Digital transformation is now an essential part of any business including those in the language travel industry. A lot of businesses feel overwhelmed by this as they try to implement too many processes at once. The key to a successful digital transformation is not just having the software but upskilling your Sales and Marketing teams on developing a mindset and focusing on the skills required in order to accelerate the transformation.

Pin Down Your Mindset

We have to face the fact that digital marketing has now become an intrinsic part of the international education industry. In order for your company to keep abreast it's not just a matter of having all the right software or being on all the platforms. The change must be accepted by everyone, from top levels to employees. Your business leaders must be aware of the impact of digitalisation and willing to implement a new digital culture. Understanding where your employees’ mindset is can help you create certain processes that enable transparency, after all, you want all your staff to be on the right page.

Promote Cooperation

Your sales and marketing team should not be working on their own. In fact, for better results promoting cross-collaboration is essential. Not only does it bear fruit as each team shares its ideas, but you are also doubling up on the knowledge and skill set, allowing employees to think outside the box. To break it down, your sales team’s knowledge (past sales, and market areas that are lacking, what courses sell most, etc) can help your marketing teams decide on what to focus on when it comes to promotions and advertising.

Invest in Professional Development

Companies that invest in their staff and focus on the future are more likely to garner success than those that don’t. Make sure that your employees are prepared for the demands of the digital world through Continuous Professional Development. Finding out what skills you lack, and thinking ahead on what skills you might need to cover emerging trends, is an ongoing effort. You can gain knowledge through ebooks, podcasts and short courses that can help you tailor in-house training to reflect incoming changes.

Offer Incentives

Staff members may feel overwhelmed when it comes to learning new skills on top of their workload. Offering them reward schemes or incentives may be the boost they need in order to focus on a new skill. These incentives come in various forms such as offering dedicated time for training, adding a learner of the month award and mentioning the employees that are making the extra effort in work meetings, offering certification (like in the case of your teachers) and maybe a bonus at the end of the year.

Stay Relevant

You may already have a training system in place, but is it still relevant? As we mentioned the market is ever-changing, the needs of consumers and of employees are changing too, the digital world is so fast-paced that new skills can become obsolete quickly. You need to keep focusing on your training schemes to be sure they cover both your employees' needs and whatever new trends are emerging in the market.

So, as much as all of this might seem unnecessary or too time-consuming, we can assure you that the results, in the long run, are beneficial. We’re talking about less staff turnover, more loyal customers and as a result less time-wasting and more revenue.