Digital Transformation

In this Product Spotlight, your author addresses the disruptions many brands are facing with the emergence of connected consumers.

Marketing a product is a challenge for every brand unless its product is revolutionary. The vertical-transportation (VT) industry has always been driven to create a combination of unprecedented experiences around what customers want. However, the conversation has lately shifted to brand accessibility and holistic user experiences that enhance the safety and quality of the journey and deliver unique aesthetics.

As companies aim to unveil novel products to broaden their portfolios, creating a naturally digital element of brand awareness is becoming a challenge. In the face of it, strategizing about elevators as a product over social channels is now being seen as a breakthrough in the vertical engineering industry.

This era of digital presence gives brands an ideal platform to communicate with consumers, creating the narrative on what sets the brand apart from its competitors. In the end, every brand is reduced to its USP. The central purpose of this exercise is to connect the product with the audience by creating a different perspective on how the elevator plays a crucial role in their daily lives. A smarter, healthier and sustainable future is expected to be reflected in the way brands like KONE approach adaptability.

In March 2021, KONE Elevator India enhanced this proposition with the launch of KONE DX Class Elevators. The new set of smart elevators was designed to bring built-in digital solutions that change the ambiance as per the time of day. Pre-set themes with curated music and animated lights can be managed through an app. At the same time, different application programming interfaces (APIs) create the best possible experience for different types of people moving within and between buildings.

This is coupled with remotely activated digital services, KONE 24/7 Connected Services, that provide valuable information on upcoming maintenance needs and identify potential issues before they cause problems.

You see, real-time proactive maintenance insights, proactive communication tools and transparent information sharing are the catalysts of digital growth in 2022. With customized elevators becoming a part of architectural features in airports, shopping centers, complexes and commercial spaces, the role of personalization has been accentuated throughout the VT industry. Although this element has been imbibed from Direct-to-Consumer brands, the seamless connectivity and blanket expectations of new consumers make it important to deliver a sense of control over serviceability, features and security.

From where we see it, this digital transformation is an investment in operational excellence to enhance customer experience.

In the longer run, the role of AI will be more pronounced, as well. Digitalization has exponentially ramped up the possibilities data provides to create tailored, value-added services. These can be translated into evaluating real-time passenger traffic, touchless summoning and effective diagnostics.

From where we see it, this digital transformation is an investment in operational excellence to enhance customer experience.