Technology has been changing the face of industries more broadly starting the year 2000 and more drastically from 2010 onwards. The traces of the old market are no longer recognizable as more businesses embrace innovation. Because whether they like it or not, technology is developing quicker than one can imagine and it’s going to sweep businesses away that fail to adapt to the change.
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The Influence of Technology on Business Operations
From fax messaging to instant messaging with provisions for file sharing and video conferencing, we’ve seen how fast and great technology has developed. In just a span of 10 years, the traditional tools that businesses have been used to like Pentium-powered computers and typewriters suddenly turned into touch screen laptops and cloud computing.
The way tasks are completed also changed. From physically delivering documents from one department to another, workers can now share files within a network of computers using the internet. From manually measuring material with high risks of inaccuracy, factories now have precision machines to do the job more efficiently.
Overall, technology has been saving businesses a lot of time, effort, money, and other resources while making their processes streamlined.
Below, we described more specifically how technology has been revolutionizing businesses and how companies are adjusting to the highly advanced marketplace.
1. Communication and Collaboration
You may already be aware of the importance of communication and collaboration to every business. Without these elements, a company can never operate properly with its team members guessing what they should do or cooking conflicts. Also, without clear communication channels, customers cannot connect with companies for their concerns or queries, making them turn to others with an open communication line.
In the modern business environment, these issues rarely become an issue. Thanks to the internet that has been playing a crucial role in streamlining communication and collaboration within a company and beyond.
Communication and collaboration these days are more convenient and effective than ever. Applications like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Slack, Google Meet, and internal network chat apps have made it possible for team members, no matter their location and the time, to touch base without the element of travel. This saves members a lot of meeting time.
On the other hand, chatbots, email services, and social media messaging are making it easier for businesses to connect with their customers. In turn, this easy communication channel allows businesses to improve their customer service which is an essential ingredient in turning first-time customers into loyal and lifetime customers.
Likewise, applications based on the cloud are making real-time collaboration possible. Apps like Trello, Monday.com, and Google Drive are some samples of file-sharing spaces where workers can share company files with each other. They are useful most especially in the exchange of large-sized files that email apps cannot handle. They are also a quick way to disseminate daily tasks or update assignments in real-time so that errors can be avoided.
2. Mobile-First Business
Statista wrote that there are currently over 7 billion people who are subscribed to smartphone services. This is a huge population to target and the business that wins at least 10% of this group surely ends up enjoying high profits. This is prompting businesses to focus on mobile marketing.
To have a successful mobile marketing campaign, companies are now optimizing their websites to become mobile-friendly. However, graceful degradation is hardly perfected so many are starting from zero and building their websites using the progressive advancement concept.
Consumers use their smartphones more than their laptops these days. Everything from shopping to banking, scheduling appointments, checking availabilities, opening emails, filling up forms, sharing retail experiences; people prefer doing all these on their phones since apps are faster and more convenient to use.
3. Remote Working
Many businesses have been skeptical about the efficiency of remote work. They felt like their employees are less productive at home than at the office so many dismissed the idea and stayed traditional.
However, a Stanford study revealed a surprising increase in productivity among remote workers. The rate reportedly equaled a full day work’s worth. Additionally, it mentioned how companies can cut back on real estate and energy costs and how remote work can make businesses more scalable and agile.
Companies are now benefitting from work from home setups and it is here to stay since Covid-19 continues to pose danger to workers who are going to the office. With the proper technologies, it is possible for workers to work as efficiently at home as they do in the office. Productivity tools like cloud-based office apps and the best PDF editors for 2021 for documentation; cloud-based collaboration apps; time and project management apps; and not to mention a stable and reliable internet; all these are the key elements to make a remote work setup possible.
4. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
AI and machine learning are reshaping the business landscape by processing a massive volume of data at a lightning speed and converting them into digestible context for people.
These technologies are usually used in CRM analytics to understand the behavior of consumers and capture the new trends in the market without the time-consuming and exhausting manual surveys. The scope they cover is so wide that the data they provide is almost very accurate.
Likewise, AI and machine learning are used as cybersecurity tools on top of the most advanced antivirus software. Businesses use their power for early detection of malware and hacking attempts so they can be stopped.
5. Cloud Computing and Digital Transformation
Cloud computing is very powerful. It leverages the power of the internet to make communication and collaboration instant. It allows the storage of large digital files; hence enabling businesses to share multiple documents on one go. The cloud also comes with military-grade encryption to secure files from cyberattacks. In short, the cloud optimizes the resources of businesses, giving them the ability to do more, whether their members or customers are on the phone, laptop, tablet, or desktop.
In the same manner, digitalization has been a crucial leap for businesses. Although companies still use paper, most documents are now converted into digital files and stored on computers or the cloud. This step has saved businesses a hefty amount of money from printing documents and snail mailing them. The risks of tampered documents or missing files are also prevented. Plus, it has made digital marketing smoother for companies as digital files are easily attachable to different email and messaging apps.
Technology for Businesses: Wrap Up
Technology provided an unbeatable way to streamline business processes, bridge organizational gaps, connect uninterruptedly with customers, increase productivity and profits, decrease costs and time wasted, prevent errors, enhance worker safety, and so much more. Indeed, there is a myriad of benefits to adopting new technologies for businesses.
As Forbes says:
“The companies that do invest in this function (Business Operations) can make better use of automation technology and increase their efficiency and engender happier, more inspired employees as they’re safeguarding themselves with greater adaptivity. Those who aren’t are only taking on more risk.”
Author Bio
Engineer turned Writer. Donna found a deeper interest in expressing her thoughts through words rather than numbers. With four years of experience, she has now mastered different writing styles. Writing Technology Blogs for the computer software shop Softvire Australia is her latest stint.
After work, she morphs into an anime and TV series fan.
