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Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are moving beyond traditional workplace tools to embrace emerging technologies and unified platforms to achieve their strategic objectives.

Data drawn from our biennial Future of Operations study shows projected investment in the Productivity operational domain climbing by 12% on the previous 2023 data release.

 

For our partners, understanding these trends provides critical insight into how best to align offerings and capture new opportunities in the modern workplace.

In the sixth of our Future of Operations Insight series, we will dive into the key insights from the study that relate to how SMB decision makers will drive their ambition for revenue growth, competitiveness and above all – enhanced experiences – through to success.

SMBs reshape digital productivity goals

SMBs reshape digital productivity goals

Between 2023 and 2025, small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) in Asia Pacific have put their essential productivity foundations in place.

Data from the Future of Operations study shows a 49% penetration rate for conferencing tools, digital workflows, and workstream collaboration platforms amongst participants.

There is continued room for growth in these categories, yet the real opportunity is in what comes next.

Critical business objectives will drive the tech agenda.

To understand what will drive technology adoption in the Productivity domain, let’s look at what SMBs in the region ranked as their most critical business objectives*:

80% improve customer experience

73% improve employee skills and capabilities

72% improve the ability to innovate

67% improve employee and business partners’ experience

Achieving these goals ensures SMBs will achieve the overall #2 objective of revenue growth (77%).

*Source: The Future of Operations, Advancing AI=Driven Innovation and Cloud Agility for Small and Medium Sized Businesses, conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Crayon, March 2025.
How SMB IT leaders are aligning.

How SMB IT leaders are aligning.

72% enabling tech driven innovation and experimentation

70+% improving IT capabilities to enhance customer and employee experience

69% enhancing cross-organisation collaboration

65% aligning investment initiatives with strategic business objectives

64% implementing AI enabled/Gen AI tools

Business and IT leadership in SMBs are clear on what is needed to achieve prioritised objectives.

 

 

This translates into solution adoption intent for:

  • AI-enabled productivity tools
  • Unified communications platforms
  • Flexible desktop and device management
Investment in AI surges...

Investment in AI surges...

SMBs are rapidly increasing their investments in AI.

Currently, 24% invest between $200,000-$300,000 USD, and 22% allocate between $50,000-$100,000 USD in AI annually.

Moreover, a striking 48% of SMBs plan an 11%-20% increase in AI spend by 2027.

This significant investment shift underscores that AI is more than an add-on. It will be the foundation of digital workplace productivity, collaboration, and workflow automation.

Nearly half of all SMBs surveyed are already leveraging or planning to implement AI-driven virtual assistants, bots, and natural language processing (NLP).

 

...but SMBs need help.

SMBs require comprehensive support to successfully embed AI into their productivity frameworks.

Asked about the main drivers for third-party engagement of IT expertise in the Productivity domain, the top three responses from SMBs were:

  • 51% AI adoption training
  • 49% AI user training
  • 47% AI readiness assessments

Partners have an opportunity to line up GTM positions with the strategic drivers of solution adoption and service demand; enhanced employee skills and experience, elevated customer interactions and innovation.

Turn Insight into Action.

Turn Insight into Action.

Optimise Long-Tail Software Spend

Many SMBs still utilise numerous niche point solutions, leading to inefficiencies and inflated costs. Partners can offer substantial value by helping SMB customers rationalise software portfolios. Fragmented third-party tools can be replaced with integrated Microsoft 365 solutions that combine unified communications, automation, analytics, and workflow management.

Show customers how tapping into the broader M365 suite of SharePoint, OneDrive, Viva Insights, Viva Learning, Loop, Power Automate, Planner, and Copilot could consolidate spend and save money to be reinvested into new initiatives.

 

Package Integrated Solutions

Combine conferencing solutions (Teams), UCaaS, AI-enabled digital workflow (Power Automate, Copilot), and analytics-driven workplace insights (Microsoft Viva) into integrated productivity packages.

Such holistic offerings respond directly to SMB demands for unified solutions that enhance employee experience and enable cross-organisational collaboration.

Partners can also consider embedding AI and analytics capabilities directly within the productivity toolsets.

Tailored business application solutions (such as Power Automate, Dynamics 365 integration, and Teams-based workflows) lend themselves to deep customer engagement and ongoing services.

Solution and Service Opportunities

 

Cloud and AI Strategy Alignment

Many SMBs now recognise that cloud strategy directly impacts workforce productivity, but challenges are emerging on how to align cloud and AI. Provide strategic advisory and implementation roadmaps that align their cloud environments with their AI ambition in a modern workplace context.

Managed Cloud Operations Services

Given the rapid SMB adoption of productivity and collaboration solutions, managed cloud services are a prime opportunity. SMBs need robust support to handle integrations, governance, security, and performance optimisation across their digital productivity landscape. Managed cloud services can provide the foundation of reliable, resilient workplace productivity.

IT and Business User Training Services

Package post-sales engagement and technical training for IT teams to ensure anticipated benefits of UCaaS, virtual desktop and endpoint management solutions are producing the right outcomes.

Structured training offerings designed to lift business user capabilities around Microsoft’s comprehensive productivity suite are high value and repeatable. Developing an end-to-end approach will reinforce your ability to bridge strategic objectives to outcome-oriented executions. Importantly, you’ll move from solution delivery to value creation, with deeper customer engagements over a longer period of time.

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