A new survey by the World Economic Forum has shown that the pandemic has further increased the demand for more adoption and integration technology in the workplace among SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises). However, SMEs face more barriers to adopting technology than larger businesses at this time. While 97% of global companies were able to accelerate the implementation of technology, only 23% of SMEs were able to dedicate resources at that difficult time.
Whilst smaller businesses might be more limited by budget, there is still a lot of workplace technology that can be implemented without breaking the bank that can make a big impact.
Achievable technology in the workplace for SMEs
Superfast Internet Connection
This might sound like a no-brainer – what office-based business doesn’t have the Internet? But when businesses are looking for an office space – in particular a shared office space – the actual speed of the Internet connection doesn’t come up. It’s vital to remember that a slow Internet or a connection that doesn’t manage all of the functionalities that you need as a business can be crippling for both productivity and communication.
Shared office facilities such as SEND Business Centre have been investing in high-speed connections. The Centre has a 48 fibre-optic pipeline exclusively for those in their offices, running at a 100MB capacity with a 1000MB (1GB) circuit already installed for faster speeds.
Communications
Most people are using webchat programmes now including Zoom or Microsoft Teams to name a couple. However, as it looks like the growth of digital communications is going to continue, it’s easy and inexpensive enough to create standardised backgrounds for your team, to play down domestic home office backgrounds.
Using an office space with meeting rooms for digital communications with clients is always a professional approach as well, so making sure you choose a workplace with meeting rooms for ad hoc use is essential.
Screencasting tools
Screencasting is when you create a film that shows specific activity on a computer screen with a voice-over, that you can then share with others. They can be used for a number of purposes but with more clients used to remote meetings and digital communications, this is a great way of providing demonstrations or troubleshooting from a distance. There is a variety of screencasting tools available for SMEs with inexpensive and even free options.
Online file sharing
Whilst you can continue to email each other documents, with multiple versions flying around confusing each other, file sharing programmes are more popular than ever where there is one version that people can add to and comment on.
Office space with technology in the workplace
If you’re looking for a new office rental in Surrey that embraces affordable technology in the workplace for small and medium-sized businesses, get in touch with our team to discuss flexible contracts, onsite facilities, ideal access, rural views and our superfast WiFi.
