In recent years, "digital transformation" has become a topic discussed by all enterprises. But many traditional industry enterprises feel that digital transformation is distant and complex, as if it requires a lot of money, large systems, and many technical talents. In fact, digital transformation is not achieved overnight; it can start small and proceed step by step. As a platform enterprise with a traditional industry background, Beifang Dalu's practices in digital transformation offer useful reference for many similar enterprises.
Let's first talk about common misconceptions of digital transformation in traditional industry enterprises. The first misconception is "digitalization for digitalization's sake." Many enterprises see others doing digitalization and follow suit, but they are unclear about why they need digitalization and what problems to solve. As a result, they invest a lot of money and build many systems, but these are not truly used and bring no real value. Digital transformation is not the goal but a means; the goal is to improve efficiency, reduce costs, enhance experience, and create new value. If you haven't figured out what problems to solve, don't rush into it.
The second misconception is "getting it done in one step." Many enterprises think digital transformation means building a large, comprehensive system all at once and digitalizing all business. But in reality, the risk of doing it all at once is very high—unclear requirements, overly complex systems, employees unable to use them, and excessive investment can easily lead to failure. A better approach is to start small: first choose a pilot scenario with the most obvious pain point and fastest results, and after it works, gradually promote and expand.
The third misconception is "emphasizing technology over business." When many enterprises talk about digital transformation, they think about what systems to buy, what technologies to use, and what people to hire, but they neglect the business itself. The core of digital transformation is not technology but business—technology serves business, solving business problems and improving business efficiency. If business processes themselves have problems, digitalization will only amplify them, not solve them. Therefore, before digital transformation, first sort out and optimize business processes, and then use digital means to support and enhance them.
Beifang Dalu's approach to digital transformation is relatively pragmatic. The first step is starting with product digitalization. Rather than immediately building a big system, it first digitalizes the products themselves. TIFENFABAO in the exam preparation track is itself a digital product—pre-recorded video lectures, multi-terminal viewing, AI-powered learning diagnostics, and learning data analysis are all manifestations of digitalization. Through this product, Beifang Dalu has achieved product digitalization in the exam preparation track, accumulating operational experience and user data for digital products. This is the most basic and easiest first step in digital transformation.
The second step is operational digitalization. After products are digitalized, operations must also become digital. In operations, the Dataiyi system uses data collection and analysis to guide decisions—sales data, training data, activity data, service data; when aggregated, these data reflect operational status, helping identify problems and opportunities. For example, if performance growth in a certain region is slow, data analysis may reveal low training completion rates, so training support should be strengthened; if a product's repurchase rate is low, analysis may find insufficient follow-up in after-sales service, so the service process should be optimized. This data-driven operational decision-making is much more precise and efficient than relying on experience and intuition.
The third step is service digitalization. The traditional service model, where users call or contact customer service when they have problems, is inefficient and provides a poor experience. The digital service model uses online service groups, intelligent Q&A, self-service, and other methods to let users obtain service anytime and anywhere, with faster response and lower cost. The service center of the Dataiyi system undertakes student Q&A, learning supervision and follow-up, and study planning through supporting service groups, which is a manifestation of service digitalization. When users raise questions in the group, staff respond promptly, and common questions and answers can be accumulated to form a knowledge base, improving service efficiency. In the future, more digital service methods such as intelligent customer service and self-service inquiry can be introduced to further enhance experience and efficiency.
The fourth step is management digitalization. After operations and services are digitalized, management must also become digital. Through digital management systems, business processes, personnel management, financial management, inventory management, and more are put online and datafied, allowing managers to see business conditions in real time and make more timely and precise decisions. Beifang Dalu and the Dataiyi system are also gradually advancing in this area, improving the operational efficiency of the entire organization through standardized processes and data-driven management.
Of course, digital transformation is not accomplished overnight; it is a continuous process. Beifang Dalu's digital transformation also started with product digitalization and gradually extended to operations, services, and management, moving forward step by step. This pragmatic, gradual approach is much more secure and effective than blindly pursuing something big and comprehensive all at once.
For traditional industry enterprises, digital transformation does not need to be feared, nor do they need to wait until they are "ready" to start. They can begin with a small scenario and a specific problem, start doing it first, learn and accumulate during the process, and then gradually expand and deepen. The key is to clearly understand what problems digitalization should solve and what value it should create, and then advance around that goal, rather than digitalizing for digitalization's sake. Beifang Dalu's practice proves that digital transformation for traditional industry enterprises can be fully achieved as long as the direction is right, the method is right, and progress is made step by step.