五個幫助員工緊跟數(shù)字化潮流的方法

Fast-growing consumer products companies are upending the traditional retail model, which depends on a manufacturer selling to a retailer that then sells to the end consumer. Plug-and-play e-commerce technology, search engine optimization, and other distribution solutions are making it ever easier for products to directly reach consumers. This shift gives CPGs an opportunity to gain rich insight into the tastes and habits that drive their sales. Gaining this insight, however, requires a simultaneous shift in organizational structure to bring internal teams much closer to consumers. New and emerging tools such as social media listening, user research, and journey mapping can be powerful enablers to guide CPGs digital transformation.

One such example is Connected Home, a unit set up by British utility company Centrica to build “smart home” appliances. The team was structured to operate like a startup, with a particular focus on user research, feedback, and a commitment to lean operations. This approach helped Connected Home’s Hive “smart thermostat” device become a market leader in just a few years. Kassir Hussain, former director of Connected Home, told us: “In a space that can often be confusing and frustrating to consumers, our focus on regular user interviews, meetings, tests, and demos allowed us to build a product that was simple, easy to use, and addressed real consumer needs.” In a competitive energy market, the Connected Home unit has now become a major differentiator and profit driver for the parent company, Centrica.

Agility is key to success when undertaking digital transformations. Today’s technologies and consumer needs change faster than traditional business road maps can deliver, and employees need to be ready and empowered to move at this pace. The best way to drive this shift is to establish a set of tangible day-to-day activities and behaviors that enable employees to act quickly.

One such activity was introduced by Deb Henretta while leading P&G Asia. She pushed her teams to move to 24/7 monitoring of all digital assets — owned sites, customer sites, and social media channels. She introduced a set of live dashboards and frequent reports that helped the team keep a constant pulse on consumer behavior and activity. The team learned to keep a close eye on everything from page load times to consumer reviews to social media sentiment.

Some leading companies are drawing on user experience design to rethink their employees’ experience, in a bid to more effectively attract and retain critical talent and to embrace more open and fluid ways of working. They want a better understanding of the motivations of employees, many of whom are in new and evolving roles, or are from a generation with significantly different career motivations and expectations. Using tools such as journey maps, persona development, and user research, these companies are able to transform the way employees experience their time at the company along every major milestone.

LVMH’s Fashion Group, part of the massive French luxury products group, is one team that’s embracing this approach. “Borrowing from fields like user experience design, we’ve been able to reconsider crucial aspects of recruiting, onboarding, development, and retention to create journey maps to enhance the employee experience,” says Nathalie Cheveau, global talent development manager at LVMH Fashion Group.

As large CPGs grapple with the pace of change in their industry, learning and doing can no longer be separated. Leading CPGs must invest in regular and frequent upskilling initiatives, delivered in formats that are in line with the increasing demands on employees’ time.

Over the past year, more than 14,000 L’Oréal employees have enrolled in and completed a dedicated upskilling program, which includes a required set of online lessons and targeted workshops focused on practical skills led by individual markets. These include skills such as search engine optimization, digital media allocation, and digital analytics.

These new skills are delivering results. L’Oréal now spends 32% of its net media budget on digital channels, and saw e-commerce sales jump by 33% in 2016 alone. The company continues to deliver impressive revenue and profit growth, and leads the way in innovation in the beauty space worldwide.

Digital transformation is not just about technology. The way a company communicates with its employees, organizes them, and reskills them will play a fundamental role in its ability to take advantage of the new paradigm of the consumer products landscape.