Small and Medium Business Trends in 2022
January 21, 2022
By Rhia Prajes
As we welcome the new year, we tend to look back on how we were able to thrive on a challenging time while at the same time we embrace and get excited about how the future will be. The same goes for Small and Medium Business Industry who are not exempted from the major upheaval of the global economy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the new variants become threats, going back to “normalcy” is slowly regained and emerging business trends have shaped the business landscape today.
Here are some of the few Trends in 2022 that we think are worth considering for your business:
1. Remote Work. While it is uncertain as to when the pandemic will be over, being able to adapt to it can greatly help business resiliency. Organizations who adopt remote work not only offer flexibility to their employees but also give value to their customers by making sure business operations and customer service are not halted. Business owners must consider the best practices and tools on how to empower and protect their hybrid and remote workforce.
2. Collaboration and Communication. As the demand for hybrid work increases, the need for working together in real-time must also be considered. Maintaining communication within an organization facilitates smooth business operations and can contribute to the desired business outcomes. For example, using Microsoft Teams and Whiteboard would help your company centralize communication over tasks, projects, and functions whether it’s synchronous or asynchronous collaboration.
3. Workplace Values. In this challenging time, business owners need to reassure the workers both remote and onsite that they are part of a team and most importantly, they have a trustworthy and reliable leader. If a business values work-life balance, it can roll out flexible work setup and people-centric programs like providing valuable technology as a transformational driver for performance improvement and implementing activities that will solve the problem of detachment when working remotely. For example, creating a culture of caring for your frontline workers by having a seamless Workforce Management in your team can help cultivate your people while optimizing productivity.
4. Video Marketing. The idea of sharing media clips and short-form videos is a common trend nowadays since people want content that is short and simple but informative and solved the audience’s pain points. Producing in-house content like sharing success stories and customer journeys on TikTok, Instagram or Facebook Live gains higher traction and conversion. Applications like Buffer, Hootsuite, Feedly, HubSpot, among others, can help businesses to publish content, create listening platforms, and give you insights for competitive analysis.
5. Transition to the Cloud. With the demand of both having a strong digital presence and flexibility in the workplace, small businesses will certainly thrive in the competitive landscape when backed by technology and digital transformation. Limiting capacity to embrace digital and cloud technology has been redefined as remote work readiness becomes a new set of business essentials. Modernizing your IT and the environment is one way to help your business address these needs.
6. Customer Experience. As customers dictate business efforts in sales, marketing, and product development, it is of great importance to consider emerging customer experiences that will shape future business–critical factors. Since almost all the customers today are tech-savvy, they require businesses whether small or big to have an online presence 24/7 which can facilitate easy transactions and patronize businesses that put emphasis on value, client delivery, and customer success. For example, to have easy booking transactions that will work with your team’s schedule, you can opt for technology like Microsoft Bookings to seamlessly organize your schedules and appointments.
7. Flexibility in Procurement. With the delays and chaos of the supply chain problem the world is facing today, small businesses need to create a strategic and flexible procurement program to augment the procurement gap. Knowing how to cope with PC shortages, for example, is a good way to help minimize issues on productivity.
8. Mental Health. 2021 has been considered as “The Great Resignation” as brought about by the effect of the pandemic. Since then, we encountered issues on mental health and how to address it. For instance, using an application to foster a positive environment by reducing workplace stress can refine employee experience.
With these factors and trends to consider, identifying which ones are useful and relevant to your business is still your final say. Metro CSG is a Microsoft Gold Partner for both Small and Midmarket Solutions and Cloud Productivity. Should your business need help with IT modernization and improving productivity, please feel free to contact us!