While the Indian government has announced many policies announcement to support Small and Medium Enterprises, SMEs need to take advantage of these policies and post COVID -19 are more than ever required to focus on following strategic objectives:

1. Customer Delight
2. Working Capital Management
3. Hiring and Retaining Skilled Manpower
4. Marketing Strategy
5. Cost Control
6. Capex for Modernization and Expansion
7. Government Liaison for approvals and compliance

SMEs can leverage technology and can achieve strategic focused business objectives, Let's discuss each strategic objectives and how technology can facilitate SMEs to achieve those strategic objectives:

While we discuss technology solution, We will emphasis on the use of open source technologies, the implementation methodology and the return on investments.

Customer Delight

Delighting a customer is just more than meeting their needs, it's about building a relationship through continuously providing the best product and competitive price with the highest quality as perceived by customers and products and services must be backed by superior service and effective communications.

There are different ways SMEs may delight its customers and there is no definite method, tools and techniques available to measure customer delight, SMEs can take following minimum measures to delight its customers:

1. Timely Delivery
2. Listen to Customers
3. Offer them the best suitable product/service for their needs
4. Offer them something additional
5. Effective Communication
6. Provide Flexibility

However SMEs can periodically perform customer surveys and request for candid feedback from customers, The feedback can be then analyzed for root causes and any issues in pricing, operations and or services can be rectified and optimized.

To be continued...

Author: Rajneesh Sheth, Group IT Head | Software Delivery Head | CIO - Viiking Ventures Pvt. Ltd.

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