In 2023 it’s not possible to thrive in business if you do not make use of the best and latest tech. Indeed, some types of technology are so crucial to the success of your small business that you will be putting yourself at a distinct disadvantage if you don’t use them. Find out what these essential types of business tech are in the post below, and how they can help your small business’s journey to success.
Type 1 – A Website
One of the most vital types of tech that just about every business needs to survive in today’s market is a website. This is because billions of people use the internet to search for products and services that they need, and that means if you do not have an online presence you will be missing out on a great deal of business.
However, it’s worth noting that not all websites are the same, and the quality and speed of the site your business runs also matter. Indeed, both of these things will impact your customer’s experience which you will want to optimize in order to encourage them to come back to your small business over and over again.
Type 2 – Timesheet Software
For small businesses with employees managing hours, processing timesheets, and making sure pay is accurate can be a real pain. Not only is it time-consuming, but any mistakes can lead to a dip in employee morale which can impact your business’s productivity.
Happily, once again, tech comes to the rescue as it’s now possible to use software that manages your timesheets for employees for you. That’s right with timesheet software you can easily automate the entire scheduling and hour-tracking process, freeing up your team’s valuable time and making it more accurate at the same time.
Type 3 – Social Media
Social media is another type of tech that is crucial for a small business if they wish to be successful in today’s market. However, many people make the mistake of using social media to only promote their products and services, which is not the most effective approach.
Instead, your business’s social media should be used as a way to regularly connect with and build an audience or fan base for your brand. That means rather than posting only about products, additional content that you know will appeal to your target audience will be more effective. In this way, your brand can become a part of your customers’ everyday lives, vastly increasing the chance they will choose your business when it comes time to make a purchase.
Type 4 – Inventory Management Software And Hardware
For those small businesses selling physical products, inventory management is an essential part of success. The reason for this is that to meet your customer’s needs you will need to know what products you have in stock, and which will need to be manufactured or ordered from a supplier. In the old days, this process used to be done with a pencil, paper, and a clipboard. However, there is now state-of-the-art inventory management software and hardware that can make the job far quicker and easier.
Choose between bar code scanners, QR readers, or NFT tags to make tracking your inventory live, and instant. Something that means you can update your customers and manage their expectations successfully as well.
Type 5 – Meeting And Calendar Solution
Missing a meeting as a small business owner never looks professional. It can also cost you big time if the meeting you missed is with an important client. That is why finding an effective method of diary management is so crucial to success.
Happily, there are plenty of techy solutions that can make managing your meetings and your calendar a breeze. One of the easiest and cheapest is to use your computer calendar which should be linked to your email, something that means you can send and receive invites to meetings with ease and set reminders on your calendar.
There are even some meeting booking software solutions out there that allow customers or clients to book their meetings with you themselves. The genius of these tools is that they only show when you are free to meet, and not what you are doing the rest of the time like a regular calendar, so you get to make booking meetings easier while also controlling your time and privacy.
Type 6 – CRM Software
Whether you sell products or services as a small business your customers will always be vital to your success. After all, it’s their money that keeps you going. What that means is making sure you maintain a positive relationship with your customers is crucial, and one of the best techy ways to do this is to use a CRM or customer relationship management software.
CRM software allows you to safely store all your information about a client in one place. It also helps you keep up to date with each customer, which can make all the difference when sales depend on forming a great working relationship.
Another benefit of using CRM software is that it can help you better qualify leads and make sure your pipeline estimations are always up to date. This is something that can support you in making better data-based decisions for your small business, rather than relying on instinct and guessing.
Type 7 – Time Management Software
Last, of all, it’s pretty crucial to remember that when running a small business time is money. Indeed, if you are wasting the precious resource of time when running your company you will also be frittering money away, which can have a significant impact on your profit margins.
With that in mind, ensuring that you and your employees properly and efficiently manage their time is a very good idea indeed. The good news is that tech can help you here as well, because, with software like Monday.com, you can easily manage whole projects, see what individuals are working on and make sure you hit your deadlines.
Caroline is doing her graduation in IT from the University of South California but keens to work as a freelance blogger. She loves to write on the latest information about IoT, technology, and business. She has innovative ideas and shares her experience with her readers.