- Business cards are still relevant: 62% of respondents cite them as important
- Respondents collected an average of 864 cards in their career
- Nine in 10 respondents have not digitised all business cards they receive
- Seven in 10 respondents cite inaccurate digitisation of business card data as a top concern
- More than twice the referral business was done by respondents who shared contacts within the company
Sansan has found out how business card usage in Singapore influence the business. The company is a Japanese provider of cloud-based contact management solutions for business.
Sansan commissioned a survey of 400 executives and business managers in Singapore that has confirmed that business cards are still used to forge the first personal connection. Unfortunately things stop there.
“The economic uncertainties make it imperative for businesses in Singapore to safeguard themselves by keeping their sales pipeline ripe and running. Companies are looking to optimise sales operations for enhanced efficiencies and they’re seeking newer business avenues. The survey sought to determine if there is an area of opportunity in the way employees build their business relationships since these are a vital force behind successful business deals,” Edward Senju, Regional CEO, Sansan said.
Of those surveyed, 62% considered business cards an important networking tool. Respondents had collected an average 864 cards in their careers in Singapore. However, what happens next to the physical business cards is uncertain. Each is a potential business opportunity for the wider organisation, but many are hidden in folders, desks, or simply lost, Sansan said.
Despite growing digitisation in Singapore, where businesses are seeking increased operational efficiencies through automation and artificial intelligence (AI) for routine tasks, digitisation of business cards is a relatively new concept.
Over 90% of respondents had not digitised all their cards, with about 39% indicating no digitisation at all. More than half (52%) of respondents are still manually keying data into spreadsheets.
While respondents reported being unable to digitise business cards due to time constraints and complexity, there was also a clear lack of awareness of the cards’ benefits for the individual and the organisation.
Accuracy is a key concern for business people already digitising business cards through apps. About 72% of respondents expressed inaccurate digital transcription as a challenge because they needed to spend time on manual editing or inputting missing data on a scan.
“Businesses must be aware that digitising business cards and making a shareable cloud-based database available within the company can help their employees save time spent looking for contacts and building new relationships,” Senju said.
“This raises productivity, collaboration, and ultimately leads to sales.”
Referrals are a key driver of business success in Singapore, which reinforces the importance of human connections in triggering new business relationships. However, apart from external recommendations, companies need to stop overlooking connections that already exist within their employee network, Sansan suggested.
Respondents sharing contacts within the company are doing 2.3 times more referral business than those who are not, the research showed.
“Employees who are driving more referral business for their company are the ones that are networking over exchange of business cards, managing their relationships well and sharing these connections while making new ones using the company network,” Senju explained.
Sansan offers a customer relationship management/content management platform that creates an internal contact network based on business cards. Employees can use it to find existing connections within the company and to keep customer data continually updated.
Details:
View the associated infographic
- Respondents collected an average of 864 cards in their career
- Nine in 10 respondents have not digitised all business cards they receive
- Seven in 10 respondents cite inaccurate digitisation of business card data as a top concern
- More than twice the referral business was done by respondents who shared contacts within the company
Sansan has found out how business card usage in Singapore influence the business. The company is a Japanese provider of cloud-based contact management solutions for business.
Sansan commissioned a survey of 400 executives and business managers in Singapore that has confirmed that business cards are still used to forge the first personal connection. Unfortunately things stop there.
“The economic uncertainties make it imperative for businesses in Singapore to safeguard themselves by keeping their sales pipeline ripe and running. Companies are looking to optimise sales operations for enhanced efficiencies and they’re seeking newer business avenues. The survey sought to determine if there is an area of opportunity in the way employees build their business relationships since these are a vital force behind successful business deals,” Edward Senju, Regional CEO, Sansan said.
Of those surveyed, 62% considered business cards an important networking tool. Respondents had collected an average 864 cards in their careers in Singapore. However, what happens next to the physical business cards is uncertain. Each is a potential business opportunity for the wider organisation, but many are hidden in folders, desks, or simply lost, Sansan said.
Despite growing digitisation in Singapore, where businesses are seeking increased operational efficiencies through automation and artificial intelligence (AI) for routine tasks, digitisation of business cards is a relatively new concept.
Over 90% of respondents had not digitised all their cards, with about 39% indicating no digitisation at all. More than half (52%) of respondents are still manually keying data into spreadsheets.
While respondents reported being unable to digitise business cards due to time constraints and complexity, there was also a clear lack of awareness of the cards’ benefits for the individual and the organisation.
Accuracy is a key concern for business people already digitising business cards through apps. About 72% of respondents expressed inaccurate digital transcription as a challenge because they needed to spend time on manual editing or inputting missing data on a scan.
“Businesses must be aware that digitising business cards and making a shareable cloud-based database available within the company can help their employees save time spent looking for contacts and building new relationships,” Senju said.
“This raises productivity, collaboration, and ultimately leads to sales.”
Referrals are a key driver of business success in Singapore, which reinforces the importance of human connections in triggering new business relationships. However, apart from external recommendations, companies need to stop overlooking connections that already exist within their employee network, Sansan suggested.
Respondents sharing contacts within the company are doing 2.3 times more referral business than those who are not, the research showed.
“Employees who are driving more referral business for their company are the ones that are networking over exchange of business cards, managing their relationships well and sharing these connections while making new ones using the company network,” Senju explained.
Sansan offers a customer relationship management/content management platform that creates an internal contact network based on business cards. Employees can use it to find existing connections within the company and to keep customer data continually updated.
Details:
View the associated infographic
