Digitalisation ceased to be a promise of the future some time ago. Today, it is simply the ground on which companies that want to continue competing stand. Yet, many Spanish SMEs still wonder where to start, which tools to choose, or if it is really worth getting into this mess. Spoiler: it is worth it, and postponing it costs more than it seems.
What is really happening with SMEs
The Spanish business fabric is composed overwhelmingly of small and medium-sized enterprises. More than 99% of companies in Spain are SMEs, which means that any conversation about productivity, competitiveness, or economic growth involves them. The problem is that not all are progressing at the same pace. While some already have their processes automated, cloud integrations, and teams working with artificial intelligence, others are still managing invoices on spreadsheets that were outdated in 2015.
This is where specialised technology partners come into play. Companies like Var Group have been accompanying companies in these processes for years, offering solutions that combine consulting, software, and managed services. The advantage of working with these types of providers is that they don’t just sell you a standalone tool and leave: they help you understand what you need, how to implement it, and, above all, how to ensure the team uses it without rebelling in the process.
Why change is so difficult
If digitalisation were an exam, we would all pass the theory. The practice is another story. The most common barriers are not technological, but cultural. Changing the way a company with fifteen, fifty, or two hundred employees works involves training, supporting, listening, and sometimes having a lot of patience with that colleague who still prints emails just in case.
This is compounded by the fear of investment. When an SME hears the term “digital transformation,” the first thing they imagine is a long bill and an endless project. The reality is that costs have decreased significantly and there are public aids, such as the Digital Kit, that have made access to basic tools easier for thousands of companies in Spain. The problem is no longer so much about money as it is about knowing how to choose wisely.
The areas where digitalisation makes a difference
Not everything is equally urgent, nor do all tools have the same return. There are three areas where, according to accumulated experience in the sector, SMEs find quicker and more visible results.
Management and internal processes
Implementing an ERP suitable for the size and sector of the company changes the lives of administrative teams. No more “send me the updated Excel,” no more having three different versions of the same document circulating by email. When data is centralised, decisions are made with real information and not with coffee intuitions.
Customer relationship
A good CRM is not a whim of the sales management: it is the difference between knowing what your customer wants and guessing it. Customer loyalty starts with knowing the customer, and that is only achieved when every interaction is recorded and all departments have access to the same information. Companies that have implemented these types of systems report notable improvements in retention rates and response speed.
Cybersecurity
This is where many SMEs get a scare. Thinking that cyberattacks are only a concern for large corporations is one of the most expensive mistakes one can make. 43% of attacks target small businesses, precisely because they often have weaker defenses. Investing in protection, backups, and team training is not paranoia: it is basic survival.
The cloud is no longer optional
There was a time when having servers in the office gave a sense of control. Today, it is basically a risk. Migration to the cloud allows work from anywhere, scales resources as needed, and reduces maintenance costs. Moreover, the flexibility it provides for incorporating new tools is hard to match with in-house infrastructure.
That said, migrating to the cloud is not magic either. It requires careful planning about what is moved, how it is moved, and who manages it afterwards. This is where the difference between doing it alone or with an experienced partner becomes very noticeable. Cheap options can be costly when you discover your email has been down for three days because no one configured the migration properly.
Artificial intelligence: from hype to practical use
We have been hearing about AI on every corner for a couple of years, and amidst all the noise, it’s easy to think it’s just a trend. It is not. What is true is that most SMEs have still not found the right use case to make real use of it. Automating customer responses, analysing large volumes of data, generating reports, optimising inventories... the applications exist, but they require a minimum of discernment to implement them well.
The key is to start with concrete problems. If a company spends three hours a day answering the same questions in their email, there is a use case. If it takes two weeks to close the monthly report, that’s another. AI is not an end in itself; it is a tool that makes sense when it solves something that hurts.
The human factor still rules
No matter how much technology is incorporated, people remain the centre of any transformation. Projects that fail usually do so not because of the software, but because no one thought about how employees would experience it. Training, communicating, listening, and adjusting on the fly is what separates a successful implementation from an expensive tool that no one uses.
SMEs that are progressing well on this path have something in common: they are not obsessed with having the latest technology, but with having the right technology for their specific reality. And that, although it may sound obvious, is the most difficult part of all.
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