O PI N I O N 13 per cent of Americans said they considered moving more stressful than a week in jail inefficiency; improving the customer experience; bolstering cybersecurity; and introducing new products or services to meet the expectations of an increasingly digital-savvy population. According to a BDO US study published in January 2019, 71 per cent of companies pursuing digital transformation have reported increases in revenue, and 74 per cent have enjoyed increases in profitability. What is the impact on the moving and relocation industry? Consumers have embraced digital transformation. Smartphones and ubiquitous connectivity have changed the way customers want to do business. Amazon Prime has transformed the way we think about how we buy everything from books and clothes to cleaning products. Most things are delivered in a day, and the entire process is transparent from order to delivery. There is no doubt that the expectations set for delivery of toothpaste and dog food translate into consumers expected experience for their household goods move. The problem is that, because of technological limitations and costs, transforming the customer experience in moving has not been possible until now. The moving industry has been and largely still is dominated by analogue processes characterised by: days (or weeks) for estimator visits; limited software support capabilities; a lack of transparency because of manual, paper-based records; and shortcomings in meeting growing customer expectations. It is no surprise that a 2019 survey of 2,000 Americans found that one in five (23 per cent) believe moving is more stressful than planning a wedding; 27 per cent thought it more stressful than WW W. F I D I. O R G FF296 AprMay20 pp36-43 Tech.indd 39 a job interview and 13 per cent even went so far as to say it is more stressful than a week in jail! When presented with the option to choose a moving and relocation company that embraces the benefits, transparency and expectations of their most cherished new pastime online shopping a huge opportunity emerges for moving companies willing and eager to go after digital transformation. What are some examples? At Yembo, we use artificial intelligence (AI), computer vision and new business process technologies to meet the increasing expectations of the customer modernising the user experience for moving and relocation, and creating a convenient, transparent, trusted opportunity for winning more customers while gaining greater customer satisfaction. Lets take a critical part of customer experience in the moving industry the pre-move survey. An accurate pre-move survey is needed for many Amazon Prime has changed the way consumers think about purchasing goods the same technology is set to transform moving 39 31/03/2020 08:51