Hi-tech jargon leaves small firms in dark

Small businesses in the UK are failing to make full use of cutting-edge technology because of the jargon associated with IT, according to new research published today.

More than two in five bosses interviewed for the survey believe the sector is most guilty for using jargon, way ahead of sales people and lawyers.

The poll also found that 41% of managers said they switched off when confronted by jargon-users, with almost a third pretending to understand what was being said.

One example used in the poll was that of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) - the technology that allows phone calls to be made over the internet.

Managers were asked if they understood what “asking your SI (systems integrator) to handle your VoIP” meant.

Only 21% of interviewees answered correctly, with more than half saying they were completely in the dark and 10% believing it meant asking a safety inspector to conduct a Visual Office Inspection Procedure.

Campbell Williams of communications firm ATC, which commissioned the survey, said: “The survey shows what we have suspected for some time: that the IT sector speaks an entirely different language to the business person.

“The big problem with such miscommunication is that businesses become blinded by science and are unable to understand how they could save money and improve customer service through using new technologies like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).”

Smaller firms are losing out because they do not have the money to employ technical experts who can cut through the jargon, he added.

Unless steps are taken by the IT industry, the “digital divide” between large and small companies will therefore continue to grow.

The research concludes that IT professionals need to go “back to basics” by dropping the jargon and communicating in terms of how technology will benefit business in simple, practical ways.

ATC said it plans to launch a campaign to champion the use of plain English in the technology sector in the coming months.

Mr Williams said: “Successful business people tend to be straight-talkers and we believe the tech industry owes it to them to do the same.”