How cooperatives manage digitalisation
Silvan Wyser | 21. February 2023 | 2 minutes reading time
Building cooperatives do not have it easy. Communication is important, the pressure for digitalisation is increasing. But it needs to be well thought out.
The big challenge is to meet the needs of the various groups - from members of the cooperative, board members and the media to external partners and employees. Both content and form are challenging, as is the choice of appropriate communication tools. The right mix of analogue and digital communication channels must also be found. Now and for the future.
Digital transformation is the most stomach-churning issue for building cooperatives. Those who believe that they will find the solution by introducing an - usually expensive - app are mistaken. Crafty providers tout their apps as a panacea. But experience shows that the goals which are set are often not achieved due to the low user rates. Sowhy do such (large-scale) projects fail? One reason is that the wrong processes are often digitalised. In other words, processes that are important to the provider but often not to the user. Most of the time it is very simple things that offer added value to the tenant or cooperative member, e.g. reserving parking spaces for visitors, the possibility to report a necessary repair online, or to request a callback.
We recommend our clients to start the digital journey in small, clearly budgetable and measurable steps and thus gain valuable experience incrementally. And before investing, ask the users to identify the pain points and which solutions would generate the greatest benefit for them. These insights gradually increase the courage to explore further opportunities for digital transformation. Ultimately, digital transformation is not a project, it rather shows the attitude to be agile and adaptable to changing circumstances and new technologies.
In dedicated workshops, we find out how the possibilities of analogue and digital communication channels can be used and how digitalisation can be implemented in sensible and acceptable stages. Together with our clients. For more information on this - or for a concrete offer - we are glad to respond. Let's talk!
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