How To Utilise Modern Technology Within Your Business: A Guide For Business Owners
We all depend on technology every day. Whether that is finding directions, chatting with friends, or even checking the weather, technology simplifies the way we live. As well as using technology in our personal lives, we also rely on technology within our jobs. Business owners, such as yourself, will take advantage of technology every day; using it to manage tasks or even just to communicate. Being able to fully utilize modern technology can allow you to unlock your business’s full potential. Instead of relying on slow tech to get you through your business day, you should find effective and smart technology to improve how you deliver your services.
This article will serve as a guide for business owners who are wanting to expand their technology use and use to push their business further into success. Sounds like something you are interested in? If so, follow along to find out more!
Engage With Customers
The relationship your business has with customers is something that you should always be looking to improve. There is no room for success in a business if you aren’t able to engage with your customers- so it is important that you find technology that can assist you in communicating with your customers and clients. For example, including a Live Chat feature on your website is a simple but effective way of reaching out to your customers and providing them with a platform to ask questions and get answers. Not everyone has the time or wants to speak to someone on the phone, so Live Chat simplifies the process and means that any issues can be resolved quickly. If you don’t already have this feature on your site, we definitely recommend implementing one as soon as possible.
Keep The Team Connected
Miscommunication and lack of communication, in general, is something that can majorly impact your business. A huge part of business success is dependent on effective teamwork, and without proper communication, teamwork is almost impossible. Therefore, as a business owner, you need to be taking steps that will guarantee your team stays connected. This way, if any issues arise during the workday, your team can chat with each other and get it sorted straight away. Your business will likely already have an emailing system, but you should also consider having an internal communication platform; to allow for instant messaging. There are a number of different communication software’s that can keep your team connected, for example:
- Slack
- Microsoft Teams
- Skype
- Pumble
- Axero
- Google Chat
If you are unsure which would be best for your business, it would be best to do in-depth research before; as well as read online reviews to establish which software is the most effective.
Accessibility
Another way that your business can utilise modern technology is by providing accessibility to staff and clients. There is no denying the importance of accessibility; people are more likely to invest their money and engage with a business if they make their services accessible. Understanding what is needed to make your business accessible can sometimes be a tricky task; but you must remember that full accessibility will take time. Perhaps you should focus on making small, meaningful changes instead of altering your entire business model. For example, if your business provides any documents or info in a PDF format, then you can work with a company like abledocs.com to create accessible PDFs. Making a change as simple as this will prove to be useful for everyone, and, ultimately, it will help generate more money for your company as more people can access your services.
Creating An Online Presence
Having an online presence is essential for any modern business; if someone wants to find a particular service, they will go online first. Online presence is more than just having a working website, you must also utilise social media. Often, people will search for a business on Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter before they engage, so you need to get one step again and create professional and informative social media profiles. With social media, you can directly interact with your clients by responding to comments and instant messages. For example, if someone is having an issue with a product, they can shoot you a quick DM and have a response within minutes. Having this level of direct communication can help improve and strengthen customer-business relationships.
Improve Your Business’s Cyber Security
Cyber hackers are becoming more advanced every year, which is why your business must have proper cyber security. Most of the time, cyber-attacks only happen to large brands and businesses, but this doesn’t eliminate the threat to your business. Through using modern technology, you are able to improve your businesses cyber security and protect any private data and information from being released. So, how can you improve cyber security? Here are some effective methods:
- Multi-factor authentication
- Regularly updated software
- Good password management
- Backing-up data to a secure network
- Internal IT management
If you want to protect your business from a cyber-attack, then you should start implementing these methods. Be sure that your staff are educated on what they can be doing too, as this will help keep your staff and your company safe.
Consider Implementing Remote Work
Remote working quickly became the norm during the pandemic, and even after restrictions were lifted, many businesses chose to keep remote work permanently. Remote work is only possible through the modern technology we have access to; video conferencing, instant messaging, cloud-based projects all allow remote workers to stay productive while working from home. This may be something you want to consider in your own business, especially if you wanted to cut back on costs like office rent. Having said that, remote work can be a huge shift for a business, so instead of going cold turkey, you could implement hybrid work instead. This will just mean your staff can split their time between office and remote, ultimately getting the best of both worlds.
