Two years had passed after the COVID-19 pandemic upended economies and businesses operating not just in the country but across the globe. Since then, it has become imperative most especially for micro and small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs and SMEs) to . Indeed, having a strong connection enabled these small businesses to survive and even thrive despite an impending health crisis.
The Condition of MSMEs and SMEs During the Crisis
Such a worldwide phenomenon unveiled a lot of , and they had no choice but to migrate operations from traditional to a more innovative and technological approach. Locally, in the Philippines, much of the affected entities are MSMEs and SMEs since they make up .
During the 11th Philippine SME Business Expo Virtual Edition conducted last March 16-18, 2022, three thousand (3,000) SMEs and entrepreneurs have partaken in learning industry trends and business solutions, intending to harness businesses that are more resilient and crisis-proof. And in the said event, experts from the industry tackled the real-life challenges encountered by small businesses during the global pandemic.
First, the timeframe of business recovery is uncertain. Over the past two (2) years, there are times when the surge of COVID-19 cases is up, which necessitated stricter protocols that affect business operations. Second, businesses experienced a decline in revenue due to the reduction of customer base or spending. This also affected their decisions in terms of employment and the salary of current employees. Some have even laid off people just to keep the business going. The third challenge is the transition from a fully on-site work setup to a hybrid or work-from-home structure. Some businesses were not prepared for this, most especially in terms of resources, thus, encountering bottlenecks in operations, either internally or with third-party suppliers. Lastly, and most importantly, these changes have drastically impacted the cash flows of businesses in terms of cash funds, savings, operational costs, and contingency budgets.
Digitization is the Key to Success
Given such conditions, it was clear that businesses need to establish their strength against unforeseen circumstances like the health emergency. They need to be resilient, flexible, dynamic, and fast to be able to successfully adapt to every situation. And now, more than ever, digitization has become pivotal in every business operation. Since most customers have also migrated online in keeping themselves safe from the threats of the virus, going digital is the effective solution that SMEs and MSMEs must undertake to reach their target customer base.
Here are some of the benefits digitization has to offer your small business:
Easy Access to Your Products
One of the most important principles in establishing a business is to have your products and services available to the customers. And with everyone spending a huge chunk of time using their smart devices now, having displayed products and services on various online platforms is a great way to make your offerings easily accessible to them. They will be able to gain valuable information about your goods, and, ultimately, they can purchase their needs or wants in just a few clicks.
Better and More Immediate Customer Service
Aside from health safety concerns, people are naturally not fond of waiting in long queues. That is why the availability of various online platforms where they can channel their concerns and get answers is crucial. With the advent of new technology such as automated responses to frequently asked questions (FAQs), social listening tools, sentiment analysis tools, chatbot support, etc., the category of customer service significantly improved.
Brand Visibility and Credibility
By nature of being small businesses, MSMEs and SMEs need to establish their brand identity for them to successfully make abundant sales. Having a good website, social media pages, and even e-commerce sites are beneficial in brand-building. It reflects that the business is legitimate and an authority in its specific industry. Additionally, it resonates that there is ample information about the company or business and its products and services available for public consumption.
Income Generation
All the abovementioned benefits will lead to brand awareness and appreciation of what the business has to offer, thus, translating into successful sales. Couple this with comprehensive partnerships with entities involved in e-commerce transactions such as delivery, payment, banking, and selling, and your business’ products will be patronized by the customers.
Make Streamtech Biz Your Partner for Growth
The road to success is clear: getting a reliable partner in growing your business is critical in this increasingly digitizing world. But worry no more! Streamtech, the Philippines’ newest wave in fiber internet, is here to serve not just residential homes and huge businesses but also SMEs and MSMEs, alike.
Streamtech’s Vice President for Sales Marketing Operations, Mr. Nino Aquino, represented the organization in the said Philippine SME Business Expo. And he discussed the key points why Streamtech can be your small business’ trustworthy partner in terms of the internet and other services it offers.
Dedicated Internet Access (DIA)
This type of internet connection for businesses offers multiple local and international internet protocol streams, ensuring that the connection is fast and reliable.
Shared Internet Access (SIA)
This type of connection is for small businesses with premium quality of service with one public internet protocol address.
Domestic Leased Line (DLL)
On the other hand, DLL is local connectivity for two or more businesses or offices via Metro-E that is fully meshed.
Bandwidth on Demand (BOD)
Even if a business has a baseline subscription, Streamtech ensures that there is a standby capacity that can be used whenever the need arises.
Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS)
Like DLL, this offering of Streamtech is a connection between two or more offices through MPLS that is fully meshed.
Aside from these services, Streamtech Biz is a perfect fit for huge and small businesses alike as it offers pure end-to-end fiber connection, efficient support, high service level agreements, and value to every product.
Streamtech Exclusive Deals for PhilSME Expo Participants
Amazing news! To all the SMEs and MSMEs out there who participated in the said Philippine SME Business Expo, Streamtech has awesome deals just for you!
For those expo attendees who will apply for any of the DIA plans (start from as low as PHP 6,999 for up to 10 Mbps) or Standard Plans (start from as low as PHP 8,000 for up to 150 Mbps), you are entitled to the following benefits:
- Double bandwidth for the first three (3) months of subscription;
- Free two (2) pieces of Extendifi Wi-Fi Extender;
- Three (2) times free bandwidth boosting in a year;
- Free airing of TV advertisements on the community channel of Planet Cable, Streamtech’s partner cable company;
- Free Wi-Fi access on all branches of Coffee Project nationwide.
On the other hand, for those attendees who will avail of Streamtech’s Start-Up Plans (start from as low as PHP 2,000 for up to 50 Mbps), you will get three (3) times free bandwidth boosting in a year and free airing of TV advertisements on the community channel of Planet Cable.
So, what are you waiting for? Get connected with Streamtech Fiber Internet now and take the first step in booming your small business. You may send an email to for more details.