Mobile solutions for SA employees is key

Nashua Mobile MD believes mobile solutions are the way forward

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) should consider investing in mobile solutions as part of their strategies for coping with the downturn in the economy.

This is according to Chris Scoble, managing director at Nashua Mobile. He says that mobile technologies can help SMEs to save time and money by freeing their employees from their desks and allowing them to use their time productively wherever they are.

“Technologies such as wireless broadband, Wi-Fi hotspots and cellular technologies such as GPRS, 3G and HSDPA are all helping SMEs run their businesses more efficiently. Use of these technologies forms part of a move towards convergence in the SME sector,” says Scoble.

South African SMEs are embracing the converged telecommunications environment, agrees Tertia Smit senior analyst at BMI-TechKnowledge (BMI-T). “While ADSL remains the most commonly used Internet access medium in the SME market, the adoption of mobile data cards for Internet connectivity is rapidly increasing,” she adds.

Close to 50% of SMEs in metro areas are already making use of mobile data cards. Nearly two thirds of SMEs interviewed by  BMI-T research say that they would  considering using a mobile operator for fixed line data services whilst 20% are actively requesting quotations for services.

“Mobile technologies allow SMEs to do more work with fewer resources, making it possible for them to be more profitable without compromising on quality or customer service,” says Scoble. “For example, a small business that gives its sales rep mobile access to email, calendars, price lists and other business tools essentially provides them with more time to spend with customers. That could spare the company the expense of hiring another salesperson.”