The findings were published in a new whitepaper, “Thriving in turbulent times: A deep dive into UK business challenges”, that also revealed there remains an appetite for strategic spending, despite cost control being a business priority.
The research found a tight spread of investment priorities; mobile connectivity took the lead with 70 per cent of respondents likely or extremely likely to invest, followed by cybersecurity (66 per cent), digital phone line (64 per cent) and broadband (62 per cent).
In response to the analogue PSTN switch-off by December 2025, businesses are making progress. Three in ten respondents have prioritised a shift to digital, all-IP solutions (with larger businesses leading the way). But there’s still work to do in the channel as 29 per cent of businesses polled still don’t understand the benefits to their business. Partners must further support and encourage SMEs in particular to drive all-IP migrations and focus on the digital horizon.
Encouragingly, 88 per cent of businesses are satisfied with their providers. Around one third expressed they are ‘extremely satisfied’. There is a gap between SME (32 per cent) and enterprise respondents (40 per cent), as well inter-sector differences; manufacturing being most likely to report extreme satisfaction and hospitality the least likely.
Gavin Jones, channel partners director at BT Wholesale, said, “It’s great to see that businesses are generally happy with their technology providers – channel partners work hard to build value-adding customer relationships. But the findings highlight how important it is to keep an open dialogue with customers to fully understand how to best service their needs. It’s all about providing a consultative sales approach backed by ease of doing business.
“What’s more, with the PSTN switch-off fast approaching, it is clear channel partners must work to spark UK businesses’ digital imagination and help them understand how the move to IP can future-proof and unlock new opportunities. It’s the end of the line for PSTN, so if you’re not doing it, a competitor is already trying to.”
