Within the small business community, one topic gets talked about a lot: digital transformation. The fact is, the right technology stack can completely transform your fortunes and support you to develop and grow what you do. The recent global pandemic has only highlighted how crucial it is to be able to use technology to support what you do – from responsive marketing through social channels to operational moves that let you trade remotely. Of course this process can sound quite daunting and complex when you have finite resources. And often, although you are an expert in what you do, you may not be so familiar with the ins and outs of coding, software development and IT security that you need to make a difference. And yet being slow to embrace this change is a huge mistake. What opportunities have you already missed out on? The truth is, you can make a change using the right technologies fairly easily, and without overrunning your budget.
Understand Why You Need Change
In order for change to feel natural, you must understand the reasons behind making the switch. Revisit your business plan and take a look at the goals you set. How could the right technology empower you to achieve them? Whether it’s automating a laborious manual process so that you can spend more time on your core business areas, developing an eCommerce platform to work alongside a bricks-and-mortar store, or improving your audience reach through targeted digital advertising, going for the right technology can help you achieve what may have been lacking.
One aspect of your business that can be significantly improved by digital transformation is your communication. Internal communication between members of your team and communication between your employees and customers can benefit from using cloud-based technology such as unified communications as a service (ucaas). Using ucaas providers that provide you with a high level of service could enable you to enjoy reduced communication costs, plus increased security and reliability.
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If your team worked from home during the pandemic, you will know only too well how essential secure and reliable communication tools are to keep your business operating effectively. A cost-effective telephony system that features functions such as audio and video conferencing and instant messaging makes it far easier to keep your business running, whether in the office or from home. The ability to keep everyone working productively and ensuring your customers receive the best possible service are both compelling reasons to move to a cloud-based communication service.
Leverage The Power Of Data
The other big win is data. If you’re a restaurant business still taking paper orders or a small shop keeping lists of customers on a spreadsheet, you could do so much more by investing in a proper CRM system to manage data and allow you to personalize things like ordering stock and customer orders better. You don’t have to implement all of this alone. Working alongside an IT partner with Managed Service Plans can introduce some expertise and take the strain out of it. This may cost a little upfront, but you will see a return on investment very quickly.
Prioritize And Pace Yourself
When it comes to enhancing your tech capabilities, there is always more you can do. And yet it’s important as a small business to have a keen eye on your priorities and what you need to achieve. A digital transformation is not something that can happen overnight. You need to approach it as a gradual process of incremental improvements. Identify one process that you use frequently, like invoicing or booking customers in and try an out of the box solution or look around for a custom version if you can. Most solutions are cloud based, meaning that you can access them anywhere and from any device, giving you ultimate control and flexibility. Change can be daunting, but bear in mind that this process can enable you to do so much more for your customers, your business and your bottom line.