5 Technologies You Need in Your Small Business
Starting a small business can be as exciting as it is daunting, but if you break it down into manageable tasks, it’s much more the former than the latter. You’re your own boss now so you get to make the decisions, and one of those choices is how to equip your office with technology. You want to make sure you don’t overspend while still managing to get everything necessary to run smoothly. Need some help in this matter? Read on for five technologies you need in your small business.
1) Collaboration Software
Whether you’ve got 5 employees or 50, you need a proper business communication tool to use amongst yourselves. Email is fine and necessary but you also need something for instantaneous responses. One that has become huge among many companies is Slack for its effortless ability to streamline communication between team members. You can set it up with different channels so topics stay under their proper area. If a topic isn’t pertinent to one of your employees, he or she just doesn’t need to subscribe to this particular channel.
Another tool that is good for collaboration is Dropbox, as this allows for file sharing. Both this and Slack are particularly helpful if any or all of your employees work remotely. This is more of an optional tool, as you can also set your employees up using Google. Their email addresses can be Gmail-based, which allows them to share their files via the Google drive.
2) Customer Relationship Management Software
This is likely the most vital thing you’ll need for your business, as customer relationship management (CRM) software allows you to keep in touch with existing customers, add new customers, and increase your retention rate. Business News Daily puts Salesforce IQ as the number one CRM software because it “is extremely affordable and includes key features like lead generation, contact and opportunity management, workflow automation, sales forecasting, and much more.”
3) All-In-One Devices
Many companies are eschewing desktop computers for their mobile counterparts, which make it easier for meetings and the times when you need to work at home. Lightweight, portable, and compact, laptops are ideal for business on the go, and the latest technology has turned laptops into a foldable, tablet-like touchscreen. Of course, you’ll also need an all in one printer, with the ability to print, copy, scan, and fax.
4) Business Intelligence Tools
You can’t succeed in business if you have no way of analyzing the big picture. That’s where these BI tools come in. The more advanced the system, the more data sources it will be able to combine. If you choose a solid BI option, it should be able to analyze internal metrics from different departments, external data from customers or companies, emails, social media channels, and macroeconomic data. It’s basically like having a giant dashboard that allows you to gain insight into your customer behavior, sales trends, and overall growth. Armed with this knowledge, the sky’s the limit.
5) Mobile Payment Apps
Mobile payment apps allow you to take payments from customers on the go—which, these days, is basically everyone. They can also track business expenses, which is another must. Square has emerged as a leader in this area, becoming the go-to app for beauty salons, food trucks, and retail stores. In reaction to Square’s invention, PayPal also created an app that allows business to attach PayPal’s card reader to a tablet in order to be used as a portable register.
Final Thoughts
You don’t have to go over the top when just getting started with your small business. In fact, one of the biggest mistakes small business owners make is overspending right out of the gates. However, if you are strategic about the key technologies your business will need—like the items listed here—your small business should be competitive within months of opening.
