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Intelligent SME . tech is a Lynchpin Media publication for professionals with an interest in global SME news and events . If you wish to subscribe for regular copies , then please email : info @ lynchpinmedia . com

ELLO AND A warm welcome to issue 42 of

Intelligent SME . tech . On this month ’ s front cover , we feature Steve Marsh , Manager of Maxi-Lease Car & Van Finance , based in the UK . The SME provides business and personal vehicle leasing options and offers specialist insurance solutions . The company needed to replace a member of its small team and while the search was on , they decided to take on the services of Moneypenny .

Initially , Moneypenny handled the company ’ s incoming calls so the team were able to continue to focus on what they were good at . Calls were answered quickly to create a good impression . As time went on , Maxi-Lease turned to Moneypenny to see if it could also support it on outbound calls . The service was trialled , and productivity rose by 200 %, making it a win-win solution . Turn to page 44 to find out more .

The Editor ’ s Question this month focuses on what impact AI is making on the workplace , specifically for SMEs . Four experts give their views . Turn to page 20 .

There has been an almost overwhelming consensus that cloud services are the future and for many good reasons . However , all cloud vendors are not the same and the promises that they seem to offer must be subject to scrutiny – a responsibility that falls to any organisation considering implementing it . Mark Adams , Co-founder , Inevidesk , explains what SMEs need to look out for . Turn to page 28 .

When customers interact with a business , they don ’ t think about channels and how and where that interaction is happening – they just want a good , personalised experience .

Which is why a channel-less approach to customer experience ( CX ) is now emerging as best practice . Companies need to take a fluid and flexible approach to CX and Generative AI can help . Jake Hookom , VP of Commerce and Platform at Sitecore , discusses how companies can use Generative AI to meet rising expectations . Turn to page 41 .

We also have a round-up of all the latest SME news from across our regions , while our intelligent brands section looks at what ’ s new in sales and marketing , finance , HR and customer experience .

I hope you enjoy the magazine and if you ’ d like to contribute to any future issues , please do not hesitate to contact me by emailing rebecca @ lynchpinmedia . com

Rebecca Miles Managing Editor

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