Ten tools to digitalise your SME

Apr 2, 2020.

Due to the coronavirus crisis, Swiss SMEs are currently in emergency mode. Businesses that want to ensure their survival need to act right now and digitalise their processes. Because a digital office is not only more flexible – it also saves a lot of money. You can find out here how to cut down on paperwork immediately and run your business digitally.

Sabrina Calà, Marketing Manager at KLARA

During the coronavirus crisis, you as an SME depend on being able to access your documents from anywhere. This is the only way to maintain your business and ensure your survival. A paperless office uses (almost) only computers and various other tools. This makes everyday work much easier at different levels.

 

For example: you no longer have to spend hours hunting through dusty, heavy folders in the basement to find old documents. Thanks to central digital data management, all employees can access the relevant documents from anywhere via their computers – be it an offer, a delivery note or an invoice.

 

 

Your path to digitalisation

It is now five to twelve. You too can take the first steps. These ten tips will help you do this:

  • Draw up a roadmap: what steps will the changeover involve?
  • Create suitable infrastructure: tools such as Dropbox, Google Drive and KLARA make document management easier.
  • Clear folder structure: work with main folders and subfolders in your document filing system.
  • Digitalise post: use electronic communication channels as far as possible.
  • Digital calendar: thick, paper agendas look good, but are rather impractical.
  • Promote collaborative work: show your employees the advantages of digital tools.
  • Digital communication – internally and externally: for example with efficient messenger services instead of a flood of e-mails.
  • Digitalise accounting: do I still need the accounts book? Modern accounting programmes, like KLARA, increase efficiency enormously.
  • Invoices and receipts: scan them with your mobile phone and then dispose of them.
  • Stay consistent: try to do as much as possible digitally – even if you like using a pen and notepad. It will be worth the effort.

 

 

Ten tools for your employees and customers

It’s time to get down to business. You can start today and get the tools you need for your digital office. We believe that the following ten applications are best for this.

 

Zoom

If you like Skype, you will love Zoom: it makes online meetings and telephone conferences with your employees a piece of cake.

 

Dropbox

Dropbox is the standard solution if you want to share large files easily. It lets you store all documents securely in the cloud.

 

Google Drive

Alternative to Dropbox: you can get 15 GB of digital storage in Google Cloud for free. You can buy more storage, if necessary. The price starts at USD 8 per month and user.

 

Google Docs

Another Google service that makes teamwork easier for you: Google Docs – for creating text documents, spreadsheets or presentations directly in your web browser. Google Docs allows multiple users to access these files at the same time.

 

KLARA accounting

If you use online accounting from the Swiss software provider KLARA, you’ll never have to worry about charts of accounts again. KLARA is digital and accessible from anywhere. What’s more, it’s free. You can easily combine it with KLARA’s CRM and digital payroll accounting.

 

Scanner for Me

You can use the mobile app “Scanner for Me” (AppStore, Google Play) to easily scan documents on your smartphone, convert them into PDFs and share them with your team or store them in the cloud.

 

KLARA News Manager

With the News Manager from KLARA, you can ensure that your customers are always up to date: you can tell them about opening hours, special offers and other news in just a few clicks.

 

WeTransfer

Would you like to send large files without creating a Dropbox or Google Drive account? With WeTransfer, this is very easy – you can send up to 2 GB free of charge. This is sufficient for most of the needs of an SME.

 

Trello

You can use the simple tool Trello to make sure nothing gets forgotten: create tasks and assign them to your employees. Set deadlines and add a day to each card.

 

YouTube

YouTube? Of course. Most businesses are closed at the moment. You have a lot of time to review your marketing. Why not open a YouTube channel and publish tutorial videos, for example? You’ll be using your time wisely and building your own community, who will visit your business sooner or later.

 

 

We wish you plenty of success.