Accelerating Digital Transformation in Business: The Power of Technology and Digitization

By: Elton Gagni, Senior Editorial Associate

The future of work is happening right before our eyes. Even before this pandemic, digital transformation of businesses has already been part of many discussions on service delivery, people management, and even finance management. Because of the recent health crisis, businesses were forced to close up shop temporarily, if not permanently, leaving the workforce at the mercy of their leave credits, or worse out of jobs.

Thanks to technology, remote work has become a viable option to keep businesses afloat while maintaining productivity levels of employees. While the transition may seem difficult and intimidating at first, it’s always good to keep an open mind and remember that if you’re starting at zero, there’s no way to go but up!

Here are some tips for your business to thrive while you’re at the comfort of your own home.

Explore social media as your home base of operations. Since the quarantine took effect, many Filipinos have rediscovered their passion for cooking and baking, and have converted their personal profiles into a means of selling food products. Similarly, businesses can also do this especially those who sell products. Having an online presence since the emergence of social media has grown to become part of marketing strategies as there is definitely an audience to cater to.

From as simple as taking photos of your product to sharing ordering details, social media has made it more convenient to sell and market different offerings. Since we are under general community quarantine and risks remain high, it is still ideal to consider this method as a viable alternative since it saves you time and costs from rentals and transportation. The beauty of social media also comes in when you get help from your family and friends in spreading the word by sharing your posts.

Consider digital platforms for cashless transactions. Technology in general is making life easier for everyone and one example is handling finances. If you have a bank account, your bank likely has a mobile app or a website where you can run several transactions such as fund transfers, bills payments, and even receive money for your goods and services. As a small business or startup, all you need is an email, your account details, and you’re all set!

Others also rely on other digital platforms such as Coins.PH, Gcash, PayMaya, and Paypal as long as you have a bank account or credit card to attach and get funds from. Thanks to these platforms, you no longer need to risk going outside and still maintain a stable cash flow as you push through with your business.

Invest in the wonders of the cloud. If you’re running a more upscale business, cloud technology offered by Google may be a viable option for you to move your company forward. Now that we’re in the digital age, consuming and sharing content and data are what we do most of the time so why not transform your business into the same nature.

Cloud technology does not only offer us storage, but a simpler and more efficient way of managing our daily tasks and responsibilities. For example, if you’re in the creative or communications industry, you can already upload your designs or even craft your article in an online document and route them for approval with just a single link. Have multiple files? Create a folder! Files from different folders? Craft an email with respective links.

It may sound technical just reading it, but once you’re actually doing it, you’ll see the convenience and what a game changing idea it is.

Maximize performance trackers for productivity. If the cloud is where you store and do your work, performance trackers are where you assign and monitor your own or your team’s progress. Platforms like Asana, Trello, and Slack provide you an opportunity to list your tasks for the day, week or month, set deadlines, create notifications, and even provide feedback. Think of it as your regular checklist, only you don’t need to use a pen and paper.

Using these trackers actually showcases transparency which makes them ideal for remote work. New task coming in? Key it in. Forgot a deadline? You’ll be notified prior. Done with the task? Here comes the charm of digital trackers, you can simply mark your entire list done and poof! Clean slate and ready for the next day.

Facilitate meetings with teleconferencing. Teleconferencing is very simple actually. Think of it like facetiming with your friends and loved ones, only this is more professional. With applications like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Hangouts Meet, you can host pocket or large-scale meetings with your team or clients. Need to make it face-to-face? Simply turn on your camera. Have something to present? Hit the present button. Don’t want to be heard? Feel free to mute yourself.

All you have to do is create a meeting link, share it with your team, and consider your meeting up and running already.

Like many companies and businesses, TeamAsia is also affected by the pandemic’s restrictions. Since most of our operations were already done through online chats and documents, we are fortunate to have been able to pivot as quickly as we did. While it is still more ideal to come back to the office to resume our regular operations, we believe that this remote/virtual setup is the future, especially for any situation that would hinder us from going to work.

While safety is of utmost importance, we also need to consider productivity levels to keep our businesses going and providing for our respective employees. So if you need some tips on transitioning or if you’d like to know more about the process, let’s discuss over at info@teamasia.com.