Technology is about innovation and…

innovation in business is all about doing things differently in order to provide better products and solutions, and an improved service to customers.

[source: Grant McGregor] Technology is not just essential for day-to-day business processes, but it can also help companies to achieve growth and success when utilized effectively. Successful businesses don’t view technology simply as a way to automate processes, but instead use it to open up new ways of doing business.

Let’s explore some of the many ways that technology can support business growth.

Utilizing digital technologies for effective marketing

Businesses are now operating in an era where having a strong digital presence is essential, not only for success, but often simply for survival too. The lack of a strong digital presence is thought to be a contributing factor in the failure of many SMEs, half of which are failing in their first five years of existence. With limited marketing budgets, SMEs need to be wise about how they utilize digital technologies for maximum impact.

They key is to develop a clearly defined digital marketing strategy, including your aims, your tactics and how you’re going to measure performance. Many companies are digitally active, but not following a defined strategy. This can lead to resources being wasted and opportunities being missed.

A good Website will, of course, be essential for the vast majority of businesses. This doesn’t just mean something that looks pretty; an effective Website should be user-friendly, mobile responsive and optimized for search engines. The latter, in particular, requires ongoing attention.

As well as a good Website, channels such as social media marketing, Email marketing and pay-per-click advertising can be extremely effective. Digital technologies can accelerate business growth because they allow companies to reach a wider audience and build lasting relationships with customers to promote brand loyalty.

Utilizing productivity software to reduce costs & improve customer service

Many different elements contribute to business growth. These include providing a good level of customer service, minimizing operational costs and maximizing revenues.

Technology can help businesses to achieve all of these objectives. Increasing productivity and efficiency is key to reducing costs and maximizing revenues, which can then be invested into growing the business.

Productivity software is designed to help businesses improve operational efficiency, replace laborious paper-based processes and reduce costs. The most commonly used productivity software packages include those for office productivity, accounts, communications and email.

The scope of business productivity software has expanded considerably in recent years, with the development of cloud and mobile technologies.

Cloud-based applications are often ideal for SMEs because they tend to carry a lower up-front cost and limit the burden of in-house management. They can also be used across a range of different devices and all locations where an Internet connection is available, which further helps to boost staff productivity and efficiency.

Business growth also depends on acquiring and retaining customers. This requires businesses to provide a consistently high level of customer service. Technology can help with this, also. Modern customer relationship management (CRM) software and Professional Services Automation (PSA) is reaching new heights of utility, benefiting both businesses and their customers alike.

It’s all about integration, these days, and the latest CRM and PSA solutions can integrate seamlessly with business communications systems to provide insights that help boost customer service levels and promote first contact resolution.

Utilizing mobile technologies

Mobile technologies can bring a multitude of business benefits that all help to bolster growth.

Both the extension of flexible working rights in the UK and advancements in mobile technology have contributed to the increasing number of people working outside of the traditional office environment.

Investment in mobile technologies can help businesses to promote a happy workforce, with staff enjoying an improved work/life balance. This is generally thought to be beneficial for companies, as a happy workforce leads to increased productivity and reduced costs as a result of increased staff retention. Everyone’s a winner.

Mobile technologies can give a significant boost to efficiency and productivity because they allow users to complete a wide range of tasks from virtually any location. It has become possible to have full office functionality on-the-go. This simply means that more gets done, because staff doesn’t have to wait until they are at their desks to respond to colleagues and customers or read and edit important documents, for example.

Mobilizing the workforce via technology can also help a business to make those all-important savings that are necessary to maximize profits and encourage growth. With employees able to work away from the office, savings can be made on physical space and the running costs associated with maintaining larger office premises.

To utilize mobile technology for optimal results, businesses should not only invest in mobile devices, but also consider cloud solutions that allow users to access the same applications and services from multiple devices and locations. These will also enable effective collaboration, so employees can work well as a team even when they’re not in the same physical space.