This past year has been hard on small businesses. The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council partnered with TechnoMetrica to survey small businesses and find out what impact software on the cloud had on their businesses. Their cloud software helped a large majority in various ways. The two biggest ways it helped them were by keeping their shops open and keeping communication flowing.
Staying Open
Having software on the cloud has always been helpful, but it’s essential for some businesses. 84% of small business owners of any size surveyed by SBEC/TechnoMetrica said that cloud services were critical for keeping their businesses running. 74% went beyond that to say that they wouldn’t be able to operate their core business offering without using cloud services. Clearly, it has had a huge impact on small businesses. The survey also asked these small businesses if cloud software helped them during the pandemic. 76% said that cloud services were critical for their business’ survival and operation during the pandemic.
When being face to face is difficult, cloud software has been able to bridge the gap and keep businesses running and operating smoothly. This has not only been true during the pandemic but also during the challenges that winter brings. With a polar vortex breaking records for snowfall and cold and making transportation difficult, even for people to get to work, cloud software is becoming more critical than ever.
Communication
Cloud software is also indispensable for communication both inside and outside of the business. Within the companies surveyed by SBEC/TechnoMetrica, 79% agreed that their businesses could communicate more effectively or better manage their customers during COVID-19 because of their cloud services. It also helped these businesses communicate with their employees. 84% of surveyed companies said that cloud software improved the collaboration and productivity of their employees.
Communicating inside and outside of your business has become especially important over the past year, and it doesn’t look like that will change. Even after the pandemic passes, we’ve seen the need for rapid communication in other circumstances. Using cloud services frees you from access from only a computer in your shop, and you’re able to communicate more easily with both employees and customers. Life moves at a fast pace these days, and your shop can, too, with cloud software supporting it.
Cloud services have been a big part of keeping small businesses open during this past year and helping them reopen. 67% of small businesses in this survey agreed that they reopened more quickly and efficiently after the COVID-19 lockdown because of their cloud services. Your shop is probably already using some cloud services, but if your ERP system isn’t already on the cloud, consider making the change. It could be the difference that keeps your shop thriving instead of surviving.
See what a difference cloud software can make in your shop.
