Abstract
While South African municipal laboratories aim to provide an accurate and timely service to their clients, manual operations have led to inadequate laboratory performance, poor service delivery, and resultant low customer satisfaction. Digital transformation has been shown to improve laboratory services. Thus, this research was conducted to determine “the impact of digital transformation on customer service, quality improvement, and laboratory activities and processes within the municipal laboratories in the West Rand District of Gauteng Province”. A descriptive research design was coupled with a mixed-methods approach in which quantitative and qualitative research data was collected. Data was gathered through observation using a recording checklist, along with a structured questionnaire distributed to municipal employees for the purpose of collecting quantitative information. the quantitative data underwent analysis utilising various statistical tests. The research outcomes indicated that the municipalities within the West Rand District are in the nascent phases of digital transformation, primarily due to a lack of sufficient budget to support the acquisition of essential intellectual property and technological assets. Moreover, the organisations do not have a planned strategic vision or culture of innovation. The survey results indicated that the participants found the laboratory activities and processes within the municipal laboratories to be very satisfactory and customer service and quality improvement excellent. The participants expressed concerns regarding the absence of necessary skills, shortages of resources, insufficient political and managerial backing, organisational complexity, resistance to change, and bureaucratic culture hindering digital transformation within the municipal laboratories.