Technology. You can't live with it; you can't live without it. There's no doubt that it makes life (and business) easier, but making it a seamless part of your day-to-day operations takes some effort, intention—and trust. Often small-business owners are slow to take advantage of technology not because they don't know what's avaliable, but because they are skeptical of it, according to a survey conducted by Warrillow & Co., an advisory services company that works with small-business marketers. Owners may be hesitant to invest in new technology if they believe that implementing it will cost them more time and money than they could save, the report says.
The survey illustrates the "inertia gap" between owners' awareness of online business applications and their adoption of them. A few of the highlights:
•64 percent of small-business owners are aware that they can buy search terms, but only 9 percent actually do so.
•92 percent know that they can access business e-mail remotely, but only 43 percent do.
•59 percent are aware of the ability to use software as a service, but only 17 percent do.
•84 percent know that they can use online applications for customer service, but only 49 percent do.
Learn more about the reasons behind small-business owner's reluctance toward technology in B-to-B magazine. If you can relate, check out our low-stress guide to making technology can work for your business in our April/May Manual.
Posted by Emily McMackin on June 8, 2007 08:31 AM
