Roger Collantes talks digitally transforming an organization to the core on CoinGeek Backstage

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We live in the digital era, and any business that wants to stay competitive must leverage emerging technology to keep pace with its rivals. However, most businesses are getting it all wrong, says Roger Collantes. In an interview with CoinGeek Backstage, he broke down what digital transformation to the core is and how he’s helping Filipino organizations leverage the latest technology.

Collantes is the founder and CEO of the Asian Institute of Digital Transformation (AIDT), an organization “solving the pain point of most Filipino businesses, which is how to digitally transform.”

AIDT is a partnership between the UnionBank of the Philippines and Global Learning Solutions to educate Filipinos on digital transformation. It works with private and public entities, from Citigroup (NASDAQ: C) and Aboitiz Equity Ventures (NASDAQ: ABTZY) to the Supreme Court and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

Most companies think this transformation is about integrating the latest technology. They end up digitizing everything, and while “that’s good, it’s merely a start.”

Others focus on the customer experience journey and use technology to solve their pain points. He noted that this usually results in increased revenue, but it’s still not enough.

“The one that makes a difference is when you transform an organization to the core. This means changing the way you do business, the way you deal with your customers, and more,” Collantes told CoinGeek Backstage reporter Claire Celdran.

While AIDT has worked with major private companies, the focus is on government departments.

“Can you imagine if we transformed a whole bureaucratic system into e-governance, just like Singapore? The impact to the citizenry is going to be massive.”

For digital transformation to succeed, the entire department must be involved, Collantes says. AIDT requires the participation of all divisions, from finance and operations to customer experience and IT.

AIDT’s efforts have been successful in the Philippines. Some of the systems it has developed are now in use in the Supreme Court and other government agencies, improving efficiency and access and curbing corruption by enhancing transparency.

Watch: Philippines needs more changemakers to usher in digitalization