Technology innovations have affected the ways in which businesses of all sizes succeed, especially small businesses which need the same tasks accomplished as corporations, but with a much smaller budget and workforce. Most of these tech solutions are affordable for startups and some are even free, making them effective tools to boost the success of small businesses in any sector.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence and machine learning have exploded on the scene for everything from online chat bots to data analysis and are becoming more affordable for the average business to use. To set up your own AI, you will need the equipment to run it on as well as the data packets to teach it the task at hand. Luckily, there are companies specializing in data analytics who use AI and machine learning to accomplish tasks for their customers, meaning you can hire such a firm to analyze your business metrics for less than you can set up your own AI for the task.
Digital Workspaces
Digital workspace platforms help connect remote workforces and collaborative teams all over the world. These platforms can also help your small business track projects, metrics and sales numbers from a central hub accessible from almost any device. Using cloud-based platforms for team communication and file sharing can help ease collaboration and reduce the time spent in waiting for email responses or updates on time-sensitive projects. Using digital workspaces can benefit more than just companies with remote workforces, however, as many will update projects in real-time and track changes so they can be easily reversed if needed.
Interconnected Management Software
Customer relations, inventory and human resources management software can connect to your digital workspaces to provide you a comprehensive and integrated look at all aspects of your business. Entrepreneurs can save a lot of time with integrated software packages with scalability for growth. Customer interaction management platforms, for instance, can help you keep track of the apps you use for emails, online chats and phone calls as well as any client notes or profile updates you make during those interactions. Having that management tool accessible from the same hub as your inventory tracking apps and human resources software means that you can log on to the same platform for a quick update or to complete a specific task in each area.
Solutions for Business Basics
You can find apps and software solutions for many of the basics involved in doing business such as mobile scanning, e-commerce sales and project management for your mobile device or desktop office computer. These solutions streamline processes and automate mundane tasks to free you and your employees up for core competencies such as designing products and connecting with customers. Whether you use synced calendars, or your point-of-sale app automatically updates inventory and accounting spreadsheets, finding solutions for everyday business functions can save you and your employees time while automating mundane tasks and increasing accuracy.
Online Education Platforms
Arguably, one of the best ways for small businesses to succeed is to have an educated workforce in areas critical to the company model. You can find free online educational courses in business management, manufacturing and much more. While not all these platforms will offer accredited degrees or certificates, they will provide the education and training you need to accomplish tasks critical to your company. For instance, if you want to take your small business online, you can take courses in web design, ecommerce and logistics to learn some of the basics and design an effective online marketing plan. Since these courses are online, you can learn new skills from home or set up training time at the office for all employees.
The key to small business success is doing more with less resources such as time, money and staff. Finding the right tech solutions for routine tasks and integration can save the entrepreneur all these things by automating mundane tasks such as updating accounting and inventory to reflect sales, synchronizing business and personal calendars or monitoring various metrics. You can even find integrated platforms to streamline team communication and collaboration, manage customer interactions and much more.
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