A new survey of 1,000 workers at UK SMEs, which was conducted by broadband ISP Onecom (vested interest), has found that 86% of respondents had to overcome “significant telecommunications challenges” (e.g. home working) in order to maintain as close to “business as normal” as possible during the COVID-19 crisis.
Apparently the biggest single challenge, which was faced by 50% of workers, stemmed from the issue of facilitating group calls or finding messaging platforms that worked for their team. Meanwhile 27% found it difficult to manage employees remotely and 25% experienced home-based interruptions (e.g. dealing with childcare, deliveries or being distracted by a partner).
The learning curve of new skills and wider difficulties also resulted in a rising occurrence of communications errors, at least initially, which affected 31% of respondents. The full table of results can be found below and as business adapt then it’s expected that many may choose to retain a greater level of home working going forward.
The most common communications and technology challenges that SMEs have overcome since the coronavirus lockdown | ||
1 | Facilitating group calls or finding messaging platforms that work for your team | 50% |
2 | Managing employees remotely | 27% |
3 | Home-based interruptions | 25% |
4 | Taking and receiving calls | 24% |
5 | Responding to and receiving emails | 23% |
6 | Getting to grips with too many different communications platforms | 22% |
7 | Communication issues due to lack of face-to-face time | 22% |
8 | Motivating employees remotely | 21% |
9 | Issues with broadband connection | 21% |
10 | Finding software that facilitates remote working | 20% |
11 | Facilitating client or supplier calls | 18% |
12 | Meeting the social needs of the team/staff | 17% |
13 | Managing team priorities | 16% |
14 | Lack of available hardware (e.g. computers, phones) for staff | 15% |
15 | Managing when employees work (e.g. employees working too late or not enough) | 15% |
16 | Having to re-engineer work that has traditionally been done in person | 14% |
17 | Maintaining robust security | 14% |
18 | Getting access to industry or company-specific software applications from home | 13% |
‘telecommunications’???
As per Wikipedia: “Telecommunication is the exchange of signs, signals, messages, words, writings, images and sounds or information of any nature by wire, radio, optical or other electromagnetic systems.”
Where did the 86% come from? ‘Home-based interruptions’ is not telecomms!