{"id":1310,"slug":"mckinsey-smb-channel-preference-2022","title":"McKinsey (2022, ~3,500 US SMBs) — SMBs use digital channels 20-30% more frequently than analog; \"assisted\" channels (chat, email) beat pure self-serve; <15% want phone/voice","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","smb-owner","candid-team"],"topics":["client-portals","self-service-adoption"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** McKinsey, \"Winning the SMB tech market in a challenging economy\" (~**3,500 US SMBs**, March-Nov 2022 panel): \"Small businesses now use digital channels… **20 to 30 percent more frequently** than they do unassisted 'analog' channels… **'Assisted' channels, such as chat and email, are even more popular among SMBs than pure self-serve options**, like company websites.\" <15% want phone/automated-voice.\n\n**Source:** https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/our-insights/winning-the-smb-tech-market-in-a-challenging-economy\n\n**Confidence:** Verified (primary research, independent).\n\n**Caveat:** McKinsey sells consulting but is **not a portal vendor**. This is the strongest independent demand evidence — and it cuts both ways: yes to digital, but **assisted (chat/email) over self-serve**.\n\n**Why this matters for Candid:** The polite anti-portal data point. SMB customers prefer email and chat to pure self-service. A portal that asks them to switch behaviour fights this preference. Pair with [[gartner-2024-14pct-self-service-resolution]].","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-client-portals-smb-june-2026","title":"Research brief: client portals for SMBs — the honest case (June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"caveats-client-portals-vendor-marketing-base","title":"Caveats for the client-portals brief: source-incentives are pervasive; the independent anchors are McKinsey and Gartner; market-size figures unreliable; the viral 42% stat is misattributed","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"gartner-2024-61pct-rep-free-69pct-inconsistency","title":"Gartner (632 B2B buyers, Aug-Sep 2024) — 61% prefer overall rep-free buying; 73% actively avoid suppliers who send irrelevant outreach; 69% report inconsistencies between vendor website and what reps tell them","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-20T17:57:32.088Z","updated_at":"2026-06-20T17:57:32.088Z"}