More than two years after the pandemic began, we’re still talking of the need to digitize businesses. We cannot forget that great progress has been made so that SMEs and the self-employed adopt technologies that allow them to be more efficient and competitive. But there is still much to do, which is why, in the course that the consultant Jesús García Fernández is teaching, with the collaboration of sagewe can see what steps to take to start the path of digitization.
In this interview, we talk to Rosa Martínez Casas, Sales Director Small Business Sage on how the disseminating work of ICT companies in the technological rearmament of SMEs is working. The board has told us role of software in this fight, the impact on business sales or what are the most interesting and attractive modules for small entrepreneurs, among other issues.
MuyPymes: Despite the fact that digitization has been talked about for some time, do you think that smaller businesses know where to start?
Rose Martinez: Companies like Sage, with more than 40 years working day by day with small and medium-sized companies, have an important role in advising SMEs so that digital transformation is viable and effective. We must collaborate to provide and/or complement the knowledge that companies need to address this challenge.
It is necessary that they carry out a strategic plan that defines what their needs and priorities are and design an action plan. This combined work is key so that SMEs, and especially the smallest ones, can, with our knowledge and experience, tackle this important challenge for their future, efficiency and competitiveness.
MuyPymes: Why is management software a great tool for digitizing SMEs and the self-employed?
Rose Martinez: Among other things because it greatly facilitates the management of accounting, billing, human resources, payroll, payments and assets, among other tasks, of companies of different sizes, as well as companies from different sectors such as real estate or building.
Because they also accompany entrepreneurs wherever they go to offer them the freedom to work on the move.
And above all because it adapts to the needs of startups or businesses that are just starting out, of expanding companies, whether it is to keep up to date with their finances, to train their human team or to boost their growth.
MuyPymes: What is the relationship between the sales of an SME and management software?
Rose Martinez: Any company must have a good control of its business, not only of its sales but of all its commercial management, accounting, taxation. Technology, and specifically management software, allows this integrated management to be carried out in a single solution that allows SMEs to increase their productivity by being more efficient and having control of their business, while complying with their legal obligations. This translates in the medium/long term into an increase in sales.
MuyPymes: Within the management software, what are the most interesting modules for a small business to start digitizing?
Rose Martinez: The most important thing is that small businesses can customize their operation and choose the modality that best suits the needs of their business. That said, it would stand out among the functionalities related to commercial and warehouse management, accounting and taxation, treasury and bank reconciliation.
MuyPymes: Why is Sage the leader in management software in Spanish companies?
Rose Martinez: Because since its birth in Newcastle (United Kingdom) 40 years ago, we have focused on helping SMEs to simplify their business processes through the efficient use of technology.
Over time, our way of doing things has evolved as a result of technological development and the different needs of our customers. We have brought cloud technology to our millions of customers around the world, as well as the advantages of Software as a Service (SaaS).
Yet our top priority has always been to simplify the SME ecosystem: connect, remove friction, and provide actionable information. And always with the human touch so typical of Sage.
We know that running a business can be very demanding, time consuming and complex. That’s why at Sage everything we do is designed to help businesses thrive. This is one of our keys to leadership and the reason millions of customers around the world trust us.
MuyPymes: Is it profitable for a small company to invest in its digitization?
Rose Martinez: The pandemic has taught us that, what until then could have been an option, is now essential.
The digital transformation of the business makes it possible to reduce administrative bureaucracy in management. Specifically, according to one of the reports prepared by CA Technologies and McKinsey, digitization increases efficiency by 29% and profitability by 12%. In addition, it improves business management by 19% and reduces operating times by 16%.
