HP’s Workflow Wakeup Study Turns the Spotlight onto SMB Document Workflows
March 24, 2026
Cybersecurity, Digital Transformation, Cloud print, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud, Article, Trends
HP’s Workflow Wakeup research reveals the persistent digital friction arising from outdated technology and the impact it has on business performance and employee satisfaction. Quocirca analyses the findings and explores the case for SMBs to prioritise print and workflow modernisation.
SMBs are the engines of economies worldwide. In 2025, the UK’s 5.7 million SMBs employed 61% of all workers and turned over £2.8 trillion – more than half of the total turnover of UK businesses[1]. The picture is similar globally, with SMBs representing 99% of all businesses, on average[2]. It follows that increasing productivity and efficiency in SMBs should have a strongly positive impact on growth for both the organisation and the wider economy. However, SMBs are typically less well-positioned to capitalise on technological evolution and can struggle with technical debt, limited financial resources, and a less strategic approach than larger counterparts.
HP recently conducted research among business leaders, IT workers, and knowledge workers to explore how reducing digital friction in document workflows unlocks growth potential for SMBs. The study’s findings complement Quocirca’s research on the Future of Work, underlining how a strategic approach to modernising print and document workflows can boost growth in SMBs and the wider economy, while reducing frustration for employees and IT leaders.
SMBs retain a strong affinity for print
Sixty-six percent of those surveyed by HP say printing is a necessary part of their business, although they acknowledge it is often inefficient. Quocirca’s research supports this finding, with 29% of SMBs expecting that print will still be very important to their business in 2030, compared to only 17% of larger organisations.
Leaders recognise the importance of investment, with 82% agreeing that investing in new technology is critical. There is an element of anxiety, however, with 69% saying they fear competitors with smarter tools are moving faster.
This reflects the current technology market landscape, where messages targeting businesses of all sizes emphasise the need to move fast and adopt new technologies such as AI and automation. This is often more difficult for SMBs, however, with their tendency to sweat technology assets and extend refresh cycles as budgets for technology investment remain tight. It is a particular challenge for longer-established SMBs, whose technology stack was built in a more analogue, on-premises era, making the transition more difficult than for newer, born-in-the-cloud companies. In addition, such businesses may be under pressure to devote limited budgets to high-profile AI solutions, rather than examine the impact of ageing document workflows and devices.
As a result, according to HP’s analysis, SMBs have become ‘trapped by outdated tech’, and this is having a negative impact on both workers and IT leaders.
‘Working harder, not smarter’
HP’s study reveals a series of statistics that amount to a general sense of frustration with current workflows. Fifty-five percent say there are too many manual steps involved in processes that should be simple, and 52% say they spend too much time on manual tasks that could be automated. Workers’ increasing awareness of technology’s capabilities and experience with consumer technology mean expectations are higher: they are more demanding and less forgiving of workplace technology.
HP’s survey respondents report that running out of ink is a major inconvenience (54%), as well as wasting time reformatting documents for printers (42%). These frustrations disrupt flow and reduce productivity.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the study finds that these problems are amplified among digital-native Gen Z workers. That should be a concern for SMB business leaders, as Quocirca research finds that Gen Z is much more likely than other age groups to view the office as a place to access more reliable, fit-for-purpose technology. This demographic will constitute 30% of the workforce by 2030 and shows a higher affinity for print than their older counterparts, with 27% of 18-34-year-olds believing print will remain important to their work by 2030, compared with just 20% among those over 45. Consequently, SMBs should look to future-proof their print environment with more user-friendly, productivity-enhancing devices and workflows, rather than merely ‘keeping the lights on’ in anticipation of its demise.
Outdated tech deepens the IT burden and amplifies security risk
Two-thirds (65%) of the IT leaders surveyed by HP admit that printing often takes a backseat in favour of other transformation initiatives. However, while not a strategic priority, it is causing operational pain: 70% say driver compatibility issues are a constant challenge – something regularly highlighted by participants in Quocirca studies. Sixty percent say print takes up more support time than it should, and 53% say outdated hardware complicates support. Yet support is critical, as 69% say employee productivity drops when printers are down, echoing the remarks of a recent In the Spotlight with Quocirca podcast guest: ‘Print isn’t seen as strategic until it doesn’t work.’
Smart printing tools seek to restore SMB flow
Helping workers stay in their ‘flow’ by eliminating manual steps and improving the reliability and ease of use of hardware is key to boosting SMB productivity, says HP. Implementing smart printing to support cloud and mobile printing, scan-to-email, and productivity hacks, such as AI-powered document formatting and intelligent ink usage, reduces friction, saving time and maintaining focus.
According to the knowledge workers surveyed, 30% have saved more than an hour per week by using smart printing solutions. HP believes such gains, when mapped to average salaries and SMB workforces, translate to multi-billion-dollar savings for SMBs.
Beyond financial savings, HP points to advantages delivered by smart printing, including improvements in employee experience – for both knowledge workers and IT administrators – stronger security, and better visibility.
Quocirca opinion
HP’s study builds a strong case for SMBs to explore updating their often-overlooked print and document workflow infrastructure, with smart printing technology as a route to delivering growth. Certainly, print remains a key part of the SMB technology stack, and increasing user expectations, alongside challenging economic conditions, mean every part of the business should be scrutinised for efficiency gains.
Right now, there is a lot of pressure on SMBs to modernise, driven by the rapid pace of AI evolution. However, SMBs should consider the backbone technologies – such as print and related workflows – that their business runs on and examine the value of applying AI to these before they explore greenfield AI investment.
Watch Quocirca CEO Louella Fernandes and HP’s President of Office Printing Solutions, Aurelio Maruggi, discuss the role of AI in enhancing productivity and workflow automation in SMBs in this episode of In the Spotlight with Quocirca.
[1] Federation of Small Businesses https://www.fsb.org.uk/media-centre/uk-small-business-statistics
[2] European Commission https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/smes_en#:~:text=What%20the%20European%20Commission%20does,Find%20out%20more%20below. US Chamber of Commerce https://www.uschamber.com/small-business/small-business-data-center
