Digital transformation should have been a priority for SMEs for years. And in such a competitive business environment, any evolution provides an important advantage over rivals. To address these changes, the adoption of a new organizational culture may be necessary. Next year they will have new challenges ahead of them and they will have to adapt to new trends or those that appeared.
Among others, it will be essential to create digital marketing strategies so as not to be left behind. Likewise, corporate social responsibility is beginning to gain greater weight every day in SMEs and the same happens with the urgent need to increase their business sustainability. In addition, changes towards the digital model must be made in a secure way, since cybercriminals create new strategies every day to obtain confidential business data. Therefore, having an ERP system can make the difference between success and failure.
The challenges in business management for 2024
Next, we are going to show you the most notable challenges that corporations will have to face during the next financial year.
The digital transformation
Although digitalization is present in more businesses every day, it is still a pending task for many small and medium-sized companies. Therefore, it is one of the main challenges that will be present in 2024. Adopting emerging technologies is key to maintaining competitiveness and increasing efficiency in company management.
Artificial intelligence is one of the most disruptive tools in recent years. Its ability to analyze large amounts of data and its reliability when it comes to automating processes have made it essential for some businesses. Integrating this technology into business management reduces the need to dedicate resources to monotonous and simple tasks and gain them for tasks of greater value for the business. This makes it one of the main trends for the next year. However, it is essential to make a significant initial investment for its adoption.
Social responsibility
This is still a pending issue for many companies, especially smaller ones. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has its origins in 1953. However, it was not until 2014 when the European Union decided to take action on the matter to force companies to take responsibility for their impact, taking care of the planet, their employees and the area in which they carried out their activity.
However, its implementation in companies has been growing over the years thanks to greater ease in obtaining financing and because it influences talent retention. In addition, it encourages a more positive attitude among all workers, who will come to their jobs more motivated. Measures such as gender parity or social inclusion must become a priority for the managers of any business.
All actors involved benefit from these practices and in 2024 a step forward must be taken to incorporate work ethics, as well as a clear commitment to business sustainability for the future of the planet. We are going to dedicate its own section to this.
Also Read: Collaborative Work Management: Opportunism Guides Adoption
Organizational change management
Company management must face relevant changes with the adoption of a new organizational culture. It is essential to have flexibility and accept the trends that are yet to come. To do this, all members of the companies have to row in the same direction.
There are several ways to carry out organizational change management :
- Employee training. It is vital that continuous training is offered to all workers so that they can face the changes produced by digital transformation.
- Effective communication. Feedback from the workers themselves and the communication of precise orders is of great help in the business environment. Additionally, a system must be established that allows information to flow between different departments.
- Speed in decision making. The adoption of new technologies requires modifications in business strategy. Likewise, over time they will have to adapt until they reach maximum efficiency. Therefore, it is crucial to have the ability to adjust them over time in a simple way.
The importance of cybersecurity
Digital transformation is not without dangers. The truth is that more and more companies suffer attacks from cybercriminals due to security problems in their facilities. Therefore, when making the transition to the digital model, it is crucial to prioritize this aspect.
It must be taken into account that companies handle customer and supplier data that must always remain safe. Otherwise, the Spanish Data Protection Agency may impose very costly sanctions for the business. Still, this is not the only danger. Business secrets can also be exposed if a security breach occurs.
Along with the above, companies have to make significant investments to protect their data and create cybersecurity strategies. Outsourcing digital services to remote servers is one of the most economical and effective ways to keep information safe. In the same way, you can choose to acquire your own servers, as long as you have the appropriate infrastructure for this.
Cybersecurity strategies
Employees are usually the main source of problems in this regard. Even if you have a secure platform, making a mistake when entering your credentials or opening suspicious emails could put your entire business security at risk. To avoid this, the most appropriate thing is to offer courses on how they should act when working with digital tools.
Likewise, it is vital that several levels of control are established so that not all employees have access to all information. That way, if an attack occurs, the rest of the data can be safely saved.
More marketing
Advertising will continue to be one of the main trends in 2024. High competitiveness forces entrepreneurs to carry out aggressive campaigns to attract customers from rival companies. However, it is essential to adapt to user preferences.
Digital advertising is now the most effective and web platforms can be leveraged to reach specific audiences. This allows you to control expenses and gives marketing teams the ability to better narrow down the target of each campaign.
The most relevant thing is to develop digital marketing strategies that adapt to the budget and business requirements. If you do a good job, the return on investment will be much higher than through traditional advertising.
How an ERP helps you adapt to trends in business management
Managing organizational change involves implementing an enterprise resource planning system. This software can become a comprehensive solution for those companies that wish to take a step towards digital transformation . These applications make it possible to address many of the challenges that we have talked about in this article and they do so by providing greater efficiency to companies.
It is only necessary to be clear about the new organizational culture that must be established. We are going to show some of the features of these programs and how they can help companies.
Process automation
In an ERP, many tasks that until now were left in the hands of employees can be automated. These processes can improve the management of companies without the risk of human errors occurring and in a faster manner, which increases operational efficiency.
Information security and new ways of working
All the data contained in an ERP is always kept confidential thanks to its operation in the cloud. This prevents data theft from occurring , because the servers have a security certificate and are encrypted. Likewise, cloud software allows companies to meet another of next year’s challenges: making work life easier.
Employees can access the system from anywhere. You only need to have Internet access. Consequently, family conciliation can be improved, since teleworking can become a reality.
But these are not the only ones who benefit. All workers who must move between multiple locations or who are not always in the office will also have the ability to access the system. Mobile phones, tablets or laptops are compatible with the use of these tools.
Normative compliance
ERP applications are always kept up to date, as developers modify the programs to add new functions, as well as to adapt to changes in the legal framework. This guarantees entrepreneurs have tools that respect current legislation.
In the long term, it provides greater security, since it minimizes the risk of sanctions for non-compliance with regulations . All this is possible thanks to the outsourcing of these services , since it would be very expensive to develop your own program.
Improved marketing
Advertising and marketing also benefit from having an ERP program . And thanks to detailed data on the behavior of each user, digital marketing strategies can be created with personalized campaigns that adapt to their needs. This makes the campaigns more effective and generates a better image of the brand among customers, because they feel heard.
Also Read: Improve Your Business Process Management With BPM Software
