Ontario Small Businesses Struggle to Automate Operations
“When businesses adopt technology, they tend to become more productive, competitive, and resilient,” says the Ontario Chamber of Commerce in a recently released report, Broken Links: Driving Technology Adoption within Ontario Small Businesses,
The report also says:
Technology adoption is a perennial issue for businesses. The right digital tools can help boost their productivity, improve customer engagement, reach new markets, compete, and grow. Yet digitization can be challenging, especially for small businesses with limited access to resources, digital skills, and/or high-speed Internet connectivity.
Examples of digitizing or automating a business include:
Automatically sending an email to a client when it’s time for them to order products
Choosing and using an online platform to manage projects and tasks
Setting up workflows (computer instructions) to email staff when a client completes a survey
Using an online platform to manage quotes, invoices, payments, and financial reporting
Digital maturity is not just important for small businesses, but also for the customers they serve. In Ontario, small businesses employ over 60 percent of Ontario’s labour force. They breed competition, innovation, and choice for consumers, and their role in broader supply chains has a ripple effect across regional economies.
Broken Links: makes 9 recommendations, including:
Broaden eligibility for technology adoption programs to include non-profit organizations.
Make it easier for small businesses to access digitization supports.
The report notes that 42% of small business owners struggle to access technically skilled workers.
READ more of the Broken Links Report.
CoLabourNation aims to do something about the problem of helping start-up founders and small business owners automate their businesses.
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Our freelancers help Canadian business owners with websites, graphic design, branding, email marketing, social media content creation, digital marketing, bookkeeping and more. Our Canadian freelancers can also help you digitize or automate your business.
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