Upwardly mobile: small business communications are on the move

A recent report by Quocirca has shown that small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) are using mobile networks as a key point of business communication.

The report found that mobile phone numbers and email addresses are the primary point of contact for most SMBs. It is now more common to show a mobile number on a business card than a fixed line number, and most will also show email address and fax numbers.

SMBs are using mobile phones for more than just phone calls and text messaging; they are also being used for mobile email, web browsing and instant messaging. Whether employees have access to a fixed line phone or not, they will generally prefer to pay extra for the convenience of using their mobile phone.

The mobile phone is preferenced despite the fact that reception is not always reliable. More than a third of SMBs experience problems with mobile coverage at work, while over half will have signal problems at home.

3G laptops are already making an impact on SMBs, with a third of all businesses already using the product, and a further 17% planning on joining them over the next year. On the other hand, over half have no plans to roll out 3G phones, reflecting the fact that high mobile data prices are still a concern.

IP telephony services are popular among SMBs, with around a quarter of businesses providing alternative phone identities such as Skype on their business cards. A similar number are using consumer VoIP products to make cheap business calls, with these set to exceed the use of consumer tools over the next year.

Over half of SMBs would be interested in using broadband services (such as VoIP) to reduce mobile call costs. Around the same proportion would be interested using a provider which bundled phone and broadband services.

The report concluded that mobile networks have become a crucial part of SMBs business communication, not only for mobile calls, but for a variety of data-transferring activities. This comes despite the fact that mobile phones are more expensive than fixed line calls, as well as being less reliable for reception. With this in mind, SMBs are eager to find ways of reducing call costs, and to ensure employees have access to adequate mobile coverage.

Download full Quocirca report

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