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2020 has been a difficult year for businesses and consumers alike, but it has brought with it innovative solutions to not only the problem at hand, but also age old problems. By learning from the hardships 2020 had to offer, businesses can excel moving forward. These tech tips will help your business thrive in 2021 and beyond.
IoT Technology
The internet of things, or IoT, is a branch of tech that focuses on connecting various devices and pieces of software together via wifi with the mission statement of improving efficiency in mind. IoT tech can take any number of forms, and businesses that can learn how best to utilize IoT design can improve their workflow immensely.
For example, CRM apps can help your sales team keep an accurate and up-to-date roster of clients, and this list can update automatically in real time as the direct result of changes made by other users in other locations. IoT technology can be used not only in isolation, but also as part of a broader smart office setup. Multiple devices and/or programs can be connected together and can begin to automate a variety of processes, and that can save your business a lot of time and a lot of human effort otherwise spent on low skill labor that’s better spent elsewhere.
E-Commerce
IoT design has a lot to offer businesses, but it is instrumental in making the proliferation of e-commerce as successful as it has been. Offering consumers more ways, and more convenient ways, to engage with your company’s products and services is a no brainer, because it will almost inevitably increase your sales figures. By giving your customers a way to do their shopping whenever the mood strikes, you will be able to take advantage of impulse buys, for example.
However, it can also feed directly into your existing smart office infrastructure, making it not only a great way to boost revenue, but also a means of reducing the workload on your employees. E-commerce functionality is quickly becoming a necessity for businesses of all shapes and sizes. Not only has E-commerce been a vital part of the defense against the pandemic for both businesses and consumers, but it can also mean the difference between your business or a competitor when a shopper is looking for the most convenient option available to them.
Remote Employment
With a global pandemic looming overhead, many jobs were deemed nonessential, and those workers lost their jobs in many cases. However, many other jobs were able to be converted into remote employment positions, allowing workers to continue earning their paycheck from the comfort of their own home. Naturally, this arrangement isn’t always available, because it is inherently limited to tasks that can be completed using a computer and an internet connection. However, this fits the bill for a surprising amount of roles, and that fact has saved a lot of people from unemployment in 2020. One such position is that of the payroll department, because payroll involves little more than recordkeeping and math.
However, remote employment also confers a number of benefits to both employers and employees, regardless of the pandemic. Remote workers get to curate their own ideal office space, while employers can save some money that would otherwise go toward the costs associated with on site staff. For example, less employees on site means that less electricity will be used.
Innovation
While there have been many clever uses of technology at the heart of the commercial response to COVID-19, there is a unifying, underlying principle behind all of these developments. Businesses need to be able to adapt to the ever-changing commercial landscape, and that is no more or less true at any particular time. While the pandemic has required businesses to get creative to survive, companies must always be ready to innovate and look for opportunities to do so. Market trends and public opinion are always changing, and a business that’s built to last will be able to capitalize on that change.
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