5 Ways You Can Use Technology to Grow Your Small Business

As the world is moving towards the digital age, businesses must also quickly adapt to this change by implementing the use of technology.  The playing fields have certainly widened and in order to make huge profits, businesses need to learn new ways of selling their products to a wider number of audiences. There are countless applications, software and online tools that can not only improve your workflow but also boost your sales. With more and more businesses joining in on the technological revolution with the Viѕuаlizаtiоn tools аnd thе insights thеу саn еnаblе, it is essential that you harness the true potential of technology to grow their small businesses into brands.

• CRM 

No business can succeed without building trust in their customers. As business owners, we must accept that it is a customer driven industry and maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction is important to drive sales and profits. Implementation of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) benefits your business on various levels. It manages your data, improves customer service, automates the workflow, categorizes your customers into various segments and improves collaboration between your employees and clients. With all such advantages, CRM has certainly proved beneficial to several businesses both big and small and is one of the best ways to fine tune your workflow for better profits. You can also check websites like bpmonline and others for more information on CRM software.

• Online Store

Running a physical store might have been profitable for retailers in the 90s but since e-commerce has taken the world by storm, more and more businesses are switching to online selling. There are several advantages of online store over small stores. The business owners no longer need a separate stock for display and only a photograph is enough. This has certainly provided a boost in the warehousing industry and has added more convenience for the customers, as they can buy most of the items they need by simply accessing the internet from their homes.

• Analytics

Without understanding the customers, there is no way that any business can become big. Whether it is small or service industry, it is important to design your products and services according to the needs of the consumers. With the shift to digital, it has become much easier for companies to track the people’s behavior and the trends that are getting the most attention. Analytics services such as Google Analytics provide a detailed data of the user’s behavior on the internet. This helps business owners understand the needs of the customers and what will attract their attention. It also shows the performance of your online content and whether people like it or not.

• Social Media

With the explosion of social media websites such as Orkut and facebook in the early 2000s, there was an enormous increase in online presence. The use of internet also saw a significant boost, as more and more people wanted to get connected to various people across the globe. Today, as more than 80% of the world’s population spends a considerable amount of time on social media, businesses have also found new ways of getting their attention. You can also list your business on websites such as Yelp, Angie’s list and Google Places to increase your visibility.

• Customer Service

As most of the transactions are done online or over the phone, it is essential that you set up a top notch communications network. While you have already made an online presence through online stores and social media, you should also make sure that it is easy for your customers to contact you for any problems or complaints. Depending upon what industry you’re in, you may have some individual needs. For example, if you’re in the business of pest control you might want to have an easily available mobile pest control app system so that workers  can quickly get accurate information on past activity and service notes. You can also post maps and contact details across various websites to make it easy for customers and clients to find you. Answering FAQs, information about your business policies, shipping and refunds should be clearly mentioned on your website and others.

As we advance through the 21^st century, we have seen the shift in tides and it is certain that business and its playing field will keep on evolving in the future. The only way to survive the pressure of time and change is to quickly accept and adapt. The use of the above technologies, if implemented smartly can certainly boost your business and evolve it into a name that the customers trust.