and services to the market.
From government to business and individual, the importance of digitization cannot be overemphasized because the more available your information is in digital form, the better is the engagement with your target audience. Developing of resuming in electronic form for a person needing job makes it easier to send the same copy to more than one prospective employers for a job opportunity. Likewise, when government digitalizes its system, it is easier for them to interact with the public and enhance service delivery without unnecessary delay in government business. This applies to businesses as well when using the available digital information to reach many prospective clients within minutes.
Discerning organizations, business and government, and including individuals are digitizing data for the following reasons:
- Need for efficiency. Data handling is easier when data is available in digital form. Digital data can be stored in different format and devices such that when information concerning the data is needed it becomes available within seconds of needing it. Unlike when the physical document is stored in the office, and a salesperson needs to reference the document while away in another location, it is impossible to have it immediately.
- Increase response time. Imagine a customer who needs to do business with you while you are busy with other significant activity. If the customer data is available in digital form, all it takes is access the customer file and get up to date information about the customer and make an informed decision in your transaction with the customer without leaving your desk in search of the customer information.
- Cost reduction. Before the advent of digital information, storing business data in physical forms are a costly exercise. Lots of printing was involved along with an inefficient way of storage and possibility of the information getting damaged due to weather and other environmental incidences. When the cost of non-digital data handling is factored into the cost of doing business, it is enormous and quite unbearable for most businesses. But today, digitizing has reduced the cost of doing business such that a multi-billion business concern may need a car-size office space to do business yet, function in big ways.
- Leveraging analytics. Failure by most businesses to have efficient business data has led to the collapse of most businesses. Digitizing makes it possible to have timely analytics to measure business performance and provide early warning to take certain measures to avoid unpalatable development.
- Enhances business plan and continuity. Digitizing makes it easier to improve business plan in a way that makes it possible to continue in business without problems. In the past, the inefficient nature of the analog system has led to many businesses meeting their death untimely due to delay in making preventive decisions to prevent the business from running into crises. It helps to reinvent processes, quality and improve consistency in the way of doing business.
How do you digitize?
With globalization taking the lead role in the way we do business, big data concept it fast gaining ground. Imagine a business organization with a presence in 80 percent of countries of the world. You can imagine a payment system like Visa with a presence in most parts of the world living on an analog system, how would the company handle its customers’ data across the globe?
Organizations willing to digitize can do it in-house or outsource it to professionals who will perform data entry, data processing, data conversion, and tasks to convert the physical documents including text, images, and sound into digital form for secure processing to produce relevant information.