Digital disruption is a transformation that is caused by emerging digital technologies and business models. These innovative new technologies and models can impact the value of existing products and services offered in the industry. Hence the term ‘disruption’ is used, as the emergence of these new digital products, services and businesses revolutionised the current market and resulted in the need for re-evaluation of traditional market practices. Below are some examples of some technologies or services that have drastically changed the way we work.

Video streaming took the entertainment industry completely by surprise. Rapidly rising as a low-cost alternative for a select few internet-savvy audiences to watch shows, to eventually driving the cable industry and video rental stores into the ground. Netflix has become the largest subscription video provider in the US, outstripping cable and satellite.

Ride sharing companies like Uber and Grab have transformed and all but replaced the taxi industry as the preferred commuting choice in a significant number of countries, leaving traditional cab companies trailing in the dust as they try to match the convenience & affordability of ride sharing.

The corporate services industry has been slow to ride the wave of digital disruption, but this does not mean it’s not happening. At BoardRoom we have been shaping the industry for years from the introduction of technology solutions like Employee Share Plans and Virtual AGMs to internal initiatives like eradicating the use of paper in our offices. By closely watching the signs as we have been, has allowed us to get ahead of the game and work with the flow rather than against it. Not only does this prevent the wave of digital disruption from driving our successes out of relevancy, it can also lead to further growth and new opportunities.

Digital disruption typically marks changes in consumer needs and therefore working with the tide allows BoardRoom to fulfil these emerging needs, keeping existing customers happy and most importantly, opening opportunities for new customers to discover what they need from our brand.

With the future in mind, BoardRoom has consistently been investing in the adoption of new ideas and technology to ensure that our clients and staff are well-equipped with the optimal tools for success. The nature of the Professional Services industry is the expectation of efficiency and security, both of which centre our decisions on what services we intend to roll out, and what enhances we can make to existing service offerings.

We have successfully launched several popular services as listed below in anticipation of increased demand:

Virtual Meeting Services: This service ensured that clients can continue to host shareholder meetings with little to no disruption should there be an inability to host meetings physically.

Electronic-polling: To reduce human error and time spent on manually counting votes, we partnered with Lumi to offer electronic-polling services for optimising meetings.

Employee Share Plans: Customisation was the keyword when considering how best to assist our clients in their employee equity plans, leading to our customisable Employee Share Plan services with an intuitive branded employee portal.

Cloud-Based HRMS SaaS: Ignite was launched with the goal of empowering clients through enhanced security and customisation options to curate the ideal payroll solution for their workforce.

We have come a long way to build BoardRoom as a brand that is ahead of the game and I intend to continue to uphold our value of driving innovation through technology. Through our steadfast dedication to predicting and preparation for the future, the fruits of our labour can be observed in the results produced and through satisfaction of our clients.

Insights by Group Chief Technology Officer, Kelvin Wong