Adopting a digital workplace
COVID-19 introduced the business world to challenges unlike anything we've ever seen. Unsurprisingly, SMEs unanimously said that finding new clients and serving customers were their biggest hurdles during this time. Adopting new technology can be intimidating even without a pandemic. Employee buy-in is crucial.Many businesses seem to have gained employee support during the pandemic, with 1 in 3 SMEs saying they've invested in technologies to support contactless engagement with clients. In fact, a staggering 96% of SMEs surveyed said they invested in technologies to manage disruptions in future.
At Zoho, we've seen an uptick of businesses successfully setting up Zoho's remote working apps, making it easier for their staff to communicate and cater to customer needs over long-distance. Apps like Cliq and Workdrive make back-and-forth feedback instant and simple, while Show and Meeting help you put together comprehensive pitches and presentations to discuss with teams, clients, or stakeholders.
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Inability to deliver services
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Attracting new clients
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Staff unable to work remotely
of those surveyed said they experienced new challenges because of COVID-19
COVID-19 has accelerated cloud and digital adoption
As more employees continue to work remotely, marketing and customer support tools have become top priorities for businesses investing in software and technology. In early 2020, just as we were reeling from the effects of the drought, the black summer bushfires, and the first wave of COVID-19, Zoho and Telsyte studied how regional businesses were coping. The early seeds of hybrid work environments were already being planted, with 75% of non-metro business leaders saying that being based outside of capital cities can improve their lifestyle. Read the full report here. Though many of us will go back to physical workplaces, many employees still prefer working from home 2-3 days a week. This quasi-remote work life brings new challenges.
Of the SMEs who invested in digital transformation to be more prepared for future disruptions, 1 in 3 invested in digital service delivery for customers. 28% say customer engagement is an important part of their digital plans.
Business transformation priorities for SMEs
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Operational cost savings
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Revenue growth
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Improving customer experience
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Customer acquisition and retention
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Productivity enhancements
Thanks to ecommerce platforms and a myriad of payment gateways, many SMEs expanded operations overseas, with 39% of them now expecting their international customers to increase over the
next few years.
Helpdesk software like Zoho Desk and customer data management app like Zoho CRM can help you organise incoming customer questions, feedback, and complaints and respond to each on time. It also makes it easier to manage follow-ups so you can deliver an international support experience that is both reliable and consistent.
Future investments for SMEs
As we come out of this pandemic and our economy stabilises, small and mid-sized enterprises are looking to invest even more in remote work technology. Many employers accept that their staff members prefer to work from home for at least part of their working week, and they want to make that a permanent option.
Remote learning tools
Mobile apps
Cybersecurity
Digital strategy dev
Our customers love Zoho One
"When we call our international team through Cliq, the audio calls and the video features are just as good and often even better than the apps outside of Zoho."
Our customers love Zoho One
"Through Vault, I can share a password with a third-party, either as a one-off or more often, and they don't get to see my actual credentials. That's proxied and masked so that I have security. If there's a falling out, they can't hack me. From a cybersecurity threat perspective, that itself is fabulous!"
Our customers love Zoho One
"Cliq has been the biggest surprise. We never even thought about bringing a product like that into printIQ but once we started using it, the email traffic internally dropped significantly. Now everyone is chatting all the time across the world over Cliq."
Our customers love Zoho One
"It's surprising how much you can manage while working remotely. I hate to imagine having to do this 10 years ago without half of the technology we have today. It's the technology that helps us work together, and the staff gets more done. Sure, we still have a lot of bantering, but productivity is up. Being better prepared and set up for remote work helped us a lot."
