When you set goals for your business this year, there’s a good chance one of those goals was tied to growth. It’s a common goal. You have your eyes set on acquiring new customers. You’re ready to take their business to the next level. The challenge, however, is getting to that next level. If you do a web search on how to grow your business, you’ll find more results than you know what to do with. It can be frustrating and overwhelming. Let’s narrow it down to how you can use technology solutions to put together a growth strategy that works for your business, its needs, and your overall goals. Four technology solutions for business growth include automation, access, engagement, and security.
Automation
There are automation tools that assist with everything from invoicing to customer service. One great example is the chatbot. Thanks to major strides in artificial intelligence (AI), chatbots are more useful than ever. All you have to do is plug one into your website, and it can handle a surprising amount of customer service issues. It can even direct customers and leads to real humans within your organization. When you can direct leads accordingly, it makes it easier to track and follow up with those leads, possibly increasing your sales and growth.
Access
Thanks to the cloud, you have the potential to access virtually any part of your business from anywhere, including your employees. This makes the remote work model (as well as the hybrid model) much easier to implement. Plus, if you back up critical data to the secure cloud on a regular basis, you never have to worry about losing that critical data. But the truly great thing about the cloud is that it’s automatically scalable and fully customizable. The cloud grows with you, which means you save serious money when you’re no longer bound to traditional models of scaling.
Engagement
It may be wedding season, but we’re not talking about marriage – at least not in the “wedding bells” sense. Technology allows you to engage with customers and leads in a way you’ve never been able to before. Social media platforms especially give you tools to engage with customers. From Facebook to LinkedIn, these platforms have tools to connect with specific demographics. You can post videos, share content, and simply interact with customers and your community. These kinds of things put you and your brand out there in front of new customers.
Security
We saved this one for last because it’s a big one that not everyone thinks about, but it’s absolutely crucial. As your business grows, your IT needs grow and change too. You need to make sure your network is ready for the challenge of growth. On top of that, you need to be sure that your employees have the tools and resources they need to keep your business secure. There are a lot of threats out there, from the internal threat of hardware failure to the external threat of malware and cybercriminals. With more businesses shifting to remote or a hybrid work model, your IT security needs should be top priority.
As you fold different technologies into your business, remember that you never have to do any of it on your own. If you need help or want to maximize the benefits of technologies you’re using or interested in using, work closely with your managed service provider or IT partner. They are there to answer your questions and to help you optimize your business for your growth goals.
