Medium enterprises get a technology boost

The initiative, termed as Ready for the Big League, is a sequel of the Vodafone drive into a big league that was started in October 2011

Vodafone Business Services, the enterprise arm of Vodafone India, has launched three key initiatives to catalyse the growth of Indian businesses, especially medium-sized businesses that are between Rs 50 crore and Rs 500 crore in annual turnover.

These initiatives leverage the latest advances in the technology-led communication and will enable businesses to increase productivity, reduce costs and improve customer responsiveness.

The initiative, termed as Ready for the Big League, is a sequel of the Vodafone drive into a big league that was rolled out in October 2011.

Talking to Business Standard, Deepak Pande, executive vice-president and head-SME business, said on the basis of the feedback from the market, it was realised that the mid-sized business entities can be benefitted more by this initiative.

The company will visit 14 Tier II towns to get the participation. A web-based diagnostic tool, Business Readiness Score Card, would help businesses measure their competitive business efficiency and take stock of their capability to deal with the volatility of today's business environment.

The Scorecard has been specially designed following a nation-wide survey to understand the real life business problems faced by businesses in India, comprising but not limited to the following: Culture and management, information technology & communication fundamentals, policies and processes and enabling solutions.

Based on a readiness score after having administered the online tool, the Business Readiness Scorecard identifies pain points and challenges that need to be addressed by the business.

This would be followed by Ready Business, a unique and innovative solution approach to empower Indian businesses overcome today's challenges and take advantage of future opportunities. It goes beyond the conventional approach and comprehensively helps address business problems using Vodafone's suite of Total Communications solutions. It helps provide answers to business problems, designed for making businesses more agile towards taking on future challenges.

The top 10 scores would get handholding from Vodafone in the form of advertisement in print and electronic media. They would also get consultation services to upgrade and streamline business.

According to several estimates, the overall improvement in the economic environment should result in the real gross domestic product growth of over 5 per cent this fiscal year. The medium enterprise segment forms the core of Indian industry, he said.