Benefits of digitization in SMEs
Digitalization is not just about using a bit of technology and subscribed software. The process is much bigger and with it, the resulting reduction in work. Digitalizing your SME should never be an end in itself, but should work towards a clear goal.
It's the best opportunity to factually assess the current state of your business and question everything — especially the things That we've always done this way.
- Eradicate time wasters: Everything that you and your employees have to do manually and repeatedly takes a lot of time. This is a big lever to relieve your team.
- Identify cost drivers: Turning existing structures upside down and then taking them to the digital level also means recognizing and cutting off unnecessarily expensive parts — such as paper files and the necessary storage space.
- Resistance to external influences: As soon as your team no longer has to fight against cumbersome structures on a daily basis thanks to clever digitization, but focuses fully on the profitable tasks, it can also react faster and more consciously to market fluctuations — which gives you additional security.
- Transform data into knowledge: Processes that are finally running digitally can be measured. Measurements can be evaluated and these evaluations can show where previously unseen paths lie — for example in the form of new products or services.
Guide to digitizing an SME
Before you start, there is one consideration that you should start with — step zero, so to speak: Where do you want to go? As already described, digitizing your company should not only be carried out because you can do it. The following steps will be easier if you use your Why know. So first, name the overall goal that drives you.
Step 1: Define your own status quo
Before you think about technology, software, and new processes, it's important to first understand where your company is currently truly stands.
- List processes: Which processes run daily in your company? How are they currently being implemented (paper, Excel, e-mail, etc.)? Here is none Good opportunity for an overflight too quickly, on the contrary: Proceed thoroughly here.
- Weaknesses: Where do errors, delays or frictional losses often occur? Encourage your team to be relentlessly honest.
- Identify potentials: Which work steps could be easier or faster if you use digital solutions?
Do you manually reconcile paper delivery notes with orders from Excel lists? After a phone call, do you carry a telephone note to your colleague who should take care of the matter? Are there extra car trips just to pick up a specific file? Honestly list everythingWhat your daily work entails.
Step 2: Develop a digital strategy
As soon as you know your current situation, you should develop a strategy. It's not complicated and doesn't have to be in a 50-page presentation. A simple plan is often enough that answers:
- What are your goals? For example, faster offer processing, less paper, shorter communication channels, fewer piles of paper.
- What are the priorities of these goals? What is urgent? What is “nice-to-have”?
- Who is responsible? Who takes care of individual digitization projects in the team? It shouldn't all be on your own shoulders.
- In which time frame Would you like to achieve these goals?
For example, if you spend an enormous amount of time preparing offers in sales, a digital CRM solution with automatic offer creation could be high on the list of priorities.
Step 3: Digitize processes — proceed in practice
Gradual digitization usually works better than a radical turnaround — even if you've already turned every stone in the company looking for ways to improve. Still, take one process at a time. This allows you to gain experience and get your workforce on board better.
- Select pilot project: Start with an area where you can quickly see results. This also motivates and convinces skeptics in the team.
- Optimize before you digitize: We often carry old, inefficient processes with us, which are then only digitally represented. Question whether a process in its current form should really be accepted.
Gather experience and get feedback: During digitization, talk to your employees about what is going well and what isn't. Be open to adjustments.
4. Which software can help?
The right software is at the heart of digitization. When choosing, make sure that the price doesn't kill you at the beginning and that the software can grow as your team and tasks get bigger.
Note that the following examples can often only digitize part of your tasks. If you are looking for individual software for a specific use case, could a custom software created specifically for you Be the right one for you.
- Invoicing & accounting: This allows you to exchange the paper folders for a digital version, scan receipts with your smartphone and prepare your annual financial statements much more easily.
- CRM system (customer relationship management): A CRM system helps you maintain customer relationships, create offers quickly and manage sales.
- Document Management Systems (DMS): For digitizing and managing documents, contracts and records. This reduces your paper consumption and allows you to find documents using the search function.
- Project Management and Collaboration Tools: It doesn't matter whether individual colleagues are working from home or are all sitting next to each other: Everyone needs to know where every process and every project is. Digitally map all ongoing processes in project management software.
- Cloud storage and cloud infrastructure: Shared file storage and office applications without your own server infrastructure.
In addition to these general processes, much more specific processes can also be digitized in your company. What makes up the core of your work and what would make the decisive An advantage over your direct competitors bring? Feel free to talk to us about this; we are sure we can give you the right inspiration for the right software.
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5. What hardware do you need?
The necessary hardware depends heavily on your Industry and software from. Don't rush into heavy investments in technology too quickly. Because many, no matter how powerful, devices are far from making your SME digital.
Many programs that help you get ahead are not particularly computationally intensive or even run as SaaS or in the cloud, including the ones described above. This means that your existing computers and laptops are probably not the bottleneck that slows you down.
When purchasing hardware, it is important to stick closely to the possibilities and requirements of the software:
Handheld scanners, with which your workshop team can immediately book built-in spare parts into the system and pass them on to the billing department, must Tailwind provided by the software received. The two go hand in hand — but the software always comes first.
Promoting digitization for SMEs in Switzerland: Where you can look around
There are various funding programs and initiatives in Switzerland that Helping SMEs digitize. There are numerous advisory services, discounted loans and state-supported projects that are specifically tailored to small and medium-sized enterprises.
1. Innosuisse — Funding for Innovation and Digitalization
Innosuisse is the Swiss agency for promoting innovation. It supports companies in implementing innovative digital projects with research partners. If you have an idea but don't know exactly how to implement it technically, Innosuisse can help you find a suitable research partner (e.g. a university or a research institute).
Funding opportunities:
- Financing innovation projects with research partners
- Innovation checks for feasibility studies
- Promoting coaching for start-ups and SMEs
- Support for the internationalization of digital business models
More info: www.innosuisse.ch
2. Digital SMEs — support from the cantons
Many Swiss cantons have their own funding programs for the digitization of SMEs. These are not uniformly regulated, but depend on the respective region. Typical support options include:
- Consulting vouchers for digitization strategies
- Financial grants for digitization projects
- Tax breaks for investments in digital technologies
Tip: Consult your cantonal economic development agency or chamber of commerce directly.
More info: www.kmu.admin.ch
3. easyGov.swiss — The central point of contact for SMEs
EasyGov is an official e-government portal in Switzerland that bundles all relevant funding programs and digital administrative services for SMEs. Here you can also find funding opportunities for digital transformation projects in your industry.
More info: www.easygov.swiss
4. Digitalization loans from banks and cantonal banks
Some Swiss banks, particularly cantonal banks, offer special Financing options for digitization projects on. These loans often have discounted interest rates or special conditions for SMEs that want to invest in digital infrastructure. examples:
- Schweizerische Kreditanstalt (Credit Suisse) — special SME loans
- Raiffeisen Switzerland — digitization loans for companies
- Cantonal banks (e.g. Zürcher Kantonalbank, Berner Kantonalbank) — partly promotional loans for digitization projects
If you need financing for a digitization project, it's worth talking to your house bank or local cantonal bank.
5. Support from industry associations and networks
Many industry associations and organizations actively support their members in digitization projects. Here are a few relevant points of contact:
- digitalswitzerland — Initiative to promote digitization in Swiss companies
- SwissICT — Professional association for IT and digitization topics
- Industry 2025 — Initiative for digital transformation in industry
These networks often offer free webinars, consultations or practical guidelines on digitization.
Strong software as the core of your digitization strategy
Overall, you won't be spared setting out on your own to get all the information and help you need to digitize your SME. From experience, however, we can say from Axisbits that the effort is worth it and time again Companies lead the competitionwho really have their internal processes under control — regardless of the size of their company.
You are welcome to come to us at any time with your specific project idea. We advise you on Digitalization options using custom software and can use customer examples to show you how big the performance advantage really is compared to standard software.
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