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Is “Going Digital” As Easy As They Say? We Find Out From 2 Business Owners

Is “Going Digital” As Easy As They Say? We Find Out From 2 Business Owners

The Movement Control Order has accelerated digital adoption for many businesses.

While “go digital” has always been the buzz word for the last few years, the term has just only gained a sense of urgency recently due to the Movement Control Order (MCO).

With limited face-to-face access with customers, digital adoption is no longer an option for businesses – but a priority. Even the government is encouraging the digitalisation of businesses through initiatives under the National Economic Recovery Plan (PENJANA).

We find out from a restaurant owner and a unit trust agency – both small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – how they manage to digitalise their businesses almost immediately after the MCO started.

The best Indonesian food in Sunway… and beyond

(Credit: Maxis)

Back then, Warung Pojok was always packed with hungry customers. After all, the humble restaurant is known for serving the tastiest and most affordable Indonesian dishes in the Sunway area. 

That all changed once the MCO was implemented. The once lively restaurant became quiet, with a few staff serving patrons who have come to order takeaway meals. Like most food and beverage outlets, business was not as great as before for Warung Pojok.

This prompted Mohd Nazri, owner of the restaurant, to take immediate action. He understood that many Malaysians have started to rely heavily on food delivery services, and how that could offer him a wider customer base. Shifting his business focus to fulfilling delivery orders made sense as well since only food delivery personnel were allowed to travel interdistrict during the early MCO days. 

(Credit: Astro Awani)

Mohd Nazri was also aware that the government has been heavily promoting cashless payment methods. This was not just due to the aim of making Malaysia a cashless society, but also to minimise chances of virus transmission. 

All these meant that his restaurant needed to have access to strong and stable internet connection. To achieve that, Mohd Nazri signed up for Maxis Business Postpaid and Fibre. This way, he can easily fulfill delivery orders and accept cashless payments seamlessly using Maxis Business Fibre. The plan also comes with unlimited calls and SMS, as well as a free phone. To top it up, these came with 30% off from the SME Digitalisation Grant from the government.

You can try Warung Pojok’s famous dishes as well, just find them on your favourite food delivery platform. Check out our recommendation if you’re not sure what to order.

Attending to customers and upskilling the team from anywhere

Meeting customers and training consultants are part of the day-to-day operations at RCA Wealth Agency. The unit trust agency handles multiple clients, and has over 200 consultants whom they provide regular trainings to. 

Aside from stopping them from meeting their customers and organising trainings, the MCO also made it difficult for the team at RCA to carry out other administrative operations as they were not allowed to enter the office. As such, calls to the office landline were not attended to. 

It was then that one of the RCA team members heard about the SME Digitalisation Grant provided by Maxis. The team didn’t hesitate to sign up for it as the grant gave them assurance that the company will not incur any financial loss for trying out a digital business solution. 

The plan they signed up for – Maxis Business Postpaid – comes with a number of digital solutions. One of it, the Maxis Business Voice Go feature, is particularly useful as every team member can now answer phone calls that are made to their office phone line using their own mobile phones. This ensures they never miss a business call, no matter where they are.

They have also started trying out the SMS Advertising solution, which allows for bulk messaging via SMS to keep their customers informed on the latest promotions or investment news.

Finally, the RCA team has strong internet connection for regular Zoom trainings with their consultants, as well as sufficient virtual face time with new and existing customers.

Similar to Mohd Nazri, RCA enjoyed 30% savings on these plans thanks to the government grant.

Understanding the people they serve and dare to take risks

For both Mohd Nazri and the RCA team, going digital isn’t just about increasing revenue – but also to serve their customers better. In Warung Pojok, it’s about providing customers with safer choices to enjoy their food; whereas for RCA, it’s about being always accessible. 

(Credit: Maxis)

Digitalisation is a huge transformational step for most businesses. While multinational corporations (MNCs) could easily fork out the budget to carry out full digital adoption, SMEs like RCA and Warung Pojok may not.

This is where the grant is useful, as it assures SMEs that money spent on digitalising their business will not go to waste. Maxis also has a dedicated SME Help Squad who will guide business owners through the grant application process, as well as providing free Digital Readiness Index assessment and consultation. 

It’s time to digitalise your business – because if not now, then when?


This article is sponsored by Maxis. Find out how you can start your digitalisation journey with their SME Digitalisation Grant here

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