Vodafone’s V-Hub upskills over 130,000 SMBs during pandemic

One year since its launch, Vodafone’s V-Hub online knowledge and resource centre has helped 136,000 small businesses. The V-Hub by Vodafone platform has helped small businesses access digital skills expertise, provided free one-on-one support and access to an up-to-date online knowledge centre.

Cybersecurity risks, combating remote working issues, and insights into digital marketing strategies have been the most popular topics.
More than 136,000 small and medium-sized businesses have received help from Vodafone’s V-Hub support platform since it was launched one year ago.

The V-Hub by Vodafone business support platform has helped SME business leaders develop their digital skills and deal with the major challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The rapid shift to online-only business, and the move to home working has created major new security issues for many small businesses. Cyber-crime continues to rise in scale and complexity with rates increasing by as much as 31% during the height of the pandemic. These factors have led to cybersecurity being the most popular topic on the V-Hub as SMEs look at ways to better protect their business and customers online.

The second most popular subject was remote working, as businesses sought to learn about the best technologies to keep teams safe and connected. And third was digital marketing, as many businesses shifted online for the first time as physical retail closed.

With the SME community accounting for up to 99.9% of the business population and approximately half of the turnover in the UK private sector, V-Hub is a resource that aims to encourage growth by providing SMEs with the advice and guidance they need to thrive online.

Featuring an extensive knowledge centre, the V-Hub provides resources about setting up a business online, gaining exposure through digital marketing, connectivity options, collaboration tools, and keeping yourself and customers secure online. Users are also able to take advantage of free one-to-one support with a V-Hub adviser either through web chat or over the phone.

Over the past year, SMEs have faced unprecedented challenges due to the lack of information around the digital tools that are available to them. Research by Vodafone found that 34% of SMEs aren’t clear on which digital tools are right for their business needs and that 27% of SMEs haven’t taken any steps to learn new technology. To combat this, V-Hub provided over 136,000 businesses across the UK with the tools they need to help solve their challenges.

Andrew Stevens, Head of Small Business, Vodafone UK, said: “Small business founders and entrepreneurs have never had so many decisions to make when it comes to technology, especially when battling the effects of the pandemic.

“We’re delighted that V-Hub has been there to help so many businesses, and we are looking forward to creating new initiatives that will help more people to be better connected, safer, and more effective online.”