Digital integration is a new emerging capability. Generally, this is understood as integrating internal organizational functions and externally with customers, suppliers, and partners. It is postulated that digital integration will deliver a superior customer experience due to the collective power of a digitally responsive organization. Digital integration is applicable for both product and service delivery; be they, for patient-centric healthcare or a consumer good or service delivery.
It is a very complex capability to realize because it involves internal and external organization functions, the supply chain network, the customers, technology, people, and processes. It also involves the complexity of integrating various process-supporting multi-generational technologies, such as, legacy back-end high-speed transaction systems, middleware, systems and application interfaces, and cloud applications. An example is in Healthcare claims processing, with electronic medical records, and a patient portal, or in design through manufacturing and delivery of unit goods.
How then, is it possible to architect and achieve digital integration? The following are the steps.
Start with the customer: Architect an omni-channel customer engagement and interaction capability. Embrace all interaction channels – web, social media, messaging, voice direct, integrated voice response (IVR- and devices (mobile, desktop, IoT) and develop a robust customer experience platform. This platform should be used for interacting with customers for their needs. For example, to communicate with them on the status of their medical claims, identify feature preferences for products or services, accept product or service orders, update a delivery or service order status. This omni-channel interaction capability coupled with CRM can also be a very effective tool for customer touch, digital marketing, and customer acquisition. The output of omni-channel customer interaction information should be digitally ready input to the product manufacturing or service delivery.
Proceed to Operations: In this stage, the product or service requirement and associated information is digitally transmitted for provisioning. For example, if the customer requests a physician appointment, automatic scheduling and confirmation of the appointment is a must; additional physician office workflows, such as, medical records and insurance eligibility should also be complete. A second example is of a digital product order auto-routed for delivery. In discrete and assembled manufacturing the gap is often when order receipt and management systems do not have full visibility of the supply chain. Thus, a due date may be given but there is minimum or no information of supplier stock. A third example is where digital product design, order quantities, and due dates are passed seamlessly for manufacturing. Here also, if there is a supply chain visibility gap, fulfillment may not occur when needed.
A better architecture is to integrate the customer, service provider, manufacturer, and supplier in a connected ecosystem with connected information sharing via APIs. This is similar to the EDI and IGES data exchange formats commonplace in design and manufacturing data interchanges.
In product fulfillment, the distribution segment is also critical for optimum customer experience and there are various considerations, such as fleet management, warehouse availability, and delivery scheduling. As mentioned before, the partner ecosystem can be designed to provide the information necessary for effective and efficient goods delivery.
In service delivery, a similar approach is possible where all partners are integrated with a common information system. An example is in Home Healthcare delivery, where mobile care givers are equipped with necessary information on patient needs and care environment.
Delight the customer: This is the last stage of digital integration. Beyond integrating returns, service centers, and call centers with necessary capabilities, this is also the time to revisit and review the interaction. What worked, what improvements are needed, and how was the customer’s experience, are some of the questions that need to be asked. The digital capabilities required include intelligent incident management, large-scale analytics for response or experience management, 360 feedback loop integrating front-end customer management or product or service design with provisioning and fulfillment.
While full digital integration is complex and time consuming, it is also very rewarding from a superior customer experience perspective and business growth. Actually, with the dramatic growth in digital technologies, not only is it possible, there is really no choice.