how can my small business effectively leverage technology...
TRANSCRIPT
Jasjit Sawhney
Chairman & MD
Net4 India Ltd
India MSME Summit
How can My Small BusinessEffectively leverage technology??
A Context
My role this morning - TechnologyFROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER
1. Provide some context
2. Clear up some confusion
3. Provide some definitions
4. Debunk some myths
5. Highlight some opportunities
6. Provide some tips and shortcuts
Small Business & Technology
Typically:
• CONFUSING OR EVEN BEWILDERING
Web 2.0The Cloud
CRM
BusinessApps
CrowdsourcingVOIP
VirtualisationSCM
Small Business & Technology
Typically:
TOO HARD; TOO EXPENSIVE, CAPEX or OPEX?
DON’T UNDERSTAND; NO DEDICATED IT RESOURCE
As a result.....
• SME’s are underutilising and under-investing in technology
• Sometimes OVER investing.
• Viewing technology as a cost rather than an investment
What the stats are telling us..
• 9 in 10 SME’s don’t measure the benefits of IT or have a requiredreturn on investment
• The average investment in IT for SME’s is around 6% of capitalemployed vs. 14% for large businesses
• Only 38% saw IT investment as a “priority” despite 78%recognising technology could improve efficiency and 31% believingit could cut costs
• Why weren’t more investing in IT?• Cost/Lack of Funds (42%)
• Underutilisation of existing technology (35%)
• Lack of Computing Skills (24%)
What the stats are telling us..
• Those who took the leap saw business benefits:
• 92% claimed an increase in efficiency
• 82% said it helped achieve their business goals
• 73% said it reduced costs
• 64% found it helped their business increase revenue
• 62% said it increased their geographic reach
More sobering stats....
• In 2009 LESS THAN 300,000 businesses in Indiahave a website
• There are more than 16 million small businessesyet fewer than 10,000 (5%) have used searchengine marketing or search engine optimisation
The conclusion
OPPORTUNITY
• There is a huge opportunity for Small Businesses inIndia to use technology:
• Improve overall business performance
• Increase revenue
• Connect with customers in a new way
• Try BEFORGOE u PAY & pay as u GO
The Web
What technology ???
• COMPUTERS, COMMUNICATION, NETWORKS,APPLICATIONS, PERIPHERALS (DEVICES)
• The Web
• Industry/Business Specific ‘Smart’ Applications
• Online marketing
• Web 2.0
• YouTube
• Blogs
• Cloud Computing/ SaaS/Web Apps
• Back Up/ Data Recovery
• Virtualisation
• Crowd Sourcing
• Social Networking
• VOIP
• Mobility based applications
These days a website is mandatory
Websites – Which Sell
Online Marketing
• Less than .018% of small businesses have a website
• 80% of internet using people use the web to research purchase decisions’
• There are more than 16 million small businesses; less than 10,000 haveused search marketing
• Fish where the fish are
• Get online!
Cloud Computing
SaaS – Pay as you go
Business Apps – Generic and Vertical
Web Apps
SaaS
Web Apps - Collaboration
Project Management
Knowledge Sharing -Wikis
Meetings & Calenders
CRM & SCM
Unified Communications
Disaster Recovery
Online Back up and Recovery
Virtualisation
Remote Use of Resources
Crowd Sourcing
The Power of the Crowd
Infinite, inexpensive, skilled resource for SMEs
VOIP
Virtual PBX
Number Portability
Inexpensive Calls
Employee Flexibility
Better Customer Service
Mobility
Apps
Streamline Logistics
“Always On” comms
Customer Service
Mobility Revenue Generation
Pizza Hut iPhone appgenerates $1m of salesin 3 months
Hard to find SMEs whohave yet jumped in
Industry Specific ‘Smart’ Applications
Designed to address specific industry orbusiness issues
Demand Forecasting – a nightmare
Conclusion
Technological change is accelerating
Rather than a threat it provides a rich opportunity for SMEsprepared to engage
Increased revenue;
decreased costs;
greater efficiency;
much, much better customer engagement
Access to a larger market
It is not as costly or as daunting as many fear
Take the plunge: Get into it!