Over a third of small businesses in Scotland are experiencing IT problems every day with serious consequences for productivity and profit.
A survey from BT Business has revealed that over 35 per cent of small businesses waste 20 hours per month on IT problems. The majority of these businesses have up to 100 employees and the survey revealed their IT problems are seriously affecting their profit as they are spending over £5,000 per year trying to fix them even though 69 per cent of companies have a dedicated IT support team.
Just under half of those questioned cited slow computers as the most frustrating problem, with a further 22 per cent saying loss of the internet was a regular nightmare.
These astonishing statistics were found after business owners and employees around the UK took part in BT Business Office Warfare game. Fast-paced, fun and online, the first person shoot 'em up game allowed players to take out their IT frustrations using an arsenal of different 'weapons' including a fire extinguisher, stapler and CDs to fight the IT gremlins. Throughout the game users answered questions such as how often they experienced IT problems and what their biggest IT problem is.
“It's incredible that in today's business world where companies are dependent on IT to run their business, so much of the working day can be wasted if you don't have the right support to prevent and solve problems if systems don't perform properly. By offering a simple, cost-effective solution like BT Business IT Manager we help companies by managing their IT whilst they focus on what they do best, managing their business," explains Alan Lees, Regional Director BT Local Business, Scotland.
BT Business IT Manager is a nationwide service for small and medium sized businesses that gives them the equivalent of their own IT manager at a fraction of the cost of employing one. It enables businesses to pick and mix from a range of options and get a level of service to suit their business perfectly. This could range from advice over-the-phone,remotely running software applications and updates, to installing PCs or networks or providing a more complex long-term solution. There's even an option to pro-actively monitor a company's network to spot potential for danger and prevent problems from occurring.
