2009 Business Pulse: technology analysis
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As part of a wider analysis of the 2009 Business Pulse, we have analysed the different experiences and opinions of a range of businesses by their attitude to a range of technologies:
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better web site/eCommerce
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mobile devices, Blackberry, etc
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unified communications (merging voicemail, email, text, etc)
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audio and video conferencing
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down-the-line or internet IT support
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mobile-phone software
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no technology!
Looking at attitudes towards technology as a whole, it can be seen that businesses who consider it essential to be at the forefront of technology are the ones who are saying that they have been least impacted by the recession. The survey also showed that the technology fans were most optimistic about an upturn and, by some considerable margin, that they are best equipped to succeed in the recession.
37 per cent of all businesses surveyed said they want to be at the forefront of technology and 34 per cent said that they would only use new technologies that had been tried and tested. This left only 29 per cent that would only bring in technology when needed. Regionally, the biggest technology fans are in the north-east and London. The least likely regions to bring in new technology are Yorks and Humber and Wales.
30 per cent of businesses say that they have saved money through using technology. Even more, 32 per cent, say that they are using technology to network and obtain advice. Over a quarter (28 per cent), say that they have found more customers through use of technology.
The 'killer' technology that firms consider to most positively impact their business is faster broadband with 68 per cent reporting that faster broadband will deliver business benefits. Many of the larger SMEs reported that this would help them be more competitive and enable much more flexibility through home working. Scotland and the south-west considered most that accessing faster broadband has had a positive impact on their business.
Other technologies at the top of the list include better web sites and eCommerce capabilities and mobile devices. Social networking is ranked in the top quarter of valuable technologies and it is becoming extremely interesting to businesses. Many firms have started to use services such as Twitter and Facebook, as well as develop their own forums for a range of marketing and customer service activities. More SMEs in London appreciate the potential of what is possible with this relatively new phenomenon compared with other regions and countries surveyed.
