Whatever small business you run, you will have encountered the need for a wealth of technologies designed to help you build and maintain your customer base, organize your time, bookkeep, and much more. This article details the four most crucial technologies and how your business can deploy them to the most significant effect.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Customer loyalty is the most critical aspect guaranteeing the success of any small business, and CRM is the best way to leverage technology to improve your relationships with current and prospective customers.
CRM works by recording as much customer information as possible, organising this information into an easily understandable data set, and delivering you a 360-degree view of any customer you need insights on as and when required.
Thousands of small businesses across the UK are currently using CRMs to drive sales and customer satisfaction, with industry estimates from 2024 showing that 91% of businesses with over ten employees currently use CRM.
Cybersecurity Solutions
Cybercrime is without a doubt the biggest threat facing small businesses, with 83% of small businesses admitting that they are unprepared for cyberattacks. Despite this threat, small businesses consistently fail to protect themselves, with just 14% believing they are well defended.
There is no single cybersecurity technology your business should use. Rather, you should invest in a suite of cyber solutions that protect you against the various eventualities and latest hacking techniques.
Firstly, a next-generation antivirus solution is required to keep harmful malware from your systems. Investing in one with next-generation features, such as AI threat tracking and fighting, will ensure your business keeps up with the latest trends in cybercriminal techniques.
Another key cybersecurity solution is data backups and recovery. Cyber attacks are impossible to completely avoid, but ensuring all your data is duplicated on another hard drive, or the cloud will mean that you can easily recover it when hackers steal your data.
Cloud Storage
In a similar vein to data backups is cloud storage, which many small businesses use to grow their data capacities without requiring a large investment in data storage hardware. Instead, data is stored remotely in enormous data centres and can be accessed immediately as required.
The two key players in this field are Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services, who offer small businesses near unlimited storage at various per-gigabyte per-month rates.
Project Management
Founders often run small businesses with a vision but not necessarily management skills. Forbes recommends that businesses struggling with task management, communication, and moving projects forward hire a project manager. However, this is not always affordable for small businesses that are struggling to make ends meet.
Project management software can be an excellent investment during this intermediary growth period, allowing you to easily delegate tasks and time at a much smaller investment than hiring a full-time project manager. Examples include Trello and Asana.
IT Technologies that can Secure your Business’ Future
The technologies described in this article are truly powerful, with the ability to allow your business to grow via better customer engagement, security, and management. Make sure to research each property and make investments in them as appropriate.
