Top Line Insights from April survey commissioned by O2 Business:
- UK businesses are caught in a “complexity trap”, with 66% saying technology decisions are becoming harder to navigate
- 16% of UK businesses lack confidence in long-term growth, while 30% say technology challenges are increasing costs and slowing growth (19%)
- Leaders see a clear way forward: simplifying technology and operations to cut spend, boost productivity and unlock growth, as a third (33%) face rising costs.
- O2 Business sets out mission to simplify operations for UK firms under pressure
UK businesses are being held back by a growing “complexity trap”, with new research revealing that rising technology and operational demands are undermining confidence in long-term growth.
New Branding: O2 Business
Against this backdrop, O2 Daisy today announces it is rebranding as O2 Business, a defining move following the merger of Virgin Media O2’s Business division and Daisy Group in August last year. At its core, the new brand is focused on helping UK organisations cut through complexity – making it simpler to connect, communicate and get things done.
The business already serves hundreds of thousands of customers across the UK, ranging from large enterprises to small and medium sized organisations. Its customer base includes well known names such as Sainsbury’s, British Sugar, the RFU and Southampton Football Club, alongside a significant presence across the public sector, including law enforcement, education and the NHS, encompassing GP surgeries and healthcare settings.
The new brand will have a phased introduction across customer channels and, brought to life through live events across the O2 Business estate, followed by a programme of roadshows in the coming months.
Simplified Branding for One Mission
New research commissioned by O2 Business highlights the scale of the challenge facing today’s leaders, with 76% reporting increased personal pressure over the past two years, as organisations balance cost pressures, growth ambitions and the need to adopt new technologies.
A clear confidence gap is also emerging across the UK, with smaller businesses surveyed significantly less confident in their growth prospects than larger firms. Just 68% of SOHO (Single Office Home Office) businesses express confidence in long term growth, compared to over 90% of mid-sized and larger organisations, pointing to a widening divide across the business landscape.
While most organisations remain confident overall, the research shows that complexity is beginning to erode that confidence. 16% of business leaders surveyed say they are not confident (not very, or not at all) in their organisation’s long-term growth prospects, highlighting underlying fragility beneath the headline figures.
Removing Complexity
The findings point to a growing “complexity trap” for UK business, with technology at the heart of the challenge. Two-thirds (66%) of leaders surveyed say technology decisions are becoming increasingly complex and almost half (49%) believe their tech set up is more complex that it needs to be.
This rising complexity is already having a tangible impact on performance: increasing operational costs (30%), putting pressure on leadership time and focus (26%), and slowing business growth (19%) were the top impact of technology challenges in the last 12 months.
Jo Bertram, CEO of O2 Business, said:
“Most businesses don’t feel short of technology – they feel weighed down by it. Too many systems, too many suppliers and too much time spent trying to make everything work together. At O2 Business, we think it should be simpler than that. We’re breathing simplicity into the way business works by bringing connectivity and communications together in one joined up experience that just makes sense. When technology is easier to deal with, businesses get back time, focus and confidence – and that’s when real growth happens.”
The launch of O2 Business reflects a renewed focus on delivering a simpler, more joined-up experience for customers. Building on the combined strengths of Virgin Media O2 and Daisy, the business will support organisations of all sizes by bringing connectivity and communications services into a more integrated, easy-to-manage environment.
Simplified and Joined-Up
This includes simplifying product choices, streamlining onboarding and improving consistency across service and support, while continuing to meet the needs of businesses with more complex or multi-service requirements.
By reducing fragmentation and improving how services are delivered and managed, O2 Business aims to help organisations make faster decisions, reduce operational burden and focus more time on growth.
Matthew Riley, Chairman of O2 Business, said:
“UK businesses are the engine of our economy, but too many are being slowed down by complexity they never asked for. When organisations are tied up managing systems instead of strategy, productivity and growth suffer.Simplifying that landscape isn’t just a technical challenge – it’s a commercial opportunity. With our combined scale and expertise, O2 Business is uniquely positioned to help organisations operate more efficiently, unlock real value and compete with confidence in an increasingly demanding market.”
O2 Business customers will have access to a comprehensive portfolio of connectivity, communications and IT solutions, combining Virgin Media O2’s leading network infrastructure with Daisy’s award-winning service and support. This includes cloud-based services, Teams Phone Mobile and a range of digital-first solutions, with further innovations expected in the coming months.
About O2 Business
O2 Business is a leading UK provider of connectivity and communications services, formed from the combination of Virgin Media O2 Business and Daisy Group.
Related articles include: Virgin Media O2 and Daisy Group Announce New B2B Company
