Britain's small- to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are
proving slow to embrace the benefits of new technology, according
to research from Lloyds TSB Business and the SERTeam at the Open
University.
The research highlighted a number of areas in which SMEs could make
better use of technology to manage and grow their business. It
showed that most SMEs are not exploiting technology to its full
potential, with only a third (35%) reporting that they have used
the web to generate business and only 28% saying that investment in
IT has helped them develop new markets.
Yet two-thirds of small businesses (61%) admitted they would not be
able to operate without their current level of investment in IT and
almost half recognised that spending technology was vital if their
business was to remain competitive. Almost half of those surveyed
(47%) said using IT had helped them cut costs.
A quarter of SMEs say they find it hard to keep pace with
technological change. Some 13% still do not use email, 30% have yet
to use the internet as a source of information, and just 47%
believe that such technology has improved working life. Also, 18%
believe that technology has taken the 'personal touch' out of
working relationships.
The survey also showed that 19% do not yet have a broadband
connection, 38% do not use computerised databases or mailing lists
and 58% do not use IT for presentations
Stephen Pegge, head of communications, Lloyds TSB Business, says,
"If [SMEs] fail to invest for the future, they may not meet
customers' expectations and could find they are soon overtaken by
more efficient and more productive competitors. It's part of our
responsibility as a bank to help [SMEs] make the best use of
technology to maximise their potential."