Advancing Technology Warrants Tech Upgrade
Small Business tech upgrades so rapidly today, it is impossible for most small and medium-sized businesses to invest in every new promising development. Furthermore, consistently investing in the newest systems can actually be a problematic strategy as early adopters don’t generally get the most value from solutions until later on. However, just because a SMB shouldn’t invest in everything that hits the market doesn’t mean that investments should be few and far between. Rather, a strategic approach to tech investments will usually lead to the most success.
In a recent article appearing on Business 2 Community, small business expert Sara Harold outlined some clear-cut signs that the time is right to upgrade the office technology in place.
“With basic tools, the warning signs are obvious,” Harold wrote. “When your stapler stops stapling, it’s time to upgrade. When it comes to computing equipment and software, however, it’s more challenging for small business owners to determine when a device is no longer useful, or when you’re in danger of falling behind your competitors. Being aware of trends in the marketplace and open to ideas from your peers and employees can help you make good technology decisions. In fact, employees are often among the first to discover new technologies that can be useful for your business.”
The Warning Signs a Tech Upgrade is Needed
Harold shared two examples of common signs that a business’s technology needs to be upgraded: company employees do not have the tech to enable them to work remotely and the infrastructure currently in place is unable to support the best tools available. Discussing remote work, Harold explained that while adjusting company policy to allow working from home is part of the overall solution, all the bureaucratic red tape in the world won’t mean a thing if existing systems aren’t able to support telecommuting employees.
A recent CloudPro article highlighted The Digital Imperative report from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and software organization Intellect in the United Kingdom. The survey found a significant gap between how large and small businesses leverage cloud technology. The research specifically indicated that 26 percent of small firms are investing in new cloud technology, even though 59 percent of SMBs believe tech investments are critical for gaining new customers and growing the business.
Small Business Tech Solutions
“Companies who had invested heavily reported high levels of satisfaction: investments in software, cloud services and e-commerce were seen as particularly fruitful,” the website said. “The biggest benefit was better communication with existing customers, reported by 62 percent of respondents, while 59 percent said technology helped boost business innovation.”
These sources demonstrate how critical it is for small businesses to keep up with advancing technology, and both said SMBs will significantly benefit from cloud computing technologies such as a virtual small business answering service or a hosted PBX system. AccessDirect’s virtual communications solutions allow small businesses to leverage the power of the cloud, one of the most impactful new technologies for businesses. By setting up virtual phone, a SMB can add business lines to existing mobile devices, which also helps to enable remote work. Contact us for a business phone upgrade today.
