Being nimble is the key to surviving in today’s climate

New Business carries Sean’s article on “Being nimble is the key to surviving in today’s business”

With David Cameron suggesting that we are finally out of recession, you’d be forgiven for thinking that UK businesses would be heaving a collective sigh of relief. Not so. In this market, with aggressive competition, rapid emergence of new technologies, and lack of customer stickiness, it’s anything but a smooth ride to business success. Staying ahead of the curve, and the competition, is vital.

Every year, half a million people set out to start a business. Taking all these factors into consideration, it’s unsurprising that of these, up to a third is believed to fail in their first year.The current business environment requires an agility and ability to react quickly and effectively to market trends and client demands. Traditionally, organisations have relied on lengthy planning, tried and tested methods, and a rigid infrastructure which has resulted in most companies, especially the blue chips, suffering from heavily embedded business processes.

In the current market, it is the companies that have reacted to the changing way we communicate and recognised new technologies not as hurdles but as an opportunity to adopt a more efficient and effective pace of business, that will manage to stand the test of time and constant re-innovation. Increases in adoption of BYOD, mobile working, and cloud computing, not to mention facing increasing demand for real time communication, instant insight and customer ‘stickiness’ from clients, means that businesses big and small have a big task on their hands, and an unavoidable one at that.

Research from Gartner has suggested that organisations of all sizes are increasing investment in these areas and as a result, becoming not only more receptive to emerging market changes, but more responsive as well. This wave of change has created a huge opportunity for businesses. Never before have we had such in-depth insight into consumers, how they behave, purchase, browse, choose. Data insight has formed the core of everything we do.

The question is how to extract real value from it, and the challenge is that we increasingly live in a world where we want and expect information now. We want information at our finger tips – and not only that, but at the right time, in the right format, with the right message. The key is not only getting the right data, but having the right infrastructure in place to deliver it at the right time, to the right person, on the right device. The ability to project real time information and enable end users to interact with that information instantly turns the traditional model of infrastructure on its head. We shouldn’t need to request information continuously or experience delays in downloading information. The internet has become our number one communication channel – and we must use its potential to full effect; maximising speed, scalability, performance and bandwidth.

Effective data projection gives organisations the ability to share real time live data across any device and any connection. At Push Technology we have had significant success in achieving growth and reacting effectively to changing markets, clients and customers. I have no doubt that this is down to our ability to listen. Listen to the market, listen to our customers, listen to our investors, our partners and clients and then most importantly act upon that insight and change our business for the better.

Across the board, businesses MUST be receptive to what is going on in their environment – and ensure they have the ability to react to changes and adopt new methods of working. This change in thinking takes time – but it absolutely has to happen. Businesses that don’t invest in building a more flexible infrastructure that can facilitate a more dynamic data conversation between brands, businesses and end users will without doubt be left behind. Added to which, if they get it wrong, there are now more opportunities than ever for customers to inform other potential customers via the internet. Getting it right first is critical.Be responsive and receptive. Change your business to be more agile through investing in new technologies and getting support from experts. Those living in the past won’t be around for much longer.