With this orientation, the Department of Planning and Investment has embarked on supporting businesses in digital transformation from very small things of the businesses. This is the sharing of Mr. Le Van Cuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Investment, with Thua Thien Hue Weekly.
Mr. Le Van Cuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Investment
According to Mr. Le Van Cuong, during the last year, the department focused on supporting the program for 100 businesses to transform digitally in 100 days. And after more than 1 year, the number of businesses accessing this program has far exceeded the initial expectation and created a positive effect in the business community.
It is believed that for a successful digital transformation, people are considered the main factor. How is this applied in the support activities, sir?
Digital transformation is a technological transformation, but it mainly closely relates to people - the core of every business. Before a business or an organization can digitize, people need to change.
Being aware of this, the department has coordinated with relevant units to organize training sessions from simple levels to in-depth ones in order to popularize and transform businesses' awareness about the digital economy and transformation in small, medium, and innovative start-up enterprises and cooperatives in the province.
As you have shared, digital transformation should start with small actions. So, particularly, what are these and how have they been done?
We have joined hands to support businesses to improve their digital skills and transformation. Specifically, we have helped businesses access e-commerce through collaboration with leading experts in digital marketing or managers of digital platforms such as Shopee, Lazada, Tiki, Sendo, Facebook, Google, Zalo, and TikTok to organize training courses to guide businesses in the form of step-by-step instruction.
The training programs are from basic level to advanced one, from guiding to open booths on e-commerce trading platforms to taking care of customers and streamlining the e-commerce channel development apparatus.
Along with that, the department has supported digital transformation solutions for businesses, such as supporting online business registration. And, in just 2 years from 2021 to 2022, the Department of Planning and Investment has supported and guided more than 2,000 businesses to register for new establishments and register to change by online form. Thua Thien Hue is also one of the leading localities in the country in online business registration, reaching a rate of nearly 40%.
In addition, the department also supports digital signatures and e-invoices, coordinating with suppliers to support the application of digital platforms (accounting software, sales, human resources, finance, etc.) for enterprises.
What is the biggest success that the program brings to businesses, sir?
After more than 1 year of participating in the program "100 businesses transform digitally in 100 days", more than 800 businesses attended inspirational classes on digital transformation, basic training on e-commerce, and four intensive skill training courses for more than 200 enterprises.
Up to now, most businesses have applied software and solutions to online sales management, multi-channel, marketing, customer relationship management, distribution channel management, etc. Many businesses continue to do business on e-commerce floors and most businesses are equipped with and use digital signatures. Particularly, more than 60% of businesses are using accounting software (namely Bravo, 3Tsoft, and Misa).
Through the transformation of sales, marketing, administration and operation models, many production and business establishments consider digital transformation as an opportunity to create new products and services, towards changing the nature of business. This is contributing to the creation of digital enterprises, logistics, delivery, trading, import and export, restaurants, hotels, tourism, etc., operating in new ways, based on connecting technology, data, and information processing systems automatically.
In the practicality of supporting activities, what do you think are the barriers to enterprises in digital transformation?
In fact, many businesses still do not have a clear understanding of digital transformation, leading to some businesses not having a suitable and effective digital transformation mindset. The digital transformation process for some enterprises is still emotional or trend-following, and has not been implemented synchronously and not stuck to the track. This makes the digital transformation process in some enterprises not achieve the set target. Enterprises themselves have not considered digital transformation as a method to transform the way they do business to achieve efficiency.
Businesses are being supported in digital transformation
Therefore, the focus on digital transformation in enterprises is misplaced. By understanding digital transformation as a process that creates a breakthrough in productivity, digital transformation in some businesses is envisioned as an information technology project.
What is the core problem of enterprises in digital transformation?
An important thing for businesses when carrying out digital transformation is to have a comprehensive digital transformation strategy, including digitizing business and management data, applying digital technology to automate business processes, production and business management processes, reporting processes, and work coordination in enterprises to the transformation of the entire business model, creating new values for businesses. Based on that overall strategy, businesses would balance resources to know what to do first and later to have the highest efficiency.
Promoting the digital economy will be an important orientation of Thua Thien Hue in the coming year and the following years, can you provide specific information about this?
Thua Thien Hue has a clear orientation in the development of the digital economy, specifically in the National Strategy to develop the digital economy and digital society to 2025, with an orientation to 2030 in the province.
Accordingly, Thua Thien Hue sets a basic target by 2025, striving for the digital economy's proportion to reach 15-20% of GDP; the proportion of the digital economy in each industry or sector reaching at least 10%; the proportion of e-commerce in total retail sales getting over 10%; the rate of enterprises using e-contracts reaching over 80%; the percentage of small and medium enterprises using digital platforms getting over 50%; the proportion of digital economy workers in the labor force reaching over 2%.
Does this mean that, in the future, there will be adjustments to support digital transformation?
The digital transformation support will closely follow the targets in the province's digital economy development and the real needs of enterprises. Accordingly, we would accelerate the digital transformation in small and medium enterprises, business households, and cooperatives through the use of digital platforms, to help them optimize operations, reduce costs, increase working productivity, improve production and business efficiency, enhance capacity and competitive advantage, create new values for enterprises, contributing to the development of the digital economy in each local industry and sector.
Our supporting activities will focus on training to improve digital transformation capacity, organizing basic and intensive training courses on digital skills and transformation, and supporting and giving advice on digital transformation solutions for businesses in terms of business processes, management processes, production processes, technology processes, and business model transformation. Besides, we support costs for businesses to rent and purchase digital transformation solutions to automate and improve the efficiency of business operations and support them to connect to innovative start-up networks or participate in value chains, etc.
In addition, the department also coordinates with related units and large technology enterprises to connect appropriate technology solutions to support enterprises. At the same time, we have created a favorable environment and the best mechanisms and policies for digital businesses to operate, thereby promoting activities to support digital transformation in the locality.
Thank you, Sir!
Story and photos: Hoang Loan