Technology has found its way into various business operations, from customer service to financial management. Businesses use it to gain better insights into customers, improve workplace performance, and automate time-consuming tasks.
Here is how your business can benefit from advanced technologies.
Project Management Tools Enhance Staff Coordination
Businesses use a wide range of cloud-based tools to enhance employee management.
One such example is project management tools, such as Basecamp and Asana. That way, project managers can automate project planning, assign tasks, set deadlines, track the time spent, etc. On the other hand, your employees can share files and collaborate in real-time, irrespective of their location.
Employee scheduling software is also a crucial element of staff management. With these tools, you can manage time off, shift switches, and see team availability right from the app. By automating employee and roster management, you reduce the risk of human error and increase employee satisfaction.
Actually, when it comes to sales agents, Closify can greatly help.
Cloud Tools Enable Seamless Communication
Since the outbreak of Coronavirus, many businesses have shifted to remote work. Some even plan to go remote permanently to enhance employee performance and reduce operational costs.
With cloud-based team collaboration software, managing distributed teams is possible.
Apart from the above-mentioned project management tools, businesses can also invest in instant messaging tools for teams, such as Slack. This platform enables seamless employee communications via desktop and mobile devices. Employees can create multiple channels, share files, mention peers, etc.
With video conferencing tools, you can schedule 1-on-1s and group meetings with employees. Whether they are working remotely or onsite, video conferencing tools facilitate interactions and ensure greater communication transparency.
File-Sharing Platforms Increase Data Safety and Transparency
With the rise of the cloud, you do not need to store sensitive business data onsite. You can minimize the risk of data loss by investing in relevant cloud-based file-sharing platforms. Some of them are Dropbox, Box, and Google Drive.
There are many benefits of file-sharing tools.
For starters, they help you reduce costs since you do not need to invest in expensive hardware. Also, they are highly flexible. You can scale your cloud space up or down based on your current business needs without investing in new hardware and software.
Most importantly, they centralize your company’s data. That way, your employees have immediate access to all business files, irrespective of their location or device.
Finally, cloud file-sharing platforms enhance data security since they provide advanced data encryption and backup functionalities.
Automating Manual Business Processes
Today, automation is available to both large corporations and small businesses with limited budgets. It allows you to streamline almost any aspect of your company.
One such example is accounting. With these tools, businesses can track their cash flow across multiple devices, send invoices automatically, and send check online in real-time. Above all, these automated tools reduce the risk of human error and make their accounting system more stable.
In marketing, you can streamline a wide range of tasks, such as data monitoring or client reporting. Some businesses even use AI-driven writing tools to produce automated articles for their websites.
AI and automation also play an immense role in warehousing. For example, ML-driven predictive analytics tools come with advanced demand planning, inventory optimization, and supply chain analytics. That way, you can upscale and downscale your operations based on your current market demands. For small businesses, that is an opportunity to minimize overproduction or underproduction and reduce costs.
Providing Exceptional Customer Service
In today’s era of IoT, customers expect brands to provide real-time customer service and personalize user experiences.
That is where investing in a CRM software solution can help.
CRM software that integrates with most sales, marketing, and customer service tools your teams use. It captures customer information across these tools and brings it together under a single dashboard. By centralizing customer data, CRM makes it more visible and accessible to your teams. That enables them to personalize marketing, sales, and customer service efforts.
Most importantly, with CRM tools for customer service, you can deliver immediate customer support. These tools centralize your email, cloud call center, live chat, and IM tools. In other words, your agents can manage omnichannel customer conversations via a single platform.
Technology Adoption is the Future for Small Businesses
These insights are barely scratching the surface of what SMBs can achieve with the help of advanced tech. The use cases of business tech are multiple.
Sure, before investing in business technology, you need to assess your current business operations and set clear IT goals to guide you.
