Digital transformation is a promise of efficiency for companies and their teams, and digital tools are also (and above all!) capable of lightening the mental load of business leaders and freeing up time for their teams. Fabrice Develay, founder of GCollect, shares his vision.
How can the right organization of digital tools make the day-to-day life of a company manager easier?
Fabrice Develay: Digital tools are one of the answers to the challenge of digital transformation. They are obviously a necessary, but never sufficient, foundation. The purpose of these tools is to provide a service to people, and therefore to teams. With this in mind, every business leader needs to take the subject head-on, and put down on paper the things that digital technology could improve in his or her organization. Once this has been done, it's possible to identify a vision, an ambition and to think about the place of digital tools in the day-to-day life of the company... and its manager.
How do you help entrepreneurs, who are more than just technophiles?
Fabrice Develay: We often start by proving to them that our solutions are easy to use and can be implemented very quickly. The level of technological maturity progresses naturally, because digitalization is everywhere. When we meet business leaders, we avoid technological jargon. Our approach is clear and transparent. In the end, we focus more on the benefits associated with technology than on the technology itself, which in the end is only there to streamline processes. Business leaders are more concerned with the efficiency of their organization, and any successful technology knows how to make itself forgotten...
How are bank accounts and debt collection closely linked to the company's bottom line?
Fabrice Develay: Reconciling bank accounts and collections is a natural act that every company performs on an ongoing basis. Thanks to digitalization, this act takes on a new dimension.
Within a company, anything that helps automate operations helps improve overall performance. Automation is a promise of agility and flexibility, because it lightens the mental load (and workload!) of the company director and his or her staff. This frees up energy to think differently about the company. Financial information, be it banking or collection data, when mastered and exploited with the right tools, becomes an asset at the service of the company's overall strategy. Seeing further, to see further, is the very meaning of digital transformation.
What advice can you give to accelerate the adoption of digital tools for corporate finance?
Fabrice Develay: Embarking on the path of digital transformation requires effort, even sacrifice. It forces you to leave your comfort zone. Adopting these tools means living with the times. My first piece of advice is that if you consider this transformation to be global, it's better to be a player than to suffer. When business leaders recognize that we're living through a new industrial revolution, they undergo a cultural change that enables them to measure the potential available to them. Another major phenomenon needs to be taken into account: the evolution of employees. Offering them the best digital solutions to accomplish their missions is already a way of attracting and retaining talent. A major issue when it comes to labor shortages!