Entrepreneurs are changing their game with new communications devices and techniques. Today, businesses of every size have workforces that span the globe and customers who expect superb service 24-7. Connectivity is no longer just a communications matter; it’s the essential fabric that enables worker productivity and drives customer satisfaction. Done right, connectivity can propel a company to new heights; done poorly, it can lose your competitive advantage.
“Connectivity is absolutely key for any small business,” says Diane Eschenbach, a consultant and the author of How to Quickly Start a Business Online. “Small businesses really have to start thinking outside the box now when it comes to being connected with their customers.”
Small businesses are often composed of teams of mobile workers for whom the desk phone is passe. They work across multiple devices, and they need to be able to access data and documents and collaborate from anywhere. Hosted phone systems/unified communications, which tie together all the communication devices, are a key to that flexibility, as Matt Tortora well knows
Mobile and bursting
Systems that support itinerant and disperse workforces are becoming business imperatives. The recent Alternative Board’s Small Business Pulse found that 88 percent of business owners rate their satisfaction with cloud technology above average. Entrepreneurs cite the primary benefits as mobility and productivity (22 percent) and quicker/easier access to data (21 percent).
Reinforcing brand identity
The amount of data that small businesses consume today has also upped the ante for connectivity. Businesses are constantly downloading and uploading data, especially when working with remote teams, processing financial transactions, or connecting to customers.
Connectivity has moved beyond a nicety that coffee shops, hair salons, doctors’ offices, and laundromats offer. It can mean entry into a deeper relationship with customers. DY Martin, a high-end liquor retailer and distributor in Louisiana, uses connectivity to drive more personalized and efficient customer interactions-; right in the aisles of their stores. Every customer-facing employee uses mobile to connect with their warehouse inventory and provide personalized service.
And that’s what connectivity can mean to a small business-; more personal relationships, happier workers, and higher productivity. Small business owners should consider the words of best-selling author Parag Khanna: “Mankind has a new maxim – connectivity is destiny – and the most connected powers, and people, will win.”
Source: INC. Arabia