HOW TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP YOUR BUSINESS RIDE THE GLOBAL CRISIS
Everyone is talking about “DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION” and others are shouting “BUILD SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH TECHNOLOGY”.
Digital transformation or DX started in the 90s, I know, I was there trying to convince everyone.
Today, it is a fact that we all need to use technology to manage our business if we want to keep up with the competition. It took 30 years for legacy software to move from on premise servers to the cloud in part because clients did not trust having their business info outside of their servers, but also because software companies have built heavy systems not adapted to be online.
With the pandemic, business leaders have already incorporated technology by using remote working applications, B2B supplier portals, B2B and B2C ecommerce, marketing platforms and online business process management applications, including ERP, CRM and intelligent customer support.
All these applications are now affordable and available in 3 modes and any of them will give you interoperability with other deployed technology and software.
- Free as open-source software (requiring an in-house programmer or a consultant/free-lancer for installation, maintenance and upgrades.)
- Paid SaaS (Software as a service) for a monthly fee. (You may need some technical help for deployment and the learning curve. Setup fees and monthly cost vary.)
- Custom made applications using the latest technology, no monthly fees, training included and almost no learning curve.
Advantages of technology transition:
- Remote work & management capabilities
- Easier, faster and more effective communication with staff, vendors, clients
- Better, more efficient & scalable business process management, manufacturing, purchasing.
- Reduce inefficiency & waste.
- Reduce R&D time & speed up go to market.
- Predictive analytics & business intelligence.
- Connectivity opens multi-channel sales pipes.
- Better customer experience, engagement & support.
- To be able to compete in your market.
Possible mental setback from business owners
- Cost.
- Increased dependency on technology and risk of job cuts.
- Learning curve.
- Lack of digital savvy staff.
- Lack of senior-level support.
- Data security, hacking and fraud.
- Compliance.
Regardless of your business’ size and industry, there’s no doubt that the technology evolution will not slow down so it is crucial for the sustainability of your business and to stay in the competition to embrace the technology transition as soon as possible. This being said, you need to set goals and budgets and make sure the new technology is the one you need and that it is properly implemented. So, before you choose between a free open-source solution, a SaaS solution or a custom-built solution you should ask an expert at anythingmarketing.com.