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How to Utilize Technology to Improve Productivity Today
In a competitive business environment where every firm has to work hard to secure customers and keep them coming back, something that can really separate the leaders in an industry from those who are struggling to survive is productivity. Business success often comes down to how productive organizations are, in all areas, from operations and administration, to marketing, sales, and more.
As a result, most business owners are looking for ways they can get an edge, and want to work with partners who will help them to get it. Taking advantage of the many technological advances which have been made over the last few decades is one thing that can make a big difference when it comes to increasing productivity in the workplace.
Indeed, according to a report released by O2 Business and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), workforce productivity has risen by a whopping 84 percent over the last four decades because of digital technology advances, with continuous improvements ongoing too.
New technologies make it possible, and easier than ever, for people to collaborate, manage their time more effectively, work from anywhere around the world, and analyze data. If you’re looking to step into this growing field and help businesses save time and compete more effectively in their industry, then read on for some ways that tech can be used to improve productivity.
Unified Communications
Unified Communications (UC) is a term that refers to the integration of communications in order to optimize business processes and cut costs. When top-rated UC platforms such as Cisco 6000 are implemented, a variety of communication services work together. UC platforms cover both real-time communications (like instant messaging and chats, telephony/VoIP, and video conferencing), and non-real time communications such as e-mail, SMS, and voicemail.
UC systems help to improve operational productivity because they combine a wide range of communications and features into a single, complete solution that can also be integrated with other business processes. This allows for increased effectiveness, as workers don’t have to waste time setting up and figuring out how to use many different systems. Significant cost savings can be achieved over time too.
Mobile Apps
Applications have become so popular over the last few years that there are millions of them on the market today. For business people, apps can truly be a game changer when it comes to productivity. There are apps to help with every type of task, from areas such as finance, administration, and accounting, to human resources, marketing, and sales.
For example, technology can
- Help people to keep all of their notes, ideas, to-do lists, photos, notable website pages and more in the one spot that’s always accessible. Evernote is a prime example
- Make it quick and easy to compile monthly expense reports.Such as Expensify
- Help users to set, track, and manage budgets.Apps like Mint
- Take the pain out of tracking the amount of time spent on client projects.Like Toggl
- Make it a breeze for teams to work together more cohesively on projects, even if members are spread all around the world.Project management apps like Asana, Podio, and Trello
- Automate social media posting and analysis. Such as Hootsuite, Notifier, and Pablo
- Take the time out of content distribution.Like Buffer, Pagemodo, and PixxFly
Mobile Payment Processing
Being able to take payments on mobile devices also helps businesses to increase productivity. For example, there are plenty of businesses which typically invoice a customer for a job after the work is completed at a client’s site. To do this, workers used to have to go back to their office to type up and then post or email out all the invoices for the day or week. Now, it’s quick and easy to organize an invoice on the spot and accept payment through a mobile application.
Furthermore, because of the amount of data collected through mobile payments, this gives businesses the ability to track their inventory in real time and to stay on top of consumer trends, and understand customer preferences in a flash. Small operators can now have access to the kind of data that was once only available to large businesses with plenty of spare cash to pay for it. Businesses don’t have to waste time compiling data themselves, and can use the details to make better (and timelier) decisions about things like inventory, marketing campaigns, and rostering of staff.
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