Vodafone Business announced this week that it has launched a new resource hub to help businesses across the U.K., Germany, Spain and Italy bounce back from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The program, which is called V-Hub, was designed for small and mid-size enterprises (SMEs). The platform will offer SMEs detailed guides on key aspects of operating in a more digitalized world, covering topics such as website creation, digital marketing, remote working and cyber security.
According to research by the European Union and Eurostat that was cited by Vodafone, SMEs create around 85% of new jobs and provide 66% of the total private sector employment , contributing 3.9 billion Euros to the European Union.
Vodafone Business' own research found that 50% of SMEs across Europe expect lower profits this year compared to 36% of their larger rivals. Compared to large enterprises with bigger capex budges and larger IT, the coronavirus pandemic has been difficult for SMEs.
In order to help insure that SMEs are in a strong position to return to business as usual, Vodafone Business launched V-Hub to support SMEs across Europe. With V-Hub, Vodafone Business customers will have access to online guides, videos and webinars, and a chat and phone service putting businesses directly in touch with experts about specific questions.
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V-Hub will also tap into the expertise of local partners and industry experts to help SMEs get the aid they need to succeed. The content will range from beginners all the way up to SMES with greater knowledge of digital services.
“SMEs are the lifeblood of economies across Europe, and it’s crucial that they are given all of the assistance they need to recover from the Covid-19 crisis," said Vodafone Business CEO Vinod Kumar, in a statement. "The past few months have shown that companies that invest in digital services have weathered the storm better by using technology to quickly adapt the way they work. We want to help those now looking to use digital technologies and ensure that they are on the right track to thrive.”
V-Hub will be offered exclusively to existing Vodafone Business SME customers for free for the first 120 days. Later in the year, the service will expand to include an SME community forum for peer-to-peer interaction that is open to all European SMEs, and an AI-enabled delivery model that will help Vodafone Business focus on the key needs of customers.