Starting up a new business can be a daunting task, especially in todays’ competitive market. While quick turnarounds and immediate profits are likely to be at the forefront of your concerns, it’s worthwhile to think about long term business growth. Technology is a vital tool that can be used as a platform to build the foundations of a company start up, making it easier to compete with large organisations and build long term customer relationships.
To help you make an informed decision when it comes to technology investments, here are some top tips that can help give your business a kick-start.
Wi-fi
Providing a reliable, versatile internet connection to gain widespread access to the information you need is crucial for any modern organisation. If your business centres around daily interaction with customers, onsite wi-fi access is crucial. Companies like Air Angel offer fast and secure wi-fi that allows businesses to learn more about their customer’s needs.
Wi fi CRM (customer relationship management) can help you get to know your target audience and in turn, promote your brand more effectively in the future. Offering a personalised experience to those using your connection can not only increase short term profits but encourage customer loyalty.
The cloud
The cloud allows you to store all of your files and data over the internet, rather than on a hard drive or office network. Most growing companies now choose to use internet hosted technology for its ability to enhance workforce productivity, broaden collaboration and improve efficiency. Offering a secure and safe environment for entire ICT operations, the cloud enables colleagues and clients to access the same projects at the same time, with minimum down time.
The versatile nature of the cloud makes it especially useful for small start up firms, as it can be scaled up or scaled down according to growing needs. The cloud allows for companies to remove, add or update the resources that they need on a cost-effective pay-as-you-go model.
Social media
For new firms, it’s important to raise brand awareness and build rapport with both current and prospective customers. Settinging up brand pages on various social media sites, such as Facebook or Twitter, can help promote your band, give you direct contact with customers and offer an easy way to garner useful feedback.
Social media can easily be incorporated into your overall marketing strategy and used to share exclusive content and offers with customers who have subscribed to your service. Before you know it, your business will have access to a large interactive pool of clients and customers with instant connectivity.
Apps
Instead of using expensive software and tech infrastructures , apps offer a cost-effective, easily accessible method of carrying out specific business tasks. Especially useful for small companies with limited resources, there are now apps that can manage accountancy, invoices, workforce organisation and many more business needs.
You can now find apps that can turn even the most basic of services into clever marketing tools. For example, basic email servers can be used to manage customer relationships, create leads and monitor sales without having to leave your inbox.
Telephony systems
Choosing the right telephony system from the outset can save you money in the long run and help build a platform for both in-house collaboration and client relations. VoIP (voice over internet protocol) technology can enhance the way in which your business communicates with customers, clients and suppliers by increasing responsiveness and in turn, improving the reputation of your brand.
VoIp is based on the number of users, meaning that you can adapt the system according to your evolving business needs and keep long-term telecom costs to a minimum.
Website has to be mentioned here too. Things like social media will tie into a website and defiantly worth bearing in mind when developing a site.
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