Scan for Growth: The Free Professional in the Online World

It is no secret that companies from different sectors were already going through an important process of digital transformation in the last years. However, this scenario was strongly driven by the arrival of the new coronavirus pandemic.

Due to the need to maintain social isolation, entrepreneurs needed to adjust their models of business to remain active, and digitalization, through the broader use of different technologies, was the way to do that.

Thus, it is possible to understand that to digitize is to adapt a company to the digital format , using, for this, technological resources that improve their processes, improve their strategies and actions.

And if you still believe that digitizing a business is something possible only for the big ones, it is wrong. This change not only can, but should, be adopted by micro and small companies.

Improving customer service, reducing costs and increasing productivity are just some of the advantages of this change.

Check out, in this article, details about what scanning is, the step-by-step steps that must be followed for this, which are the benefits and more!

What is scanning? Scanning is using technological resources to optimize the processes of a company.

But, in addition, it also consists of inserting a digital mindset into your organizational culture.

In a practical way, this means that the business will put aside manual activities and obsolete work methods to adapt to the new reality that we are in living, which contemplates the broader use of technologies in different situations in the daily lives of individuals and companies.

A good example of digitization can be seen when a entrepreneur seeks information about how to start a business.

If before it was necessary to go to an accounting office to carry out this process, today, the entire procedure can be done via the internet. In other words, a business can be more digital and modern from its very first steps.

The idea behind the digitization of a company is that the new solutions adopted, including technologies, actions and strategies, improve their operations and, therefore, contribute to the achievement of better results.

For this reason it is so important that this change is not limited to the implementation of good software.

The main objective will only be achieved if, in addition to that, the mentality and perception of

entrepreneur and his collaborators also follow this modernization process.

What is the step by step for scanning?

Scanning is essential to boost the growth of a company, and the reason for this is simple : businesses that do not adapt to the changes lose space to competitors.

With this, customers tend to migrate to other more modern and agile businesses, seriously compromising the revenue and, of course, the success of the brand.

So, if you don’t want your company’s actions and processes to become outdated and outdated, check out the step suggested step for

scan:

1. Identify your processes

No matter the size of your company, the first step to be able to digitize it is to identify all of its processes. dynamic way, which can be optimized with the use of technological solutions, among other similar points.

two. Analyze the needs and expectations of your target audience

In addition to the previous step, it is very interesting to relate your processes to the needs and expectations of your target audience.

For example, imagine that there is a high number of complaints about customer service. Many consumers reported that they are unable to contact, or that the service channels are restricted and time-consuming.

In a scenario like this, you can adopt new service solutions, like messaging apps, online chat etc.

3. Study your market

It is also quite interesting It is valid to analyze your competitors and what are the news and trends in your market.

This is one of the most suitable ways for you to identify which innovations are being used in business models similar to yours and, in this way, have good insights to improve your company’s dynamics.

4. Draw up an action plan

With all this information, the next step in a business digitization process is to draw up a good action plan.

Here, you need to report all the points for improvement that have been identified, which solutions and tools can be adopted to improve processes, etc.

The idea is to list everything that was raised in order to have a broad and complete view of which measures need to be taken to make all of this a reality.

About this, it is also essential to consider the budget issue. In other words, as much as your company needs to be digitized, you cannot leave aside the cost-benefit analysis, considering, mainly, the financial moment you are experiencing.

This means that it is essential to go through this change, but it should not compromise the financial health of your business.

5. Keep the customer at the center of your strategy

And when are creating your action plan, devise strategies that keep the customer at the center of all operations.

Be aware that the purpose of digitization is to improve the company’s processes, but in such a way that it contributes to improving the relationship with its consumers and delivering more and better results.

6. Properly train your team

Remember that we said scanning is it also to insert a digital mindset into the organizational culture of the business? This means that it is essential to guide employees and partners, if any, on the importance of this adaptation.

For companies that have contracted employees, train properly in the The use of new solutions is essential so that they are not used inappropriately, which creates the risk of negatively compromising the strategy.

7. Measure the results and adjust as necessary

By Finally, after implementing digitalization in your company, it is very important to measure the results, making a comparison of how it was before this phase, and how it was after. If , perhaps, the return is not what you expected, review your strategy and the measures adopted, adjusting the points you deem necessary to achieve your goal. Here , it is worth remembering that digitizing a business is a continuous process, which needs to keep up with market trends and innovations.

Why is micro and small business digitization important?

Digitization is even more important for micro and small businesses than for large ones. The reason is that this change helps to increase its competitive power, as well as to make the brand more attractive to customers

. In addition, scanning a business has advantages such as:

improves decision-making;

improving the customer experience;

reduction of operating costs;

Which processes can be digitized in a company?

There are several processes that can be scanned in a company. We can quote, for example:

• issuance of invoice;

document management and control;

organization and distribution of tasks;

sales control;

accounting services.

How much does it cost to make a micro or small business digital?

It is difficult to inform, punctually, how much it costs to make a micro or small business digital. This is because the values ​​needed for this process depend on which solutions will be acquired, the way the company operates, the work dynamics

etc.

Another point is that there are many online tools that can be used for free, such as those provided by Google, such as Google Drive for storing and sharing various types of files.

But to give you an idea of ​​investment, we can say that the services of an online accounting, one of the processes that can be digitized, cost from R$ 96 per month, such as those offered by Contabilizei.

The gain with the digitization follows the same principle, that is, depends on the adopted solutions , in addition to the time it took to implement this change.

However, considering the advantages of digitizing a company, such as the increase in productivity and the improvement of the customer experience, the expectation is that the return, in the medium and long term, is considerably greater than the investment.

In this regard, it is essential also emphasize that by digitizing your business, you are contributing to its scalability.

In practice, this means that it becomes totally possible to serve an increasing number of customers without having to invest in the same proportion, which avoids contracting extra expenses that can seriously compromise the financial health of the business.

By Guilherme Soares, engineer graduated from the University of São Paulo with a master’s degree in business administration from the London Business School. Original from