Transitioning to a Digital Platform
Many businesses in Fiji are feeling the brunt of this pandemic and have had to close their businesses for weeks if not months due to the rising cases of COVID-19 in our communities.
The current global crisis has pushed business owners to think outside the box and seek new ways to get their products advertised and sold on an online platform rather than the traditional face to face way Business Link Pacific (BLP) has always offered its services online for businesses needing support and also for the business advisors who seek to join the network of Approved Business Advisors.
BLP has made all its application processes quite simple and accessible online. Business advisors can apply online for their approval and certificate, as well as for subsidies to support eligible SME clients.
For SMEs, the BLP Portal offers a range of free tools such as the Business Health Check, the Business Continuity Planner, the Finance Finder and many other applications that can assist any business to understand its gaps and growth opportunities.
The BLP Network of Business Advisors also offers support to small businesses wanting to go digital. One company that provides businesses in Fiji and the wider Pacific an opportunity to transform their traditional office into a paperless digital platform is Counterpoint Group. The Company Director Katie Smith highlights the many benefits any SME or business in Fiji can have in this current time if they opt in to a digital platform.
A digital platform allows businesses to stay connected to their staff and customers without being present physically in the office.
Ms. Smith, who is one of BLP’s approved Business Advisors, explained that a digital transformation will help businesses utilise technology to improve efficiency in their operations, market their products and services and reach a wider audience.
She adds that there are some challenges with e-commerce, particularly in the payment space, but they are working hard with international partners to try and develop new solutions that work within the Pacific markets.
Here are some examples of how digital transformation can help businesses adapt to new ways of working, with a focus on selling or displaying their products and services online:
- Hotels and Accommodation providers: can use an online booking engine like Hotel Link that is integrated into their website in order to efficiently display rates, availability, promotions and to accept instant bookings. A payment gateway or a processor can be plugged into this platform to make collecting payment easier.
- Stores: physical stores can use platforms like Shopify, Counterpoint’s Web Builder platform or WooCommerce to build an e-commerce website to display and sell their products in an easy to use online store format. For those with more advanced needs, they may plug in a specific app to help with shipping (locally or internationally) and if they can access a payment gateway from their bank, then the payment gateway can be integrated into the client’s e-commerce so that transactions/ payments can all be made at the point of ordering the product.
- Service-based businesses: businesses like accountants, engineering firms, or other service-based businesses can have an online presence to help generate interest in their products or services. They may have a website and then use platforms like Google Ads to generate search engine traffic. To assist with customer service, they may have a live chat app. Or they may offer an online booking process that allows prospective customers to book an introductory appointment directly from the firm’s website.
Ms. Smith has worked with many BLP clients (SMEs) to set up their e-commerce stores, to build an online presence, to create strategies for digital marketing and to help them understand and use platforms that will allow them to effectively communicate with their staff and customers.
“As the Pacific’s leading Google Cloud certified partner, we can also help businesses leverage the Google Workspace platform in order to make remote working, communication and team collaboration easier,” highlighted Ms. Smith.
Counterpoint was established in 2015 with their first office being in Suva, Fiji. The focus for the company was in two areas firstly in digital marketing and secondly in workplace hosted collaboration.
Ms. Smith and her Husband Mr. Craig Smith are Co-Directors of the company and they have recently opened their new office in Brisbane Australia where they hope to get more Business Process Outsourcing work done.