The Digital Chamber Currently Has 25,000 Users and Eight E-Services

„If anyone was skeptical about the importance of digitalization before this crisis, the last few months have surely dispelled all doubts. The Croatian Chamber of Economy (HGK) recognized this in time, so three years ago we began our digital transformation and thus became the first digitized institution in Croatia. Through the implementation of the Digital Chamber project, we changed our own business processes, educated employees, and gained valuable new knowledge that we intend to share with others. Our goal is to encourage members and other institutions to digitally transform because that is the only way to global competitiveness“, emphasized HGK President Luka Burilović at the presentation of the project Digital Chamber, an information and communication platform that offers users eight e-services (e-financing, e-public authorities, e-members, e-legislation, e-fairs and promotions, e-start business, e-economic information, and e-education) with just a few mouse clicks.

HGK Vice President for Industry and Energy Tomislav Radoš emphasized that the commercial value of all functionalities provided to members is around 10,000 kuna per user. „I believe that through this project we have managed to provide clear and quality added value to each of our members. Therefore, we will focus on involving as many of them as possible in the project itself. Our key motivation and guiding idea was an individualized approach to each member, so the platform is designed so that you can use exactly what you need“, explained Radoš, announcing that by the end of the year, two new functionalities will be available through the Digital Chamber: e-office and a platform for organizing online fairs and conferences aimed at both citizens and the scientific community.

Mirjana Samardžić Novoselec, a member of the Management Board at Apsolon, which worked on the project, emphasized that digital transformation is no longer an option but a necessity, especially for the public sector. „HGK is a leader in the overall process of digital transformation concerning domestic institutions. In the next financial perspective, the European Commission will insist on the digitalization of the public sector, and I believe that our Government and ministries will go in that direction, and HGK can be an excellent example for them“, she said, adding that Apsolon analyzed the digital readiness of over 300 domestic companies through the Digital Index project before starting work on the Digital Chamber, which was extremely useful for them as they knew the needs of the Croatian economy.

„It was challenging for us, and the most valuable thing we did was educate the Chamber’s employees who are now ready to continue working because this job actually never ends. Now we need to see how the members react and what else they need; that is why educating people is important, as they will lead that process“, believes Samardžić Novosel.

Sanja Šimić, Director of the Center for Digital Transformation and Strategic Development at HGK, presented in detail the eight e-services offered by the Digital Chamber and stated that the project carries many challenges. „One of our main goals was faster and more efficient communication with our members, which we have achieved. Now all our services are available online; they can engage, follow the work of our Associations and Communities, connect with funding sources for various sectors, create a complete business plan, and receive advice from our employees on all topics that interest them. This is a great advantage for our users, especially the small ones, who otherwise do not have large resources to allocate for such tools and analyses. I hope that we will also receive inputs from them for further development“, said Šimić, noting that she wants the Digital Chamber to become the core of an ecosystem that will bring together the business and academic community, as well as journalists.

The CEO of IN2 Group Nikica Škunca stated that the biggest challenge in working on the platform was the size of the system itself. „We had to organize the software, connect systems, and educate the internal public in a short time. HGK has shown everyone that digitalization is the foundation for providing added value, and I am extremely proud that this platform will be an example for others“, concluded Škunca.

The total value of the project is 28.7 million kuna, of which 85 percent, or 24.4 million, is co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund, while the remaining 15 percent is covered by HGK as the project user. The platform currently has over 25,000 registered users.

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