Today’s
consumers have come to expect the businesses they interact with to be able to
keep up with their own level of technology. If your small business doesn’t have
what today’s consumers expect, it’s time to get yourself into the game using
the latest technological trends your client base demands. After all, you use
technology in your personal life, it’s time to harness that power for your
business now, too.
And
it isn’t just at the consumer end, either. There are some excellent tech tools
your business needs to stay competitive and relevant. They can not only help
you earn more but save more, too.
Deloitte
found that digitally advanced small businesses earned two times as
much revenue per employee and experienced revenue growth over the previous year
that was nearly four times as high.
Your
Business in the Clouds
Working in the cloud means
that computing services like servers, storage, databases, networking, software,
analytics, and intelligence over stored and used over the internet. Cloud
computing makes data backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity easier
and less expensive because data is stored in multiple redundant sites on the
cloud provider's network, so nothing gets lost, and everything can be accessed
from anywhere. Cloud services are also exceptionally flexible. They don’t tie down your people to one
particular location. They can use any internet-enabled device, including
laptops, smartphones, or notebooks, to share critical documents.
Data Analytics
At its most basic, data analytics is the science of analyzing raw data to make conclusions
about that information. Data analytics techniques can reveal trends and metrics
that would otherwise be lost in the mass of information businesses accumulate
but can be invaluable
for your marketing team. Data analysts have a
broad range of software tools to help acquire data, store information, process
data, and report findings. First thing first: you need data to analyze. That’s
where customer management software comes in.
Customer Management Software
Customer relationship
management (CRM) is a technology for managing all your
company's relationships and interactions with customers and
potential customers. Client management platforms like CRMs connect all the data
from your sales leads and customers all in one place. Communications like
form-fills, calls, emails, text messages, meetings, documents, quotes,
purchases, and tasks that are associated with each lead and client. You and
your entire team can access all of that to improve your business's bottom line.
Social Media
You can use social media to
attract new customers, convert them to leads, and maintain
engagement with existing customers. The
first step is to create an account on social media sites like Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. These sites are all free to create an account
on and offer many features for small businesses. Making use of social media is
not just about posting updates and ads on your page. It is about engaging with
your followers and providing them with information that they want to see. Keep
your target audience in mind. Younger
audiences are found on TikTok, while older consumers
lean more toward Facebook.
Time Management Tools
There are a number of tools
and techniques that you can use to stay on track by managing tasks smarter,
getting a clearer picture of where time is being spent, and reducing
distractions.
Whether your employees are being paid
hourly, salaried, or both, software like Timesheets can track billable hours or
time spent on projects. It can also track employee time, mileage, and expenses
on the road via its mobile app.
Though computers and smartphones often
have built-in calendars, collaborative calendar apps offer enhanced features
that facilitate task
management, automation, and scheduling.
As a small business owner in today’s
high-speed, high-tech world, it can be easy to get overwhelmed, But with the
right tools, like time management apps, data analytics, CMS, social media, and
more, you’ll be able to grow your business and keep your customers and
employees happy and engaged.
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