Does 'Digital First' mean 'Digital Only'?

  • 6th Sep,2021
  • 2.3K Views
  • 2 mins Read

Think about how digital has overwhelmed our lives! We all bet on digital as the only means to stay connected and rebuild businesses and services during the pandemic. Governments and businesses are quickly catching up with this tempo of change created by digital technologies. But in this digital craze, are we ignoring a legacy that has sustained our ecosystem? We have embraced 'digital first' as a game-changer. What about a 'digital only' service? Are we ready?

Taking a 'digital only' approach can be risky. Take a look at what happened to the Government's ambitious plan to have a faceless transaction with the Income Tax (IT) portal. Since the portal's launch, there have been glitches. Users are unable to file returns or receive refunds. Chartered accountants are clueless. The citizen experience is distressing, to cut the long story short. There is nothing wrong with the Government's intent- it hoped to create digital delight and make the portal easier to use for taxpayers. However, the fact remains that no one anticipated this- neither the Government nor the implementing company.  This is how the flip side of the digital strikes when we don't have a Plan B in mind if a digital solution doesn't work.

Such a scenario results in a digital dropout. Restoring the confidence in digital takes much effort and planning anew.

I am a techpreneur of over two decades- a believer in digital breakthroughs in G2B and G2C services. In the same vein, I don't believe that an abrupt switch to digital means completely removing physical touchpoints in delivery. Think about what it would be like to be an investor. Through a seamless portal built by the Government, you can secure land and get all permits in a few clicks. Then, the portal goes down. You go back to your old ways of running your job through multiple government outlets. What if the officer claims that all services are digital-only and denies offline delivery? Phew!

 

Somewhere, I feel the Governments tend to be inflexible while balancing digital adoption with offline service delivery. This balance is the spirit that epitomizes good governance. Digital public service delivery by the Government is massive change management, and it takes time to build citizen's confidence.

We don't need an encore of this investor story or the IT portal experience I narrated above, whether it is the case of an investor or a citizen. The best digital experience is the one that is omnichannel. Being 'digital first' isn't being 'digital only'. A human touchpoint has and always will have value.

This blog was first published on Priyardarshi Nanu Pany’s Medium Account.

Image
AUTHOR:
Priyadarshi Pany

CEO & President

More Blog Posts from Priyadarshi Pany

Emerging Technologies - 3 MINS READ

Think ROI from Generative AI: Are we ready?

Smart City - 3 MINS READ

How Tier-II Cities Built The Tech Boom

Emerging Technologies - 2 MINS READ

Why You Should Switch to Green Coding for a net-zero Future

Social Registry - 3 MINS READ

Purpose over profit- Corporate Social Accountability is the new normal

Work Culture - 3 MINS READ

What companies are not talking on DEI

Emerging Technologies - 4 MINS READ

Tech in 2024- How do we separate signal from noise?

Emerging Technologies - 3 MINS READ

India can Lead Global Convergence on AI

Emerging Technologies - 2 MINS READ

How Generative AI can reboot Participatory Democracy

Work Culture - 4 MINS READ

The Big Takeaways from Indian IT’s Hiring Winter

Emerging Technologies - 4 MINS READ

How The EV Ecosystem is Transforming from Niche to Necessity

Most Viewed Blog Posts

Mines & Minerals - 3 MINS READ

Digital Logistics for Pivoting To Mining 4.0

Mines & Minerals - 3 MINS READ

Big Data & Analytics For Mining Sector Transformation

Emerging Technologies - 3 MINS READ

Artificial Intelligence: The Future Is Here

Mines & Minerals - 3 MINS READ

Automated Industrial Inspections to Leapfrog Business Reforms

Emerging Technologies - 2 MINS READ

e-Governance: Adopting Agile Methodology

Digital Transformation - 3 MINS READ

How Digitization Reformed the Food Supply Chain in Odisha

Healthcare - 3 MINS READ

CoVaTrack: Tracking The Enigmatic Vaccine

Digital Transformation - 2 MINS READ

How This Budget with a Digital Pulse can Turnaround India

Blockchain - 1 MIN READ

Blockchain : The Trust Protocol for Data Integrity through Distributed Power

Emerging Technologies - 3 MINS READ

How Emerging Tech Can Empower Social Commerce


Subscribe
to our newsletter

Subscribe to have CSM's insights, articles, white papers delivered directly to your inbox. Privacy Policy


Join our exclusive newsletter community on Linkedin