Mississauga, Ontario - September 12, 2006 - Microsoft Canada Co. captured small business views in a new national survey conducted by Ipsos-Reid*, reporting that 86 per cent of Canadian small businesses believe that training is highly important to maintain a competitive advantage and on average are spending $900/year on employee education.
In fact, a good majority (70 per cent) of small business owners want their employees to brush up on their technology and software skills. In addition, many plan to invest in employee training over the next year in order to improve productivity and efficiency. While most small business owners place strong value on employee training, lack of time (33%) and money (36%) usually prevent them from being able to implement training programs.
For time crunched small business owners there are online training web sites like Microsoft Small Business (www.microsoft.ca/sbplus), a free online resource that provides access to business and software training. Small business owners can access the online training modules whenever they like and can start and finish the session at a time that is convenient for them.
"Employee training doesn´t have to be expensive or time consuming - there are a number of free resources that can help small businesses improve business and technology skills," said Neil Beattie, Professor, Continued Education, Business Studies, Sheridan College. "Microsoft is making it easy for small businesses to access the training they need, when they need it with Microsoft Small Business ."
Canadian small businesses can log onto Microsoft Small Business and access over 100 software modules and over 30 hours of business and technology training by third-party experts. Small businesses can access these modules online during their lunch hour or any time that is convenient for them. Training modules include how to perform calculations on data using Microsoft ® Excel´ spreadsheet software, tips and tricks on changing the looks of documents with Microsoft Office system, how to identifying your best customers, and how to back up and restore your business information and files.
In addition to using online sites, small businesses can use the following tips to start their own employee training programs:
1. Appoint one or two people within your company to spearhead employee training
2. Survey employees to find out what type of training is most important
3. Create a dedicated time for training - whether its quarterly sessions or mini seminars that take place over lunch
4. Research free and paid training options
"Small Business owners clearly see the value in training programs and Microsoft is working to deliver resources, like Small Business , that respect both their budget and time constraints while helping them grow and thrive," said Andrea Van Leeuwen, Small Business Group Manager, Microsoft Canada.
Regional Findings:
o A majority of small business owners see skills-learning as a very important contributor when it comes to delivering excellence in customer service (73%) and quality control.
o Those in Ontario (85 per cent) and Alberta (83 per cent) are the most likely to point to skill-learning as an important contributor to "business development or sales".
o Small business owners in Saskatchewan/Manitoba (average $1666/year) spend the most per year on employee training, followed by those in Alberta (average $1172/year) and those in British Columbia (average $940/year) - those in Atlantic Canada (average $378/year) and Ontario (average $701/year) spend the least.
o Online instruction/courses are most popular among business owners in British Columbia (35 per cent).
Microsoft Small Business is currently available to English-speaking small business owners, with a French site set to be launched in December 2006. For more information or to sign up, please visit: www.microsoft.ca/sbplus.
*The online poll of 863 small business owners (small business was defined as 20 or fewer employees) across Canada was conducted in July 2006 by Ipsos-Reid.
About Microsoft Canada
Established in 1985, Microsoft Canada Co. is the Canadian subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq "MSFT") the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. Microsoft Canada provides nationwide sales, marketing, consulting and local support services in both French and English. Headquartered in Mississauga, Microsoft Canada has 10 regional offices across the country dedicated to empowering people through great software - any time, any place and on any device. For more information on Microsoft Canada, please visit www.microsoft.ca
For further information, please contact:
Cortney Anderson
High Road Communications
(416) 644-2260