Our cover story this month explores how one large enterprise has adapted its services to meet the needs of small and medium customers . Many SMEs were hit hard by the pandemic and are still recovering . American Express has supported small businesses for years , recently relaunching its ‘ Shop Small ’ campaign in Canada and establishing similar initiatives , such as the Business Gold Rewards Card .

On page 44 , Paul Roman , Vice President and General Manager of Global Commercial Services at American Express Canada , speaks about these initiatives , their successes and what else Amex is doing to support SMEs and larger enterprises in Canada . He provides great insight into how large organisations are meeting the needs of end users as they navigate the new environment .

SMEs have not been the only organisations to see the effects of COVID-19 . Governments have had to quickly adapt and digitalise ; however , this has led to an onslaught of cyberattacks . Wissam Saadeddine , Senior Manager – MENA at Infoblox , addresses this on page 14 and discusses how governments globally are tackling this problem .

Digital Channels at KBC Bank Ireland , tells us how the organisation leveraged Liferay ’ s digital experience platform to deliver an enhanced customer experience .

Our first feature further explores this , where we hear from three experts about the importance of brand loyalty for customer experience and relations .

Banking and finance is also a major concern for businesses around the world as the economy starts to gain momentum once more . Our Industry Unlocked for December discusses this vertical in more detail . Martin Ruda Group MD , TALL Group tells us how the company has met client needs during the pandemic , as well as its future goals , on page 37 .

And as we move into a new year , this month ’ s Editor ’ s Question looks ahead , asking experts , from Marketplacer , Similarweb and ActiveCampaign what their message is for marketing leaders as they plan their strategy for 2022 .

We also have a round-up of all the latest business news from across our regions , while our ‘ intelligent ’ brands sections look at the latest news in finance , marketing , HR solutions and employee engagement .

I hope you enjoy this issue and please do not hesitate to get in touch if you ’ d like to contribute to a future edition .

Catherine Darwen Editorial Assistant

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On the flip side , however , this rapid digitalisation has led to the provision of – and demand for – better customer experience . On page 25 , Paul Flynn , Head of

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Rebecca Miles , Editor of Intelligent CXO , is currently on maternity leave . While she ’ s enjoying precious time with her new arrival , Catherine Darwen and Jess Abell , will be heading up Intelligent SME . tech and Intelligent CXO . They would be delighted to hear from you . You can email catherine @ lynchpinmedia . co . uk or jess @ lynchpinmedia . co . uk

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