Staying relevant: There are ways SMEs can successfully transform digitally without fear of disrupting everyday operations.
WHILE digital transformation is the next step forward for businesses, this push has certainly dialled up thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Large enterprises would have started this journey a long way before, but for most small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the last two years had been a stressful scramble to first learn what digital transformation is all about and then decide quickly on how to integrate that into their daily operations.
There is also the fear that the cost of overhauling their current mode of operations would involve expensive hi-tech investments that would eat into their already shrinking capital reserves.
In addition, there is the headache of having to retrain the whole staff and potentially even having to bring new hires onboard to manage the tech side of the operations.
However, transitioning one’s existing business model towards digitalisation need not involve upheavals and certainly should not involve risking your entire reserves.
Basic digitalisation parts
At its core, digitalisation is all about having excellent connectivity, one that is fulfilled by a steady link to the virtual world. Any company with a basic internet connection already has a headstart.
This connection represents a gateway to a plethora of products and services that could potentially increase the company’s market presence, generate interest among customers and even provide automation for certain repetitive tasks.
In this case, a reliable partnership with a service provider will ensure that you get a stable 24/7 service.
This in turn assures your team and customers instant accessibility to what your business has to offer at all times of the day.
A reliable service provider can also ensure less downtimes, the occurrence of which translates into losses of potential business transactions.
A good provider will also have a robust support staff who are able to attend to your technical needs efficiently and productively, putting you back on track with minimal disruption to your business.
The other indispensable component is cloud-related services.
Rather than investing large sums of money on physical storage for your data, signing up with a cloud service keeps your physical footprint small, while giving you access to your database that is virtually stored elsewhere and encrypted for protection.
Some of these services come with a suite of applications that align with the nature of your cloud account.
For businesses, this means having access to software that you can execute virtually within that cloud space itself – saving you time, money and of course, space.
Cloud applications also provide solutions for employee management.
These cloud-based human resources management services are instrumental in building better communication and driving meaningful collaboration among employees, taking engagements to greater heights.
It can identify the right employee to join, help orient them during their days, provide proper assessment and even suggest appropriate rewards for workers accordingly – in essence, managing the entire environment.
The next crucial step is to assist your team in their marketing strategies and for those, online marketing covers so many other ways to reach out to audiences on different platforms.
From social media marketing, direct electronic mailers to just reconstructing your website into a power marketing and communication tool, the choices are endless.
And with the sound advice and collaboration with the right service provider, your digital transformation experience will be as smooth as plain sailing.
Solution for transformation
It makes perfect sense to sign up with an external expert who already has the technical knowledge and the infrastructure to help you quickly set up your business online, without having to invest in setting up your own system.
Celcom Business Suite has all the essentials for you to go digital through its curated hub of services that offer the latest developments and insights on the Malaysian SME landscape.
It combines the country’s best 4G LTE network with best-in-class solutions, everything from communications to daily operations, to help you propel your business forward.
The suite offers several key business functions that you can set up right away.
It has an all-in-one social commerce platform that offers fully automated processes and a central dashboard to manage sales and orders and personally chat with customers via social media.
You can also automate your human resource management with easy-to-use cloud-based solutions, such as automated payroll and on-the-fly administrative tasks.
You will also be able to access a flexible, scalable cloud infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), which provides web services that you can host and run, and platform-as-a-service (PaaS), which while similar to IaaS, has the advantage of allowing you to create custom features as well.
Both services provide around-the-clock service every day, suitable and scalable solutions for all types of industries.
Celcom Business Suite uses the powerful Microsoft 365, which provides up to date, best-in-class productivity tools, allowing your employees to work more efficiently under a stable connectivity.
Last but not least, SMEs can also use a flexible digital payment solution that accepts cash, card, digital and NFC payments. It has e-wallet features, manages inventory and organises bookkeeping.
Get serious about digitally transforming your business. Call Celcom at 019-601 1111 or visit https://business.celcom.com.my/sme to learn more.
