At this time of the year it is always nice to reflect on the time you have had, as well as analyse those that have come before it. This is usually very interesting in a business sense, as you can quickly see just how different one year to the next. One thing that stands out for most people is how much technology has affected the way that jobs and processes are handled within the organisation.
If you haven’t given this much thought before, why don’t you take a moment to consider this in more detail? Technology has surely made a bigger difference than you might anticipate! To get you started, here are a few common ways that businesses have been affected by improved technologies…
More data
There is suddenly more data than ever before as businesses become more adjusted to tracking and analysing. Companies understand just how important it is to understand customers and sales, and this is made possible by special analytics and tools. Of course, with more data, there needs to be more clever ways to bring it all together, and this is something that many software companies are currently examining.
‘Bring your own device’
More businesses are starting to accept that their employees might have a preference when it comes to laptops and tablets, so why not actually allow people to bring these to work. This reduces the amount of money that a business needs to spend on other devices, although it does mean that the security network needs to be tight. However, businesses are starting to implement processes to allow this to happen, such as restricting usage on USB devices or having these checked by the IT team before they are used on the network.
Mobile workers
Now that there are more people with laptops and tablets, it is easier to allow people to work remotely. In fact there are more people than ever using enterprise mobile apps (such as Microsoft mobile apps). Technology has enabled this, and it is especially popular in the winter months when conditions make it difficult for people to get into the office.
More online sales and leads
A company website lets you advertise your products and services in a whole new way, so there is a high likelihood that you already use this technique. Of course, there are some companies that understand how to do this better than others, and employ agencies to help them to get the best results. Whether this is through web design or search engine optimisation, there are many things you can do to improve the amount of sales and leads through your website.
Less paper
Finally, one thing that many companies have noted is the reduction in paper usage. The printer doesn’t need to be used as much anymore now that people are able to use mobile phones and tablets when they are on the move. Staff records can also be kept via cloud storage solutions, rather than filed in a cabinet within the office itself.