Vodafone has announced the launch of a new support platform that will help small businesses develop their digital capabilities in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent financial crisis.
Named V-Hub, the platform will provide SMBs with one-to-one support from a team of advisers who will share tips on how to be more effective and secure online.
Customers will be able to find out how to build an online presence during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced many small businesses to remain closed for months, by learning how to conduct sales online and use web design and marketing to their benefit.
V-Hub will also provide training on online security, due to the significant rise in cyber attacks during the pandemic, as well as how to successfully work from home.
Vodafone decided to launch V-Hub after its research found that 77% of small businesses felt they needed to make better use of digital tools to grow their business, while 82% indicated that they needed to expand their online presence.
40% of respondents felt that lack of online sales knowledge had had a negative effect on their business during the course of the lockdown, while one in four felt they didn’t know enough about online security threats.
Vodafone UK director Anne Sheehan said that “it is so important to the UK that the small business community makes it through this crisis”.
“We’ve made broadband and Microsoft 365 free for six months, and now we’re providing free access to guidance that can help businesses build their online presence, or get online for the first time.
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"We’ve helped our customers through plenty of change over three decades at Vodafone, but never has the pace of change been so rapid and so vital to staying afloat. We are here to help you navigate these changes, and make the most of new opportunities.”
Entrepreneur and former Dragons’ Den investor Piers Linney, who will act as an adviser as part of the V-Hub’s 1-1 guidance service, called the platform “an excellent resource for any small business looking for tips and solutions to improve their digital operations”.
“As the economy continues to steer itself through the COVID-19 crisis, businesses will be more reliant than ever on being online – many small businesses need to upskill, not just to make the most of being online, but to do it safely and securely. Digital skills in the current climate could prove essential to their survival,” he said.
More information on the Vodafone V-Hub platform can be found here.
