A new approach to IT for a changing market
SMBs solve problems for their customers—we solve problems for SMBs
Gary Pickford, Managing Director, Tarsus Distribution
In this book, we’ve spoken at length about some of the things keeping SMB CEOs awake at night. But here’s something else that is top of mind for me and everyone else on our team: How do we help the estimated 250,000 SMBs in Southern Africa to accelerate their digital journeys?
Related questions include, “What will our customer experience look like in five years’ time?” and “How do we solve customer problems in a repeatable, scalable manner?” The answer to these questions can be found in the investments we are making in our digital transformation and in supporting the transformations of our channel partners.
On an operational level, that has meant focusing on automating processes and using digital platforms to sharpen efficiency and improve the customer experience. On a strategic level, we are embracing new business models such as consumption-based pricing and as-a-service, as well as creating service-driven offerings that solve customers’ problems.
This is not only an existential issue for Southern African IT resellers and distributors in a changing market—it is also about creating a sustainable business ecosystem for the years to come. For us, helping SMBs to harness digital technologies is one of the keys to creating a globally competitive, inclusive and shared economy for the future.
The SMBs we serve via our channel range from mid-sized construction and manufacturing businesses to boutique financial advisors and small marketing agencies. But they all have one thing in common. They want technology that delivers great business outcomes—whether that’s reducing costs by digitising paper, reaching new markets via ecommerce or getting insights that help them retain customers.
The technology is powerful—and it’s becoming more accessible via cloud and consumption-based billing—but making sense of it isn’t always easy. Our advice for SMBs on the digital journey is to find partners who speak their business language and can demystify the technology, whether it’s hybrid and multi-cloud, cyber security, big data analytics or AI.
That’s why we are empowering the channel to evolve into true business partners for SMBs. We see the reseller of the future as a consulting- and service-led company that can share risks and rewards with your business. Furthermore, it will be able to help you transition to consumption-based billing models that give you the agility to respond to a changing world.
Technology is a powerful enabler for SMBs with ambitious growth plans. But the bottom line is that you are not alone as you put today’s digital tools and solutions to work. Whether your goal is adding market share, improving collaboration or enhancing efficiencies, Tarsus and our partners stand ready to help you realise your ambitions.
Anton Herbst, Former CEO, Tarsus Technology Group and Tarsus On Demand
There is no shortage of troubles to keep leaders at small and medium businesses (SMBs) awake at night. Whether it’s the poor state of Southern Africa’s infrastructure, a growing regulatory burden or steep increases in the fuel price, executives and owners at SMBs have their hands full keeping their businesses operating smoothly through challenging times.
And when they look further into the future and more widely at the state of the world, they can find even more thorny problems to worry about. From climate change and global conflict to fragile supply chains and the potential impact of automation on employment, there is a sense that humanity faces an inflection point. The decisions we make today will have enormous ramifications for future generations.
But the good news is that SMBs—which represent two-thirds of global jobs and over half of global GDP1—also have a significant role to play in solving these problems. As devastating as the COVID-19 pandemic is, it has highlighted just how resilient SMBs worldwide and in Southern Africa are, as well as the agency they have to shape a better world.
Furthermore, we have seen the combined power of technology and people throughout the crisis. There have been hiccups along the way. However, digital tools and human hands have enabled trade and commerce to keep going through periods of lockdown and social distancing. And what we have seen so far is just a glimpse of the full potential of the technology to solve business and human problems.
That’s not to say that the road ahead will be easy—it never is or was and there are difficult trade-offs to be made. For example, with South Africa’s 33% +2 unemployment rate, automating too rapidly and aggressively could cause profound human suffering and social unrest. Yet falling too far behind brings the risk of becoming globally uncompetitive.
We believe that it is possible for technology-driven change to be liberating for your people, customers and business. However, we also understand the short-term pressures that every SMB CEO is facing in today’s volatile environment. As your business grapples with the need to shift to a new world in a socially responsible and empathic manner, we will be here to support you.
As we’ve shown in the pages of this book, there are so many opportunities for businesses to create new business models, invent new ways of working and transform the customer experience with technology. We’re looking forward to working closely with our channel partners to help SMBs like yours to transition to the digital world.
References
[1] Small Business, Big Opportunity?, Sage, retrieved April 4, 2022.
[2] https://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=15685, Stats SA, August 23, 2022.
