smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

Over half of SME managers say it is more difficult to run a successful small business than it was three years ago, according to research conducted by YouGov for T-Mobile.

The survey reveals that rising customer expectations are forcing a ‘want it now’ culture that is piling pressure on Britain’s small businesses. When asked what issues contribute most to operational challenges, 35 per cent of small business managers say customers are more demanding and 33 per cent say colleagues, customers and suppliers expect faster response times.

Amid this increasingly demanding business environment, SME managers think that because they aren’t making better use of unproductive time spent travelling for work or waiting for meetings to start - their business could be missing out on £60,000 a year.

Being more productive during this time would have the knock-on effect of allowing them to respond to customers faster - and make more money in the process.

Derek Williamson, Head of Business Marketing, T-Mobile UK, says, ‘The rise of the internet has given birth to a ‘want it now’ culture - customers expect an immediate response to every enquiry. This is forcing SMEs to operate in a different way, and use all the tools at their disposal to be more productive and efficient. The ability to fulfil orders and respond to customers as quickly as possible is of paramount importance.’

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