As part of our SME Month, we share the resources you need to specialize in Cloud Management.
As indicated by a study conducted by IDC globally, a large part of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) use some form of management tool, from notebooks to record expenses or keep inventories, to some scattered systems to carry out specific operations such as accounting.
Regardless of the level of your business, in all cases the ideal state would be an automatic integration between your sales, warehouse information or follow-up to your customers or sales opportunities.
Our team of consultants shares with you the steps you should take into account for a complete digitization of your business, to leave behind the hours carrying paper controls, to an almost automatic control using cloud management technology.
Understand the current status of your business
The first step in the transformation is to look at ourselves; many times we study the great global technologies, or perhaps we are guided by the acquisitions of our competitors, to validate the decision to add a new device or system. In reality, the decision making process should be based on the current issues facing the business.
In this first step, you must assess each of your administrative areas to decipher your action plan: from accounting management, the main point of failure in SMEs; to productivity in sales or merchandise control; the administrative processes of your staff; or the methods of communication with your end customer, may be some of the points of improvement within your business.
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Study the best adapted market options
Once you've defined your digital transformation goals, you'll need to spend some time researching the many options on the market.
Factors such as usability, functions compatible with your operation, documentation and training by the company offering your services or tools, in addition to key factors such as price and prestige of your new technology provider.
Some of the things to look for are samples of the system or platform, such as feature listings or promotional videos; examples of local companies using the system, for references; and help factors in using the tool, such as documentation that teaches you how to use the tool or quick contact with your Support Team.
Download the FREE guide to adopting technology in an SME.
Preparing business stakeholders for change
The leap from paper to the Cloud does not happen overnight. You will need a continuous training-oriented attitude, both to set an example to your employees and to ensure the success of this investment in the long term.
Your relationship with the system company you hire will be key in the first months: keep an open communication to receive support when needed, as well as receive indications on how to generate communication to your customers, a crucial point when adding new technologies.
Ideally, they will provide the information to advance a communication plan and rapid response to possible errors, so that the relationship of trust that is already established is not opaque and demonstrate the competitive advantages offered by adding these new technologies.
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Cloud Management: Partnering with the Right Advisors
Finally, the steps you need to take to add a new technology are summarized in identifying the main points of improvement in your operation, planning the implementation and partnering with advisors in its correct use, to couple this new tool quickly to your day to day.
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