Dossier: Swiss SMEs face the digital challenge
Sooner or later, the driving forces behind the Swiss economy will have to jump on the digital bandwagon. But how? Too many SMEs suffer from limited human and financial resources to begin this transformation. This is compounded by a lack of process knowledge. Many solutions exist to help them find their way through this transition, which has become crucial in terms of competitiveness.
We swear by them so much we forget what they mean: #innovation, #digitization, #disruption. The times are like Twitter and the web in general, made up of keywords that generate traffic and communication. Trendy concepts praised by the media, entrepreneurs and politicians for their promise. These keywords are prefixes with the extraordinary power to transform a standard product or service into a revolutionary technological innovation. Above all, they convey tenacious myths, such as that of the start-up which, simply by virtue of its youth, will be the driving force behind this transformation.
Yet start-ups are in the minority. Over 95% of the Swiss economy is made up of SMEs, making them invaluable sources of technological innovation. While large companies have the resources to finance their adaptation to the digital economy, Swiss SMEs are still struggling to make the shift that is so crucial to their survival. Indeed, it is they who are on the front line when it comes to the challenges and risks of disrupting their internal processes, marketing, customer relations and business models. In an increasingly competitive market, sometimes fraught with administrative hurdles and an economy on the move, all SMEs need to jump on the digital bandwagon. All very well, but how?
To find out, read this excellent feature on PME Magazine