Having weathered the recession, the 4.8 million small businesses across the UK are looking forward to an improved outlook in 2010. Like the majority of these, I expect your business has discovered new cost savings, efficiencies and opportunities. Now that conditions are slowly improving, what steps can your firm take to capitalise on market conditions and grow your business?

Of the small businesses I speak to, the majority are looking for ways to reduce operational overheads, improve productivity through allowing their team to focus on real business matters and cutting down office expense by fostering more flexible working practices.

Recently, those that implemented home working schemes found, unlike many others, they maintained productivity despite the adverse weather conditions. Last year small businesses became leaner, more reactive and competitive, whilst many larger enterprises entered a period of transition, during which they become less functional and competitive.
With the communication technologies available, it is possible for small firms to remain effective and competitive whilst working in home-office environments

During these times, larger businesses tend to focus less on survival and spend more energy on securing margins and budgets. This often leads to corporate political and budgetary repositioning and new teams taking on new roles with lower budgets, unstable leadership and often confused agendas.

This is a period of opportunity for small firms, where they can out-manoeuvre larger competitors and win new business. However, the problem many face is that of perception. From a customer perspective, having dealt with large enterprises, engaging with a SME should mean a more personal and tailored service. However, small firms need to ensure that this is combined with the same levels of professionalism that big businesses display.

The customer needs to feel they are entering into a relationship with an established and trustworthy entity. Receiving emails from personal accounts, having their call diverted to a generic answering service or not having it answered at all, are all everyday examples that can ruin the perception the customer has of your business.

With the communication technologies now available, it is possible for small businesses to remain effective and competitive whilst working in decentralised home-office environments. Unified Communications products enable small businesses to give customers the big-company feel they need, whilst still being able to deliver the personal service that makes a loyal repeat customer.

For small businesses, the majority of their communication is likely to be via email and appointment scheduling, so they should first look for solutions that give business grade email, shared calendars and mobile synchronisation.

Voice is used for a majority of the business critical interactions, so make sure your telephony system gives out the right message. Customised voice menus to help your caller reach specific departments, one number that simultaneously rings a desk phone and a mobile, and crystal clear high definition voice are all good features to demand.

There are many solutions available, but not all will match your requirements. Just like SAP and Oracle aren't the first choice vendors for many small businesses, you will find Unified Communications solutions that are built specifically for your needs and can help your company grow this year.