The digitalisation or digital transformation of companies and businesses has been setting the pace for over a decade now in every imaginable sector. And it’s not just about switching from analogue to digital alone. The keys to digital transformation for companies, SMEs, freelancers and more are made up of a variety of prisms and approximations. Despite all this, embarking on a process of digitalisation – regardless of how multifactorial it might prove to be, or the difficulties it could involve – is no longer optional when it comes to staying competitive within the market and not finding yourself left behind.

Digitalisation can have some highly unequal impacts depending on specific companies and their requirements, the digitalisation process itself, as well as the various technological implementations involved. But there are a series of benefits in every scenario that are able to convince those still doubting their own digital transformations.

Benefits of digitalisation for businesses, SMEs and organisations

Broadly, there are a number of obvious common benefits when a business embarks on a digital transformation. Whether it’s a small local business or a giant multinational, the only difference lies in the resources available and the effort required for its digitalisation:

• Agility: many repetitive processes typically carried out manually by one or more people can be automated. This can significantly increase productivity and make processes far more dynamic.
• More resources: by automating tasks or ‘freeing up’ resources through digitalisation, you can give your people and teams the time they need to deal with other tasks. This boosts every employee’s manoeuvrability and opens the door to diversification.
• No mistakes: when a machine, application, algorithm or artificial intelligence is involved in a process, the possibility of human error practically disappears altogether. This guarantees there’s no wasted time or duplication of work on key processes such as invoicing, budgeting, stock-taking or human resource management, to name just a few examples.
• Lower costs: a combination of all the above inevitably results in savings, whether in terms of economic resources, human resources, or a combination of the two.
• Markets: just as a company’s activities can be diversified – with certain tasks taken over by an algorithm or management system, for example –, new markets can be targeted that would otherwise be closed off without the help of technology. Digitalisation and global reach practically go hand-in-hand thanks to the Internet.

Some useful tips when preparing your digital transformation

Every company is different and it’s neither very fair nor useful to promote generalisations or non-specific advice on digitalisation. That being said, there are two or three keys to digital transformation that apply to every scenario and business, regardless of their circumstances.

• Analysis. To apply digitalisation properly, before taking the first step, you need to carefully evaluate (i) your genuine needs and (ii) your company’s ability to go digital in terms of time, money, effort and resources.
• Learning. Every digital transformation process involves a learning curve and enough time to train employees, given a company’s digitalisation involves everyone, not just technical or technology departments. The time scale involved here and associated costs also need to be assessed before you begin.
• Support. For the various stages of digitalisation to run smoothly and securely, it’s good practice to seek advice and be supported during the implementation phase by a specialist partner who can support, advise and offer training. Many digital service companies offer this specific service.
• Customer. Don’t forget that every digital transformation process is about improving a business. And that improvement is about offering better products and services to your customers. Losing focus and spending too much time navel gazing during the digitalisation process will only lead to long-term disappointment.

Taking these keys to digital transformation into account, while the process may never be entirely free of difficulties, these tips will help you avoid insurmountable obstacles. What’s more, there is government support available to promote and facilitate the digitalisation process among companies, something vital for those who might need an extra hand.