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Small business owners are using technology to make their firms more efficient and boost customer engagement - but small companies' adoption of new systems and processes isn't always seamless.

The National Small Business Association, an advocacy group, reports this week that small companies are using technology to make their employees more productive and interface with customers. According to an NSBA survey , 44 percent of small firms let their workers telecommute, up from 19 percent three years ago - and 86 percent of small business owners operate a website to promote their products or services.

But technology adoption can be a double-edged sword for firms without large IT departments.

Of the respondents to the NSBA's poll, 69 percent of those with websites say they find making updates to their sites onerous - and 43 percent of the 200 respondents said they spend at least two hours per week troubleshooting technology problems.

Still, with small businesses increasingly squeezed by the sluggish economy - company owners remained pessimistic about business conditions last month, a new National Federation of Independent Business poll shows - leveraging technology to drive sales growth will continue to be an imperative for small firms.

By Benjamin Foster

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