Did you know that according to a recent study, 68% of Spanish industrial companies have digitalization pending?
Now, what does 68% mean? That 130,000 companies, most of which have less than 10 employees, will need to make a technological leap to turn digital transformation into a competitive tool. And so the following question arises:
What technological tools can companies use to be competitive and stay in the market?
Álvaro Martí answered the question with a very good reflection: “before I would ask myself not what, but how. Today there are a multitude of tools for a multitude of solutions. What is really important is to know which of them is really necessary for our type of company. That is why it is very important to have a more premeditated work, to make an analysis of the flows and the parts of the companies, to see what are the needs to know what kind of tools we need. We have to find solutions for each size of companies and for each need, analyze them well and see how we can be more efficient.
Do we have to spend a lot of money for these tools? Not necessarily, nowadays there are tools that allow you stability and as you grow you improve your capacity, making the most of it, optimizing time to the maximum”.
What role do technology partners play in the competitive development of companies?
Diego Pérez commented that, from his point of view, “there are two key reasons why a partner is so important. The amalgamation of technological solutions that we find in the market and the constant updates, make companies not know what is the best option for them and what they really need. A partner observes and analyzes everything that exists in the current portfolio, and is able to distill and personalize the information about the technological changes to the end customer.
A customer does not have the ability to absorb all the changes and developments at the speed that occur, the ICT partner, accompanies the customer in a digital world, understanding the customer’s business need, knowing the technology and being able to deliver to the customer, what they need for their business, adjusting the cost-benefit ratio.
It is quite a challenge. Technology offers us many possibilities and therefore, it is very important to know how to choose the right solutions adapted to the needs of each client. Resources, limited budgets, difficulties of implementation, etc. A suitable partner can be the difference between success or failure of the digital strategy and, consequently, of the client’s competitiveness.”
Next, Santiago commented that “recent studies show that 43% of current positions are going to disappear in the medium term. This represents almost half of the professions that exist today, which may be automated in the medium term. We know how important it is to be trained and to be tied to the needs of the market. These jobs that will disappear in the medium term as a result of technology, will be transformed into new jobs that will depend on the people and the training that these people will have”.
How does the Internet and digital media impact the competitive advantage? What is your opinion?
Antonio López: “It is essential. In the end, companies need a team to grow. Teamwork is inevitable. Much of the work is usually methodical and that part can be automated, so the person can take advantage of that time to develop other activities.
On the subject of digital media, we should not go crazy. Learning is time-consuming and obviously there is a very large offer. Digitalization is about constantly researching customer needs and investigating how technology can meet them cost-effectively.
Our main value in our company lies in the ability to update and study everything that has to do with SEO. We have implemented a 4.0 work method using the project manager, to make the property part of our work. A good professional has to be able to squeeze each project to provide the maximum and obtain the highest profitability in a sustainable way”.
Antonio, how do you think the current scenario of free, easy and inexpensive access to technology affects SMEs? “We must be very clear and differentiate between large companies and SMEs or self-employed. We must take into account that many companies cannot afford to pay a consultant, so we invite them to turn to easy tools that do not need a consultant, to tell you how you have to start, but it is a direct tool to work in our company.”
Victor, as a member of the management team of a Spanish technology company, in what areas do you think technological modernization is a competitive advantage?
Victor Campuzano: “The most digital part of technology is the use of tools. There are different levels in a company’s needs, and technology intervenes at those levels. Battles are won in the most strategic part, and gaining a competitive advantage can be fundamental for your company. You need to incorporate technology to grow.
The tools can give you a great competitive advantage, strategic and tactical plan, making technology an essential part at the operational level. These levels, your way of adapting technology and your adaptation, can bring you competitive advantages, both for development and for being up to the task.
We need to know what we need. Don’t get overwhelmed. When the pandemic started, we closed offices and we all started working remotely. It didn’t take long for us to adapt to the new model and become more productive. It was technology that gave us the possibility to do that. First we did an internal analysis: requirements and needs of each one of us. Technology was a fast learner and forced us to be more responsible, multiplying employee productivity.
A company needs to innovate, to adapt. When you use defined processes, companies that were not prepared and did not review their results, unfortunately, because they were not prepared to adapt to this way of working, nor to analyze, had to close.”
Antonio Lopez intervened mentioning that: “investment is very important, and that during the pandemic many businesses have grown. In our case we grew a lot from a data point of view. We remembered that everyone was buying online. The companies that were prepared grew and sold a lot, but if you are not prepared it is unfeasible, impossible. If you don’t have an online store, you need payments, resources, to be able to grow. There is always a beginning for everything. Inspiration always catches you working. It’s like everything else. Start step by step in the world of digital marketing. Take the right steps toward a goal. Technology helps us.”