Just over half (52%) of the UK’s
small to medium sized enterprises
(
SMEs) now use the internet as the primary channel to promote
their company and to communicate with partners, according to a
research report from
BT Business.
Despite this, the Small Businesses and the Internet report
highlights that 40% of the UK’s SMEs companies still do not have a
dedicated company web site, and 21% have no online presence at all.
This was particularly true for sole traders, where half (48%) have
no web presence to speak of.
Three quarters of businesses (74%), see the internet as playing an
important role in achieving their goals in the next five years,
with 63% believing that it allows them to compete with bigger
players and in different markets.
The research also showed that more than half of respondents (57%)
believed that the world of business has become less personal as a
result of technology and 15% of SMEs never trust the companies that
they meet on the internet.
Even though the overwhelming majority of SMEs, over four in five,
generally trust the people online, the research revealed it depends
on the web site and the experience they have. In addition to this,
90% of SMEs sampled said they preferred working with companies that
were recommended to them.
Recommendations are also important in generating revenue, with more
than half of SMEs (52%) seeing a significant proportion of their
new business (up to half) coming through referrals. For 32%, three
quarters of their work was
referred.
PKF implements service management
software