Interview to Emiliana Molero - Secretary General of the Confederation of Business Associations of Burgos (FAE)

The crisis resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic has forced us to look more closely at the need to make progress in the digitalisation of society, especially the digitalisation of SMEs, which have been a pending task in recent years.

Acelera pyme has emerged to support SMEs, with short and medium-term measures.

One of these measures is the Acelera pyme offices, created in collaboration with different entities as a physical and virtual space in which to raise awareness and support Spanish SMEs, as well as the self-employed and entrepreneurs, about the advantages and innovative methodologies to optimise the operation of their businesses through the incorporation of ICTs.

We have been able to talk to Emilana Molero, Secretary General of the Confederation of Business Associations of Burgos (FAE), who gave us more details about the Acelera pyme offices.

1. What services are provided to SMEs from an Acelera pyme office?

The Acelera pyme offices will function as a physical and virtual meeting point for SMEs, freelancers, and entrepreneurs, providing them with advice, guidance, and support.

Through the Acelera pyme offices, we will aid companies when implementing the digital tools that are necessary to improve the functioning of their business. Also, we will help them by showing them the tools that best suit the needs of their different departments.

In our Acelera pyme office we will have a virtual platform where all the information about the activities carried out will be added. We will also have an advisory service that is not only offered telematically, but also in person and individually, because it is important to be with the entrepreneur to know what their needs are and how to adapt the tools currently on the market to their needs.

In addition, a laboratory will be set up with different experiences and success stories in the implementation of the digital transformation of different SMEs or micro-SMEs, to help companies to make the leap to innovate, develop new products, use new technologies, etc.

2. From your experience in recent years, before as OTD and now as Acelera pyme office, what are the most common needs of companies seeking advice?

It is not only to analyse the needs, but also to highlight that there are difficulties that we detect that SMEs have had when they have approached the office for advice.

The diagnostic part and the implementation plans are fundamental. We understand that, to start working and help a self-employed person, they need to know where they are, how they are and where they want to get to. In that regard, we offer a diagnostic service to SMEs, offered by our experts, to be able to diagnose where they are.

There is a lack of knowledge about all the tools that exist, with specific functionalities, to be able to implement in the management of your company. As soon as the companies to which the services were provided learned about these tools, they understood that they would be of great help to them in their efficiency and competitiveness.

As an example, thanks to the workshops on digital marketing and the individualised advice on the subject, many of our companies have managed to implement these tools and have obtained positive results.

In addition, there is a lack of knowledge of digital skills among employees of SMEs and the self-employed. In that regard, it is very important to train company staff in these skills.

Companies also believe that implementing tools for the digitalisation of their business will be very expensive, but with the help of the Acelera pyme office, they will discover that there are many tools that are currently inexpensive, and the results are noticeable in a short period of time.

3. How do the services of the Acelera offices help SMEs to face the various barriers they encounter when they want to go digital?

At this point, it should be noted that the Acelera SME offices must be an instrument to raise awareness, guide, support and provide support to SMEs to generate appropriate solutions adapted to each of them, in a personalised and individualised manner, depending on their size, sector, etc. SMEs and entrepreneurs should be aware that all the services offered, and advice provided by Acelera pyme will be free of charge.

At the Acelera pyme offices, workshops will be held on different subjects, as was previously done by the OTD with the "technological Fridays", in which various topics were addressed, from cybersecurity to management tools. They took the form of training pills that were highly appreciated by the participants. In that regard, through the different workshops that were held, the aim was also to promote innovation in new market niches for the digitalisation of companies.

4. What would you say to SMEs that are thinking of undertaking a digital transformation process?

The first thing I would tell them is that digitalisation is necessary for all companies. Before, digitalisation was not perceived by small companies as necessary; they saw digitalisation as something associated with large companies. Digitisation is necessary so that SMEs do not face the risk of disappearing in the medium or long term.

From the offices of Acelera pyme, we think that SMEs should go for digitisation according to their needs and considering that what they implement will be useful in the short and medium term. This will undoubtedly lead to an improvement in competitiveness and productivity, and the benefits in the short and medium term will be very noticeable.

In these times of crisis, achieving savings in variable costs, improving investments, or hiring people with digital skills is essential.

Through the Acelera pyme offices, we will provide a great opportunity for our companies to innovate, modernise and become more competitive.