With Covid-19 making remote and hybrid working the norm, businesses have had to adapt their priorities in order to remain in operation. According to a new report from Three UK, the two most important factors for SMBs this year are connectivity and flexibility.
Without the usual office chitchat, being able to feel connected and collaborate seamlessly is pivotal, and most UK SMBs seem to have done well on this front. Roughly a third of both employees and managers feel “very connected” to their peers.
The second crucial factor is flexibility, which means not only being able to send employees to work from home and offer sliding work hours, but also being able to introduce new technology quickly, and adapt to sudden changes in consumer expectations.
For a quarter of Three UK’s respondents, e-commerce is their biggest opportunity, as there have never been this many consumers online. Adaptability is also perceived as vital, with third of businesses updating or introducing technologies.
Many workplaces are expected to open in the summer, but most employees still expect the option to work remotely and flexibly to remain.
“This is a significant moment for the business market, and small businesses in particular, to review their ways of working,” said Mike Tomlinson, Managing Director of Business at Three UK.
“Many will be considering what they have learned, how customer behaviors have changed and how they can improve their business model moving forward. There is a long period of transition ahead for many of our business customers.”
