The most significant challenge faced by SMB-serving organizations when developing new offerings for their clients was the high cost of development, not surprisingly, followed by the challenge of selecting a vendor to work with. Interestingly enough, a “limited understanding of SMB needs” also was among the top challenges. Similarly, the top barrier for organizations to successfully implement their SMB offerings is “insufficient resources and knowledge for sales and support.” Both things together suggest respondents “have yet to crack the code for the SMB market,” said the survey report, most likely due to difficulty collecting and analyzing data on their SMB clients at scale or a lack of experience navigating their diverse needs. Most providers of SMB telecom services seem to agree, however, that success with SMB services depends upon them being easy to use and simple to integrate. When asked to name the top consideration when adding new services for SMBs, respondents primarily cited “ease of implementation and integration” along with “value delivery and benefits,” both named by 31 percent. Similarly, “making the solution easy to use and intuitive” was the top strategy to overcoming SMB objections to purchasing new technology, followed by “robust customer support and onboarding.” “The finding show that organizations understand that SMBs prioritize solutions that can be integrated into existing workflows quickly and seamlessly, and that they are more likely to invest in such solutions as a result,” said InTandem executives. “They also understand that since SMBs are short on both time and resources, they are fearful of overhauling their existing systems,” they continued, “so demonstrating that the new tool offerings are easy to implement and integrate with current tools already in use, is a surefire way to ensure their long-term loyalty.” When asked to name the most effective approaches to addressing SMB technology adoption, providers said it was most important to add contextual in-product education, provide detailed product demonstrations and customize solutions to meet specific needs. “The findings show that SMBs need and trust organizations that provide them with the proper support in both the service and the product, as they often do everything all on their own,” said InTandem executives. Notably, just 23 percent of the SMB-serving telecom and marketing agencies surveyed indicated that financial impact on their organizations is their top consideration for evaluating new SMB services. “This shows that value to the SMB is far more important to the organizations’ leaders and decision makers than the potential revenue impact,” concluded the study. “They understand that creating value will bring the desired revenue impact.” Perhaps less encouraging is the fact that “customer demand or interest” is near the bottom of the list of considerations. Arguably some of the best news coming out of the InTandem data is that as small businesses navigate the complexities of a competitive market, they increasingly expect their telco providers to offer solutions that go beyond traditional communications and connectivity services. A full 90 percent of SMBs allocate part of their telco budget to productivity tools provided by their telco – also demonstrating a clear preference for integrated solutions. Among the most popular services are marketing and productivity tools (61 percent) and security services such as network security and antivirus (58 percent). Nearly half (49 percent) of SMBs indicated that they expect their telco to provide reporting and analytics tools, while 46 percent of SMBs are looking for business tools such as CRM systems, scheduling and project management software from the telco provider. Financial apps, including payments, invoicing and accounting solutions, are also in high demand, with 38 percent of SMBs expecting their telco to offer these services. “This inclination towards consolidation presents a significant opportunity for telcos to position themselves as comprehensive service providers, offering a range of tools and services that cater to the diverse needs of SMBs,” said the report. o Top Challenges in Developing New Offerings for SMBs High cost of development 40% Selecting a vendor to work with 37% Limited understanding of SMB needs 35% Difficulty in market implementation 33% Complex system integration 32% Lack of internal expertise 30% Choosing a service to add to the offering 30% Lack of internal resources 28% Source: InTandem Top Strategies to Overcome SMB Objection to Tech Purchasing Making the solution easy to use and intuitive 25% Robust customers support and onboarding 22% Regular updates and feature enhancements 20% Building multiple solutions in one package 18% Strong customer testimonial and case studies 10% Flexible pricing models 5% Source: InTandem Top Considerations for Evaluating New SMB Services Value delivery and benefits to SMBs 31% Ease of implementation and integration 31% Alignment with company strategy 30% Availability of necessary resources and skills 29% Competitive advantage in the market 28% Scalability and potential for growth 28% Potential finance/revenue impact 23% Low risk to the organization 23% Customer demand and interest 21% Technology feasibility 17% Source: InTandem 57 MARCH - APRIL 2025 | CHANNELVISION
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