Technology loves change, ever evolving and reshaping to give you a better shape. Device, platforms and applications keep on churning into match this change in demands and expectation relationship between supplier and consumer. If you look back, not many years back, you had a manual typewriter then an electronic one, replaced with desktop computer and now iPad. A lot is done through smartphones these days from booking a flight to reserving a cinema seat, from taking a photo to scanning a large document with precision. Now buying and selling using these small gadgets at remote convention or trade fair.
The common denominating factor triggering this enormous change is off-course Internet! To do a business today, connecting customers with ease you need internet as a great disruptive force. Provides real-time access to stored data, information, instant communication with customers and suppliers has been totally reengineered and revolutionised the way a business is conducted today.
Small to Mid-sized businesses are the first one to feel this change and impact. They are also the first one to adopt new technologies. Their size is also their strength and can easily adopt a change or new technology in its true spirit. This strength help them increase productivity on much faster adoption rate than large enterprises. As the scale of impact is contiguous with the output quality so emphasis is on fast adoption rather delay and wait other case studies.
Smartphone evolution is flying at a very past pace, there is always something waiting in their wings. No sooner they spied the latest handheld device and here comes another anticipation. IPhone, Samsung, HTC, Oppo fighting for the major share and Samsung Note’s battery problem help Apple and Oppo gained some market. Samsung plans to drop the flat screen idea and will stay with curves as the rumour goes as making big margins on that. Apple plans to cash on new 4K technology. They are striving hard to handover solutions to consumer where they could on one had charge the battery fast and on the other hand that lasts long. Nokia is coming back to Smartphones in 2017 and that has been confirmed with two models D1C and P1. LG launching G6 and HTC Ocean with three handsets. Another Smartphone giant Huawei launching P10 with lots of new features, one of them is with Leica cameras. Microsoft pleased by its super-successful Surface tablets wishes to launch Surface Smartphones. Apple 8 with wireless charging and new lighter material. Rumour is that they will play with the sizes too.
JCurve and Smart Company have recently released their SME Directions 2016 survey which evaluated these new technologies those were very influential to the Small to Medium Sized companies in 2016. Over 328 respondents took participation in the survey and given their detailed responses. Survey looked at the highigh-techends mostly grasped consumer attention during that period and is very vital to understand what will be the current year direction of technology.
In survey 66% of respondents indicated that they were looking at automation to optimise their business processes and reduce costs.
Majority of businesses around 65% indicated that they were looking at automation to optimise their business process and reduce costs and wastages.
Automation of business processes has been gaining ground over recent years, automating not only helps streamline productivity but helps business to reduce its costs by being more efficient.
Stephen Canning, CEO of JCurve Solutions told Sydney Morning Hearld “That’s not surprising, considering automation can be used to increase business efficiency in so many areas, including inventory management, business intelligence reporting and enhancing the customer experience.”
Cloud is the way to go in 2017 and business will move to cloud especially ERP systems that are growing at a phenomenal rate throughout 2016 and predicted to lead in 2017 too. Survey highlighted that at least 22% of those who has not already embraced cloud accounting, are looking to implement in the next 2 years. Cloud based ERP solutions have the benefit of enabling real time access to business financial data, suppliers and sales data. We recently discussed the changing role of the accountant for SME’s in our article The Agile Accounting, which looked at how access to financial data has changed the relationship between a business and the traditional accountant role. Cloud based ERP solutions have been the catalyst for this change.
Smart home tech would also share a big lead as companies like Samsung, LG, Philips, etc. are fully geared to digitalised their Fridges, TVs, etc. Amazon is fully geared to launch their Amazon Go concept on large scale. Apple has already rolled out Apple money to facilitate it iphone users, an ease in buying things.
SME’s are looking at further embracing cloud based technologies and using it to drive their business growth. As mobile technology is eating up all other devices’ shares so a great moment will be seen in the services provided through smart technologies. Apple is long being gearing up for its version 8 as that will be a new trend setter and keeping that in mind other giant manufacture Samsung is delaying its Galaxy 8 launch to keep an eye on that. As Samsung is one of the major supplier of IPhone parts so they always ensure to take a bite in the offerings from Apple.