Digitization, key to the survival of companies in times of crisis

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The COVID-19 pandemic has tested the ability to react to an unexpected crisis in a company. The implementation of new security measures, teleworking and the temporary closure of physical points of sale or workplaces have been just some of the challenges that companies have had to face during the state of alarm. All this, hastily and against the clock.

In this context, only those who had previously dedicated efforts to managing a crisis in a company have managed to be more successful in the face of all the setbacks caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The companies and organizations will definitely not be the same again after the emergence of COVID-19. They should take note and prepare to face the possibility of further trade disruptions.

For this, it will be essential to dedicate time and resources to create a crisis protocol in the company that establishes the step-by-step to be followed in the event that setbacks appear that prevent regular activity or require quick responses. Only in this way can the business be adapted to extraordinary circumstances and guarantee its viability.

Faced with these new challenges, old solutions no longer serve. In this sense, the flexibility and digitization of companies will be key to their survival in the face of a crisis.

 

How to create a crisis plan for a company

Any company is susceptible to natural risks or interruptions caused by human, internal or external factors.

Beyond the exceptional nature of a pandemic such as the one caused by COVID-19, a fire, flood, or blackout can compromise the continuity of any business.

For its part, human errors such as data loss, the spillage of hazardous materials or a mistake in carrying out a certain process can have the same consequences.

That is why having a forecast of possible setbacks and an action plan is essential for the company to survive and recover from adverse circumstances.

But how do you create a crisis plan in a company?

Below, we share a step by step to be able to act quickly and know what to do when your company is in crisis.

1- Discover the resilience of your business

Firstly, it is important to be able to assess the ability to react to a possible crisis in the company. For example: Are the workers prepared to work remotely? Do they have the necessary means (laptops, online access to computer programs, etc.)? Is all the documentation digitized? Can they access it from their homes?

This task will be easier, if a digital checklist is created thanks to which those points that are resolved and, on the contrary, those that must be worked on can be identified.

2- Identify the risks of your company

Although COVID-19 has caused an economic crisis that no one would have imagined, there are other risks that are more frequent and for which one must be equally prepared.

As we said, it is not only about identifying possible natural disasters (fire, flood, etc.), but also human errors (loss of data, mistakes, lack of control, etc.), external (theft, cyber attack, etc. .) and internal (lack of digitization of documents, backup copies, etc.).

Thus, to create a crisis protocol in a company, it is necessary to consider the different scenarios that may compromise its activity.

In this sense, we also recommend preparing a corporate compliance plan.

3- Know your operations

Although it is obvious, it is essential to know all the activities that are carried out in the day to day of your business. This is because the ability of a company to respond quickly to any type of outage can make the difference between resilience and shutdown.

To determine the maximum amount of time that your business can endure inoperative after a disaster, you must identify the main functions and processes of the company and decide how long you can spend without performing them.

In this sense, having software for process control is key. In other words, having a digital checklist with all the tasks will be much easier for the management of a company in crisis. Mainly, because having them identified will help you to be more flexible in the face of a setback, easily identify which ones you can and cannot do, and adapt better to new circumstances.

4- Know your team

Immediate communication with your team (workers and collaborators) is key to successfully cope with any setback.

For this, it is essential to create a team in which those responsible for developing a resilience plan are established and lead it if necessary.

In this sense, it is convenient to create a crisis communication plan and keep the contact details of the entire team updated.

Para ello, es fundamental crear un equipo en el que se establezcan responsables de desarrollar un plan de resilencia y liderarlo en caso de ser necesario.

En ese sentido, es conveniente crear un plan de comunicación de crisis y mantener actualizados los datos de contacto de todo el equipo.

5- Know your customers, suppliers and sellers

Being able to establish direct communication with customers, contacts, suppliers and vendors is vital. All of them will want to know what your current situation is, what they can expect during the interruption of your business and when you expect to return.

Therefore, efforts must be made to keep the contact details of all of them updated and to have systems that allow rapid communication with all of them.

6- Digitize your company

The digitization of companies is a bet that all companies, sooner or later, must make. Logging, data synchronization, and remote access to information are just some of the infinite benefits of enterprise digitization.

This, in turn, translates into time savings, increased efficiency, more optimal management of all processes and many other benefits that lead to improved competitiveness and profitability.

To all this, we must add the fact that it avoids the waste of paper, a factor that must not be ignored in a society that is increasingly aware of sustainability and environmental protection.

But, going back to crisis management, what are the advantages of digitizing a company?

In the current context caused by the coronavirus pandemic, having software for process control has been key, for example, for food establishments.

In this sense, having supermarket software that allows them to digitize all their management and operational processes has been a great advantage for these businesses in full alarm.

Mainly, because it ensures that all points of sale implement the same security measures, comply with these measures (for example, through a digital checklist system and documentation with images that facilitate their supervision), displacements are minimized and it allows to act quickly in case of incidents.

The same would apply if we were talking about a hospital software or any other medical center that would facilitate its management.

In the face of the health crisis caused by COVID-19, the Ministry of Health has created specific protocols for patient management. Having a software that allows creating a digital checklist with the different steps to follow ensures that these protocols can be carried out successfully and, at the same time, streamlines, optimizes and unifies care for all patients.

 

Selfaudit, digitalization and process control software

Selfaudit is a digitalization and process control software that is characterized by its versatility. This allows it to adapt to all kinds of industries, companies or organizations. It is also self-configuring, so each business can configure, modify and manage their records according to their needs.

Its objective is to simplify, automate and optimize the obtaining of relevant data for more efficient management in any business or activity.

If you want to receive more information about how Selfaudit could help you in the digitization of your company, do not hesitate to contact our team and request a demo of our application.

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