C-Level Executives Also Cite Concerns about Customer Satisfaction,
New Sales
and Technology Issues
June 23, 2008 · New York · The majority of New York business owners polled in a recent survey said the U.S. economy was their chief worry, with 94 percent saying they were "extremely" or "somewhat" concerned about the continued downturn. In the survey of small- and mid-sized business (SMB) executives in the New York metropolitan area, keeping current customers and getting new ones topped the list of what most leaders are focused on, and many viewed technology as a key way to do that.
More than 81 percent of executives who responded said that customer service (50 percent) and sales (31.3 percent) were the most critical things needed to achieve their overall business objectives, according to the survey conducted by Managed Systems, Inc., a New York-based technology services provider.
Of the key IT issues facing SMBs today, dealing with the surge in mobile devices like Blackberrys and smartphones that combine e-mail and Internet access with voice capabilities ranked first or second among respondents. Information management and disaster recovery also were cited as important IT issues.
Among survey respondents who felt IT was a key part of their business strategy, they all strongly agreed that knowing their IT systems were working properly and available when needed was very important.
"Our business is about making development projects run smoother," said Steven Magnus, principal for Iron Bridge Consulting. "Our IT system needs to be sophisticated, reliable and most importantly, non-disruptive. Quite simply, downtime is a nightmare for our daily business."
SMBs typically handle IT through various ways, including using a limited consultant with emergency-only support and no long-term strategy; hiring an expensive full-time employee, which adds considerable costs and constrains expansion; or doing it themselves, which diverts precious time that could be focused on revenue-generating activities.
Using a managed services provider, however, provides three key tangible benefits:
- Increased Worker and Executive Productivity By outsourcing IT, business owners and employees are freed to focus on the core aspects of their business that is most important to them: their customers and prospects.
- Gaining Control Over Their IT Spend With growth or downsizing, SMB managers can have a predictable monthly expenditure to handle every aspect of their technology, from e-mail and secure remote access to Blackberry management and 24/7 support.
- Simplifying Their Working Environment Automated IT upgrades coupled with the right security solutions ensure that the entire IT infrastructure is optimized for performance, producing dramatically increased uptime.
"Keeping current customers and winning new ones are the most important things facing small and mid-size business owners today," said Kevin Hart, CEO of Managed Systems. "With a well-managed technology infrastructure, executives can have the time and the resources to devote to those critical aspects of their business."
About the Survey
The survey of 14,000 small- and mid-sized business executives in the New York metropolitan
area was conducted May 14-23, 2008, via e-mail. For more information, contact Katy Zack, kzack@articulatepr.com, 212.255.0080, ext. 11
About Managed Systems
Managed Systems delivers proven technology solutions to New York's small and mid-sized businesses, giving entrepreneurs the time to focus on what they do best: Run their companies. Using Managed Systems, business owners can get control over their technology and related infrastructure costs, simplify the management and maintenance of their mission-critical technologies and make themselves and their business more productive and profitable.
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