Digitalization, CH SMEs on the path to a digital future

Digital transformation in SMEs

Digital transformation - a term that has been hotly debated in recent years and promises both cheerful and gloomy forecasts for Switzerland. But what does digitalization mean? And how can Swiss SMEs benefit from this process of change? We asked an expert and collected helpful practical examples.

More than just new technologies

Digitalization means more than just using new technologies: It is a comprehensive change process that affects both the economy and society. For over 85% of SMEs in Switzerland, digital transformation has an impact on the business model, internal processes and communication. Digital transformation therefore also means SME transformation.

Opportunities and barriers

The largest study on digitalization in Switzerland, conducted by the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (2017), showed that around 73% of small and medium-sized enterprises in Switzerland consider digital transformation to be relevant. And although 63% have developed a corresponding strategy and introduced new technologies, only 30% are satisfied with the change process to date. The biggest barriers cited are the time required and a lack of expertise among managers and employees. Issues such as data protection, skills shortages, job losses and work ethics also represent fears and risks for SMEs. How can these hurdles be overcome and the opportunities better exploited?

Expert tip

Translating simple processes 1:1 from analog to digital is certainly a good start. Advanced users link these with workflow systems and acquire new tools straight away. SMEs must learn to think in a completely new way in order to promote innovation and achieve real increases in efficiency. The greatest need to catch up is in digital, new business models, but also in the use of digital technologies and services to increase added value. In view of the rapid pace of change, it is important for companies to take advantage of these opportunities. I therefore advise all SMEs to attend specialized congresses, events and training courses, to learn from experts and participants and to invest in specialized employees and further training. Only with a motivated, well-trained crew and together with experts can the digitalization and new development of business processes, products and services be consistently driven forward - for more revenue, more customers and greater competitiveness.

From the field

Stefan Hermann, owner of zeit ag, PEAX AG and Base-Net Informatik AG

Only those who continuously develop themselves can survive in today's world. This statement is just as true for individuals as it is for companies. SMEs have the advantage of being faster and more agile than large corporations thanks to their flatter hierarchies. They can put their teams together on an interdisciplinary basis and allow them to work and act in a self-organized manner within a clear framework. Employees are deployed where their strengths and skills lie, allowing them to contribute their skills, ideas and enthusiasm to the company most effectively. It is also important to have a shared vision, the idea of a future that motivates and unites the entire company. Only those who think their way into the company and identify with its services and / or products can make a full contribution to its success. Stefan Müller, CEO zeit ag

At its core, digitalization is about a company understanding technological change and being able to adapt it to its own advantage. This creates decisive competitive advantages. However, this has always been the case for companies. What is fundamentally new is the speed at which such changes are possible or even necessary. For zeit ag itself, this means that permanent change must become the norm. Everyone knows that the only constant is change - but it is important to live this day by day. In future, we will offer our customers solution packages that enable many aspects of this change using state-of-the-art technologies. In this way, we will not only be able to successfully exploit change ourselves, but also create competitive advantages for our customers over their competitors.

Sources

• University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, School of Business (2017): Study on SME transformation
• Interview with Prof. Dr. Marc K. Peter (project manager of the major CH study on digital transformation)