These are the obstacles that SMEs point out when addressing their digitalization
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2024 8:18 am
A report by eAPyme and ESADE identifies the obstacles that small businesses and self-employed workers in Spain encounter when tackling their digitalisation .
Spanish SMEs feel overwhelmed by the large number of technological solutions on the market and have difficulty integrating them with the company's existing technologies.
In addition, they have to deal with too many ICT providers, as they do not offer comprehensive solutions, which in some cases calls into question the return on investments made.
These are some of the messages left by the report ' State of digital transformation in SMEs and self-employed workers ', a qualitative study recently published and prepared by the eAPyme association and the ESADE business school. To analyse the concerns of small businesses, the authors of the report organised seven discussion groups that brought together firms from as many productive sectors during the second half of 2017.
Spanish SMEs and self-employed workers are aware of the life insurance email list digital revolution that the economy and society are experiencing, and of the need to adapt to the new times, but they also detect serious obstacles to this digitalisation process . Among these, they point to the lack of mobile broadband coverage in all corners of the country, inadequate employee training , the lack of financial resources to make the digital leap or a certain inability to take advantage of e-commerce .
Tools adapted to the demands of each company
To improve this journey towards digitalisation, the SMEs that participated in the discussion groups organised by eAPyme and ESADE are calling for improvements from the administration, universities and technology providers . They are asking IT brands for “tools that are appropriate to the demands of each sub-sector” of activity. Small businesses complain that it is common for many IT tools to be created “without previously consulting the group of SMEs and self-employed workers”, and they ask for collaboration between suppliers and clients to fine-tune the design of solutions .
Small companies, on the other hand, want suppliers to integrate more services into their offering and to reduce the number of suppliers to make this feasible. They also demand solutions that can be easily integrated with their management systems and that their implementation is accompanied by the necessary training.
Another wish of the SMEs consulted by the eAPyme association and ESADE is that there be greater use of standards in different productive sectors, and that “abusive practices in intermediation” be eliminated. They also ask for more functionalities related to Big Data , in the form of new predictive information services to understand the ups and downs of demand.
Spanish SMEs feel overwhelmed by the large number of technological solutions on the market and have difficulty integrating them with the company's existing technologies.
In addition, they have to deal with too many ICT providers, as they do not offer comprehensive solutions, which in some cases calls into question the return on investments made.
These are some of the messages left by the report ' State of digital transformation in SMEs and self-employed workers ', a qualitative study recently published and prepared by the eAPyme association and the ESADE business school. To analyse the concerns of small businesses, the authors of the report organised seven discussion groups that brought together firms from as many productive sectors during the second half of 2017.
Spanish SMEs and self-employed workers are aware of the life insurance email list digital revolution that the economy and society are experiencing, and of the need to adapt to the new times, but they also detect serious obstacles to this digitalisation process . Among these, they point to the lack of mobile broadband coverage in all corners of the country, inadequate employee training , the lack of financial resources to make the digital leap or a certain inability to take advantage of e-commerce .
Tools adapted to the demands of each company
To improve this journey towards digitalisation, the SMEs that participated in the discussion groups organised by eAPyme and ESADE are calling for improvements from the administration, universities and technology providers . They are asking IT brands for “tools that are appropriate to the demands of each sub-sector” of activity. Small businesses complain that it is common for many IT tools to be created “without previously consulting the group of SMEs and self-employed workers”, and they ask for collaboration between suppliers and clients to fine-tune the design of solutions .
Small companies, on the other hand, want suppliers to integrate more services into their offering and to reduce the number of suppliers to make this feasible. They also demand solutions that can be easily integrated with their management systems and that their implementation is accompanied by the necessary training.
Another wish of the SMEs consulted by the eAPyme association and ESADE is that there be greater use of standards in different productive sectors, and that “abusive practices in intermediation” be eliminated. They also ask for more functionalities related to Big Data , in the form of new predictive information services to understand the ups and downs of demand.