Less Than Half of Small Businesses Trust their Technology Provider
LONDON, Sept. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Technology and connectivity are essential services. More than ever, businesses need the channels of communication to be ultra-reliable. Shockingly, a new survey shows that less than half of SMEs trust their main technology provider to understand and fulfil their needs properly.
According to the independent survey, carried out by market research company Context Consulting, trustworthiness is hugely important to most SMEs, ranking above other factors such as adaptability or being in frequent contact. Moreover, Context found that businesses don't just depend on reactive responses (e.g. maintaining uptime and connectivity) but also proactive ones (e.g. helping them to grow and gain competitive advantage.) This is particularly important in 2020, with a pressing need to save money, develop new strategies and boost digital efficiency.
Of the major vendors, IBM in scored particularly highly for trustworthiness, with respondents saying that "their many years of experience makes them reliable" and "they have extremely good customer service." These twin assets - dependable infrastructure and rapid response - have become vital.
Philip Cooper of Context Consulting said: "I'm not surprised that trustworthiness is so important to small businesses. When you're running a small enterprise, the cost of technology failing can really affect the bottom line. In the long run, reliability is more important than price point.
"Technology providers need to build greater trust with SMEs by responding quickly to queries, building up a bank of knowledge about their businesses, anticipating their needs quickly and not increasing their prices without improving value."
Note on survey methodology: This research was conducted by independent research providers Context Consulting in July 2020, surveying 120 managers/senior managers in companies with 10-249 employees in manufacturing, retail, professional services, construction and financial services across the UK, Italy, Spain and Germany.
Company Bio:
Established nine years ago, Context Consulting has blazed a distinctive trail in tech, telco, services and B2B. With clients including Vodafone, BUPA, O2, Valitor and many more relying on its rigorous understanding of customers, brands and strategy. By uncovering rich, meaningful behaviours and motivations, Context design and build marketing strategy, customer experiences, brand positioning, and product development.
