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Expert Answers to Biz Questions
Listen in! Pick up some expert advice to a reader's question that we selected from CyberSchmooz.
4 Ways to Use Tech to Better Run Your Businesses (Even If You’re Not a Tech Person)
When some small business owners hear the word “tech,” they instantly wince as if they’re in a tremendous amount of pain. If this is you, rest assured that there is a way to use tech to help you better run your business without worrying about learning a bunch of new terminology and skills. In fact, here are four technology-based solutions that don’t require a PhD in tech or extensive knowledge of this category of services.
1. Use the Cloud
If you’re unfamiliar with “the cloud” or don’t truly understand what it is, it is basically a place to store your data off-site so you can access it from anywhere in the world. For example, if you use Apple products, the iCloud is where you’ll find all your contacts, photos, notes, and anything else you have stored using your smartphone, tablet, or computer—regardless of where you are geographically.
This means that you can access its information from any location. So, if you typically do a lot of travel in your business, you will be able to see, add to, and change cloud-based data in real time. This enables you to still look after your company, even if you are thousands of miles away.
2. Purchase Administrative Software
Running a successful business involves handling of a variety of administrative duties. These can range from hiring new staff to creating schedules to making sure everyone is paid correctly (and on time), and everything in between. Administrative software can help you do all of this and more.
Better yet, look for administrative software that is cloud-based and you’ll have the best of both worlds. For instance, by using a payroll management software you can automate some of your business’s accounting operations – your employees could access the system themselves, changing their personal banking details or managing their timesheets as necessary, a step that can save you tremendously over time.
4. Integrate Tablet Usage
When laptops first came out, many people were overjoyed with the ability to take their important files with them wherever they were to go. However, with the advent of tablets, even those have become a bit obsolete, making tablets great additions to your business if you have staff members who need access to your important data, even when they’re not behind a desktop or laptop computer.
What are the best tablets for business purposes? According to TechRadar, for 2018, these include Microsoft Surface Pro and Surface Pro 4, Apple iPad Pro, Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet, and Lenovo Miix 510.
5. Get Your Business on Social Media
Finally, in this day and age, if you’re not on social media, you might as well not exist as a business. Yes, engaging with these technology-based platforms does take time and each one has its own best practices, but they can also help you expand your reach, making them more than worth the effort.
In 2017, 2.46 billion people used at least one form of social media. Since the most popular choice was Facebook, this is a good place to start if you’re new to this method of engagement. Just set up a business page, begin interacting with your customers and potential customers, and leave your mark in a positive way.
If you feel completely overwhelmed by social media, you can always delegate this duty out. Either hire a social media manager to work directly for your company or contract this service to a person or company that knows the ins and outs of social media. Either way, you don’t have to travel the social media road alone.
Incorporating tech into your business doesn’t have to give you a headache. Even if just do these four things, you’ll likely find it easier to run your business and help it grow. Give it a chance. You may just like it.
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