SMEs
Project i
Lily Florist & Gifts is a family business that has been operating for over 20 years. For most of this time, its transactions have been captured in handwritten records – sales orders, invoices, customer details, product inventories and the like.
Given such a situation, tracking a customer order meant sifting through bits and pieces of paper or relying on the memory of its proprietor Ms Amy Khor. Consolidating the company accounts for reporting purposes meant navigating a maze of hard-copy files, painstakingly re-entering the required information and manually cross-checking it for consistency. The process was time-consuming and error-prone.
Loh Gim Chong Transport faced a different set of challenges. The company operates a fleet of 20 buses and used to have a problem tracking them while they were on the road. Some buses would get stuck in a traffic jam. Others may take a wrong turn, leading to a long detour. At other times, the buses may be idling by the side of the road with the air-conditioning on.
These scenarios led to increased fuel consumption, exacerbating the already-serious problem of rising fuel costs that was facing the company. They also had an adverse impact on customer service as passengers faced delays in reaching their destinations.
Many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will be able to identify with the challenges facing Lily Florist & Gifts and Loh Gim Chong Transport. While the specific industries may be different, the prevalence of manual processes and paper-based records and the lack of visibility into critical aspects of a company’s operations are issues that resonate with many businesses.
The good news is – both SMEs managed to find effective infocomm solutions to these challenges. And the message is – other businesses can do the same as well.
To find out how, tune in to Project i , an info-educational series supported by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, SPRING Singapore and six other industry partners to showcase how SMEs can operate more effectively and position themselves for growth through the use of infocomm.
Project i comprises four parts that will air on consecutive Mondays from 14 November 2011, on MediaCorp TV Channel 8 at 10.30pm.
Getting ahead with infocomm
Small and medium enterprises looking to adopt infocomm technology to improve their business operations can seek support from IDA’s Infocomm@SME programme. There are several initiatives under the Infocomm@SME umbrella:
iSPRINT (SME Productivity with Infocomm Adoption and Transformation) is an anchor initiative which provides a one-stop contact point for SMEs, in particular first-time ICT adopters, who are looking to adopt simple infocomm solutions to enhance their business productivity. Under the scheme, there are more than 100 iSPRINT Packaged Solutions from accounting to payroll and point-of-sales, which are offered by more than 60 ICT solution providers.
SMEs can purchase a relevant package and install it before applying for a reimbursement that is granted upon successful implementation.
Another initiative is the SME Infocomm Resource Centre (SIRC) which offers help to SMEs who wish to find out more about ICT adoption. Located at Singapore Polytechnic and the Singapore Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the centres provide services such as pre-project consultancy to assess IT readiness, and advice on best practices and other aspects of the IT projects.