Boost Your Small Business Tech Innovations
The world we live in is full of tech innovations — you can either use them to your advantage, or you could easily get inundated if you’re not able to keep up. This is true not only for individuals, but also for businesses. If you don’t use the latest tech innovations to your advantage, your competitors surely will, and you’ll be left wondering how you can keep up with these changes. Rather than shying away from these innovations, you can use them to boost your business, no matter how small or big it is. Here are four technological “changes” that could help you succeed in your chosen industry.
Using social media to your advantage
Small businesses need all the exposure they can get. With limited (or even zero) budget for advertising, your best bet is to use social media to your advantage. Choose the right platform to reach your target audience, so that your campaign efforts won’t go to waste. Carefully plan what you put out on social media, so that it can be shared by more users.
So, what should you post for your “friends” and “followers”? You can probably share about your latest product or service, or create a campaign wherein you give freebies to lucky winners. This will encourage them to share and spread word about your company. You can also chime in on the latest trends in social media, entertainment, or other topics that you think interests your target audience.
Collaboration Platforms to encourage your teamwork within your company
Aside from limited resources, small businesses also have to make do with just a handful of people working behind the scenes to get the company running. The best thing you can do with your limited personnel is to equip them with the right tools to get things done more efficiently. One of these tools is a proper collaboration platform, which enables team members to work cohesively with each other.
A collaboration platform is a software that enables your employees to work in groups more efficiently. This software is packed with features like voice and video chat, conferencing, screen and file sharing, and more. This enables your employees to work on different projects simultaneously, without wasting time on typical face-to-face meetings that usually lead to idle chitchat.
Mobile Workforce
Mobile devices, if used properly in a small business, can greatly increase your employees’ capabilities. Aside from enabling them to communicate anywhere at any time, mobile phones and tablets can also be used to get actual work done. Mobile business applications give you the power to take your work everywhere you go, and you literally have everything in the palm of your hands. These apps have custom functionalities that lets you view and edit documents, create presentations, and join (or host) meetings.
You can fit your office right in your pocket when you use mobile devices together with the collaboration platform mentioned above. As long as you have a reliable Internet connection, you can get your work done no matter where you are in the planet.
Taking your business to the cloud
With the help of fast, stable internet connection, you can now take your business to the cloud. Do away with expensive equipment and costly maintenance by using cloud-based technology. Instead of having an on-site PBX for your office communications, you can get a cloud-based phone system. There’s no need to worry about equipment and maintenance costs because your communications system is hosted by a reliable and secure service provider.
If your business has a customer care or sales component, you can get a hosted contact center set up, without spending as much as a typical on-site call center. You can start with just a couple of agents to make and take calls, and eventually expand your operations as your company grows. A hosted contact center is flexible, so adding or removing lines as needed is really easy.