Technology is advancing at a dramatic rate, and that can sometimes feel rather daunting and frightening, especially if tech isn’t something you enjoy finding out more about. However, if this new technology is used in the right way, it can have a number of benefits for your business, so it’s important to look into how this might work for you. If you want an efficient, streamlined business that works as automatically as possible, technology is what you will need to employ to do it. You can use technology to reduce costs, make work easier, and give your customers a greater experience, and if you engage someone to help with IT support, you can do it all without any concerns. Here are some of the ways that technology can help.

Your Website

At the very least, you will need an attractive, user-friendly website for your business. This is perhaps the most important and essential piece of technology, and even if you don’t use anything else, your website is going to be needed if you want to have the maximum reach possible when finding customers.

Your website is a visual representation of your business, so it needs to let people know exactly what it is you do. Don’t make it difficult for your customers to discover how you can help them, or they will look elsewhere for that help, and you will have lost a sale. The easier your website is to navigate, the more chance there is that the people looking at it will buy directly from it or contact you to find out more information.

The website doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated. Something simple will work just as well, and can even be more enticing because it is easy to use. Whatever you do, don’t just rely on a business page on Facebook to serve as your website, as it just doesn’t look professional enough to give you the sales that you need. Also, make sure that your website is mobile-friendly as people love to use their mobile phones to browse the internet and make purchases, so it is important to make sure they feature in your marketing; you could even give away items like pens displaying your logo and message to give you an extra boost when it comes to marketing.

Social Media

Social media is another piece of technology that is simple to use (you may even already use it on a personal level), but that can be a potent tool when it comes to engaging with your audience. Most people are signed up for at least one social media platform, and your market research will tell you which one your customer base is likely to be using. When you know that, you can tailor your advertising not just to the right people but by using the right platform too. The more times people see your message on social media when browsing through it, the more that message will stick with them. They may not need you to know, but when they do, your name will easily be recalled.

Having a Facebook page, for example, that works in conjunction with your website is a great idea as it reinforces the message you are trying to put across. This will help your business get noticed by more people, giving you more sales.

Once you have your social media accounts going, it is essential that you interact with the people who are commenting and liking your posts – this shows that you are a caring, interesting, human company that wants to help.

Invoicing And Accounts

If you ask most business owners what their most disliked part of running their business is, many would say it was to do with the invoicing and accounts. They like to make money, but they don’t like to deal with the taxes and the receipts that come with it. However, these things are essential to make a successful, legal business, so although it isn’t always fun, it’s something that needs to be done. Leaving it until the last minute just makes the job longer and more difficult, but doing it as and when it is required often falls to the bottom of the to-do list.

Technology can make this easier. You can download accounting software to your tablet or smartphone, for example, or use cloud-based accounting software. With a few taps or clicks, you can instantly create invoices that are emailed directly to your customers, for example. Or you could take a photo of a receipt and upload that to the cloud for your accountant to deal with straight away. There are many different ways of utilizing technology when it comes to your accounts, and it will depend on how involved you want to be as to which of them you choose.

Project Management

As your business grows, keeping on top of all the projects that are taking place all at once becomes a lot more difficult. This can mean that mistakes happen and jobs are missed out, or the wrong people are assigned to projects when others would have been a better choice. Project management software means that you know where everyone is at any one time, and you can quickly and easily change things around if you need to. You can also ensure that customers are being invoiced correctly (and perhaps this might be linked to the accounting software discussed earlier) so that your business is making money and not losing it.

Keep Safe

In some places of work, there are hazards to contend with. You might be working at heights or with electricity, for example. In these cases, technology can help keep everyone safe. CCTV cameras mean that everyone can be seen, and when this is the case, no corners will be cut, plus if an accident were to occur, it would immediately be seen. You might think about special warning signals that are activated in specific conditions, such as changes in temperature, for example. Whatever your business needs to make it a safer place to work, there will be a piece of technology to help you achieve your goals.

Image Credits: Tim Douglas