For two years, the pandemic has forced companies to adapt quickly to societal and economic changes, to changes in consumption patterns and to review their way of working. In his fifth edition of the trends report on small and medium enterprisesSalesforce offers an overview of the new challenges of SMEs and the evolution of the point of view of managers and their problems.
DOWNLOAD THE REPORTFor this study, the world leader in CRM solutions surveyed more than 2,500 SME owners and managers worldwide between June 2021 and July 2021. The objective is to offer an overview of new trends and new challenges in these companies in 2022.
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Communities and governments mobilized for SMEs
With low available cash and fewer resources, they are more fragile than large companies. To continue their development and survive during the crisis, they were able to count on governments and local communities. Two-thirds of SME managers say their support has been important to their survival. It was significant for the retail and consumer goods sectors.
During this period, SMEs requested financial aid to continue their activity and continue to pay salaries to their employees. The Salesforce Report demonstrates that the majority of businesses that have applied for aid have received it.
Customer and employee engagement as top priority
For many SMEs, the health crisis has appeared as an opportunity to strengthen their commitment with their employees and customers. To offer an effective and suitable working environment in all circumstances to their teams, companies are reviewing their way of working. They emphasize transparent communication, empathy and flexibility. For this reason, more than two out of five SMEs offered flexible work organization to their employees during the pandemic.
At the same time, small business leaders must deal with new customer expectations. For example, they prefer to speak directly with someone when contacting a company. To meet these new needs, SMEs are adopting new practices. The Salesforce Study reveals that 47% of them are more attentive to their communications with customers, and 42% have extended their contact channels. Customer security remains important, but to a lesser extent than last year.
DOWNLOAD THE REPORTIn order to deepen their customer relationships and meet these new needs, SMEs rely on digital tools. 71% of SMB leaders say their customers expect to be able to transact digitally. For this reason, 63% of SMEs are present in the field of e-commerce.
Despite the many tweaks made, small businesses still face significant challenges around personalizing customer engagement, responding quickly to inquiries, interacting with customers on their preferred channels, and implementing a connected experience.
SMEs are accelerating their digitalization
The pandemic has highlighted the importance of digital in the development of SMEs. Leaders invest in technological solutions or digital tools in order to pursue their growth. Today, 83% of small businesses have at least part of their operations online. These changes are driven by the safety and convenience of customers and employees.
As the Salesforce report points out, digital can be a differentiator for SMEs. 72% of them have managed to increase their online presence through social networks, websites, emails or advertisements in the past year. For 71% of SME managers, their company survived the crisis thanks to digitalization.
DOWNLOAD THE REPORTThese companies have massively adopted technological solutions such as customer service, e-mailing or collaborative software. The objectives are to be able to continue to offer optimal digital customer experiences and to enable employees to work in the most efficient way possible.
Embrace the changes made over the long term
The pandemic has forced small businesses to rethink their strategies. Today, they are more operational than ever. 75% of them say that the changes made in the past two years will benefit them in the long term.
In this sense, most SMEs plan to adopt the changes made over the long term, particularly in terms of organization. 77% of growing SMEs now plan scenarios to prepare for potential future crises. Regarding human resources, more than two out of five small businesses plan to allow teleworking at least half-time.
To discover the latest small business trends and key features for running your business successfully, don’t forget to download the Salesforce report.