Leveraging Digital Tools to Boost B2B Businesses' Online Presence in the Philippines

The circumstances surrounding COVID-19 pandemic has forced businesses to adapt to the digital way of life and and stay relevant by leveraging online channels.

June 2020 , by Avebria Cicera

In partnership with the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Philippines, YCP Solidiance conducted a webinar entitled “Leveraging Digital Tools to boost B2B Businesses' Presence Online” which provided useful insights on how leveraging digital tools to boost B2B Businesses' Presence Online in the context of COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. The webinar was joined by our Partner, U-Yun Wong, Dannah Majarocon, Managing Director of Lalamove Philippines, Luigi Reyes, VP Entreprise of GCash and Klas Lundgren, VP for Asia of Reforce International.

The Importance of Digital Marketing 

Importance of Digital Marketing in Philippines

According to the survey that we ran across our network, it emerged that sales and marketing and logistics were most impacted by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the Philippines. The process needed mastery over keywords research, landing pages, SEO optimization, and regular website maintenance.

Developing Mobile Apps and Data Software

What follows is service delivery, which was highlighted by 82% of all firms as moderately to highly impacted. The webinar presented a case study from PhilCare that has developed its own application, Hey Phil, to provide more accessible and convenient healthcare services for its members. The app has various functions such as LOA generation, access to medical records, hospital directory, and a telemedicine service called Digimed. 

With most businesses working remotely during the ECQ, non-logistics operations have also been moderately or highly affected as indicated by 84% of firms. From the experience of MedCheck health tech startup, they offer EMR software for doctors to gather medical data and perform data analytics in order to promote medical practice that is based on real-world evidence. Their clients are also able to provide targeted treatment, develop new drugs, and develop policies.

Recover Business through On-Demand Delivery Platform

Our survey presented that 96% of firms have rated their logistics processes as moderately to highly impacted due to government directives limiting mobility during ECQ. Ninja Van, a leading courier company in Southeast Asia, is helping businesses recover their logistics capabilities through its on-demand delivery platform which boasts a 95% reach of the Philippine population. 

Another case form Entrego showed how they developed myEntrego customized platform for MSMEs to help scaling up their operations and reaching their customers and business partners. Entrego now has 60+ hubs across the country, covering 1,500 cities & municipalities, and has multiple partnerships across air, Ro-Ro, and sea routes.

Online Knowledge Management for Staff Engagement

Human resources have been a challenge for a least 67% of firms as employees are forced to work from home. Therefore, having an online knowledge management platform in place is essential to maintain staff engagement. The Medical City shows the example by establishing its knowledge management platform called Center for Innovation and Lifelong Learning (CILL) to facilitate better communication and knowledge sharing across its network of five hospitals and 50 clinics nationwide and improve staff engagement and performance.

Digital App to Track Finance and Accounting Processes

Limited operations and mobility during the ECQ also made it harder for many firms to keep their finance and accounting processes in check. To address the challenge of manual tracking and disbursing payments, digital applications can be a potential alternative to help businesses receive and disburse payments from the convenience of their mobile phone. This has been done by Coins.ph which provides an online payment gateway, scan-to-pay function, online payroll, supplier payments, and other disbursement services for more than five million users nationwide.

Start Small, Start Now

Digital solutions have become a go-to option for consumers to efficiently manage their daily tasks, while remaining as safe as possible during the COVID-19 crisis. 

B2B Businesses' Online Presence in the Philippines

We suggest businesses to embrace digitalisation which does not require a complex, multi-year plan. Digitalisation should become a part of the company’s strategy and norm especially post-ECQ. Companies are encouraged to kick start their digitalisation transformation journey, one transformation at a time starting from the highest priority.

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