Dominican market faces a challenging but promising outlook in the digital transformation of companies
Experts analyzed the topic as part of the Annual Congress of Economics & Business Students of the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC)
SANTO DOMINGO. - Dominican companies must prioritize omnichannel, cybersecurity and the strategic use of artificial intelligence to remain competitive and meet the expectations of an increasingly informed and demanding customer, said the experts who participated in the panel “Customer-Centered Digital Transformation” which was part of the agenda of the Annual Congress of Economics & Business Students (CANE) in its tenth edition.
Jorge Mancebo, president of SENDIU and vice president of the Dominican Association of Fintech Companies (Adofintech), Eduardo Lovatón, general manager of Voxel Caribe, and Edgar Peña, Manager of Digital Adoption and Use of Channels at Banco Promerica, considered that Dominican companies need to adapt to the growing demands of an increasingly connected customer, who requires immediate, but at the same time personalized responses.
In the panel moderated by Kenia Bisonó, Marketing Director and professor at the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC), the panelists addressed the challenges and opportunities faced by Dominican companies in the face of digital transformation.
Experts said that companies need to understand how customers are adopting technology to improve customer service or improve customers' lives. In this regard, Jorge Mancebo, from SENDIU, said that if technology does not improve the customer's life, then it is useless. “The challenge is that technology has to be easy to adopt. If it is a technology that the user does not understand, they will not adopt it,” he emphasized.
He stated that customers no longer tolerate long waits and demand a homogeneous experience through multiple communication channels, giving way to the concept of omnichannelThis methodology seeks to guarantee a fluid interaction, regardless of whether the client contacts the company via WhatsApp, social networks, website or any other means.
Mancebo explained that the chatbots are a key example of how technology supports this change. “These tools integrate various channels into a single conversation, allowing the customer to continue where they left off without having to repeat information. They also contribute to reducing fraud and errors in data management,” he said.
Meanwhile, Edgar Bello, from Banco Promerica, said that digital transformation is something quite broad in a universe of possibilities, with many functionalities. “Many people confuse the topic of digital transformation with digitizing processes and they are totally different things. I believe that digital transformation is more about reengineering, making life easier, and achieving that customer experience in a process that is totally digital.”
“Digital transformation does not only seek to incorporate some digital functionality, but rather, to make things easier and, above all, to reduce costs, which is a fundamental part of what has to be done as a result of this transformation,” explained Bello.
For his part, Lovatón considered it important to identify the challenges that the Dominican market is experiencing regarding digital transformation. “Every day something new is developed and we possibly lack rules in everything that is data management, we lack a lot of specialized labor, and we still possibly have resistance in some companies to this digital transformation, because it is a change in what I do today and what I must do tomorrow.”
The panelists noted that despite the progress, the ciberseguridad It remains one of the biggest challenges for companies. "Customer trust depends on the ability of organizations to protect their data and ensure ethical use of information," Bello said. The incorporation of technologies such as digital wallets and serial-free cards has reduced risks such as cloning, but there is still a long way to go in terms of education and cultural adaptation, especially in sectors that are resistant to change.
Regarding artificial intelligence (AI), they pointed out that it is also revolutionizing the way companies personalize the customer experience. Tools such as recommendation systems on supermarket platforms or online stores anticipate purchasing preferences, optimizing time and improving user satisfaction. However, experts warned that these advances must be implemented with in-depth analysis to avoid negative impacts on other organizational processes.
About CANE
The Annual Congress of Economics and Business Students (CANE) is an event for the dissemination of knowledge in key areas for business and economic development, delving into the most current and impactful topics in the business world.
In its tenth anniversary year, its central theme was “Leading Innovation in the Digital Age,” offering students, graduates, and the business community a platform to explore how technology and innovation are transforming leadership and business strategy in an increasingly digitalized global environment.