Agility is the key to success for SMEs

In a world where 24/7 communications are increasingly important, companies of all shapes and sizes have to work extremely hard to keep their customers happy all the time.

But small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) must work even harder to maintain the loyalty of their customers, because they face an endless stream of competition from larger companies, who have the money and manpower to be “on-call” for their clients constantly. So for SMEs, fast and efficient communication is vital if they are to achieve business success.

While large companies can simply employ a whole workforce of people to take care of their customers, small businesses may struggle to respond quickly to the demands of their clients and new business prospects - particularly if they are out of the office attempting to expand the business.

With no constant stream of communication between these parties and staff, SMEs are in danger of missing new business opportunities, or worse - losing valuable clients. Moreover, smaller companies should take note of recent research findings which have shown that owners of UK small businesses are currently losing the equivalent of one day each week to unproductive “dead time”, which is spent commuting, travelling to meetings or waiting at train stations.

With this in mind, it is clear that SMEs must tackle these problems as a matter of urgency. Now is the time for small enterprises to think carefully about how they can be more “agile”, if they want to compete with larger companies on a level playing field.

The Mobile Enterprise

So, is there a solution? According to recent research from the Yankee Group, more and more businesses are adopting mobile working practices to confront these problems, with enterprises now being more willing than ever to spend their cash on mobility.

Our own research has indicated that SMEs are waking up to the crucial business benefits of mobile working - with 75% of UK small business managers endorsing mobile working without question and 70% acquiring mobile data devices to ensure that staff receive customer enquiries instantly, wherever they may be.

What is more, it has been estimated that the mobile worker population will stand at over a quarter of the global workforce by 2009, which demonstrates that businesses are becoming increasingly switched on to the advantages of mobility.

SMEs now have access to a wider array of mobile devices and services than ever before, so it is not surprising that they are keen to put the concept of the “mobile enterprise” into practice.

From BlackBerrys to Internet data cards and Wi-Fi Hotspots to smart phones, the increased availability of such “mini-computers” and mobile services is showing small businesses that it is possible to run an agile business without being shackled to the desk from 9am to 5pm.

Indeed, some start-up companies are turning their backs on the idea of “office-working” altogether, with an increasing number of entrepreneurs choosing to save money by running their businesses from Wi-Fi Hotspots in local coffee shops or service stations.

Customer service

More commonly, SMEs are turning to mobile devices so that staff can respond to customer enquiries almost instantly, even if they are on the move. By doing so, companies can keep their customers happy by always being a mere phone call or email away, as well as making it easier for themselves to fulfil Service Level Agreements.

Help Internet, a small organisation dedicated to providing remote IT support services, has seen huge success in this area - gaining positive feedback from its clients all over the world after rolling out BlackBerry devices across the enterprise. The company’s engineers are now able to receive emails and phone calls when they are out of the office or even if the enquiry is outside of normal working hours.

Most significantly, Help’s staff are now able to provide valuable IT support typically within just one hour - thus fulfilling and surpassing the company’s Service Level Agreement which dictates that staff must respond within two hours.

By giving workers the ability to transform their “dead time” into genuinely productive working time, SMEs can also ensure business agility whilst benefiting from having a contented and fulfilled workforce. With mobile devices, workers who are out of the office regularly are able to better manage their workloads by responding to clients whilst commuting, waiting for trains or in-between meetings.

For small businesses, the value of such flexible working cannot be overlooked - since it lets workers be “on-call” to clients during their working hours, whilst also allowing them to recapture some of their leisure time at the end of the day. While it has been argued that mobile working may lead to longer working hours and “CrackBerry” addictions, it is more accurate to say that mobile data empowers the employee to manage his or her time more effectively.

Internal communication

Similarly, mobile working is becoming increasingly essential for smaller enterprises whose staff need access to constantly changing business information, throughout the day. Mobile devices are now indispensable business tools - allowing employees to access time-sensitive email and company data any time and anywhere.

For example, mobile working stands to revolutionise the working day for field sales executives, who need to react quickly to changing prices or product details whilst out of the office.

In the case of Davian Coaches, a family-run bus company, it would now be impossible to manage the company effectively without the communications infrastructure that exists at present. With the majority of the company’s employees working on the move as drivers or mechanics, the company depends on agile internal and external communications to relay vital information between the office and those employees on the road.

Davian’s staff can now contact each other wherever they are, which is particularly useful if customers need to change their order information at the last minute or in the event of a vehicle breakdown or emergency.

New business potential

SMEs who are hungry to expand their businesses may too reap the rewards of mobile working. Where staff may have struggled to manage incoming queries in the past, they are now able to use their laptops, BlackBerrys or PDAs to access essential business information whenever it is required. And by always being on hand to provide fast answers, SMEs are more likely to form positive relationships which may well lead to business wins in the future.

For instance, Think! Consulting, a small training company that employs only five full-time trainers, has experienced massive benefits in this area - winning several new business contracts worth in excess of £500,000 as a result of the company’s agile communications.

The future

Of course, small businesses must continue to provide innovative products and services if they are to experience true business success in the future. However, mobile working also has a huge role to play in their business development.

SMEs now cannot afford to ignore the critical business benefits of mobile working, if they want to be more responsive to the demands of their customers, new business prospects and staff. With mobile devices and services becoming cheaper, faster and more widely available, it is now possible for smaller enterprises to be “on-call” for their customers, in the same way as larger companies in the market.

Mobile working has also increased overall productivity, with workers now being able to take control of their “dead time” to deal with incoming messages during their working hours. As such, smaller enterprises must seize this opportunity if they are to keep their businesses agile and competitive in the future.

Article written by Derek Williamson - Head of Business Marketing of T-Mobile UK