SMEs urged to utilize technology to compete

In today’s highly competitive business environment, technological advancements pose as an advantage to entrepreneurs as the movement nowadays is going towards global competitiveness.

Hence the Filipino-Cebuano Business Club (FCBC), a newly-organized group of small and medium entrepreneurs urged its sector to take hold of information and communication tools that will equip them with all the necessary requirements to be competitive in their fields.

FCBC president Rey Calooy said in an interview after their group’s business meeting held recently that utilization of ICT poses as a great advantage for any entrepreneur as it provides the basic and comprehensive platforms to speed up productivity, intensify business operations, and enhance marketing capabilities.

“You will have the advantage if your business will utilize information technology because this is already the demand of the time. You will be more efficient if you have all these new technologies and you can position yourself in the same playing field with bigger companies in the market,” said Calooy.

He also added that those who have not embraced and adopted these new developments have been left behind by other players since ICT has become an essential tool in today’s time.

He said that right now, FCBC is extending their assistance in terms of awareness building to their members so that they will be urged to adopt and utilize new facilities that employs information and communication advancements.

On the other hand, PLDT under its newly established unit called SME group is offering various ICT services and solutions to the SME sector that Calooy said will be very helpful to their business set-ups considering the growing demand of the market and the increasing level of competition these days.

In her presentation, Noemi E. Cabellon, Area Sales Head of PLDT’s SME Group Visayas Area said that ICT is offering platforms for SMEs to domestically and globally reach their business targets.

“SMEs as a fast growing market comprised 99.6 percent of all registered enterprises in the country and it employs 70 percent of the country’s labor force and accounts for 32 percent of our gross domestic products, 25 percent of our export revenues. – Rhia de Pablo