Modern businesses can’t escape technology. As big data drives decisions and workforces shift to a permanent remote work environment, taking advantage of technology’s greater strengths is the best way to remain competitive.
While some business processes remain out of reach of even the best AI, computers provide an excellent resource to bypass busy work and get employees back to doing what they do best. More uptime means more productivity, and more productivity works better for everyone. Here are 5 ways that technology can help.
1. Collaboration and Communication
Online whiteboards empower teams working in digital environments to collaborate on new project plans and strategic goals. They allow for the same speed and precision that teams could achieve in the office but with the benefits of WFH models.
Other quick communication platforms like Slack, Webex, and Teams provide an easy and intuitive way for team members to keep in touch. Faster, easier to use, and more informal than emails, instant messenger platforms keep employees out of their email apps and on the job. Ask a question, get an answer, and move on. Quick and easy.
2. Monitoring and Management
If employees abuse those communication methods by using them for private chats or wasting time, technology also provides an incredible variety of monitoring and management like okr tool solutions. Automatic status monitoring and employee metric trackers automatically identify areas of opportunity and alert managers.
Automatic alerts let managers spend less time micromanaging and more time coaching their teams. In other words, they have the freedom to do the job they were hired to do. Monitoring works for upper management just as well. Project management tools keep meeting counts low with automated reporting at requested intervals, and KPI updates keep everyone on the same page in real-time.
Getting updates as they happen allows executives to make snap decisions with all of the necessary information at their fingertips. Fast decision-making is necessary in today’s business world, but decisions need to be informed. Computer-based reporting makes that easy.
Technology also empowers project initiatives. Automated reporting notifies everyone involved in a project of new KPIs and project completion. This keeps everyone in the loop in real-time to ensure minimum downtime between projects and maximum employee efficiency.
3. Customer Relationships
Technology improves relationships with customers just as much as it does with staff. Customer service representatives can save time on contact information input and other data entry tasks by using any modern Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software. They can access the customer’s entire journey with the company with just a few clicks.
Modern technology ensures specific agents don’t have to be assigned to specific clients. Instead, customers receive the same informed, excellent service from any agent they reach.
Using the right set of tech tools and software can make your life and your team’s productivity incredibly easy. A good example of this is the use of gym software in gyms and fitness businesses which helps to streamline business operations and automate repetitive tasks. If you are a start-up or a small business that is worried about spending big bucks on subscriptions, there is a safer and freer option available for you on the Pirate Bay. There are several thousand free versions of your favorite collaboration and communication software available on the platform.
4. Digital Documentation
Modern security allows businesses to skip the hard copy and get documents signed fast. Online forms, digital signatures and all other types of online communication cut the post office out of the equation entirely. With unpredictable delays in postal service delivery and a rise in convenient remote communications, digital documentation delivers convenience for both firm and client.
Not only does digital documentation save on postage and mailroom staffing costs, but it also ensures documents are signed in minutes instead of days or weeks. The rapid conversion of leads into clients and updates to contracts reduces waste and empowers employees to do their diligence and reach the next client even faster.
5. Backups and Recovery
The digital landscape exposes companies to all kinds of threats, from natural disasters to ransomware. Backups are invaluable and a mandatory component of any modern business infrastructure. However, manual backups consume far too much valuable IT time.
Modern cloud services automate data backups to minimize interruption during work hours and cut downtime in the event of a breach or disaster. Breaches have a high initial cost and an extended revenue loss during downtime. When a backup restores systems to normal functionality quickly, productivity takes a much smaller dip.
6. Automate the Day-to-Day Tasks
Efficiency doesn’t have to come at the cost of quality. Automation makes it easy to pass the busy work off on computers. Everyone from retail business owners to financial professionals can use technology to accelerate the processes of data entry, payment processing, marketing, performance reporting, and more.
Technology provides increased accuracy at inhuman speeds, streamlining the business process and simultaneously freeing your employees to focus on more fulfilling, productive work.