The digitalisation of VSEs/SMEs is underway... How can you make yours a success?

The 21st century is marked by digitalisation. The Internet and social networks have rapidly become the primary source of information for consumers. The benefits: independence and time savings. As a result, digital transformation has become a reality for businesses, which have adapted by creating an autonomous and efficient customer journey.

Although this approach was initiated by the BtoC sector, digitalisation is now becoming a necessity for BtoB companies too. What stage have French SMEs reached in their digitisation drive? What are the benefits of embarking on this transformation, and above all, how do you get started? Here's an overview of the progress being made by French SMEs and VSEs in the area of digitalization.

What is digitising a business?

The term "digitalisation" means different things to different people. According to a recent survey of SME managers by Opinion Way (1), for 61% of them, digitalising a business means having an up-to-date website. Next in importance, for 53% of those questioned, was being able to rely on an efficient IT department.

However, digitalising a company is not just about technology. Rather, it involves a new vision of the company, with a new culture and new values. It implies profound changes to internal processes, for the different departments, and it's not easy to put in place. For the whole thing to work, it requires the total involvement of everyone in the company.

It is important to bear in mind that digitisation is a means of meeting the needs of customers and employees alike. Once the transformation has taken place, the benefits are quickly identifiable by all stakeholders.

State of play: How far have French SMEs come?

France lags far behind its neighbours when it comes to digitalising its SMEs. The most likely cause is that managers are not yet aware of what is at stake. They are finding it difficult to define the overall approach they need to take to transform their businesses in depth.

According to a 2020 BPI France Le Lab (2) survey of 1,800 SME managers, 87% of them are not making it a priority to convert their business to digital.

And yet we know that a company's performance today is correlated with its progress towards digital transformation.

However, there has been a certain acceleration in the digitalisation of SMEs since the outbreak of the global pandemic. This is one of the positive effects of the health crisis. The digitisation of businesses has been boosted by the pandemic.

By 2021, no fewer than 66% of French VSEs/SMEs (3) will have their own website, compared with 37% in 2020. Among the most visible businesses on the internet are those in the catering and accommodation sector. This is logical, given that 50% of these businesses sell their goods and services online.

However, companies in the construction and logistics sector are struggling to make the transition to digital technology. They tend to focus more on tools for simplifying internal processes:

• stock management
• schedule management
• invoicing, etc.

The distinction is no longer between large and small businesses, but rather between those that have taken the plunge and those that are still lagging behind.

The benefits of digitisation for your service company

Managers who are still reluctant to digitise their business see only the difficulties and the extra workload in the short term. Yet those who have dared to take the plunge have no regrets.

Better communication and time savings

Mickaël Crouquet, head of the maintenance department at Sacofa, an electrical equipment installation company, is delighted:

"The company has 15 technicians on call [...]. Now, with the BigChange solution, the system, which is a real collaborative tool, enables us to communicate with each other, but also with the customer. I can see, directly on the internet, what the technician has done during a service call.

With a tool like this, communication is made easier and human error is greatly reduced. But that's not the only advantage of this type of software.

"The solution allows us to store important data, such as the history of work carried out and photos of work sites.

All the information about the customer is available at any time, from any mobile or fixed device. The time savings are obvious.

Tools that adapt to companies

The period during which IT tools are installed in companies, and during which employees get to grips with them, is often seen as a slowdown, or even a halt, to business activity. Again according to the Opinion Way survey (1), 45% of the SME managers questioned had not digitised their business, and more importantly, had no plans to do so for the time being. Is it a lack of knowledge about the various options available?

Some managers have taken the plunge and have no regrets, as Bruno BLIN, managing partner of Médiaction, a service company working in so-called sensitive neighbourhoods, points out.

"We started working with the BigChange teams in 2020. The first step was to understand Médiaction's core business. Then, a [...] personalised solution was developed to match the company's expectations as closely as possible."

The principle behind digitalising a company is not to waste time and money. Companies that market this type of solution play an important role in supporting their customers. Once the tool has been customised, there is a training period for the customer's staff. The software then evolves in line with demand and emerging needs.

"Today, the BigChange solution is running very smoothly. We have contacts who answer our questions and help us to develop the product in line with our customers' requests for reporting and statistics. The next stage will be to integrate vehicle and service geolocation into the tool.

The key ingredients for successfully digitising a company

It's not enough for a company director to want to digitise his business. Here are the key ingredients for making a success of this transformation and reaping all the benefits.

A committed management team

For a business transformation to work, you need a management team that is convinced of the merits of this far-reaching change. If certain employees have not grasped the added value of digitalising their company, they will not be the driving force behind the change.

The team needs to push for and support this change among employees, whose working methods are going to change.

The best way to do this is to show examples of companies and employees for whom digitisation has been beneficial. Teams will be able to see themselves in the future, and will be more confident about the direction their managers are taking.

A project team that structures, organises and trains teams

Once the idea of digitisation has been adopted by the company, a project team needs to be appointed, entirely dedicated to this technological transformation. The members of the team first structure the programme in different stages and begin working with the service provider marketing the solution.

Together, they determine the company's needs and develop a customised solution, adapted to the company's sector of activity and the expectations of its managers. They then organise the deployment of the software(s) within the company and train the technical teams who will be using the tools on a daily basis.

Involving teams in the field

The teams on the ground are nevertheless involved throughout the digital transformation process. The idea is for them to take ownership of the new tools and embrace the proposed changes.

From the outset, employees are asked about their expectations and needs. In this way, the tool can be customised to suit the company. Ambassadors can quickly be identified and will act as key opinion-formers to get all the teams on board.

Support in deploying the digital solution

An integrated digital solution, which replaces the tools and software that a company's teams have always used, can be unsettling for some employees. Even if the aim is to make everyone's work easier, many people can be resistant to change by nature.

BigChange, which specialises in all-in-one solutions for field service companies, acts as a consultant and external partner. It supports its customers, and more specifically the project team, in deploying the right solution for the business in question.

• Needs analysis,
• Process definition
• Software programming,
• Implementation within the company,
• Training staff in the use of a new tool,
• Adding functionalities,
• Improving the solution.

The external service provider is a genuine long-term partner in the deployment of the digital solution and its evolution over time.

The digitalisation of businesses in France is slow in coming, due to a lack of information among managers about the potential benefits, but also a lack of support. Fortunately, a number of service providers have understood this, and are now providing turnkey solutions to kick-start the large-scale digitisation of sectors in demand.

(1) Opinion Way survey of 1,000 SME business leaders (< 250 employees in France)
(2) BPI France Le Lab survey
(3) Crédoc France Num Barometer survey