Digital Investment key to SME growth in Asean

Unprecedented global headwinds over the past two years – pandemic, war, labour and supply chain challenges, inflation - are making it more expensive to run a business in Aesan.

But there is a silver lining. Across the public sector from contact tracing and vaccine management to call centre operations, governments and citizens have seen first-hand the power of what technology can do for them: delivering high quality digital services, driving efficiencies and cost-effectiveness. 

The Asean Digital Masterplan is a clear indication of the respective governments’ commitment to realise the vision of the region as a digital economy and society.  

To realise Asean’s potential to be one of the world’s economic powerhouses, both public and private sectors are turning to digitalisation for resilient and sustainable growth. Time and again, technological advancements have proven the ability to drive immediate value across the board by lowering costs and raising productivity.

Parallels between the start of the pandemic and this new phase of global uncertainty are striking. Companies which accelerated their digital transformation when the pandemic hit were able to pivot quickly and come out stronger. The same applies today.

Research revealed that ‘Technology Leaders’ - businesses that increased digital investments in 2020 and 2021 - have grown five times faster than ‘Laggards’ that did not. There are also businesses that ‘Leapfrogged’ into accelerated growth with tech adoption. In today’s high-cost environment, leaning into technology like automation and cloud technology ensures cost-effectiveness in the long run and profitability, whilst boosting innovation and ensuring competitive advantage. 

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Three Asean SMEs Show the Way

Worldwide spending on the two primary types of business automation, robotic process automation and intelligent process automation, has risen in the past two years.

A recent Salesforce survey identified automation as a top priority for companies globally and in the Asean region. This is unsurprising, given 61 per cent of Asean’s population is under the age of 35, and are digital natives who have embraced digital technologies in their daily activities. The impact of all these is profound, affecting the way work is done and customers are served.

Artificial Intelligence and machine-learning are being used by major global manufacturers to rethink supply chain management and effectively manage rising supplier prices. Retailers, on the other hand, are better informed in the ways to best meet customer purchasing preferences and create incredible customer experiences across every interaction to stay competitive. 

Tokopedia, a technology company with the biggest marketplace in Indonesia, has pioneered digital transformation since its founding in 2009. The company is able to serve consumers in 99 per cent of Indonesia’s districts and empower approximately 12 million merchants across the world’s largest archipelago. Tokopedia leverages automation and data to serve customised, optimal experiences to all of its customers, all the time, with relevant information delivered at each step of their journey. 

For Singapore’s leading music school Aureus Academy, digital is infused across the entire consumer journey to deliver seamless and personalised experiences.

The company has increased its revenue by over 300 per cent since the adoption of a unified digital platform to automate sales and service processes, and easily build custom applications.

These applications support the automation of processes from billing to online lesson scheduling, resulting in 15,000 monthly scheduling events managed directly within the app.

Performance metrics such as enrollment, attendance, revenue and teacher utilisation can also be connected, analysed and monitored at the minute. With data being presented in almost real-time, Aureus can make key management decisions very quickly and effectively. 

Automation is also playing a major role in workforce engagement, reducing time spent on repetitive tasks and empowering workers to focus on more strategic tasks. Workplace communication platforms are reimagining how teams work together, organise their people, and deliver greater customer experiences in this digital-first and work-from-anywhere world.

Daughters Of Tomorrow (DOT) is an IPC (Institutions of a Public Character) charity focused on equipping women with skills, employment opportunities and resources to be financially independent and resilient to support them to break out of poverty. DOT pivoted from manually working through colour-coded spreadsheets to employing a single platform that offers a unified view of beneficiary data across programs, and supports personalised relationship management. 

It is these kinds of experiences that businesses, public sector, and non-profit organisations will increasingly adopt to drive customer, partner and employee loyalty and achieve the goals set out.

Building Better Resilience

In the digital economy, the businesses that adapt to changes quickest will thrive. As disruption continues, CEOs who previously delegated their digital strategy want to take direct leadership today. 

From business performance, employee skills preparedness, societal equity to climate change, technology is fundamental to driving efficiencies with private and public partnerships.

Although we cannot predict the future, we can be strategic and build better resilience. We must rethink our approach to efficiency at every level, in every department. We must commit to continuous innovation to solve customers’ problems, ensuring seamless service from anywhere, and adapting to customers’ changing priorities. This in turn will provide opportunities for success in the long term.

The writer is the senior vice president and GM, Asean, at Salesforce.