HINTS & TIPS
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION - THE NEW BUZZWORD THAT CAN IMPACT YOUR BUSINESS
If you are running a small trade business , you are thankfully spared from the buzzwords touted by business gurus . However , a few of them do end up making a difference . Benjamin Dyer , CEO of Powered Now , explores “ Digital Transformation ” to see how applicable this is to installers .
» MANY BIG COMPANIES ARE running scared . Over the last decade or two , they ’ ve seen whole industries decimated . Photographic film is almost extinct . Newspapers and broadcast TV are suffering and are a shadow of their former powerful selves . The music industry has been turned upside down . Some well-paid fat cats are wondering : when is it my turn ?
The latest breakthrough happened a few years ago , involving Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) and a particular subset of this field called machine learning . It has resulted in things like Apple Siri and Alexa voice recognition and free services like Google Translate . Their ability to recognise speech and translate between languages is incredible . And this is stuff that seemed like total science fiction just a few years ago .
The march of IT
It all comes from the relentless march of Information Technology known as IT . Every year the tech gets smaller , more powerful and lower cost . The result is its ability to impact every area of life and business increases continually .
The response is that many companies now have “ digital transformation ” programs designed to disrupt themselves with new technology before anyone else does it for them .
It ’ s certainly trendy to use the phrase and nobody talks about “ computerising ” their business anymore . But the massive disruption already caused to many industries is undeniable . So , this “ digital transformation ” seems to be a rare beast – a trendy phrase which describes something that is really happening .
The impact on the trade
The good news for trade companies is that the impact of technology falls into two areas , neither of which make life harder or de-skill people . In fact , you can argue the opposite , that this will all be very good for the trade . The areas impacted are :
More powerful appliances and gadgets ranging from smarter and more eco-friendly boilers and green heating systems to smart doorbells and gate control Apps to help with administration and paperwork .
The thing that is certain is that AI and robots aren ’ t going to displace the average trade person anytime soon . The typical trade person needs agility , common-sense and problem-solving skills . No current or planned robot comes anywhere near being able to emulate these attributes . A lot of factory workers have been displaced by robots . It isn ’ t happening in our industry .
Jobs and rewards Arguably the arrival of more powerful appliances and gadgets means that trades people need to be more skilled , which should result in higher pay . Configuring automatic gates , smart homes , integrated heating and lighting systems that know when you ’ ve left the house and much like it all requires extensive knowledge . The average homeowner is less likely to fiddle with these and more likely to mess them up when they do . That ’ s good news for the trade .
The green agenda suggests that there are going to be even more smart devices . Also there will be new materials designed to save energy . These both require more skill and care to install and for devices , to configure . Yet more good news .
Solving the paperwork conundrum
Until your business grows to the size where you can have a full-time administrator , it can be argued that paperwork and administration is a mega- PITA ( look up the “ meaning of PITA ” online if you don ’ t know ). Not only do trade people typically hate paperwork ; they are often bad at it , given that they are good with their hands . Most of us aren ’ t good at everything .
Digital Transformation is with us in the UK trade industry , but we don ’ t call it that . It has arrived in the form of apps that make it quicker and easier to quote , invoice , organise work , create statutory paperwork , communicate with customers , get paid and finally to do the books . These are all things which trades people historically don ’ t enjoy and where they can use all the help that they can get .
The good news
The best news is around administration and paperwork . UK trade businesses face some of the most onerous regulations around . It ’ s not just competent person ’ s schemes . It ’ s the Construction Industry Scheme . It ’ s Health and Safety rules . If you are VAT registered it ’ s complex to work out when the reduced rate applies , let
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