We can whine and moan all we want about the technological advances that have irrevocably changed our way of life in the past two decades. At the same time, we have to accept the fact that they have helped to improve our quality of life in many ways. From medicine to improvements in communication and productivity, there are now quite a few technological advancements that have become entirely too difficult to live without, especially when it comes to running a business. As a business owner, regardless of your operation’s scale, you’re well attuned to the vagaries of both your employees and the market and are constantly on the lookout for ways to increase revenues. Here are a few key tips to help you use technology in the most amenable ways possible for your business.
1. Web-Based Payments
The first tip that you should heed is to make use of web-based payment options. These are great since they offer tons of flexibility, and providing different payment options will bring more customers to you as they make decisions based on their convenience. Experts note time and time again that web-based payments have allowed all kinds of businesses to find new pockets of customers the world over, which definitely enhances the bottom line.
2. Productivity Apps
What else can we say about productivity apps that hasn’t already been said? Sure, it can be tiring to time out your day for every little task, but when it comes to running a business, it can help you figure out different vulnerabilities or areas of strength to build upon. The term workforce tracking can seem a bit Orwellian, but it’s an example of a productivity app that can add to your business regardless. These apps help to pinpoint the sorts of tasks that take your staff a long time to complete, and based on that analysis you can figure out different ways to help and facilitate the process.
Other productivity apps help to streamline communication between team members, regardless of where they’re located. They help increase productivity and can be used in both their mobile and desktop versions. Apps like Basecamp, Slack, Trello, and so on, allow you to keep track of different projects, assign managers to various tasks, and keep track of their productivity. All these productivity apps allow you to get things done, with minimal strain.
3. User Analytics
Mapping the level of user engagement with your company and the products on offer will allow you to make sense of how to reach out to more customers, and retain the following you already have. This is especially useful to small or medium-sized organizations that need to find ways to expand and turn a profit. Google Analytics is an especially popular tool these days for measuring user engagement and just how loyal customers are. It gives you vital statistics that allow you to understand and interpret different ways to improve the conversation between yourself and potential customers. This also means that you can get a leg up on the competition, and lure customers away from other businesses.
4. Digital Marketing
A strong digital marketing campaign begins and ends with social media. Traditional advertising campaigns are still successful but may be out of reach for most small businesses. Digital marketing tends to yield better results, and they possess the potential of targeting specific audiences far more efficiently. Also, while social apps like Twitter may have some drawbacks, it is definitely one of the most powerful tools out there to help you promote your products if used correctly. Fun content and buzzy lines have the ability to lure customers to your brand and encourage them to buy what you have on offer.
5. Virtual Assistants
Oftentimes, customers will have many questions at different hours of the day that your staff can’t always answer. AI technology has made things easier by offering the usage of virtual assistants who can give your business excellent tech solutions with a bit of human touch. They’re affordable, too. They will be able to answer a myriad of inquiries at any time of the day, freeing up your employees to get to the more important, heavy lifting aspects of your business.
6. Backup Software
Hackers and viruses come with the territory when running a small business. You need to protect both your customers’ information and your own from a data breach. Hacking can ruin a business, and bring it to its knees since the results can be costly. These sorts of things damage customers’ trust in the business, so it makes sense to invest in backup software and recovery that will allow you to flag suspicious files and software.
When used correctly, technology has the ability to increase your businesses’ success, and streamline all of your central operations. Even if you have your processes in perfect order already, there are apps out there that can help smooth over other aspects of your business, thus buoying your bottom line.