SMB's in the eye of the IT storm The small and medium business segment (SMB) not a very happening market to hi-tech software vendors until recently is feeling the heat of competition, technology providers ranging from ERP and CRM companies to VOIP service providers and networking companies are making a beeline to the SMB segment with promises to remove the technology divide. A high degree of concentration by successive software vendors had filled in considerable IT space in the bigger companies bringing a near saturation in technology acquisition. This made them less responsive to marketing efforts, and prompted a shift in focus towards the SMB segment, a relatively untapped IT market. On the other hand a similar shift in marketing focus resulting out of a need to explore new markets drove the SMB companies towards acquiring new and enabling technology. Globalization of the market place and an increase in the number of local players led to stiff competition in the local markets compelling SMB's to move out of the local market into the larger turf. This brought them into direct competition with big and more established companies making it imperative to acquire cutting edge technology and streamline their processes. This mutual need and supply did not however result in a seamless flow of technology and raised some questions such as: 1.Is technology developed with the large companies in mind suitable for the SMB segment? 2. Do SMB companies have the infrastructure and technical manpower to deploy and maintain such software? 3.Does the scale of operation of SMB companies justify the cost of acquiring expensive software? 4. Technical training an essential component in the deployment of any advanced software, could be both expensive and time consuming and in some cases need induction of qualified personnel at considerable cost. 5. Costs involving customization to suit specific needs could be high. 6. The implementation of any sophisticated system or process has traditionally met with resistance from staff members in small organizations who fear its complexity and the need to shift from current systems, which they believe to be sufficient to deliver results. 7. Finally all high-end software have long ROI (Return On Investment) time frames, which might be okay for the big corporate but could prove to be a drain for the small and medium segment companies. Confronted with such apprehensions eager technology marketers raring to take on the SMB market go on the defensive and claim that they are targeting these markets with a scaled down version of the original product to suit this segment and factors like cost and operational ease have been taken into account. At EchoMail we believe that SMB companies are companies in a state of transition, with the S (Small) aspiring to move into the M (medium) scale and the medium business segment aspiring to move into the league of big companies. This we believe makes the impetus for growth more in this segment than the large companies where consolidation takes precedence over growth. A decade of working with a cross section of small and medium businesses has given us a good understanding on the working and needs of this segment. As pioneers in "Electronic Communication Management" we believe that well managed communication makes a well-managed company and electronic communication well leveraged can deliver as much as any other business tool or enabling software to the growth of a company. In the 14 years of our operation our products have delivered demonstrable results to companies in the SMB segment in cutting cost, increasing profits, retaining customers and acquiring new customers in a highly competitive business environment. The dot COM boom saw many companies entering the market as "online CRM" companies to capitalize on the CRM tag and upbeat mood that prevailed then. We realized that CRM was a broad-spectrum term and preferred to specialize in our area of core competence and be known as an "Electronic Communication Management Company". This commitment to our core area has helped us to evolve products that meet the complex communication challenges of an increasingly competitive marketplace. EchoMail products were originally developed with the large enterprises in mind, as its customer base would reflect. The SBE (Small busi... [download for more]
