Technology can help boost your performance or be a barrier to achieving your objectives depending on how it is implemented. While internet connection could be better in most parts of the continent a good number of technologies for small business is dependent on it.
Costs for good internet connection are not necessarily affordable for small businesses but the advantages if you have a good connection far outweigh the disadvantages and can make a big difference in the productivity of your team. Depending on your type of business and availability of the internet pick the technology that is most suitable for your use.
The following are different ways that you can use the internet to boost your business’ productivity.
- Monitor usage of time: The first thing that technology can do to boost your productivity is to monitor how much time you are spending on different activities and websites so you can use your time productively. Software like RescueTime can help you manage the time that’s spent on different websites and other activities like making calls and having meetings.
- Employees can work out of the office: this is a great advantage for small businesses as it means your employees can telecommute and, as a result, you can work with a larger team than your office can accommodate. Your overhead expenses will be highly reduced and can be channeled to other areas of business. Sales staff remain connected to the office even while in the field and get all the information they need. Thus your team is more productive than if individuals had to report to the office each time they need information.
- The collaboration of teams on projects: Team collaboration software like Yammer and Jive Software makes it possible for your team to work together on projects. Communication services like Skype and Google Hangouts and documents help employees collaborate, even when working across continents at no cost other than the availability of the internet. For example, this book and its translations were edited by teams across the continent.
- Office activities: administrative office activities can be made more efficient and collaborative with software like:
- Google task and Wunderlist – To-do list
- Rescue time – Time tracking
- Google Keep Onenote and Evernote – note-taking
These, together with project management tools like team box and work zone make teamwork and contributions to projects a breeze.
- CRM Software: great for mining data and, as a result, enables you to make faster decisions.
- Website: other than acting as an online brochure it can be customer service and sales tool if you sell online. Customers from all over the world can buy your products without you physically going to sell to them. Depending on the payment platform you use it can also significantly reduce how much time is spent on bookkeeping and stock management.
- Cloud computing: enables virtual sharing and team collaborations, virtual meetings, and banking.
While there is a wide range of technologies to pick from for each activity the key for a good solution for your business is that the technology should be easy to install and maintain, easy for the team to start using, and be able to work effectively with your internet speeds. If you have a slow speed then the lighter software will work better than heavier software. Technologies on Google handle a wide range of speeds pretty well.
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