Nobody is no longer oblivious to the idea that, in order to achieve their business goals, freelancers, small and medium-sized companies have to face many challenges. Some of them, related to digitization. And it is that, although the benefits are clear, there are still many businesses that have not taken the step.
Among the reasons, the difficulties in financing this transformation: “Without a doubt, for me, until now the main obstacle was having the capital to do it. We are a small company and we invest in improvements, but digitization is a field that covers many aspects that a company of our size does not fully master," says Joan López-Roura, manager of Catalunya Auxiliars.
The solution has come from the hand of the digital program, supported by European Funds. His company, a company with 25 employees (and more than 250 clients) dedicated to the management of private security (porters, concierges, controllers and cleaning service), has been one of the first to benefit from these grants that "cover the entire of the cost of the services during the first year and, in addition, they allow you to have specialists who accompany you and advise you in the process”, he celebrates. "Thus, everything works much better and faster," adds López-Roura.
Digitization vouchers are intended for various areas, such as digital marketing solutions, cloud services, cybersecurity or digital accounting and process management tools, among other possibilities. For their part, the calls contemplate up to €12,000 for companies with 10 to 49 workers, up to €6,000 for freelancers and companies with three to nine workers and up to €2,000 for freelancers or companies with up to two employees.
The first of them is the one requested, precisely, by Catalunya Auxiliars. A process that was relatively simple, according to the company, since they had an ally like Orange, who was by their side to take care of everything.
“He applied for the aid on our behalf and we have had his advice through his manager on the services that could interest us the most. They have given us all the information and, electronically, we have been able to do everything from our office”, says Joan-López-Roura.
Thanks to this aid, Catalunya Auxiliars has found a way to update some assets such as the website. “We were looking to optimize it and improve our search engine positioning to more easily reach our customers. We are also going to make our way on social networks... Our idea is to be able to have direct and easy communication with customers, to be more transparent and clear. With digitization we become closer to all those who want to contract our services”, underlines the manager.
And they are not the only advantages. “In addition, we believe that we can be more efficient in the way we work within our own company, improve our tools for teleworking, as well as our relationship with customers and suppliers. We are convinced that these improvements will be noted in our income statement”.
All this with the strictest security. And it is that, although it can be believed that SMEs are less likely to suffer a cyber attack, the reality is that they are also sensitive to this type of crime.
"Every day we see news about security incidents in all areas and all companies, even small ones, are exposed to them, we do not want to compromise our security or that of our clients," says Joan López-Roura. That is why guaranteeing safer digital environments is one of the keys to digitization for these businesses.
This digital evolution also makes it possible to speed up processes and automate them, to make companies more agile and efficient. This is because a digitized business is better adapted to the needs of its customers, it allows it to open doors to reach many more people and thus contributes to guaranteeing its growth and permanence in the market.
These aids can be the revulsive for any self-employed person or company that wants to start their takeoff towards digitization. For all of them, the advice of the manager of Catalunya Auxiliars is very clear: “Go ahead. Request information, ask all possible doubts and go for it all, the results come quickly and benefit everyone. Do not think that it is a boost for another type of company, yours can also be digitized and opt for this type of aid. It has been a very easy process and I just had to follow Orange's guidance. It is a worthwhile opportunity for any company and with the right help everything is very quick and easy” he concludes. For example, your specific case.
To apply for these grants, Orange makes several options available to the self-employed and companies through its website Orange.es/companies or on 900 900 495.
