Business customers in the UK

Overall, our SME revenue during 2008 grew by 5% to £2,590 million, 31% of which was from new wave activity, compared with 28% the previous year.
     We estimate that the SME sector in the UK constitutes an addressable market of more than £18 billion. The convergence of underlying technologies is creating new growth opportunities. Customers are being offered innovative services that combine elements from previously distinct product sectors by suppliers ranging from IT companies to software vendors and web-based businesses.
     All of this can be a real challenge for many SMEs. On the one hand, they have access to services that were once only available to larger corporations; on the other, they don’t necessarily have the time or experience to stay on top of technological developments. We have the opportunity to put BT at the heart of this market and help our customers navigate its complexities.
     Our strategy is to help businesses succeed by providing them with unified communications, collaboration and commerce solutions that help them to manage their businesses, market themselves and interact with their customers in new and more efficient ways. Increasingly, these are available through a single ordering process and covered by a single service level agreement.
     Our combination of national reach and local presence, trusted brand and innovative portfolio makes the BT proposition very attractive. By putting their trust in us, SMEs can transform the way they work and free themselves to do what they do best.