Automation serves as the silent engine driving many SMEs, enabling entrepreneurs to focus on customers and core activities. Yet, apprehensions about digitalization still persist. Resistance to change is natural, but it's time to dispel common objections.
My Business Is Too Small
Many entrepreneurs believe that digitalization and smart automation are reserved for large corporations, but this misconception is easily debunked. Accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, digitalization's role has become more pronounced. The SME Barometer reveals that SMEs are increasingly focused on enhancing (online) customer experiences. Fortunately, software continues to become more user-friendly and intuitive. User-friendliness is a central focus in development, meaning you don't need specialized training to navigate the software.
Furthermore, software usage is now economically viable for small business owners. Rather than purchasing software outright, you can subscribe to it as-a-service. Instead of a large upfront investment, you pay a low monthly fee for the specific applications you need. Monthly payments are less burdensome on your budget and make getting started easier. Another significant benefit of software-as-a-service is that the provider handles security and updates for you. Developments and maintenance are standard, ensuring you always work securely with the latest software versions.
My Intuition Is the Wisest Counselor
Many SME owners run their businesses based on intuition, yet they could have a valuable partner in data. Some entrepreneurs recognize this: according to the SME Barometer, entrepreneurs quickly obtain financial information. However, 52% indicate that data plays a limited role in their decision-making.
By leveraging available data from your organization and your industry, you make better, informed decisions. Not only does this better serve your customers, but it also allows you to recognize patterns and optimize your business's capacity. For example, an old-fashioned ice cream vendor looks at his books, sees that he sold 100 ice creams last July, and decides he wants to sell 100 this year as well. The modern ice cream vendor looks further and sees that last July was exceptionally hot, and that this year's weather forecast is much less favorable. Furthermore, the entire industry is experiencing a downturn. He decides to purchase less to avoid being left with excess inventory.
My Business Challenges Are Unique
This misconception may be more persistent. Entrepreneurs must set aside some pride to admit that they're not as unique as they think. Standard solutions may not seem interesting to them because no one works the way they do.
However, in practice, this doesn't entirely hold true. Many ideas and applications have already been explored, resulting in numerous standard solutions and best practices that are applicable across various sectors. Often, 90% of the software blueprint already exists, and the remaining 10% 'customization' can be set up in collaboration with the provider. Software with an open architecture, like Sijs, also makes it easy to integrate with software from other providers, allowing you to expand the software easily and address company-specific challenges. The notion that you can't find solutions with 'standard' solutions is outdated. Nowadays, it's simply a matter of starting small. An expert guides you through a library of best practices, after which you can often quickly get started.
Starting Automation Is Difficult
Entrepreneurs aiming to digitalize are sometimes daunted by the challenge. Software solutions can potentially be so comprehensive that taking the first step seems daunting. But if you simply start with a small first step, you'll find that it doesn't have to be big and complicated. By simply looking at where the most (unnecessary) manual work occurs in your business, your company can quickly develop a plan of action to regain its footing.
ERP systems clarify which tasks are suitable for computers, what essentially requires human intervention, and how humans and machines can collaborate. This has already been the case, and with the growth of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cloud computing, it will only increase. We are moving towards a human-machine relationship where machines collect, process, and manipulate data. This presents people with a few choices. In the future, people will remain the creative force behind ideas and thus businesses. They will work with software solutions, not 'for' them. But they must start using that software. There is no reason to wait any longer.