The Listening 2025: SMEs Community Questionnaire and Research |
Participant Information and Consent
This is a community-powered questionnaire built by SMEs, for SMEs. We are gathering your real experiences and feelings about technology because we believe small and medium-sized businesses need to be better understood. By sharing what’s working and where support is required, we can build a clearer picture together and invest the knowledge we gain straight back into the community.
What is this research about?
The Listening 2025 is Beetroot Consulting’s annual research initiative exploring the lived experience of SMEs with technology. The Small to Medium-Sized Business phase is being delivered in partnership with Liverpool BA and contributes to a larger 2025 study examining multiple types of human experiences with technology.
Focusing on the North West region of the UK, this study will explore:
The Listening 2025 is Beetroot Consulting’s annual research initiative exploring the lived experience of SMEs with technology. The Small to Medium-Sized Business phase is being delivered in partnership with Liverpool BA and contributes to a larger 2025 study examining multiple types of human experiences with technology.
Focusing on the North West region of the UK, this study will explore:
- What’s working
- What’s challenging
- What you are hopeful about when it comes to technology
Why does your voice matter?
By investing your time in doing this questionnaire, we can highlight the real experiences of small and medium-sized businesses across the North West. Your contribution will be part of a 2025 study that will:
By investing your time in doing this questionnaire, we can highlight the real experiences of small and medium-sized businesses across the North West. Your contribution will be part of a 2025 study that will:
- Provide a clear picture of the region
- Create language that reflects how businesses actually operate
- Offer insights that acknowledge both the challenges and the progress
- Build confidence to use technology in ways that fit your goals
Who is the researcher?
This research is led by Lisa Voakes, BA (Hons) Psych, M.Ps.S.I, GMBPsS, an Independent Occupational and Wellbeing Consultant and Researcher, engaged by Beetroot Consulting to lead the research component of The Listening 2025 project.
While Beetroot Consulting focuses on supporting organisations with technology and digital people change, we recognise that robust research requires independent expertise. Lisa brings this independence and specialises in workplace wellbeing, digital relationships, and the human side of technical and digital change.
Her approach is practical, evidence-based, and people-focused, delivering insights that are credible, rigorous, and relevant to small and medium-sized organisations.
What will you receive for completing this survey?
By completing this questionnaire, you’ll receive:
This research is led by Lisa Voakes, BA (Hons) Psych, M.Ps.S.I, GMBPsS, an Independent Occupational and Wellbeing Consultant and Researcher, engaged by Beetroot Consulting to lead the research component of The Listening 2025 project.
While Beetroot Consulting focuses on supporting organisations with technology and digital people change, we recognise that robust research requires independent expertise. Lisa brings this independence and specialises in workplace wellbeing, digital relationships, and the human side of technical and digital change.
Her approach is practical, evidence-based, and people-focused, delivering insights that are credible, rigorous, and relevant to small and medium-sized organisations.
What will you receive for completing this survey?
By completing this questionnaire, you’ll receive:
- The Listening 2025 Essential Tech Guide for SMEs, including practical tips and tools to help you build confidence and get ahead with tech in a manageable way.
- The option to receive our Deep-Dive Sheets, tailored to key tech challenges in your sector.
- Research findings in September, shared openly with the community, so you can see what is emerging across the sector, and use the results to support decisions, learning, and peer conversations.
How does it work, and how will your data be used?
- The questionnaire takes 15 minutes to complete.
- You can stop at any time.
- You can complete it anonymously, or choose to share your name and email at the end of the survey to receive follow-up resources (see below).
- If you share contact details, they will only be used to send you relevant resources. You can unsubscribe at any time by emailing: info@beetrootconsulting.co.uk.
- Responses will be combined into an anonymised dataset and used only for research purposes.
- All data is processed in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and stored securely.
- For more information, see our Privacy Policy and data protection.
What happens next?
Once the survey closes, we will:
Once the survey closes, we will:
- Combine all responses into an anonymised dataset for analysis and sector reporting
- Share a summary report with anyone who requests it
- Offer optional follow-up resources (like our Deep-Dive Sheets) to those who request them
What are the risks of taking part in this study?
This is a low-risk study. Some questions might prompt self-reflection on your experiences with technology. If anything feels uncomfortable, you can skip the question. Support resources will be provided in the debrief page at the end of the survey should these services be required.
This is a low-risk study. Some questions might prompt self-reflection on your experiences with technology. If anything feels uncomfortable, you can skip the question. Support resources will be provided in the debrief page at the end of the survey should these services be required.