Have you examined your technology infrastructure lately? If not, and you experience continual problems, you may need to develop a digital transformation strategy. If you need help with this, keep reading to learn about some affordable ways to improve your business technology this year.
1. Outsource Your IT
Some companies pride themselves on their internal information technology (IT) team. It was a previous medal of honor. However, the rapid pace of technology advancements has made the internal IT team prehistoric. It’s hard to keep up with trends related to cloud computing, apps, blockchain, and zero-trust security. Plus, turnaround is on the increase. In turn, you continually train new employees on your infrastructure. Once they get up to speed, another worker decides to leave.
The solution to curbing this ongoing problem is to outsource your IT department. Look into a service for your software, hardware, network, or all the items mentioned. The advantage to outsourcing is you hire a built-in source of subject matter experts. The only training they require is related to your company’s data infrastructure.
2. Move Your Data To The Cloud
Maintaining a server farm is expensive. In addition to the storage devices, you invest in a location to keep the equipment, a network setup, and security mechanisms. It helps you compete with 70% of other businesses with plans to upgrade. All of these must be updated to maintain your data’s safety. Overall, it takes a large chunk out of your technology budget.
An affordable alternative is to move your data and applications to cloud computing. It eliminates the portion of your IT maintenance budget. Further, the cloud computing service handles upgrades to security and backups. The item that makes the cloud a solid return on investment is its capability to grow with your company. Before implementation, the organization discusses potential expansion scenarios. Thus, they’re ready to increase your storage bandwidth when you reach a bursting point.
3. Enhance Your Audio And Video Setup
Communication is imperative to maintain customer and employee satisfaction. Unfortunately, below-average audio and video tools cause issues like misunderstanding directions or taking a statement the wrong way. These cause distress across all departments and lead to productivity loss. Correct this by investing in quality, affordable audio and visual equipment. Purchase an excellent office headset for each person that includes Bluetooth capabilities. Top-line video conferencing tools minimize security breaches and communication gaps. When you enhance your audio and video setup, you also enhance your customer experience. Your customers should feel like they are easily able to communicate with you through either audio and video. This will help them feel more confident about what service or goods that you are providing them.
4. Develop Applications On Your Own
Smart device apps are necessary in today’s business world. When done correctly, they become part of your multi-channel communication plan. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on a development team to create a proper app. Several online companies allow business owners to create apps without learning coding languages. They utilize drag-and-drop technology to help construct a suitable application for your business. The plus side is you can reuse the templates you create in future programs.
5. Invest In Robust Productivity Tools
A big reason companies fail is the lack of available data. Information is incorrectly added to spreadsheets or not included at all. For this reason, different departments don’t receive the correct information, and this leads to strife among coworkers and angry customers. The affordable tech solution is to purchase customized productivity tools. Although the initial cost is significant, their return on investment will be much greater after implementation. With the right tools, everyone will receive the same information.
An example of this tool is a customer relationship management (CRM) application. It helps salespeople and customer service desks follow a client’s history from lead generation and purchase to issue resolution. Individuals can drill down to see the customer’s complete history with the company.
Another form of production tool is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) app. The program allows users to follow a product’s lifespan through production, inventory, shipping, and billing processes. Customize the ERP to send alerts to all departments if there are issues within the supply chain. Consider a warehouse management system (WMS) to handle inventory issues. With barcode scanners, you can track when products are received and when they leave the shelves. Some WMS applications can be customized to order products automatically when inventory reaches a certain level.
Conclusion
Needless to say, there are many affordable ways to improve your business tech. Carefully consider each before implementation. In order to improve your business tech, it is imperative that you are keeping up with other businesses. You will be successful when you implement these into your office.
Author Bio:
Rayanne Morriss is currently working towards her BA from Oregon State University. She loves to learn about business and technology. She recommends Headset Advisor for an excellent office headset option in your business space.
