Survey: Technology Combined with People is Central to Success

Money is important; it drives everything, including business, but can it ever be a replacement for people and technology? The answer is no. People are the pillars of organizations and technology is the engine that keeps businesses ticking. With both of them taken care of, the money will automatically flow in. And a new joint survey by YouGov and Vodafone (News - Alert) brings to the fore the role that tech and people play in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).

Progressive businesses cannot afford to lag behind as technology advances; neither can they afford to ignore the customer. Today, customers are tech-savvy, and want everything done on their terms to their satisfaction. If businesses fail to oblige, they have no qualms about going elsewhere. Loyalty is harder to come by than it was in earlier years.

In fact, the report revealed that a fairly large majority cited customer satisfaction, employee engagement and loyalty as factors that were keys to success. Only 36 percent believed that fortunes could be made only with a strong financial performance.

But, in order to ensure that businesses remain progressive and customer oriented, they have to be one step ahead of the customer, and that’s not possible without using technology. Tools allow companies to deliver faster and better service, enabling greater flexibility. And that really seems to be the bottom line, for that’s what customers expect: flexibility in management style and technological ability.

“To unlock the X-Factor, SMEs need to focus their efforts on becoming more responsive to customers, and this can only be achieved by finding better ways of working for their employees, so they can deliver great customer service,” said Jonathan Kini, Enterprise Marketing Commercial Director for Vodafone UK.

There does appear to be some merit in what Kini says, because according to the survey, poor customer satisfaction, poor employee engagement, and a restrictive corporate culture that is rigid and slow to implement new technology are all hallmarks that characterize a non-progressive company.