In today’s market, technology is important to every business, not just those that are technology based. Technology affects all aspects of your business from your computers to your phone system, even a simple register transaction that will track daily sales and inventory. Business technology isn’t just important, it’s critical for your business to continue to grow and succeed.
Technology helps businesses in many ways, most of which focus on doing things bigger, better or faster than they could be done without it. Different types of businesses use technology in different ways, but the most common uses include business communication, inventory management, financial records,improved efficiency and increased production.
Communication
Technology improves a business’s ability to communicate efficiently while expanding its reach. Business representatives and technicians out in the field can receive assignments and communicate with the office, colleagues and clients while on the go.
Mass email allows communication with multiple people in various locations to receive important messages and information quickly and simultaneously. Technology also offers enhanced marketing opportunities through social media and email.
Production
Regardless of the size or type of business you have, technology will provide opportunities to optimize production.
Business technology including high-tech equipment and tools will often allow small companies to compete with larger firms in operational efficiency, which results in increased production.
Sales
Sales-oriented businesses may use a basic contact management application or a more complex application such as customer relationship management software. This type of business technology can facilitate the planning, recording and scheduling of contacts with prospective customers. It can also assist in identifying high-priority or high-probability sales opportunities, and creating sales forecasts.
Business technology geared toward retail improves efficiency in sales and customer service. With the scanning of items at checkout, important data is captured that will allow for more precise marketing.
Marketing
Business technology can be used to plan and execute marketing activities. Desktop publishing software can be used to create marketing materials. Using spreadsheet software, a marketing team may calculate the expected return on investment (ROI) of a marketing campaign.
Typically a cost center for any business, marketing can also use technology to quickly and efficiently to report budget data to accounting.
Accounting
A small business will generally benefit from stand alone accounting software that requires minimal initial customization. There are also from some industry specific software applications available to businesses.
As a business grows larger and the complexity of its organization increases, a business may benefit from customer relationship management software that interconnects different departments and automates budget reporting and project tracking.
Considerations for Business Technology
First, you need to assess your what your business’s technology needs are. Once you’ve established that, do some research and see what different types of technology are available.
Make a list of the technology your business would benefit from and rank them in order of importance. You may find some of them that are simply unnecessary and others that you don’t know how you lived without.
Then comes the hard part, especially for smaller businesses just getting their feet wet when it comes to technology. Everyone involved must commit to educating themselves on the chosen technology and utilizing it.
This is also when those in charge of choosing, implementing and maintaining the technology begin to feel overwhelmed. As most business owners and their employees are experts in their specific field and the fact that technology is constantly changing, it’s completely understandable that many businesses fall short when it comes to utilizing technology. It is also why enlisting the services of a business IT consulting and support company may be a very wise investment.
BayCCS offers custom Business IT Solutions to keep your company running at peak efficiency, whether your business has one computer or a hundred. We offer a complete line of business IT services. We offer custom tailored packages designed to suit any business’ unique needs. Contact us and let our consultants and techs worry about your IT needs, so you can focus on your business.