Technology adoption fuels recovery tipping point for UK SMEs

New research from BT Business shows that small businesses at the forefront of technology adoption have been the least impacted by the recession, with those most reluctant to bring in new technology suffering the most.

Companies with a positive attitude to technology adoption had a 69 per cent better than average experience of the recession, whereas technology laggards suffered a 34 per cent worse recession experience than the average experience.

The 2009 Business Pulse report, with 7,200 respondents, is the UK’s largest survey of small and medium businesses this year. In spite of the challenging environment, the survey shows widespread recognition of the importance of technology in reducing costs and increasing efficiency and competitiveness.

Thirty per cent of businesses say that they have saved money through using technology. Thirty two per cent say that they are using technology to network and obtain advice and more than a quarter (28 per cent) say that they have found more customers through its use. Nearly one in five cited the use of technology to support flexible working as having one of the most significant impacts on how they have managed the recession.

The research measured the current health, drivers and inhibitors to successful UK business, to understand the full impact of the recession on small firms. Respondents were indexed by age, gender, region and industry sector and findings clearly show that the high concentration of technology innovators in London and the North East make these regions better equipped to succeed than their counterparts in other regions.