Dell extends online experience for SMBs

ROUND ROCK, TEXAS: In order to provide its customers a premier online experience, Dell is further enhancing its online offerings for small and medium businesses (SMBs) by expanding resources in the Small and Medium Business Solutions Center to provide SMBs the right technology, information and communities to grow their businesses.

The Small and Medium Business Solutions Center is now available in ten countries and features new interactive content, industry research, tag clouds and enhanced search capabilities.

According to IDC, vendor/manufacturer’s websites are the second most important resource for SMBs to learn about new technologies, cited by 34.3 per cent of small firms and 34.9 percent of mid-sized firms.

The Small and Medium Business Solutions Center, previously Small Business 360, has evolved over the past two years into a one-stop resource for industry trends, articles and research helping businesses stay competitive. It has also expanded to include the Stimulus Learning Center, which can help entrepreneurs in the United States take advantage of opportunities created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Similar websites are being established in additional countries offering economic incentives and assistance to SMBs.

The Dell Small and Medium Business Solutions Center topics include:

Technology – from business productivity and desktops/laptops to security, networks and servers.

Marketing – from customer relations to how to promote your business online and offline.

Industry-specific information – from accounting and finance to construction, law and medicine.

Business Ownership – from employee management and green business to money and office management.

Dell serves a half-billion visitors online each year and continues to build its capabilities to fit evolving customer needs. A recent survey of SMB visitors to Dell.com shows 62 percent say the primary reason they came to the Web site was to research products and pricing. To better facilitate this requirement, Dell offers Live Chat, which connects customers to Dell technology experts who can offer technology consultation or simply answer questions about configurations, services or pricing. Live Chat is available to Dell customers worldwide.

Dell is also investing to help customers connect with each other and share opinions through its community forums, accepted customer solutions, product ratings and reviews, IdeaStorm, and the Small Business Blog, resulting in thousands of small and medium ideas, discussions, blog views and comments. Dell also helps businesses connect on leading social and sharing sites Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and YouTube.