With an estimated 4.3 million small businesses in the UK, 99% of which have less than 50 employees*, recent research from BT Partner Management shows that board directors of UK SMEs feel far more comfortable and relaxed taking a holiday if they know they can connect to the office.
Such statistics demonstrate the importance for SMEs to embrace the right technology in order to maximise their personal and business potential. 41% of company directors of firms with under 10 people said being connected gives them peace of mind and a third of directors of companies with 10-49 employees said that being able to keep in touch with their business either via e-mail or the phone not only gives them peace of mind but actually also makes them feel more relaxed whilst on holiday.
A third of directors of UK companies with up to nine employees said they felt more able to take leave because they can effectively contact their office whilst they are away. Similarly, over 25% of directors of larger UK SME’s (10-100) agreed that staying connected gives them greater flexibility to take holiday.
Phil Purssey, Sales Director, Indirect Channels at BT Business said: “We often talk about flexible working in the UK but this research confirms how much of an opportunity there is for the channel to sell convergence as a solution in response to lifestyle as well as business issues. Owner managers are critical to a firm’s success but all too often they feel unable to get away because their businesses are so reliant on them. Whilst in many respects it’s not an ideal situation for anyone to take work away with them, what advances in technology have given those same owner managers is the confidence and peace of mind to get away from it all, in the knowledge that they’re in touch if their business really needs them. This is a great example of the relationship that can develop between a trusted partner and customer whereby the solutions on offer really can be life-changing.”
With almost a third of all SMEs now offering a flexible working policy; businesses and their employees increasingly have the capability to be more agile and responsive. Purssey concluded: “The channel has the potential to assist thousands of UK organisations, of every size, in migrating to a more flexible way of working with the introduction of converged communications systems. With the right combination of secure infrastructure, systems and support from a trusted partner, any organisation, regardless of size, can ensure its employees work together effectively, wherever they are.”
BT Partner Management has a guide which helps partners understand the sales opportunity around flexible working and convergence. For channel partners and resellers to download a copy of the guide visit: https://msp.elateral.com/btic/