There are now over 5.5 million small to medium size businesses (SMBs) in the UK, 5.47 million of them being small (49 employees or under) and 35,900 of them being medium sized businesses (50-249 employees).

In recent years, there has been a huge increase in SMBs, which in turn has accelerated the demand for easily accessible technology and digital platforms.

However, though there may be more software available to these businesses, there is still a shortage of IT and digital skills amongst employees.

Why are Digital Skills so Important for Small Businesses?

A common factor in SMBs is that employees need to carry out several jobs, some of which they may not have the skills or knowledge to do, causing stress and frustration amongst teams. There can also be a lack of equal opportunities and access to guidance and support for small businesses, which can ultimately hold them back and limit their opportunity to develop skills and grow as a company.

Technology is only useful to a business if people know how to use it and put it to good use. Digital skills enable businesses to improve the way they communicate and connect with customers. Having the right skills for new systems and workspaces helps employees stay productive and confident in their digital environment.

Achieve More in Your Small Business with Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 is an intelligent cloud-based productivity and collaboration platform for businesses, designed to help organisations and individuals stay connected and productive with innovative tools, features and apps across Office 365, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint and more.

The Microsoft 365 platform enables employees to work remotely with ease. Enhance your organisation’s efficiency and create a secure anywhere working environment using the vast range of productivity and security apps that come with Microsoft 365, such as:

Word

• Write, create, edit, and co-author documents with your colleagues across the globe and save documents in the cloud, ensuring they are available anywhere, on any device.

Excel

• Microsoft Excel is the leading spreadsheet app and data analysis tool designed to help novices and experts alike easily analyse and gain valuable insights from your data with its friendly interface and machine learning.

PowerPoint

• Produce professional presentations with Microsoft PowerPoint. Built in the cloud, PowerPoint enables you to create, edit, present, and share slides with anyone, from anywhere.

Teams

• Microsoft Teams is the trusted collaboration workspace for seamless voice, video, and chat communication. Chat, call, share documents and collaborate in real time with Microsoft Teams and unify your workforce across locations.

SharePoint

• SharePoint is a cloud collaboration and document management platform that uses workflow applications, databases, and other web components to empower teams to collaborate with ease.

Outlook

• Microsoft Outlook, backed by Microsoft security, enables every employee to stay connected and organised at work. Manage your email, calendar, tasks, and contacts together with ease from one place.

How Can 848 Help Your Small Business Improve its Digital Skills?

848 is an end-to-end IT partner specialising in the Modern Workplace and Microsoft 365.

With our Microsoft 365 Training Courses, we can help your team  learn and advance  their digital skills with instructor-led training; from introductory courses that help your team learn the essentials of Microsoft 365, to advanced courses that can help employees to level up on their digital skills.

Not only can we improve your team’s skills in Microsoft apps such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint, but we also teach the fundamentals of cloud collaboration tools across Microsoft 365 including Teams and Outlook.

Our range of instructor-led Microsoft courses are delivered by our expert training specialist who has over 20 years of experience and has taught hundreds of business-end users how to best utilise the features and benefits of Office apps since 2001. Additionally, our specialist has recently added cloud collaborations tool training to this repertoire to enhance teamwork across locations.

Our Microsoft 365 Training Courses can be taught via virtual classes with flexible timelines or through half and full day onsite classroom style training, giving you the flexibility to learn in a way that benefits your SMB best.

Book a Free Half-day Training Course with 848

If you’re a small to medium business (under 250 employees) who is looking to learn the essentials or up-skill in Microsoft 365 or Office Suite, and would like to book a free half-day training session, you can register your interest and find more information here.