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CATEGORY: DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
The digital transformation process has prompted many dramatic changes in the way businesses operate in both the short and long term.
The digital transformation process has prompted many dramatic changes in the way businesses operate in both the short and long term.
With the economic challenges post-COVID-19, IT outsourcing has become a go-to solution for businesses aiming to use their budgets effectively. They’re partnering with outsourcing companies for IT tasks instead of solely depending on in-house teams.
Meanwhile, the IT sector is rapidly growing, fueled by ongoing tech advancements. Outsourcing is crucial to this growth, which is expected to soar to USD 525.2 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 9.4% from 2023 to 2030. This points to a sustained high demand for IT outsourcing well into the decade.
When considering outsourcing software tasks, it’s crucial to identify the best countries for the job. The ideal locations are those that excel in technological expertise, offer favorable business environments, lead in innovation, and have strong English language proficiency. The following list will highlight the top 10 countries with stand-out IT dedicated teams that could be considered prime choices for IT outsourcing services.
India has consistently been at the forefront of the outsourcing sector and is renowned for its extensive pool of IT and software development talent. The country’s cost-effective services, proficiency in English, and solid tech infrastructure have established it as a preferred choice for global businesses. With more than 1.5 million IT graduates each year, India ensures a continuous influx of skilled professionals to satisfy the increasing demands of the outsourcing market in Asia.
Moreover, India’s cost structure is generally more affordable than Western countries, making it an attractive option for companies looking to outsource development tasks. For instance, according to Upwork, software developers in India typically charge between $18 and $39 per hour, which is significantly lower than the $50 to $60 per hour rate in the United States or Germany, with the average rate from $150 to $250 per hour. This combination of a large, skilled workforce and competitive pricing positions India favorably against other leading IT outsourcing destinations.
Just like India, China’s massive talent pool and diverse skill set make it one of the best countries for outsourcing, and it has emerged as an IT outsourcing power dominating the labor market. With an education system that promotes Math and Science, China provides some of the world’s best technology and IT services.
In terms of talent pool, China is one of the largest producers of IT graduates worldwide, boasting over 3 million IT graduates a year (this number is quite significant compared to India due to its large population). This vast number of highly educated and skilled individuals further solidifies China’s position as a desirable destination for outsourcing.
Additionally, the Chinese government actively supports IT development and invests in education to build a strong talent base. It focuses on advancing STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education, which is essential for the IT sector. This approach improves learning in science and math, which is foundational for IT expertise.
In 2024, China remains a competitive choice for outsourcing, with an average IT outsourcing salary of about $20-$45 an hour, striking a balance between cost-effectiveness and quality output. This affordable rate and the country’s commitment to technological advancement make China an appealing choice for businesses worldwide.
The Philippines is a sought-after hub for software development outsourcing and BPO is favored for its cost-effective labor and proficient workforce. English is the official language, simplifying communication and aligning with the country’s strong cultural connections to the US. This understanding of Western work culture is a significant advantage, especially since 94% of the population speaks English.
With around 190,000 developers stationed in key BPO centres like Manila, Cebu, Davao, and Bacolod, the Philippines is recognized as a leading IT outsourcing hub, especially in the healthcare and fintech sectors.
The educational system in the Philippines annually produces approximately 200,000 IT graduates, emphasizing IT and technical skills to create an adaptable and globally competitive workforce. In 2024, the average IT outsourcing salary stood at around $20-$60 an hour, affirming the Philippines’ position as one of the most economical offshore outsourcing destinations.
Similar to the Philippines, Brazil shares cultural affinities with the US, which translates into high-quality IT services at competitive rates. This cultural resonance, coupled with its strategic location, makes Brazil a preferred partner for North American IT firms.
Brazil’s commitment to building a skilled tech workforce is reflected in the production of about 150,000 IT graduates each year. The government’s efforts to perfect the technological education infrastructure set Brazil apart as a top destination for offshore software development.
Although Brazil’s outsourcing costs are slightly high, with the average IT outsourcing salary at approximately $20-$50 an hour and an annual software engineer salary of around $12,000, it remains a competitive market. The country’s youthful population, 38% of which are young, positions Brazil as an ideal locale for hiring junior developers, underlining its robust and skilled tech workforce.
Vietnam is advancing as a notable destination for IT outsourcing, backed by a vast pool of skilled IT professionals. The country’s educational system, with over 300 IT-focused universities and centres, produces around 57,000 IT graduates each year. The Vietnamese government’s dedication to the IT sector is evident through supportive policies and incentives, contributing to Vietnam’s ranking within the top 50 digital nations.
The IT outsourcing market in Vietnam is forecasted to reach $698.90 million in revenue in 2024, with an anticipated annual growth rate of 16.38%, leading to a market volume of $1,282.00 million by 2028. The enterprise software segment is expected to achieve a market size of $247.3 million by the end of 2024. Moreover, the average spend per IT outsourcing employee is projected to be $11.80 an hour in 2024. These figures highlight a dynamic IT outsourcing market with an outstanding IT dedicated team in Vietnam, with growing employment and increasing value per employee, reflecting the nation’s investment in education and technological infrastructure.
Poland is a standout choice for IT outsourcing within Europe. Its central position in Europe and EU membership and a strong pool of software engineering talent make it an attractive base for businesses looking to grow in the European market.
The country’s IT industry is well-developed and supported by numerous universities that provide computer science education. Recent reports indicate that there are between 63,000 and 78,000 students enrolled in IT and ICT degree programs, with an annual graduation rate of about 10,500 to 13,500.
A significant draw for the IT Outsourcing market in Poland is the cost-effective yet highly skilled workforce, which is more affordable than in many other European nations. The cost for offshore software development services in Poland typically ranges from $40 to $56 per hour, depending on the project. This positions Poland as one of the leading Eastern European countries for cost-efficient programming expertise.
Malaysia is gaining traction in the IT outsourcing industry due to its cost-effective solutions and skilled workforce. Over 60% of Malaysians speak English, which, along with strong government support, makes the country an appealing outsourcing destination.
Annually, Malaysia produces around 100,000 IT graduates, reflecting its commitment to digital skills development. The government bolsters this with initiatives like tax incentives and funding for R&D.
In Malaysia’s tech sector, the average monthly salary is about $3,500, with an hourly rate of $14. These rates are lower than in the US or Western Europe. Moreover, a key development in Malaysia’s IT outsourcing is the growth of cloud computing and mobile app development. IT firms are investing in these technologies to offer better and more cost-effective services.
Argentina’s IT industry is attractive to US and European clients due to English proficiency, cultural similarities, and time zone alignment. Competitive pricing and a highly skilled workforce add to its appeal. Web developers’ costs vary from $20 to $60 per hour, or around $14,100 yearly, based on experience.
With over 115,000 developers, many from top universities, Argentina’s education quality is evident. The country’s 2023 QS World University Rankings featured over 40 renowned computer science programs, 14 of which are in Buenos Aires, ensuring well-educated IT professionals.
Egypt’s rise in the IT outsourcing market is attributed to its skilled workforce and cost-competitive services. The country’s low labor costs, combined with a large pool of engineering and development talent, make it a lucrative option for companies seeking IT outsourcing services.
The average hourly rate for IT outsourcing in Egypt in 2024 was between $25 and $50, presenting a budget-friendly choice for businesses. The ITIDA reports that an IT professional’s average annual salary in Egypt is about $10,000, significantly below the global average of $45,000.
Egypt’s educational system contributes around 50,000 IT graduates each year to the industry, ensuring a steady supply of technically skilled professionals. The Egyptian government is proactively enhancing the IT sector by offering incentives and training to expand the talent pool. This initiative is expected to grow the industry significantly.
Mexico’s IT Outsourcing market is attractive for several reasons, including cost savings, access to a pool of skilled talent, and the ability to quickly scale operations.
In 2024, the average hourly rate for IT outsourcing in Mexico was estimated to be between $20 and $40. While this rate is slightly higher than some other outsourcing destinations, it is balanced by the advantages of geographical closeness, time zone compatibility with the US, and a deep understanding of Western business practices.
Mexico’s higher education system is on par with that of the United States and Europe, contributing to the supply of skilled IT professionals, with approximately 120,000 IT graduates produced annually.
The Mexican IT Outsourcing industry has seen steady growth over the past decade and is currently ranked as the fourth-largest IT outsourcing destination in Latin America. The industry’s expansion is expected to continue, driven by increasing demand for services such as software development, data analytics, and cloud computing.
To Sum Up!
The IT outsourcing market in 2024 is a strategic asset for businesses aiming to innovate and grow. It offers cost-effective access to skilled talent, driving operational efficiency and competitive advantage. Outsourcing is no longer just an option; it’s a strategic necessity that allows companies to focus on core competencies while outsourcing non-core activities to experts worldwide.
At Secomm, we can provide you with the best of our IT dedicated team, who have more than 10 years of experience in the IT sector. Feel free to contact SECOMM or call our hotline at (+84) 28 7108 9908 to ensure that your IT operations are handled by top-tier talent, fostering innovation and propelling your business forward.
eCommerce has been booming more than ever, driving the demand for new technologies to adapt to the continuous growth of the market. Some emerging eCommerce technologies include VR/AR, MSI (Multi-Source Inventory), PWA (Progressive Web Apps), Headless Commerce, etc. However, among these, the technology that developers and businesses are currently paying the most attention to is Cloud eCommerce.
Cloud eCommerce utilizes server clusters and cloud computing systems from cloud service providers to process large transaction volumes and online sales channel traffic. In simpler terms, Cloud eCommerce involves renting Internet servers based on cloud platforms to process, store, or use applications for various eCommerce business purposes.
Before cloud-based eCommerce platforms and other solutions emerged, traditional eCommerce platforms like IBM WebSphere and Oracle ATG required on-premise server setups and continuous maintenance. Unlike those “on-premise” eCommerce solutions, cloud-based eCommerce allows companies to outsource their IT infrastructure without the need to invest in equipment and continuous maintenance as before.
This solution helps businesses adapt to the increasing demands of customers, enhance security, simplify maintenance, and integrate new eCommerce applications as needed. For these reasons, Cloud eCommerce is often combined with eCommerce platforms such as Shopify Plus, Salesforce, Magento, etc.
There are several cloud eCommerce solutions to choose from, including IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS, each with different resource requirements.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is where businesses rent physical resources such as servers, databases, and network equipment to build a sustainable eCommerce architecture. IaaS eCommerce focuses on providing on-demand data storage on disks and virtual servers, making it easy for businesses to use database services rather than dealing with hardware. However, businesses are responsible for managing applications, data, runtime, middleware, and the operating system on this infrastructure.
Notable IaaS providers include Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Digital Ocean. IaaS is suitable for businesses wanting full control over the system without the complexity of on-premise eCommerce.
Platform as a Service (PaaS) is similar to IaaS but requires less infrastructure management, allowing more time to build eCommerce applications using predefined infrastructure with pre-defined operating systems and processes to handle resources, planning, and error correction.
For example, Google App Engine provides a PaaS environment for developers to build web applications without worrying about infrastructure. PaaS eCommerce is suitable for businesses needing to build specialized eCommerce applications and are willing to eliminate infrastructure-related factors in their technology stack.
Software as a Service (SaaS) provides ready-made eCommerce services, including complete eCommerce solutions or individual eCommerce applications like Product Information Management (PIM) software, Order Management System (OMS), etc. SaaS eCommerce providers are responsible for managing both the infrastructure and software and businesses only need to configure the desired software. Additionally, SaaS eCommerce developers can work outside the user interface with APIs to develop custom solutions without the need for custom software development.
SaaS eCommerce is suitable for businesses that want to quickly deploy eCommerce solutions without significant involvement in infrastructure and software management.
Cloud eCommerce inherits features from PaaS, making it easier to expand system functionality.
Typically, when fashion businesses start, they may not initially focus on scalability. However, from a strategic perspective, investing in technologies with scalability capabilities, such as Cloud eCommerce, can help businesses expand system functionality in each stage of eCommerce website development to foster business growth.
According to Think with Google, if a website takes up to 6 seconds to load, the probability of users bouncing increases by 106%. That’s why businesses need to focus on page load speed.
When an eCommerce website leverages Cloud eCommerce with data stored on a cloud platform, the speed of processing queries and API calls is significantly faster.
In the current era of the 4.0 technological revolution, the concern for data loss is a major focus for business leaders. As a response to this, numerous new technologies have emerged to address this goal.
According to PC Magazine, Cloud eCommerce provides control over data and storage locations, along with options such as physical backups and file synchronization to ensure data safety. Additionally, Cloud eCommerce supports businesses in obtaining PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) certification, enhancing the credibility of their website.
Typically, businesses struggle to optimize storage capacity on their websites, especially when facing a massive surge in traffic during peak seasons, such as the “sale hunting” period. This sudden increase in workload poses a significant challenge to storage operations.
Cloud eCommerce offers a flexible solution to meet the demands of unpredictable spikes in traffic, whether seasonal or even hourly. It can dynamically scale up or down to support the real-time needs of a business. Overall, Cloud eCommerce is becoming a widely adopted technology in the digital transformation journey, helping businesses expand their functionality, improve page loading speeds, and enhance the security and stability of their websites.
However, mastering these new technologies requires programmers to possess a significant amount of specialized knowledge and hands-on experience with various complex projects. As a result, the costs associated with implementing Cloud eCommerce can be relatively high.
With over 9 years of experience designing complex eCommerce systems for companies like An Nam Gourmet, Laybyland, Jasnor, etc., SECOMM understands the challenges that businesses face when exploring new eCommerce technologies.
Contact SECOMM today for a free consultation on detailed eCommerce system development solutions!
When it comes to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, businesses often have two choices: On-premise CRM and On-cloud CRM. This article will focus on clarifying the key differences and pros and cons of each option.
Understanding the distinctions between On-premise and On-cloud CRM can help businesses make well-informed decisions, optimize customer relationship management, and succeed in today’s business landscape.
Related Reading: What is CRM? Top 5 benefits of using CRM software in 2023
On-premise CRM is a type of CRM software installed and hosted on the servers and infrastructure owned by the business. When deploying On-premise CRM, the business takes responsibility for all aspects of the CRM system, including hardware, software, maintenance, security, and database management.
Some popular on-premise CRMs like Microsoft Dynamics, Oracle Siebel CRM,…
On-Cloud CRM is a form of customer relationship management software hosted on the remote servers of a third-party provider. With this software, businesses are relieved from the task of managing and maintaining fundamental infrastructure like servers and central databases, as those responsibilities are handled by the On-Cloud CRM provider.
Businesses can access the CRM system from anywhere with an internet connection through a web browser or mobile application.
Some popular Cloud CRMs include Salesforce Sales Cloud, SAP Sales Cloud, Oracle CRM On Demand,…
Related Reading:
The choice between On-premise and On-cloud CRM becomes a crucial decision in the strategy of deploying CRM. Each type comes with its own set of advantages. On-premise CRM offers high control and customization, while On-cloud CRM is convenient, flexible, and helps reduce the burden of infrastructure and initial costs.
The ultimate decision depends on the deployment needs, data control requirements, and budget. Nevertheless, both can serve as valuable tools for businesses to manage customer relationships and amplify operational efficiency.
Contact SECOMM or call the hotline at 02871089908 today to learn more about deploying and developing a comprehensive CRM system and determine the optimal choice between On-premise and On-cloud.
The recent surge in prioritizing customer experience has significantly impacted the evolution of eCommerce. Therefore, choosing the right CRM among various CRM software solutions to effectively manage customer relationships is crucial.
Following Part 1, here are 5 other CRM software options for large enterprises worth considering.
Dynamics 365 Sales is a comprehensive Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution developed by Microsoft. The software is designed to assist businesses in managing and streamlining customer interactions, enhancing the sales process’s efficiency.
Its notable capability for scalability and flexible customization has made Dynamics 365 Sales one of the most suitable choices for the complex deployment needs of large enterprises.
Core features:
Costs:
Dynamics 365 Sales Professional | Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise | Dynamics 365 Sales Premium | Microsoft Relationship Sales |
$65/user/month | $95/user/month | $135/user/month | $162/user/month |
Pros:
Cons:
Oracle CRM On Demand is a cloud-based CRM designed to assist businesses in managing sales activities, marketing, and customer interactions, and providing in-depth analytical reporting. It is the SaaS version of Oracle’s renowned on-premise software, Siebel CRM. Businesses can use both of these software applications and link them through the ‘Oracle Application Integration Architecture’ and ‘Oracle Fusion Middleware’ software.
Core features:
Costs: Oracle CRM On Demand doesn’t publicly disclose its pricing on the website. Therefore, businesses are advised to contact the provider directly for consultation and a price quote.
Pros:
Cons:
Related Reading: On-Premise CRM vs On-Cloud CRM: Key Differences
Infor CRM is a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) software designed to assist large businesses in developing and maintaining customer relationships.
Infor CRM is known for its flexibility, scalability, and high configurability, offering a range of features to help businesses better understand their customers, personalize customer experiences, and enhance the effectiveness of sales operations.
Core features:
Costs: Infor CRM doesn’t publicly disclose its pricing on the website. Therefore, businesses are advised to contact the provider directly for consultation and a price quote.
Pros:
Cons:
LeadSquared Sales + Mobile CRM is a cloud-based CRM solution that enables businesses to enhance sales productivity and manage relationships with customers and potential customers.
This CRM solution integrates the features of Sales CRM and Mobile CRM, allowing businesses to access customer data and perform essential sales tasks from anywhere, at any time.
Core features:
Costs:
Lite | Pro | Super | Ultimate |
$25/user/month | $50/user/month | $100/user/month | Custom |
Pros:
Cons:
Pipedrive is a popular CRM software solution used by businesses of all sizes and industries. In recent times, large enterprises have shown particular favor for Pipedrive CRM due to its advanced features that assist in managing sales opportunities and swiftly converting potential customers into clients.
Core features:
Costs:
Pricing plans | Essential | Advanced | Professional | Power | Enterprise |
Billed Monthly | $15/user/month | $29/user/month | $59/user/month | $69/user/month | $99/user/month |
Billed Yearly | $12.50/user/month | $24.90/user/month | $49.90/user/month | $59.90/user/month | $74.90/user/month |
Pros:
Cons:
Choose the best CRM software!
So, the article about the 10 CRM software systems part 1 + part 2 has come to a close with the hope that businesses will choose a platform suitable for their development needs.
By implementing a CRM solution, businesses can quickly build and develop relationships with customers while enhancing collaboration among internal departments.
Contact or call SECOMM’s Hotline directly at (02871089908) for advice and CRM implementation.
The options for CRM solutions are expanding and becoming more diverse. In reality, some currently popular CRM software may lack the flexibility to meet the complex deployment requirements of large businesses.
Nevertheless, there are CRM software designed to offer a digital infrastructure, in-depth technical support, and exceptional features, granting significant customization freedom for large enterprises.
The article below focuses on providing important considerations when choosing CRM solutions and lists the 5 best enterprise CRM software.
The first important step before selecting CRM software is to clarify the needs and deployment expectations. You can review and assess the pros and cons of the current tools and management programs in use. Following this, the focus should be on the aspects requiring modification or enhancement, all while estimating the customization needs.
Next, you need to the type of software to deploy, which may be either On-premise or On-cloud CRM software. These two software types come with key differences.
For On-cloud CRM, the entire data and software system are stored and managed by a third-party service provider, allowing you to access it through a web browser or mobile application.
Some advantages of On-cloud CRM include:
On the other hand, On-premise CRM stores and manages the entire data and software system locally on the company’s servers and infrastructure.
Some advantages of On-premise CRM include:
Related Reading: On-Premise CRM vs On-Cloud CRM: Key Differences
A user-friendly CRM software accessible to users of all skill levels contributes to expediting the deployment process effectively. Specifically, the software interface should be intuitive, easy to install, and allow for seamless import and export of any data type without requiring excessive assistance.
Moreover, businesses should opt for CRM software that is flexible enough to synchronize with their existing operational processes. Typically, the majority of CRM solutions nowadays offer a free trial period of three or four weeks. This timeframe is sufficient for businesses to understand the software’s functionality and assess whether it is the optimal choice for their deployment needs.
Customization is a vital feature of CRM software. Because each business has different models and scales, it’s essential to select CRM software that offers customization capabilities to match your business requirements and smoothly manage your sales processes.
Most CRM software designed for large-scale businesses offers customization capabilities. Nevertheless, while CRM solutions with extensive customization features can facilitate flexible deployment to meet specific needs, they often come with a higher price point.
The most crucial information stored in CRM software is customer data. Therefore, when selecting a CRM solution, you need to prioritize security.
Currently, many CRM solutions are cloud-based, meaning customer data is encrypted and regularly backed up to enhance safety and security. However, you should thoroughly research the provider and understand how their data will be stored and secured in the database. This information is typically available on the CRM provider’s website.
According to G2‘s and rankings based on user satisfaction, here are the top 10 CRM software solutions best suited for large-scale enterprises.
Salesforce Sales Cloud is a part of the renowned Salesforce CRM platform, developed to assist large enterprises in optimizing business operations and maintaining better customer relationships.
Core features:
Costs:
Essentials | Professional | Enterprise | Unlimited |
$25/user/month | $75/user/month | $150/user/month | $300/user/month |
For small businesses with a maximum of 10 users. | For businesses of all sizes. | For large enterprises with deep customization needs. | For large enterprises with unlimited software usage and demanding support requirements. |
Pros:
Cons:
Recognized as a top on-cloud CRM software for large enterprises, SAP Sales Cloud assists businesses in creating an internal collaborative environment, optimizing business processes, and fostering efficient interactions with customers.
Core features:
Cost: SAP Sales Cloud doesn’t publicly disclose its pricing on the website. Therefore, businesses are advised to contact the provider directly for consultation and a price quote.
Pros:
Cons:
When it comes to leading CRM providers, HubSpot is a very familiar name for most businesses. The HubSpot Sales Hub solution offers businesses outstanding features to build relationships with customers, manage the sales funnel effectively, and close more deals.
Core features:
Costs:
Free | Starter | Professional | Enterprise |
100% Free | $45/month | $450/month | $1200/month |
Pros:
Cons:
Zoho is a renowned CRM solution with a variety of features designed to suit businesses of all sizes, enabling them to build and manage customer relationships and optimize sales processes.
Core features:
Costs:
Pricing plans | Standard | Professional | Enterprise | Ultimate |
Billed Monthly | $20/user/month | $35/user/month | $50/user/month | $65/user/month |
Billed Yearly | $14/user/month | $23/user/month | $40/user/month | $52/user/month |
Pros:
Cons:
Another prominent CRM software for large enterprises is NetSuite CRM. This is a cloud-based CRM platform designed to help businesses manage interactions with current and potential customers, partners, and suppliers.
Core features:
Costs: NetSuite CRM doesn’t publicly disclose its pricing on the website. Therefore, businesses are advised to contact the provider directly for consultation and a price quote.
Pros:
Cons:
Related Reading: Explore the 10 best CRM software for large enterprises Pt2
The Bottom Line
Leveraging years of valuable experience supporting various businesses in the deployment of CRM solutions, SECOMM offers valuable insights to help businesses swiftly identify appropriate software and expedite the implementation process.
Contact or call directly to SECOMM’s hotline at 02871089908 for free consultation.
According to Fortune Business Insight, the projected value of the global Customer Relationship Management (CRM) market for 2023 stands at $71.06 billion, with expectations to surge to around $157.53 billion by 2030, exhibiting a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12%.
CRM, a software solution, delivers numerous advantages for both sellers and buyers. This tool empowers businesses to forge enduring, meaningful relationships, yielding substantial profits. Meanwhile, customers can enjoy personalized and high-quality experiences.
The following article delves into the detailed definition of CRM, common types of CRM software, core features, and the benefits when businesses use CRM solutions.
CRM or Customer Relationship Management is a software solution crafted to help businesses efficiently manage their relationships with both current customers and potential leads.
The CRM system is designed to carry out specific tasks, including:
By utilizing CRM software, businesses can eliminate the need for using scattered spreadsheets and apps. This helps overcome limitations, offering robust features for performance analysis and gaining insights into customer interactions.
Related Reading: On-premise CRM vs On-cloud CRM: Key Differences
These CRM systems are crafted to help businesses manage sales, marketing, and customer service activities. The main goal of CRM software is to generate a pool of new potential customers, nurture these leads, convert them into loyal customers, and retain them through effective marketing strategies and top-notch customer service.
While the Operational CRM system helps businesses enhance customer attraction and retention, the Analytical CRM system allows businesses to understand how potential customers move through the sales funnel. These CRM solutions gather, store, and analyze customer data, delivering detailed insights into customer interactions with the business.
This facilitates businesses in assessing the effectiveness of marketing, sales, and customer care initiatives, allowing them to make necessary adjustments.
The main goal of Collaborative CRM software is to improve customer experience and streamline business processes by enabling communication and data sharing among internal departments and external stakeholders (suppliers, partners).
While operational and analytical CRM systems also allow for data sharing, collaborative CRM places a greater emphasis on enhancing the customer experience.
It is especially favored by businesses with extensive customer databases that necessitate tight collaboration between departments (sales, marketing, customer care) to ensure the optimal customer experience.
The first important feature to mention in CRM software is Contact Management. This feature allows businesses to store information related to customers and potential customers on the platform, ranging from their names, phone numbers, email addresses, and job details to more in-depth data such as interaction history and how each customer interacts with the business.
Lead Management is one of the core CRM features. This feature supports marketing and sales efforts by:
The Pipeline Management feature provides businesses with a visual overview of potential customers and existing transactions. Deals are separated into different stages of the pipeline. This helps sales representatives understand the status of each potential customer and aids them in deciding which leads to pursue.
Utilizing the Email Management feature, businesses can seamlessly integrate their email functionality with CRM software, facilitating the sending and receiving of emails directly within the CRM system interface.
This streamlined approach saves time, eliminating the need to navigate between various tabs for email communication and ensuring no missed opportunities to engage with potential customers.
The next crucial feature in CRM solutions is Workflow Automation, which comprises three fundamental aspects: Marketing Automation, Sales Automation, and Customer Service Automation.
Marketing Automation
The ‘Marketing Automation’ feature helps businesses simplify the marketing process by designing trigger elements for specific actions of customers and potential customers, such as:
In summary, the automated marketing process in the CRM system utilizes the “if-then” logic to automatically trigger interactive activities after customers or potential leads perform specific actions.
Sales Automation
Similar to ‘Marketing Automation,’ the ‘Sales Automation’ feature also uses trigger elements to help sales representatives automatically provide purposeful interactions with customers at specific points in the sales process.
Additionally, Sales Automation assists sales representatives in scoring and managing potential customers, while automatically generating sales forecast reports, enabling businesses to make informed decisions.
Examples of sales automation process:
Customer Service Automation
‘Customer service automation’ in CRM solutions refers to the use of automation technologies to enhance and optimize the customer service experience.
This may include using chatbots for online support, sending automatic notifications and updates to customers, automating the handling of basic customer requests and inquiries, and various other activities to save time and streamline workflows.
The ‘Analytics & Reporting’ feature in CRM solutions plays a crucial role in analyzing data and generating reports to help businesses gain a deeper understanding of their business performance, customer interactions, and market trends.
This is an important tool that enables businesses to make decisions based on accurate data, improve customer interactions, and optimize business strategies.
CRM software plays a pivotal role in enabling businesses to gather and store comprehensive information about customers, including interaction history and personal details. This helps understand customers and creates a personalized interaction experience, from providing better services to developing appropriate outreach strategies.
CRM systems help automate many aspects of the business process, such as sales management, marketing, and customer interaction tracking. This results in increased work efficiency, minimizes errors and enhances the ability to interact effectively with customers.
CRM platforms provide tools such as automated chatbots and customer support systems, facilitating the swift resolution of customer requests and inquiries. This enhances the customer experience, builds trust, and increases the chances of establishing long-term relationships
The CRM software’s data analysis features contribute to a more profound comprehension of customer behavior, business performance, and emerging market trends. This empowers businesses to make informed decisions and anticipate future developments.
CRM software facilitates tight collaboration among different departments within a business, working together on the platform. This encourages the exchange of information and internal interactions, ultimately enhancing data consistency, feedback capabilities, and accurate responsiveness to customer needs.
There’s no doubt that CRM software offers incredible benefits to businesses. From efficiently managing customer relationships to optimizing business processes and providing the best customer experience. CRM is not just a tool but a viable strategy that helps businesses build and maintain relationships with their customers.
Over the years, SECOMM has been accompanying many clients in developing CRM solutions. We have observed that in a competitive business landscape, choosing the appropriate CRM software is as crucial as understanding customers and implementing CRM strategies.
Contact SECOMM or call the hotline at (+84)28 7108 9908 for a free consultation.
When the Prime Minister approved the “National Digital Transformation Program to 2025, with a vision to 2030,” national digital transformation became formally a goal shared by the entire Vietnamese people in 2020.
Since then, localities, ministries, branches, and even the government have all gradually incorporated the term “Digital Transformation” and applications of digital technology into their everyday activities.
Thus, we all realize the significance and impact of the digital transformation trend. What essential elements, nevertheless, determine the National Digital Transformation Program’s success or failure?
The process of using digital technology to completely alter each person’s lifestyle, each company’s business model, and each nation’s government operations in order to create new values and prospects for future development is referred to as transformation, also known as digital transformation.
Today, all businesses, big and small, have to decide whether to embrace innovation or risk lagging behind, becoming ineffective, and going out of business.
Furthermore, digital transformation involves- not just comprehending and utilizing technology but, more importantly, reinventing the complete business strategy as well as the vision and development priorities of the nation in relation to the global development trend.
According to data from Mordor Intelligence, the digital transformation age is shining in practically “every nook” of the global economy, confirming that this is not a “soon to fade” trend but rather a new and sustainable development orientation following the pandemic crisis.
In Vietnam alone, the government has established a National Digital Transformation Program for 2025, with a vision to 2030, with particular targets to shorten the distance with other countries around the world, including:
The fact that the goals are stated in great detail in the national digital transformation program with a focus on 2030 demonstrates how seriously the Vietnamese government takes the significance of digital transformation for the prosperous growth of the nation.
Think about the global Industrial Revolution 4.0 wave that is currently in motion. With the aid of connection provided by the Internet of Things (IoT), real-time data access, and the introduction of cyber-physical systems, the Industrial Revolution 4.0, also known as Industry 4.0, primarily focuses on advancing modern digital technology to an entirely new level.
Every Government, organization, corporation, and individual throughout the world must transform its business model, and the manner of working from non-digital to digital operation, in order to keep up with this current technology and immerse itself in the Industry 4.0 wave. The name of this procedure is “digital transformation”.
Vietnam, despite having a minor economy compared to other countries, is a crucial part of the massive Industrial Revolution 4.0 that is currently underway. Vietnam must therefore undergo a digital transformation in order to compete.
The goal will be challenging to accomplish if just businesses execute digital transformation because the capital and costs are quite high; therefore, businesses require assistance from the government budget and outside finance.
On the other hand, even with a massive budget, it can be challenging for businesses to implement effective digital transformation if the government does not go digital, but continues to run in the old manner, handles administrative procedures slowly, lacks direction, and supports businesses clearly and methodically.
Furthermore, without the support of the people, the National Digital Transformation process to catch up with the global Industry 4.0 wave will be impossible. However, the public needs the government to inform, direct, and inspire digital transformation.
Also, businesses must create useful digital transformation strategies that both before and after implementation considerably raise people’s quality of life.
Vietnam must structure three main areas of digital transformation: the government, businesses, and people, or in other words, the digital government, digital economy, and digital society, if national digital transformation is the outcome it seeks to achieve in order to gradually join the Industrial Revolution 4.0.
These three crucial overlapping and interdependent relationships make up the National Digital Transformation.
Throughout the earlier years, Vinasa reports that in 2019, 40.6% of organizations and businesses confirmed that they have resources available for digital transformation and that 23.6% of them are putting it into practice. However, 30.7% of them are uncertain of what to do despite doing some research, and 38% are unsure of where to begin.
Due to the Prime Minister’s approval of the “National Digital Transformation Program to 2025, with a vision to 2030” and the abrupt change brought on by the impact of the global pandemic, Digital Transformation is now regarded as the process’ starting year. This makes it a top priority to maintain Vietnam’s economy.
The government and Vietnamese enterprises have been able to promote awareness of the importance and urgency of digital transformation in order to help the country overcome the obstacle thanks to the economic crisis brought on by the effects of the Covid-19 outbreak.
According to the UN, Vietnam’s digital government statistics are better than the average for the area. Vietnam specifically saw a rise of 2 places in 2020, moving up to rank 86th out of 193 UN member states globally and 6th out of 11 Southeast Asian nations.
The establishment of the National Digital Transformation Committee and the decision to appoint October 10 of each year as National Digital Transformation Day in accordance with the National Digital Transformation policy for a better life for the people are two additional significant events that will forever be remembered in Vietnam in the years 2021 and 2022.
As a result, leaders and people are more conscious of the significance, function, and advantages of digital transformation, and there are coordinated actions throughout the entire system, from the government to the general populace.
According to data from the Ministry of Information and Communications, the databases that Vietnam has built up to the second quarter of 2022 include:
Additionally, the percentage of qualified online public services offered to individuals and enterprises has surpassed 97.3%; the percentage of these services that produce dossiers has gotten to 67.8% and the percentage of administrative procedures handled online has gotten to 43.2%.
Moreover, the economic sector has seen some very good improvements as a result of digital transformation. The Ministry of Information and Communications predicts that by the first quarter of 2022, the value of Vietnam’s digital economy will be 53 billion USD and that there would be 500 more newly founded digital technology businesses than there were at the same point in 2021.
The number of monthly users on Vietnamese mobile digital platforms climbed by more than 100 million compared to the same period in 2021, and the percentage of the digital economy in GDP increased to 10.41% in the first half of the year from 9.6% in the end of 2021.
Based on specific analysis and data on the situation of National Digital Transformation in Vietnam, it is clear that there are 3 main pillars that lay the foundation for the success of the National Digital Transformation process: Digital Government, Digital Economy, and Digital Society.
In order to increase operational efficiency and develop new operating models and alter the way services are offered using digital technology and data, a government must transition all of its operations to a digital environment. This allows enterprises to take part in the service delivery process. In other words, this is how the government is becoming digital.
Vietnamese citizens have been instructed in the past to finish the registration processes necessary to access the Citizen Identity Card with a chip, which is gradually replacing the previous ID card. This serves as one illustration of how well the digital government is progressing in Vietnam.
The process of processing dossiers and issuing ID Cards in the early stages is not really effective because the National Database on Civil is still under construction and staff training on how to use digital technology and digitize paper data on the data system is still limited. However, the procedure for issuing chip-based ID cards in addition to the cost is public and transparent.
As a result, when people arrive at the location where the chip-based ID card is made, processing will go more quickly if their information is already in the National Database; otherwise, they will need to provide more birth certificates and household registration information and will have to wait a long time for staff to check, enter data, and complete related procedures.
After that, the chip-based ID card will be sent to the registered address by post, but for the above reason, this process also takes quite a while.
The Public Service Portal of the Ministry of Public Security, however, is currently supported by the government and simply requires people to visit the location to capture pictures and fingerprints.
This demonstrates the government’s prompt responsiveness in streamlining business procedures while also saving time for both citizens and employees. This is evidence of the Government’s ongoing attempts to modernize itself digitally.
In addition, on the CCCD chip, more than 14 information fields of citizens are stored: (1) CCCD number; (2) Full name, other names; (3) Date of birth, month, and year; (4) Gender; (5) Nationality; (6) Ethnicity; (7) Religion; (8) Hometown; (9) Place of permanent residence registration; (10) Identification characteristics; (11) Date of issue; (12) Expiration date;
(13) Full name of parent, spouse; (14) issued 9-digit ID card number; (15) Portrait photos; (16) Features of fingerprint extraction and selection of two index fingers; backup for iris images, and other information.
Moreover, a chip-based ID card can replace important papers such as Identity Cards, Health Insurance (HI), Social Insurance (Social Insurance), Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, and Household Registration Books….
It is clear that switching from conventional ID cards to chip-based ID cards has several advantages for both the general public and the government. People’s personal information is highly secure, preventing the creation of fake documents.
Also, ID cards with chips make paperwork and transactions straightforward because many pieces of crucial information are combined onto a single card, saving time and preventing the scenario where someone forgets to bring the necessary paperwork and causing the processing of documents to be interrupted.
The government made a wise choice by implementing chip-based ID cards.
The government can save, control, and check information about a specific individual quickly and efficiently with the use of chip-based ID cards and the National Database, helping to effectively control the situation of local security and order as well as national security.
Also, this helps free up labor for government employees who deal with people, handle paperwork, and maintain correctness, speed, and synchronization.
The second factor that makes the success of the National Digital Transformation process is the Digital Economy.
Digital Economy is an economy that maintains and develops constantly based on modern digital technology. The digital economy is also known as the Internet Economy, the New Economy, or the Web Economy. This particular economy is made up of electronic transactions over the internet.
According to the definition from the Vietnam Private Economic Forum, the digital economy is all economic activities based on digital platforms. Digital economy development is the use of digital technology and data to create a new model of cooperation and business, in line with the development trend of modern technology.
Therefore, everyone would immediately think of eCommerce when discussing the digital economy or the most prominent business model of the trend of digital transformation, and the strong push that this industry provides for high-volume industries catches the trend of digital transformation.
Few people anticipate that the conventional market model, which has become ingrained in Vietnamese culture, would soon be replaced by the market model 4.0, which accepts cashless payments. In several of Hai Phong’s traditional markets, this novel method of buying and selling was introduced for the first time, to the delight of the locals.
The Viettel Money application of Viettel Military Telecom Group, a pioneer in the digital transformation of market 4.0 models in 63 provinces/cities, enables all small businesses and individuals to purchase and sell things at the market by scanning QR codes or transferring money via phone number.
Moreover, cashless payment makes it easier for customers to shop at the market without worrying about issues like carrying change or budgeting extra cash for purchases. Also, many shopkeepers in the market are afraid of this issue pretty much.
Previously, if customers paid in cash with a denomination that was too big, shopkeepers would have to run everywhere to change money, causing time-consuming for both parties and other customers waiting to be served, the issue is now solved with just one smartphone.
Following the success of Hai Phong’s 4.0 market model, many other localities have also implemented this model and received positive feedback signals from the people such as Da Nang, Quang Ninh, Thai Nguyen, Lang Son, etc.
The market 4.0 model has spread to every nook and cranny of the nation’s small trading places, including farmers’ markets, grocery stores, sidewalk shops, amusement parks, parking lots, and more.
The digital transformation trend has quickly extended to places where it was previously impossible, helping to advance the digital economy and achieve the objective of a comprehensive national digital transformation.
Finally, the term “digital society” refers to all human activities in a broad sense. Digital technology, which is based on the exponential growth of information and data, is the primary driver behind digital society.
It transforms all facets of social structure, from the government and business to the individual. In a limited sense, “digital society” refers to both digital citizenship and digital culture.
From this perspective, the three pillars of a digital nation are the digital society, the digital government, and the digital economy.
Teachers, parents, and students all adore the eLearning model, which is developing into a popular teaching and learning trend, especially in light of the recent pandemic and widespread implementation of social distancing policies.
Students can access lessons at any time, studying at home, using simply an electronic device with an Internet connection. As a result, teachings can be discussed and interacted with by professors and students without them having to actually meet.
This model also supports student doing teamwork well because it is not time- or space-constrained, saving on travel expenses in addition to using many other helpful resources.
However, for eLearning to really replace traditional teaching and learning methods, it takes a lot of effort from both the Government, the school system, and the student’s parents.
In fact, eLearning is only a small part of the digital society effort besides many other important aspects of society that need to be digitally transformed to make life more convenient for people.
National Digital Transformation has become one of Vietnam’s top goals and this is also a rare project that has received special attention from the highest levels of leadership and international support. Since then, Vietnam has had a full foundation to hope to realize the goal of becoming a digital country from now to 2030.
The development of a digital society, economy, and government, in particular, is a necessary and sufficient condition for a successful national digital transformation.
In fact, every citizen, from intellectuals to regular citizens, is gradually demonstrating a certain understanding in their own way about the digital transformation and awareness that the country is in a transition period to match the general development trend of the times.
This is in addition to the efforts of businesses and the support from the government.
Especially for businesses, digital transformation is an imperative remedy to withstands to withstand the tsunami of eradication brought on by the pandemic’s rapid shift in new business patterns.
Following Covid-19, business digital transformation flowed slowly, gently, and steadily, assisting the economy’s continued rotation.
The first step of the digital transformation journey for businesses is to start implementing eCommerce.
With many years of experience in successfully implementing eCommerce for many customers in many countries, SECOMM specializes in providing consulting services with comprehensive and professional eCommerce implementation solutions.
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The market is the foundation for creating a business’s original values, deciding essential requirements and conditions a business needs to achieve to enter the stage of market presence. From then, customers with specific demands will choose to buy the items they want. The ultimate goal of a market is to meet the needs of commodity exchanges precisely. This process continuously compels businesses to maintain and update their business operations, immediately adapting to customer requirements and not falling behind other competitors in the same market.
The market helps businesses approach customer behaviors more deeply, which is very important in resource management. That also presents in data sources such as the number of selling goods, rising goods consumption, or figures showing a sharp drop in merchandise sales due to the disease’s impact. These factors will contribute to the next analysis steps from collected data, approach the operation process more accurately, simultaneously regulate the level of goods production to meet just enough customer needs, avoid goods-excess or -shortage.
A market will reflect the competitiveness, scale, and position of all businesses within the market-share concept. Determining market share will point out precisely the revenue dimension compared to other competitors, also contribute to research and development activities, clearly identify competitors, customers, strengths, weaknesses, and at the same time, aim for following strategies to improve or increase sales.
Under the control and dominance of a market, businesses also contribute their values to the general development custom, creating different development orientations and characteristics for each market type.
The competition among businesses promotes a much more vibrant market. It is also the driving force for enterprises to change and perfect day-to-day operating systems, update the trend not to fall behind other similar competitors, and finally optimize the customer experience.
Business growth expands the market dimension and stability. A speedily growing business will supply more substantial quantities of goods, focusing on research and improving goods quality. This approach will attract more potential customers; also new companies. The full penetration of market factors (sellers and buyers) concurrently affects the market size compared to a general economic picture.
Over 50% of companies are aware of the impact of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 and feel it is taking place day by day. However, more than 70% of businesses do not fully understand their technology systems’ status and have yet to ascertain where and when to start deploying digital transformation.
While many other companies have quickly grasped and implemented digital transformation strategies for a long time and achieved specific success in the market, most of the remaining companies struggled with financial and technological problems. That contrary also affects the market, makes it move slowly and miss technology updates. Therefore, to successfully digital-transform, the interactions between market and business should not be overlooked.
First, market and business must satisfy the fundamentals of digital transformation, including connectivity and a stable internet platform. Connectivity refers to connection size and speed. Connection needs will increase continuously in the future, allowing businesses and markets to ignore their customer networks’ connections.
Next, the connection speed needs to be improved to help data transmission and processing take place faster. Since ecommerce sites have become more and more popular, customers have more options when shopping, and there is no reason to waste time waiting for a too slow-speed website. That is why the Internet platform is a vital imperative requirement to promptly meet the needs of markets, businesses, and users in the digital age. The Internet has become an essential part of daily life and a cornerstone facilitating the digital transformation process, promoting innovation, creativity, and new technology applications to the existing civilization.
Besides, focusing attention on improving digital skills for human resources is also a way to tighten the interactions between market and business. Digital transformation tends to impact old business models to upgrade and improve them into leaner and much more modern models. That prediction significantly affects human resources when some jobs have been automated and operated by artificial intelligence without humans. However, these automation jobs can produce more brand-new alternative jobs, namely quality management, market research and development, and product development.
Nevertheless, at the same time, it also raises the requirement to improve the capacity and digital skills of all existing human resources. Information technology skills have gradually become an essential condition for each individual to fully meet the labour market’s basic needs, especially when ecommerce becomes a trend worldwide. However, the ecommerce market also needs to improve data security issues, logistics, and payment security to gain the highest trust from customers and further development in the future.
The interactions between market and business are often subject to significant impacts from common development tendencies, technological advancements, and other digital transformation issues that make sense to be continuously updated and changed procedures to suffice customer needs and experience. Within those interactions, businesses will perform digital transformation responsibilities from the market requirements and vice versa; the market is the environment showing the exact business outcomes. When having reached the capacity and position, businesses can create a different market themselves with a stable and sustainable customer source.
Data digitization is a data-transforming process from traditional paperwork to digital format databases. After digitization comes to completion, the database will be stored and managed by software or technology platforms, enhancing this data system’s security and accessibility.
This enhancement is an obligatory transformation requirement for traditional business models as most businesses face operational and management problems. At the same time, start-ups already can access new technologies and have a more modern changing mindset.
First things first, there are many difficulties in storing and preserving paper-printed documents. They are often bound to form in book-types with large sizes. Secondly, paperwork makes searching, synthesizing, and analyzing unnecessary time-consuming.
Meanwhile, digital data sources can streamline the bulk of previous paperwork while still having enough digital space to store in the data systems. Those systems especially have many advantages about security and flexibility in supporting data analysis and research for business development strategies.
An essential data digitization process goes through 3 main stages: data classification, format conversion, storage, and management.
To fully prepare for a digital data plan, businesses can start by sorting and sifting through document types according to digitalization objectives and strategies. Specifically, retailers can prioritize the data of products, inventory, customer information, or ordering reports. Besides, operating-oriented businesses may consider using internal data sources for in-house working and managing processes such as accounting data, factory data, operating records, and other related types.
In the next conversion step, paper documents will be scanned and converted to image sources such as JPG, TIFF, GIF, PNG, RAW… With a much more improved budget, an organization can take advantage of more breakthrough technologies, namely AI, Machine Learning, Big Data… to digitize paper-printed data into editable formats. The data will then become streamlined and stored in data systems for the later exploiting and editing objectives.
The benefits of digital data management systems are the minimization of storing space and cost, access time, operation, and management costs, simultaneously providing the optimization of security and data mining performance. These systems operate under two main requirements: the first is to store, the second is to support data access flexibly and quickly.
One of the essential tasks is to use the right technology at a particular milestone to optimize the process’s quality and time. When matching both the above requirements, businesses no longer need to worry about the budget-exceeds anymore.
Solutions for data digitization processes will be much more comprehensive by using digital data management systems tailored to the data storage and access needs. Businesses also easily use data for business research and development objectives, improve products, service quality, or produce brand-new products and services to meet customer demands. Essentially, digital data management systems can:
One of the most popular digital data management platforms is ERP systems. ERP contributes to being an entire enterprise management system capable of using data as a business operation resource.
In particular, ERP creates a high-logical storage arrangement for all business departments to develop the ability to seamlessly and quickly access, usage, and exploit information. However, ERP is a comprehensive transformation that requires businesses to accept innovation significantly and reform the traditional operating model.
Data digitization can also be effectively applied in national public services, forming e-government to transform the traditional administrative environment’s working process. E-government creation brings a massive advantage for both the government and the citizens when managerial procedures become faster and more flexible.
Also, information and data sources in the electronic management environment are more secure, safe, and transparent. A typical example of this strength is the blockchain application in managing the e-tax system of an enterprise. Blockchain possesses a significant advantage in data security, and value-added tax transactions are also real-time done quickly, minimizing fraud and tax evasion.
Another data digitization case study is the accelerated development of retail technology applications by Saigon Co.op. With the most astounding purpose of optimizing the customer experience, this retailer aims to partner with leading technology businesses to create a digital shopping space.
As a result, the cooperation with Momo wallet has got implementation, and the brand has become the principal e-payment method in supermarkets. The combination with the Grab delivery system is also an essential breakthrough, promising GrabExpress freight forwarding services and food delivery GrabFood applied to the entire structure of Co.opmart, Co.opXtra in Ho Chi Minh City.
However, these successful case studies in typical pioneers’ digitization process do not mean that formula will bring absolute success for almost all businesses. Data digitization strategies mostly depend on external factors. They are even contingent on business demands. That is the reason why companies need to tailor standard processes and systems before conducting data digitization.
Digital transformation is an essential process of multiple scales, in which digitization is only a small layer. However, this layer is a critical core value of the whole digital transformation process.
Data digitization gives businesses many significant advantages to meet the digital transformation process’s basic requirements, converting the format of data platforms. Forms of storing and managing data are also quite diverse, and businesses can choose the right way to manage their digital data sources.
However, technology is not the main factor for success, so is multiple platforms usage. Considering the correct strategies, data systems based on appropriate technology platforms will lead businesses closer to expected results.
Digital transformation is a necessary process for traditional business models to keep pace with technologies and times. Implementing DT that is suitable for each of the businesses will increase its competitiveness in the market, thereby increasing revenue while optimizing the operation process, creating values for corporate culture and human resources. A complete DT model is a three-layered design: data, process, and business model.
The data layer is necessary to digitize data sources by using technologies for easy-management. A business will implement transformative strategies for operational processes based on transformed data in the process and model layer. Companies can change their models to suit the prolonged orientation and develop corporate culture more extensively. They can also conduct step-by-step or simultaneously implement all the layers if there is a suitable option with the business requirements and specific transformation strategies in both the short and long-term.
Data digitization is transforming from paper-works to digital formats and then storing the digital database in computerized data management systems. Those systems are made up of the technology-implementation to store data intelligently, making data retrieval more manageable and faster. Therefore, data becomes more proactive and brings substantial value-in-use to the business.
Data digitization will create a more seamless working process while ensuring strictly systematic and complete data sources, building a comprehensive digital infrastructure for businesses. It simultaneously is the digital transformation process’s kernel, forming the foundation for all the remaining layers. Up to now, data digitization is an optimal solution ensuring the integrity and security of data systems in the long run, which significantly reduces operating costs.
Additionally, database management systems are the most critical archives that can maximize data access and exploitation efficiency. MySQL is an excellent example among the most popular DMS today, owning multiple useful features based on open source code while ensuring data speed and safety, even large-capacity data systems in the ecommerce field. Accompanying other DMS such as SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL can meet most of the data-usage requirements of storage performance, security, and data-safety standards.
These outstanding advantages help MySQL get more appreciation from technological experts by implementing them in many highly-complex technology industries.
Based on the digital data’s core, the process and business model digitalization form a more widespread layer covering the core inside. This classification is highly complex and embraces various forms depending on the operations’ ways and objectives. PMD refers to the transformation relying on technology infrastructures and digital data frameworks to form a digital platform.
To complete the digitalization is to analyze issues in operating processes and business models. From an in-depth analysis, they can provide the right direction and strategy for transformation decisions. This transformation layer has supported businesses to meet the DT requirements, which fully are:
At the same time, a business needs to combine digital solutions to create customer values and build operating models.
Currently, businesses have successfully applied CRM platforms or ERP systems to optimize operational processes in terms of time and resources. It is well-known management platforms such as Zoho CRM, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, or Salesforce CRM that almost all businesses implement for stable development. Those names are tremendous supporting tools to create the business departments’ continuity of processes and operational processes.
Both CRM or ERP systems effectively help businesses achieve targeted sales and effectively disentangle complex manual processes or issues related to data controllability and preservation.
Digital transformation (DT) is the largest category, the complete model to bring businesses closer to the 4.0 digital economy. DT represents the whole process of digitizing data and digitalizing operating processes, business models. DT’s ultimate goal is people-orientation, and at the same time, combining the corporate culture with the customer-centric foundation. DT sets macro-objectives of people’s direction in building strategies, corporate culture, digital technologies, and adapting to these digital transformations.
Generally, most companies carrying out DT encounter significant barriers. They frequently ignore a complete data digitization plan while only focusing on refining more macro-plans in the process and model digitalization layer, which does not bring the high-volume transformation effect due to the initial preparing step not been done thoroughly.
Also, preliminary estimates of time and the limited budget will present a significant challenge for DT tasks in specific periods. Multiples of businesses are unable to catch the expected results. However, despite the existing challenges that they have confronted recently (the COVID-19 crisis), digital transformation will provide comprehensive support on data systems and digital platforms, exclude all social distances, and connect the world easily anytime.
The digital transformation process has made both efficiency and sales for numerous B2C and B2B businesses. In detail, ecommerce is the most typical manifestation, having recorded impressive growth since 2017. B2C companies have also strengthened the development of a more powerful ecommerce channel than ever.
Meanwhile, B2B models pay much more attention to transforming chains/systems/processes such as production or goods distribution processes by gradually turning into online methods to adapt to the flexibility and rapidity of the 4.0 supply chain.
Up to now, ecommerce can be considered as the complete performance of the digital transformation process. Ecommerce channels can update information quickly and continuously while also ensuring UI/UX optimization to provide perfect user experience, excellent customer experience, and as a result, increase sales. These are also the requirements to digitalize the markets and perfect the business’ operating system. Depending on the DT objectives, the company will stop at the stage that best suits its business model. Some of the businesses only need to digitize data for more effortless operation.
However, from a much more general perspective, almost all companies convert to an ecommerce system to control their business independently and connect directly with customers, partners and come closer to the DT outcomes. Those objectives are also the straightforward development orientation of most retailers today. They focus abundant resources on developing the ecommerce channel to expand the business scale.
For instance, The Coffee House is a case study of the F&B industry’s impressive DT outcomes in Vietnam. The brand has achieved their ordering application for more intensive data resource management and operation. This application was initially built on a requirement to increase the loyalty program’s ease and improve customer care service quality.
However, until now, this sales channel has grown more than that and has become a mainstream business channel that seamlessly integrates with the brand’s existing offline stores.
The TCH app aims to connect and interact directly with customers based on the D2C model, allowing app-users to create membership accounts to earn points and order quickly. These features allow brands to access customer data and shopping habits easily. In-depth data analysis will contribute to new product strategies or menu amendments to better suit the customer’s taste.
Digital transformation is a long-term journey that needs to be done with a detailed and complete strategy while meeting the time and budget, matching the current business’s capabilities. Digitization/digitalization layers also need to fully play their role in digital platforms, transforming entirely and efficiently. A complete ecommerce system considerations are also required for supply chains currently in the marketplace. Ecommerce will be the most agile driver of digital transformation; however, make sure that you can implement a strategy with the right priority in the current situation to give the best effect.
The first two common concepts of a brand are the confusion between brand awareness and brand identity when it comes to brands. The biggest problem here is, most people use them, assuming that they have the same meaning and have complementary relationships. However, the simple truth is scopes of these two concepts are entirely different, including how they create awareness and identification values.
Brand identity is a way to identify a brand in the public’s mind, using materials such as logo, slogan, company profile, design style, name card, brochure, and even colors across their designs. Brand identity usually starts from the brand’s values to create the first impressions and memories in the customers’ mindset. Among the concepts of a brand, brand identity can do more than as a brand face; it makes the brand memorable, creates a position for the brand in the market, and creates a particular attraction when the brand publishes an advertisement.
In Vietnam, Coca-Cola often appears on holidays, important occasions with two primary red-white colors and unique handwritten fonts. This brand always communicates to the public the values of reunion, family affection, inspiring people not to forget where they belong. Another example is the Apple logo’s story performing the image of “an apple with a bite” has a strong desire to reach perfect, rebellious, and unique values.
All the elements that appear, more or less, convey a specific aspect of brand value, vision, and mission. They also contribute to creating the unique memories that customers experience with the brand and stimulating closer connections.
Brand awareness is the result of creating a set of values to make a brand different and essential. Awareness implies the mindset, perspectives of the brand’s role to customers and other market competitors.
To build a brand awareness process is to focus on connections and interactions mostly. However, it is first necessary to create an information platform that helps the audience get the whole picture of a brand. In particular, the crucial factors that can make this process done are content platform, product/service platform, and human factors.
Content has a great ability to create a brand’s tone and voice while also shaping its style. This ability allows brands to set perspective and the appropriate direction usefully, similar to how Redbull conveys the messages from the “Give you wings” campaign with the desire to become the dream-maker.
On the other hand, product quality also dramatically affects the brand. Product quality is the launchpad for the next PR or marketing campaigns, but an inferior-quality product will make the brand fail no matter how good those campaigns are.
Starbucks has gone beyond the limits of a coffee shop with increasingly appreciated values. However, when it comes to Starbucks, everyone is pleased with almost all the drinks here. The excellent taste of the beverage menu has attracted and kept more customers.
Coca-Cola gets a very high level of brand awareness when almost 90% of the world population knows what Coca-Cola is. Like many other long-standing brands, Coca-Cola has created a cohesive consumer habit that can retain generation-to-generation and refreshed itself by creative advertising campaigns that add more imprints to customers’ mindsets. Did you remember the Coke bottle had your name printed? Have you ever taken a selfie with it? Yes, these name-bottles are part of the “Share A Coke” campaign – a campaign to help Coca Cola to surpass Samsung, to win the Gold Award – Brand Awareness category at The Smarties Vietnam 2015 (organized by Mobile Marketing Association in Vietnam to honor the best brands and agencies).
In another context, to maintain the identity values of perfection, rebellion, and uniqueness, Apple built its own extremely discriminating cognitive system. The brand does not narrow itself to any target market but towards a design that is everyone-friendly. It forms a unified brand culture from the inside out, including creativity and simplicity. Apple ignores the trends and competitions; it contrarily produces themed devices, generating new patterns for other brands in the technology market.
In general, brand identity emphasizes feelings of “love at first sight”. This concept tailors the brand’s face, helping customers classify the brand’s identity, functions, roles, and products. On the other hand, brand awareness conveys long-term values, internal values, and different values remaining in customers after using a brand’s products or services.
Those two concepts of a brand are not synonymous and equivalent, and brand identity is a part of a brand awareness strategy.
Among the concepts of a brand, brand positioning models have been diverse, from the Minimal Viable Brand model provided by Eric Ries to much more complex models, namely the Brand Key (by Unilever) or Brand Pyramid (provided by Keller). There is a common-sense between these positioning models, which is the forming and maintaining values, from the root strength to the brand essence, which can eventually be long-lasting in the community’s mindset from generation to generation.
Usually, we are aware of the elements of visible benefits and measurable values. However, brands that leave an in-depth impression in the customer’s mindset create subjective and sensory values. Therefore, the positioning process worth considering includes discrimination and customer experience as well. Also, emotional and personal factors often require a high level of two-way interaction between both brands and customers, in general.
Discriminations refer to values making a brand different from its competitors. You can use product strengths, brand stories, or media messages to emphasize how you are different from dozens, hundreds of brands in the same field. A coffee shop with a mountain-view will be more attractive than another with small tables in 4 tight walls. Of course, the very first goal of people coming to a coffee shop is to drink coffee; however, gradually, people need more than a coffee cup when coming to the shop, such as to talk and discuss together, to work, to have group meetings, to take photos, or even dating.
People tend to be more interested in which coffee shop is suitable for taking pictures, which are tranquil enough for working. A tasty coffee-cup is one of the different values making customers frequent more; besides, people also care about the space, décor, view, etc.
Another fundamentally important factor for a branding campaign is customer experience. Experience is truly the accompanying actions or services, making customers feel they have received the attention and devotion when using certain products or services. Customer experience is one source of developing brand touchpoints and including various concepts of expertise, such as interface experience, shopping experience, or product experience of a brand.
Apple has successfully satisfied their customer experiences by designing an intelligent technology product-ecosystem to meet the seamless connection and interactions between devices and people, creating convenience and ease. Therefore, besides the brand itself’s discriminations, an excellent customer experience will be an active element for branding.
The digital age has witnessed a transformation of the brand-value system and concepts of a brand when almost all the customers are much more interested in sensory factors like emotional experience when using products. That experience requires brands to keep up with customers’ insight, creating compelling content to obtain customers’ trust.
Why is brand voice important? Because it can speak up almost all the values of a brand and directly affect its audience. Voice can help personalize the brand, let itself create personality, and speak up as a human. As one of the key concepts of a brand, that is the most basic visualization of brand voice. However, brand voice is the element synchronizing and positioning brands at a higher level, shaping the brand identity and awareness. As a result, brands know what and how to reach the right audience target or market, developing both content styles and operation models consistently.
We remember Pepsi as a symbol of dynamism, youthfulness, and positive energy. On the other side, Coca-Cola is reminiscent of family reunions, cozy and fun spaces. While Apple emphasizes the simplicity and quality of the product system, Samsung focuses much more on diversity and stunning design. These differences show that every single brand shapes the growing direction with unique concepts, then they will record in the user’s mindset of distinct characteristics and styles.
Whether branding is minimalist or sophisticated, businesses need to fully meet the most fundamental concepts of a brand to increase communication and interaction with their customers. Simultaneously, it is necessary to follow appropriate values integrating with development orientation to avoid overuse, and confusion, which then losing the discriminations brands want to convey.
With no exception, brands transform as always to keep up with the digital age’s swift trends. To complete the digital transformation, investing in brand touchpoints is a concept that worth-considering. Most generally, the brand touchpoint is the simultaneous interference from both businesses and customers, creating the highest attraction for the business and providing the best customer experience.
However, some people argue that the concept of brand-touchpoint is vague and quite broad because any existing factors can potentially affect the movement of brand touchpoint for better or worse. This argument will be recognized if businesses do not know where to start creating a touchpoint. Brand touchpoints stem from business core-values, the level of customer experience, and a little bit of difference when needed.
System assets help businesses grow in both quantity and quality. A standardized system not only allows products to shape within the unified normative framework but also ancillary services. A complete digital transformation of a brand does not stop at the product level. Developing and continuously improving the system are the keys to meet the second requirement of the brand touchpoint: user experience. The apt system helps businesses get in touch with product-and-service convenience and can create an isolated ecosystem to make brands transform.
That was how Apple had been successfully producing a technology-product ecosystem that made a stunning attraction for users. Simply put, the term ecosystem in this context implies a group of products that can interact with each other in harmony to optimize customers’ convenience. Apple has generated an almost-efficient technology ecosystem that performs seamless interactions. However, what makes Apple enthusiasts completely satisfied is the personal ID system with high privacy and data security.
To take another example, Nike has wholly changed their business since their growth stalled, and the earlier business model was no longer sufficient. The mandatory change in the brand requirements has shifted to using an online business network to interact directly with consumers. The online trading system completely replaces the traditional product-distribution through intermediaries, as well as exclusive distributors. Nike also combines the accompanying member programs with trendy and fashionable items, creating a close connection with customers. As a result, the transforming system contributed to an increase in ecommerce revenue by 38% in November 2019 (data provided by Brands Vietnam).
To transform successfully in the digital age, make sure that the brand is honest and authentic. All information about the business can be delivered more quickly than ever in the internet era. A restaurant with a 1-star review will undoubtedly make customers turn away. Therefore, providing authentic information will make users feel secure and reliable when using products. Brand honesty helps create a pure life for products while contributing to the user experience’s seamlessness, making the brand touchpoint in harmony. Transparency in product quality and working manner will create a unique touchpoint system.
That viewpoint may sound strange, but most customers in the digital age need simpler products, services than cumbersome and complicated ones. Simplicity and minimalism in branding still can create brand touchpoints while focusing on the pillar values of the brand, such as strengths, target customers, differentiation, missions, quality, and messages. These keys, eliminating other complex elements, will be more focused and orientated for businesses in the long run. Simplicity and minimalism make businesses quickly adapt to the ever-changing digital age.
Product-centric is still an essential factor in most campaigns. However, customer-centric will be the necessary combination to enhance user experience, which making brands transform. Products exist in the world with the ultimate goal of meeting customer needs. Therefore, identifying customer needs is a crucial starting point for a digital transformation campaign.
That is how the Maggi brand cleverly introduces cuisine recipes combining with soy-sauce on their website. This action increases convenience for cooking lovers. Customers feel more excited when their everyday-cooking gets more of the brand-attention though buying only one soy-sauce bottle.
In general, customer-centric is a long-term transformation requiring businesses to have a proper awareness of their target customers. This awareness should also form in every staff of the company to make brands transform. Besides, this customer-in-center philosophy acts as a value connecting businesses with their customers; but not a task to be completed and to get rid of.
The digital age witnessed rapid and unpredictable changes requiring businesses to have timely adaptive solutions. Products are not only produced for quality but for customer convenience. Other customer needs are also considerable except for products themselves, namely membership programs, accompanying promotional gifts. Customers also tend to shop more on ecommerce websites, which leads to a requirement to manage information, data, and technology platforms. Epidemics also become dangerous, increasing unforeseen risks for businesses.
Utilizing the challenges will be sure leverage when brands transform into the digital age. Besides, people are still the critical factor, no matter how advanced technology is. Therefore, businesses first need to focus on the internal structure: human resources, processes, products, and customer services to complete the transformation.
The COVID-19 crisis has globally worsened since the Government issued a social-distancing-order as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases continues to increase. However, recently, the ecommerce industry has had a speedy growth, as people now prefer to shop online while staying home. This time is much higher challenging for every business in Vietnam and an opportunity to make brands transform themselves.
At SECOMM, we will accompany clients on every ecommerce step to ensure comprehensive solution-providing for their ecommerce transformation. The brands transform successfully in a digital age when they are operated with a sustainable website platform. We will be the starting point for this revolution. Contact Us for more detail.
Given the characteristics of the current Vietnamese market, digital transformation has received positive attention from enterprises. However, this process still faces many cultural barriers, strategies, and implemented technologies that make the process and model transformation not entirely useful.
The corporate culture foundation is a crucial determinant contributing to the model transformation progress. Culture concepts refer to quite large factors of human resources (HR) thinking and perception existing inside the business, including:
The most significant problem creating cultural barriers is the traditional business ideology that developed businesses cannot collapse by digital transformation requirements or any other peripheral factor. It was not until being trapped by the outdated technology that they found they significantly fell behind the bustle of a much more modern market.
For corporate culture, leadership is the core value creating a complete preparation process to start a digital transformation strategy. The leadership factor plays a decisive role in the business’s strategic changes, simultaneously helps all employees understand and adapt to these changes fully and quickly. In particular, key leadership positions such as CEO, CTO, and other decentralized management levels are the driving force behind implementing more micro changes for each employee. Finally, rely on individual conversions to shape the overall change-process in the digital transformation strategy.
To satisfy all the above conditions, an organization needs prolonged-vision leaders of the current business models. It is complacency and “resting on their laurels” that make the traditional models stumble into the old path and have difficulty maintaining the position they once had in the market.
The HR potential is the next factor in becoming a cultural barrier in the process and model transformation. A significant change often encounters many difficulties when it comes to impacting HR awareness.
No matter how strong the HR is, it will be disrupted in the beginning if employees don’t fully get preparation for a ready-to-change and adaptive mindset. Lack of staff training in digital transformation strategy is likely to face harsh objections from the inside if forcing them to suddenly change their working style while they do not have enough time to adapt to new workflows. Simultaneously, the HR potential will also be a dangerous weapon that demolishes the digital transformation results if it is not prioritized and used accurately.
Among the two human factors, the coherence and connection between them also play an essential role in corporate culture. Connectivity includes the spiritual values businesses build to promote consensus, cooperation, and trust to turn strategies into realistic actions. The discrete connection or the disparity in digital capabilities reduces both efficiency and progression of the whole process and model transformation strategy.
There are two behavior tendencies in businesses making technology a barrier to process and model transformation strategies: being afraid of technology-changing mindsets that lead to obsolescence and technology-overusing that lead to wasting cost and time.
Up to 80% of SMEs in Vietnam use old technologies in the 1980s (statistics from the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry – VCCI) report. In addition to objective reasons such as lack of staff, skills, lack of a robust digital platform, it is much more significant that limited thinking and understanding in technology application are fundamental causes impacting the digital transformation process.
Indecision in adopting technology is also a negative factor. Technology overuse can create unnecessary conflicts with the process and model transformation. These techs will not bring optimal efficiency but a waste of budget and time to recover. Technology is a driving tool for digital transformation, and at the same time, it is also a rule-setter for businesses in the digital market. However, it is more important to decide which technology is suitable for which model instead of determining how many technologies to apply.
Technology solutions can solve lots of problems with data and process optimization inside a business. In the very beginning, they need to fully and comprehensively redefine existing processes, and at the same time, model them into maps and charts to identify:
Analysis and control of the entire processes help businesses find out weaknesses and facing-problems, then apply more appropriate technology solutions to optimize the process and model transformation.
At present, a business has hundreds of requirements with suitable technology-types for their concurrent process and model. However, companies can develop solutions based on combining the big-four technology platforms in digital transformation: Big Data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things. These tech-types possess lots of outstanding benefits that businesses can apply to create the most suitable digital solutions:
Human and cultural solutions will effectively address corporate sustainability, change, and develop a digital transformation mindset for all employees in strategies and initiatives products/services to increase advantages over competitors.
Businesses can complete the process and model transformation with technology and cultural solution-orientations. Therefore, technological solutions will maximize their business operation efficiency. They also contribute to stimulating businesses to be always requirement-active in the digital age. And these positive results are based on a sustainable digital culture possessing robust and responsive leader-generations combining with high-quality human resources.