Social distancing measures put in place by the pandemic resulted in forced digitization for businesses. Beyond the benefits of having digital processes, the existing obstacles to adopting them are also exposed.
It is often related digital transformation with something purely technological, but actually digitization is the use of technology to improve the performance of a company in areas related to its internal processes, links with customers and suppliers and/or the generation of new business models that can result in improvements in productivity.
The best implementation strategy to achieve effective digitization is involve the entire organization: from the directive, up to the operational areas.
“The success of any digital initiative depends to a large extent on the degree of involvement of management in the projects and that they are the true drivers of change, generating a degree of sustainable commitment in the rest of the organization”, said Alexis Barbitta, one of the partners of Sisu Digital, a company that provides advice on how to carry out digital transformation projects in MSMEs.
In Uruguay there are 189,820 active MSMEs, according to the recent monitor published by the National Development Agency (ANDE), a space that disseminates information on the universe of companies with a focus on micro, small and medium-sized companies. In addition, the sector employs more than 60% of the population.
Considering the boom in digital transformation and the number of MSMEs in the country, it is essential that the processes are carried out correctly. Digitization can make a company’s customer base grow, and consequently its sales. This is due to the creation of new products and/or services for its clients, whom it manages to get to know better according to preferences and behavior. In addition, it can generate spaces for lines of business: “The most detailed knowledge of the market discovers new niches”Barbitta assured.
A successful process has to be progressive, in order to adequately manage change and be sustainable over time.
For Sisu, digitization is the way to make time more productive with the use of information and technology to optimize operating processes without losing sight of the company’s future orientation towards sustainable solutions, to the development of its human capital and excellence in management.
Work with MSMEs
Due to the difficulties faced by MSMEs in digitization processes, Sisu Digital supports companies through its methodology Smart Business Transformation (SBT): “The aim is to reach scalable solutions that accompany the dynamism of market behavior to manage a sustainable business,” said Barbitta.
The company makes a diagnosis of the company’s situation in order to establish an action plan and then accompany it in its execution.
For Sisu Digital the process does not only consist of implementing new tools, but these have to be aligned with the strategic objectives of the company: “Make processes more efficient and generate data with content that is useful for decision making and have a multidisciplinary work team”, according to Barbitta. For example, she explained that e-commerce alone simply extends the capabilities that the company has. It is not a process of digital transformation, but an action within it.
“The expected benefits are competitive advantages,” said Barbitta.
To accompany the process in companies, Sisu Digital is based on four fundamental pillars: strategy, digital talent, processes and data, and technology.
The company works with various types of clients: public and private, companies and ventures, among others.
Among the government agencies, the mayors, ANDE itself and the National Institute of Employment and Vocational Training (Inefop) stand out. These clients work in the territory promoting MSMEs to generate more development and collaborate with the local economy.
In turn, in the private sphere they work with business chambers and at a corporate level they work in the retail and finance sectors. As for entrepreneurs, it drives them from the birth of a native digital company.
