The importance
of keeping
your business
connected

The past few years have shown what it can take to keep a business running. One of the big lessons has been the importance of staying connected—with your customers and with your staff—regardless of what life throws at you. Whether it's during normal day-to-day operations, outside business hours, during an extreme weather event or even a full-blown public health emergency, connectivity matters to your business.

The best way to stay connected is through technology. Let's look at how and why.

• More than three-quarters of customers want to be able to use different forms of communication for different interactions¹

SMBs should hear a clear message from customers—they want to get in touch with you in a way that suits them.

This means SMBs should adopt a strategy that allows customers to connect with them via phone, social media, text and more. But increasingly, even that's not enough.

• Consumers want "everywhere commerce,"² where transactions take place over different methods of communication, for example starting on social media and ending on the phone.

No matter the channels your company uses, a cloud-based contact center is a simple and affordable option for SMBs looking to meet modern customer expectations.

• Half of SMBs hired non-local employees for remote work in the past year³
• 90% of employees that can work out of the office want to continue working at least partially remotely⁴

SMBs can benefit from offering remote work as it helps with retaining employees⁵ while allowing you to hire talented staff from almost anywhere. Employees like remote and hybrid working arrangements because it reduces commuting time and gives them more flexibility.

Unified communications (UC) technologies allow SMBs to offer these type of working arrangements. Employees can collaborate across multiple devices, whether they're in the office, at home or in the field. Other beneficial tools include video conferencing, digital whiteboards and more.

Remote work tools can play a critical role in maintaining employee connection. They can see what their colleagues are working on and share updates both professional and personal. By investing in the right remote work technology, you can help to build a positive work culture by ensuring your employees feel heard, valued and respected.

• Weather-related disasters have increased by a factor of five in 2021⁶

Recent years have shown the lengths SMB owners will go to keep their business operating during a crisis. Staying connected is critical, even during an emergency, such as a storm, wildfire or hurricane. Verizon's award-winning network has been recognized for its strong overall performance.⁷

Verizon's 2022 SMB survey shows how your colleagues and competitors are investing in technology.⁸ For example:

• 77% added or upgraded technologies to promote greater connectivity
• 63% transitioned to digital/online operations in the past year
• 73% added or upgraded communications network hardware

The trend is clear—SMBs want to be and stay connected.

You will know what tech investments will best suit the individual needs of your business. But one thing that matters to all SMBs is the need to have a reliable and robust network infrastructure so you can make the most of whatever tools you use.