When it comes to the use of wireless technologies for small businesses, it's unanimous -- well, almost. According to the just-released 2013 AT&T Small Business Technology Poll, which surveyed 1,000 small businesses nationwide, 98 percent of small businesses use some form of wireless technologies in their operations.
On the device front, the poll revealed that more than half (56%) of smartphones used by small business employees for business purposes are 4G, a 70 percent jump in usage from last year when only 33 percent used 4G smartphones. Nine in 10 (90 percent) of the businesses using 4G smartphones are satisfied with the speed.
Further, two-thirds (66 percent) of small businesses polled indicate that they could not survive – or it would be a major challenge to survive – without wireless technologies.
And while penetration of specific wireless technologies varies across small businesses, it's clear that small businesses nationwide are open to adopting the latest devices and solutions, including tablets and mobile apps.
"For small businesses today, wireless solutions have become part of their DNA," said Cathy Martine, AT&T Executive Vice President of Small Business Solutions.
In fact, more than four in ten (41 percent) small businesses report that all their employees use wireless devices or wireless technologies to work away from the office. Additional findings from the national survey of small businesses include:
Devices:
More than two-thirds (69 percent) of small businesses surveyed indicate that they use tablet computers.
Results indicate that the larger the business, the more likely they are to use tablets, with 90 percent of those with 51 to 99 employees using them, compared to 69 percent of those with 50 or fewer employees.
Additionally, newer businesses are more likely to use tablets, with 80 percent that are less than two years old using them, compared to 69 percent of those two years and older.
85 percent of small businesses reported using smartphones for their operations, more than double the usage five years ago (42 percent).
Mobile Applications:
Nearly one-third (31 percent) of small businesses surveyed use mobile apps, with top three reasons being to save time, increase productivity and reduce costs.
Slightly less than half (47 percent) of small businesses using mobile apps say they could not survive – or it would be a major challenge to survive – without them.
Of small businesses using mobile apps, GPS navigation and mapping are by far the most popular with 74 percent of business owners using them, followed by location-based services (43 percent); document management (35 percent); social media marketing (32 percent); and mobile payments in the field (30 percent).
For more information and additional results from the AT&T Small Business Technology Poll, please click on links to these infographics, one highlighting wireless use overall and the other mobile apps in particular.
