It seems like every day a new technology comes out that allows businesses to operate in a different way. If you’re a business owner, and you don’t keep up with the latest technology trends, it isn’t long before your competitors pass you by. Therefore, it’s important that you not only know what the newest developments are but that you find ways to test them out within your own business to see if they can benefit you. To help get you started, below are some of the newest technologies in the business world for you to consider.
Remote Capabilities
A big area to explore is that of remote capabilities. As we have seen over the past year, working remotely is more important than ever before. Not only is remote work often cheaper for the business, but employees prefer it as well. However, before you start to encourage more remote work within your business, you need to make sure you can handle it. From remote onboarding to remote meetings and project management, you need to have the tools in place for your remote workers to work efficiently. Spend some time thinking about what tools your remote employees need to do their best work, then start looking for ways you can increase your remote capabilities beyond what they are now.
Network Management
Network management is an area that all large businesses should look into. You likely have your computers and other devices all connected together in some fashion. To get the most out of these connections, and to ensure they are secure, you need to take more control over the network that they connect through. One topic to explore is that of Software-Defined Wide Area Networks (SD-WAN). There are some great SD-WAN benefits, such as higher bandwidth, improved network visibility, and the ability to manage multiple connection types, like broadband and LTE. If you have a large enterprise business with a lot of connections going on, this is one thing to explore as soon as you can.
Live Chat
A key way that technology is helping businesses is through customer service. There are now simple tools that can help you significantly reduce your customer service load and improve those interactions you do have. One important tool in this regard is a live chat feature. A live chat feature goes directly on your website and allows visitors to interact with your customer service team. This gives them near-instant access to your team, improving their experience. And, if you combine this with a chatbot feature, you can reduce the number of inquiries you get. Finally, outsource some of your customer support operation, and you suddenly have a very cost-efficient system that provides excellent results.
Augmented Reality
Many businesses are now making use of augmented reality technology. With augmented reality, users open up their smart device’s camera and get a live view of their surroundings. On this live view, details are digitally added to “augment” the reality. For a long time, this was exclusively used for games, but there are now more practical applications. As an example, paint suppliers now allow their customers to see what a paint color looks like on their walls before ordering. Some clothing companies even allow you to see what an outfit looks like on you before buying it. With a little creativity, you may be able to find a way for augmented reality technology to assist your own business.
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is an increasingly popular form of social media marketing. With influencer marketing, your business pays popular social media users to promote your brand, products, or services. By using an influencer to market your brand, you increase your visibility with their audience. And since there are so many influencers, you can choose one that is particularly popular with your niche. To learn more about the benefits of influencer marketing, you can check out this guide.
Payment Possibilities
Finally, you should look for ways to provide more payment options to your customers. Gone are the days where customers only pay with cash or credit cards. Now they want to use their mobile devices, electronic checks, and even cryptocurrencies. To more payment options you add, the more customers you can bring into your business. Often, this is as simple as changing your shopping cart software or adding in a new Point of Sale system in your store, so start exploring the process for adding more payment types.
Get Started with New Technology
If you don’t learn about the newest technologies, you’re going to fall behind your competitors. Even if you don’t end up using them yourself, knowing what your competitors are using can help you plan your own strategies. Hopefully, this article gave you some ideas, but remember to keep exploring new technologies as time goes by to ensure you are always up to date.
