Nearly half (47%) of small and medium business (SMB) owners from across the globe say that finding the right technology to fit their needs is one of the factors that is constraining their business activities.
So, what do SMB owners look for when choosing new technology? This survey from Salesforce Research has some answers.
Survey includes more than 2,000 small and medium companies (with 2-200 employees) owners and leaders in North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Seven in 10 (69%) of these respondents say that ease of use is an extremely or very important factor when evaluating new technology.
Other extremely/very important factors SMB owners consider when evaluating new technology are:
- Price (61%)
- Simplicity of maintenance (61%)
- Speed and ease of setup (61%)
- Compatibility with existing infrastructure or systems (54%)
- Mobile capabilities (44%)
- Scalability (37%)
As resources and budgets are limited, SMBs must prioritize which technologies they can invest in.
Three in 10 (31%) say that a CRM system is one of their top priorities for their technology budget. When asked what they see as the benefits of having a CRM system, respondents cited a variety, including:
- helping to give faster and better customer service (51%)
- report generation (35%)
- generating more leads (34%)
- reducing the need for multiple systems (34%).
Separately, two-thirds (67%) of SMB owners say that acquiring new customers is an obstacle they experience. As a result, they are using various tactics and technologies to attract customers.
Websites (55%) represent the most frequently used tactic by respondents, followed by social media marketing (46%) and then email marketing (38%). Fewer SMBs also utilize analytics (19%), CRM systems (19%), marketing automation (18%) and lead scoring (15%) in order to attract new customers.
How do these criteria compare to yours? I’d love to read your comments.