If you own a small business, then you’re used to doing more with less than larger businesses. You don’t have the budget that the big corporations do, but you can still turn your small business into a twenty-first-century leader. How you may ask? Technology can be the answer.
Technology has pushed the business world to limits that generations before only dreamed of. You may be thinking that as a small-business owner you can’t afford to invest in new tech, but you’re wrong. Some of the new technological developments will actually save you more money than they’ll cost you. Utilizing the right technology could lift your business up to the next tier.
Continue reading to see what technology can do to save your small business.
Enhance Marketing.
The part of the business world that has been the most affected by technology is marketing. Social media has allowed everyone and their mother to become a marketing wiz.
The social media boom is perfect for small-business owners. Now you can advertise like the big businesses on a small budget as long as you’re savvy about how you use the platform. You can use Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts to reach corners of the market that may have been shut off to you before. Everyone’s already on social media anyway, so why not take your business there to them?
Improve Customer Service.
Small business owners understand better than most why customer service is the most important element of a business model. The whole goal of doing business is to attract and retain customers, and how you treat them and meet their needs determines your success. One thing technology can do to boost your business is to help you improve your customer service through several methods.
As a customer, one of the things that will endear you to a company is feeling like the company gets you. When you call them to address a problem or place an order and they already know who you are and what you want, it makes you feel valued. Customer relationship management (CRM) software aims to do just that.
Any time you engage with customers, they share information with you that clues you into what they expect from you. CRM software turns those clues into data that you can use. This software collects and analyzes data such as customers’ shopping habits, data from calls your company has had with them, and other useful data. You can use all of that information to tailor fit an experience around your customers every time you interact with them.
Some retail businesses have incorporated the use of drone technology to help improve their customer service. Retail giants like Walmart and Amazon are already using drones for that purpose. One task they’re used for is guiding shoppers around the store to the products they need. Imagine what having small drones online to handle minor customer service tasks could do for your small business!
Streamline Operational Functions.
There are certain things about running a business that you would probably just like to leave up to someone else, right? The problem is that hiring is an expensive process for a small business. While technology hasn’t eliminated the need to hire people—which is a good thing by the way—it has made it easier to streamline certain operational tasks.
One example of this streamlining ability can be found in software programs that serve the role of a whole department. For instance, some companies offer software as a service (SaaS) that allows you to do everything from run a call center to print checks online. The best thing is that these programs can automate certain tasks with minimal involvement from you. The vendor who provides you with the software manages it for you. That means you get a whole personnel department for the price of new software.
Enhancing your business with technology is necessary if you’re going to compete in today’s ever-evolving business world. The good news is that technology makes the world a little bit smaller for small businesses.
