Covid-19 forces Vietnam’s businesses to speed up digital transformation

April 12, 2020 | 03:25 pm GMT+7

It may take businesses only several months to carry out digital transformation and process standardization instead of several years as once thought because of the impact of the Covid-19 crisis.

 Pham Duy Tung, Chief Operating Officer of Amber Online Education, a startup that provides online education services, said that now is the time for businesses to analyze problems to find suitable solutions.

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The process allows managers to interact directly with workers and pay attention to the data they might have missed in the past, and discover holes in the management system.

Businesses, because of the need to work online, will also be motivated to become familiar with software, apply management tools and online training, and will develop new products that fit the market.

Amber, a business with 100 workers, has begun working-from-home scheme since March 9. The initial results are encouraging, with efficiency of 80-90 percent.

Many other businesses have also organized the working-from-home model. Some procedures need to be adjusted and streamlined so that they can be uploaded to software to support online collaboration and exchange.

Some of businesses take roll call every morning through international chat groups, while others apply flexible working hours. Workers fulfill their tasks assigned to them every day, refleted in monthly KPI (key performance indicator) and quarterly OKR (objectives and key results).

Hung Dinh, founder and CEO of DesignBold, the initiator of the Vietnam Remote Working community, said managers need to change their views on management methods.

They need to shift to assess workers’ capability based on their performance and productivity, not on the time of working. Businesses need to set up the requirements for KPI and OKR. The application of technology is very important.

“We need tools to administer and measure results. The assessment system must be transparent and accurate,” he said.

Businesses, workers have to change

Previously, getting used to new tools was a big barrier to technology application because workers were not ready for new things. But now, technology is a must and the only option.

Tran Van Vien, director in charge of the southern region of Base.vn, which provides online administration platforms to more than 5,000 Vietnamese businesses, said Base has been very busy with training programs for its clients.

“If direct training cannot be implemented, clients will ask to do this online, and they don’t delay training programs anymore,” Vien noted. 
Chi Mai
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