intelligent

continues to champion small businesses and provide the digital tools and insights needed for them to thrive .

“ Our research highlights not only the sheer adaptability of SMEs but also their determination to find the right way to communicate change to their existing and potential customers . It ’ s clear that during these uncertain times , instant messaging services have been a lifeline to businesses who have had to adapt and adjust their models quickly .

“ Instant messaging facilitates timely and conversational communication between businesses and consumers and as the findings show , many SMEs will still be relying on these services to succeed post pandemic .”

The survey of 1,006 SME owners was conducted in September 2020 by Censuswide on behalf of Yell Business .

Amazon collaboration

Yell has also announced the launch of a new collaboration with Amazon which will

enhance the opportunity for millions of the UK ’ s small and medium business enterprises ( SMEs ) to be found by end consumers , using Alexa-enabled devices .

In today ’ s challenging environment , it ’ s important that end consumers can search for and find business details about SMEs in various channels , including Alexa .

From October , over 2.5m of Yell customers in the UK were discoverable via Alexa . The rich content includes consumer reviews , opening hours , images and other business information .

This agreement adds to similar arrangements that Yell has in place with Apple and Bing as Yell looks to build out the value it provides to all businesses listed on Yell . com .

Claire Miles , CEO of Yell , said : “ We ’ re always looking at how we can broaden the channels from which our customers can be found . With many of us spending more time in our homes , it ’ s key to enable end consumers to search for and find the local businesses or services they need , through their preferred choices of digital channel .

“ We know that ownership of voice-activated smart speakers in Great Britain has grown by 35 % since 2019 and over two-thirds of owners interact with their voice assistants on a daily basis .

“ This arrangement with Amazon , and their fantastic cloud-based voice service Alexa , now makes it even easier for end consumers to ask for local business information straightaway .” �

OUR RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS NOT ONLY THE SHEER ADAPTABILITY OF SMES BUT ALSO THEIR DETERMINATION TO FIND THE RIGHT WAY TO COMMUNICATE CHANGE TO THEIR EXISTING AND POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS .