‘Like playing chess’: Oriental Remedies Group co-founder on getting digitalisation right
While there are many good steps in the process, some will ‘bring you to the win faster’, says Beatrice Liu
[SINGAPORE] When Beatrice Liu co-founded Oriental Remedies Group six years ago, operations ran largely on pen and paper – but today, the traditional Chinese medicine provider is experimenting with artificial intelligence (AI) tools and cloud systems.
This was not a case of adopting technology for technology’s sake, but a digital transformation that began with assessing the company’s needs, the chief executive said, sharing her business’ digitalisation journey at a post-Budget discussion on Tuesday (Mar 25).
Hosted by The Business Times and presented by global cloud accounting platform Xero Asia, the dialogue explored how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can move beyond the basic adoption of digital tools.
With help from the National Trades Union Congress’ Employment and Employability Institute, Oriental Remedies drew a road map for transformation, identifying ways to modernise and drive growth.
It was important to first assess the business as a whole, so digital tools could be adopted based on strategic needs rather than piecemeal.
As a service-heavy business, the company prioritised solutions that could support human resources (HR) functions, such as a learning management system and cloud-based platforms for administrative tasks.
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“This is a bit like playing chess. There are many good steps you can make, but some steps will bring you to the win faster,” said Liu.
Beyond improving internal processes, Oriental Remedies is trialling ways to enhance customer engagement through technology – such as an AI programme that patients can use to analyse images of their tongues for a basic read of their body constitution, based on traditional Chinese medicine principles.
“Of course, this will not replace my physicians… but it enables patients to have a baseline (of their health),” Liu said.
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“And when they see their own improvement over time, they are much more likely to adhere to the treatment plan of the physician and achieve better clinical outcomes.”
Reverse engineering pain points
With “Digitalisation for SMEs: From adoption to transformation” as the theme, the panel also featured Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Low Yen Ling and Xero Asia’s managing director Koren Wines.
There is no one-size-fits-all digital solution for SMEs, said Wines. But she recommended that businesses start with tools such as cloud accounting, HR systems and e-invoicing, as these offer quick wins in improving financial visibility, enhancing operational efficiency, and even reducing the risk of fraud.
Businesses looking to transform should first find a trusted accounting partner to work through their goals, she said. “Then reverse engineer from the pain points that you’re seeing in your organisation… (to determine) what your tech stack should look like.”
“This really helps them to see the value-add in the automation – that it supports their work and not potentially takes it away from them.”
Beatrice Liu, co-founder and CEO of Oriental Remedies Group
The panellists also discussed the benefits of digitalisation, including cost savings.
For instance, participants of the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s (IMDA) SMEs Go Digital programme from 2018 to 2023 reported cost savings of 50 per cent, noted Low.
More than 100,000 SMEs have joined the programme, with over 40 per cent coming on board in the past four years.
In 2024, some 84 per cent of SMEs adopted more than one digital tool, up from 54 per cent in 2020.
“I think we have now reached the tipping point where the SMEs are convinced… that going digital will reap the benefits in a few ways: you will raise productivity, raise your efficiency, and certainly… help to augment the skill sets of your manpower,” said Low.
Companies without in-house tech capabilities can tap initiatives such as IMDA’s Chief Technology Officer-as-a-Service, which provides access to digital consultants and project management services, she added.
Changing mindsets
Despite the benefits of going digital, Liu admitted that it was initially challenging to get staff to agree to adopt AI and technology, as they were afraid they would replace their jobs.
“How we try to change this mindset is really to quantify the improvements from tech, and how that actually value-adds to their work,” she said.
For instance, it used to take four hours a day for one team member to send reminders to patients about their appointments. Through automation and scripting, this time has been brought down to under an hour.
With these three hours “gained, we got them to call patients to build that human connection, which tech tools cannot replace”, said Liu.
“This really helps them to see the value-add in the automation – that it supports their work and not potentially takes it away from them.”
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