Business technology in tiny businesses can mean lots of different things and maybe interpret in many varied manners. However, it will always come down to the same thing – the technology used and implemented by a business must offer the maximum amount of efficacy for the minimum amount of cost and upkeep.
Technology in business has to be well planned and executed sensibly and a strategy for technology management needs to be developed and adhered to. This may mean moving more of your business systems on the internet to improve the freedom of your business, or identifying and investing in new systems that will do the exact same job but in a better manner.
How Can the Internet Help Your Business?
If you are trying to conserve cash on your business, the internet is a superb place to get started. If your business involves a small call center to give customer support, you could save yourself plenty of money in the future by investing in altering the telephone system to an IP telephony system. This might mean that rather than having large telephone bills using regular telephones, all calls may be routed throughout the internet and customers would be able to predict using a typical local telephone number.
It’s significantly cheaper to call someone through the internet than via a normal phone line and the savings you’d make here will more than cover the expense of implementing such a system.
You would have to make certain that your business’s internet connection is powerful enough to handle this of course. If there’s insufficient bandwidth to accommodate all the calls being made, the audio quality can suffer. So long as both parties can hear what another is saying, this doesn’t need to be too much of a problem – making adjustments for this would have to be a part of your business’ plan for technology direction.
What about My Folks in the Area?
When you’ve got a large group of sales reps in the area, the savings that you could enjoy through the execution of internet-based telephony can be taken on to the side of your business also. Nowadays, there are lots of cell phones available that are capable of making calls over the internet using the 3G network. This would mean a potential upgrade of your corporate cell phone contract and maybe some retraining to your employees – but finally, it would help you save money on telephone bills.
How do I Know that My Organization Is Now More Efficient?
Technology in business encompasses the monitoring and assessment of work done by the employees. With modern media and targeted technology direction, it would be possible to not only make your organization run more efficiently for less money; but also letting you keep an eye on just what’s happening in real-time.
There are lots of products available that will enable you to track your employees’ data – be it the quantity of time they’re spending on each call or the quantity of time they take to completing each file before they can move on the next one. Through that, you would have the ability to deal with any possible issues which might arise and discuss them with the employee.
Business technology should broaden horizons. You need to be able to do more for spending less. Something as straightforward as making phone calls something as involved as identifying areas of concern in a worker’s performance and having more information that may be used to develop approaches for the worker to prevent this.
Technology Levels the Playing Field
One benefit small business has gained through the years is that the ready access to advanced technology that was once the exclusive advantage of the largest corporations. But with this advantage comes the additional responsibility of skilled management of the technology.
Clients Demand Better Service
Today’s customer has come to expect the increased convenience and efficiency of the Internet Age, with online connectivity to business accounts, or computerized documents, information databases, and customer management systems.
Managing your technology might not be on top of your list of significant business activities, but maybe it ought to be because your computers, database, network, telephones, etc., are operating can make the difference between being viewed by your clients as capable and caring about their needs, or inefficient and unconcerned.
Asset Management Can Be a Daunting Task
Your technology has to be chosen and sized into the essential tasks and your staff has to be proficient in its performance, but there’s far more to keep tabs on. Your technology has to be periodically upgraded. The software must be upgraded for security and fixes. Hardware and software depreciate and must be either updated or replaced. When facing budget constraints, decisions have to be made whether to keep on using current equipment and software or to replace it. By way of instance, maybe a three-year depreciation cycle could be extended to five decades, but circumstances may dictate replacement, like the inability of older equipment to support the applications required to stay competitive.
Threats Can’t Be Ignored
Damage from computer viruses, unreliable power sources, improper use of applications, etc. is an issue small business managers did not have to manage in the past. Proper rules will need to be installed, taught to your workers, and enforced. Industrial-grade surge protectors, UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supplies), or even backup electrical generation might be essential for the security of your equipment, and suitable technology training of your employees is important.
Technology Glitches Must Be Managed Properly
However great your hardware, software, and worker training, technology failures do happen. Properly handling them is an issue of communicating. By means of example, if a customer experiences difficulty getting their account, they might continue trying over and above. This utilizes precious bandwidth and CPU time. Multiply this by many customers trying to access your machine, and your own network, along with your own technicians, may be tied up with customer requests Instead of working to solve the issue. The answer is to tell your clients you’re aware of the issue, apologize for the inconvenience, and tell them that you’re working on it.
Outsourcing for a Solution
Many businesses solve their technology management issues by contracting with external technology management services. It’s essential that you chose one that is capable, flexible in its costs and levels of support, and has a reputation for successful communication with its customers.
Managing your business technology is as important for your business as earnings, employment, and other facets of your business. Properly handled, technology can provide you an edge over the competition and deliver you up to the amount of the big corporations.
Contracting with the right managed support IT support organization is a valuable part of a successful business plan. InHouse Techies offer several levels of managed IT support services, including custom-tailored monthly programs.