4 ways to prepare your SME for success in 2023

2023 is shaping up to be a difficult year. Whether its rising costs, a global skills shortage or the lingering aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, SMEs need to be well-equipped for the challenges that lie ahead. 

As we move into 2023, small-medium enterprises (SMEs) are facing a rapidly changing business landscape. With new technologies emerging and market demands shifting, SMEs must be proactive in their approach to remain competitive and grow their business. One way to achieve this is by embracing digitalisation.👨‍💻

Digitalisation refers to the integration of technology into all areas of business operations, including marketing, sales, customer service, and data management. By embracing digitalisation, SMEs can improve their processes, streamline their operations, and gain a competitive advantage. 

Digitalisation is set to be one of the key trends for 2023, with businesses of all sizes embracing technology to remain competitive. 92% of SMEs say that tech is important for their business survival, according to research by Sage. 💪

The most important thing for businesses to do is to ensure that their systems and processes are up to date and running efficiently. This means investing in the latest technology, such as cloud-based software and collaboration tools. It also means rethinking your setup, be it spreadsheets, paper-based or a combination of the two. 

In this article, we’ll explore some of the ways that SMEs can prepare for 2023 by embracing digitalisation and the benefits that come with this approach. 👌

1. Ditch Spreadsheets 

SMEs should consider ditching spreadsheets as they prepare for the year ahead. Spreadsheets have long been used as a tool for managing data, but they have several limitations. They are time-consuming to create, difficult to share and collaborate on, and prone to errors. Additionally, they do not provide a centralised platform for managing tasks, projects, and workflow.

Sometimes these limitations have had real consequences, evidenced in the many disasters that they have caused businesses. 💥

In contrast, modern work management tools offer a more comprehensive solution for data management and workflow automation. These tools can provide a centralised platform for managing tasks, projects, and workflow, allowing for improved efficiency and collaboration. 

Upgrading to a modern work management tool provides a streamlined and automated solution, enabling SMEs to tackle administrative tasks with ease, freeing up time and resources to focus on the bigger picture. This can lead to increased competitiveness and the ability to navigate challenges with confidence, making it an essential investment for SMEs looking to grow and succeed in the long term. 😎

2. Take advantage of automation

Automation is transforming the way that businesses operate, and can help save time, money, and resources, freeing up staff to focus on more strategic tasks. 

Automation can help reduce costs and increase productivity by automating repetitive and time-consuming tasks, such as data entry, inventory management, and meeting actions. Whatever the level of automation provided, it’s still far more than you’d get with your average spreadsheet. 🤖

This can free up employees to focus on more important, value-added activities, such as innovation and customer engagement. Automation can also help SMEs to improve accuracy and consistency by reducing the potential for human error. ❌

Additionally, automation can help SMEs to become more adaptable and resilient in the face of uncertainty. For example, by automating certain processes, SMEs can more easily pivot their operations to meet changing market conditions or customer demands. By enabling you to quickly respond to disruptions or emergencies, automation can also help SMEs to better manage risks.

Safe to say automation, no matter how small, can help SMEs to navigate the challenges of uncertain times and become more competitive in the long term. 🙌

3. Invest in Collaboration

Small-medium enterprises (SMEs) should invest in collaboration tools during uncertain times because they can help to increase productivity, communication, and efficiency within the organisation. Collaboration tools, such as project management software, team messaging apps, and virtual meeting platforms, can help to streamline workflow, ensure that all team members are on the same page, and bolster remote work. 

This can be especially important during uncertain times when businesses may need to adapt to changing circumstances and unexpected disruptions. Additionally, collaboration tools can help SMEs to stay competitive by providing a cost-effective way to improve productivity and communication. 🗣️

Overall, investing in collaboration tools can help SMEs to better navigate the challenges of uncertain times and emerge stronger. 

4. Start the year right with Gridfox

Gridfox is a work management tool that can help SMEs prepare for 2023 (and then some). We provide a flexible, secure, and scalable solution to your spreadsheets woes, resource challenges and everything in-between. 

Better still, Gridfox is fully customisable to fit with your changing needs. This means that you can scale and adapt your platform, in line with any changes in your needs (or the market!). 💹

In this way, Gridfox provides SMEs with the perfect incentive for ditching spreadsheets. Using Gridfox, all of your data is stored in a centralised space. That means that you don’t need to chase colleagues for access to that important data that you need or worry about leaky security. 🔓

With cloud-based backups and thorough audit trails provided alongside any changes that are made to a project, Gridfox removes the security risk associated with spreadsheets. 

Since we’re on the topic of security and accessibility, it’s worth noting that all projects built in Gridfox are hosted in Microsoft Azure’s Cloud, providing a robust, performant and scalable runtime environment. ☁️

At Gridfox, we understand the challenges faced by SMEs, which is why we want to empower you to manage your data and better plan for the future, one step at a time. 

Get started with Gridfox for free here.