How to Future-Proof Your Business with Today’s Business Technology
If you’ve been in the business world for over 10 years, take a moment and consider how much technology has drastically altered the workplace and your day-to-day work life. Here’s just a few that I’ve used in the past week or so:
Taking an Uber to the next business meeting.
Using Zoom instead of flying across the country for a meeting.
Moving almost 100% of advertising expenditure towards digital marketing.
Using apps that integrate in the cloud to connect virtually all my business operations processes.
The list could go on and on, couldn’t it? It’s crazy to reflect on how fast the business and digital worlds are changing. Technology and processes that we’re currently using will probably be obsolete in 5 years or less!
Have you heard that old Charles Darwin quote? “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it is the one most adaptable to change.”
This is why many businesses are becoming obsessed with ‘future-proofing’ their businesses so they can stay ahead of the curve, rapidly adapt, and ultimately increase chances of long-term survival. We don’t just want to survive – we want to thrive. So, let’s get into the top ways that you can future proof your business.
7 Steps for Future-Proofing 101
1. Invest in Cybersecurity
It’s 2020 and cyberattacks are now part of the digital landscape. From media giants such as Sony, to presidential elections, it’s an issue that is affecting companies across the world. Cyberattacks typically attempt to access, change, or destroy business information in order to extort money from business.
Everything from ransomware to identity theft happens every day across the world. Invest in encrypted technology to prevent or at least mitigate the risk of cyberattacks. It’s worth consulting with external contractors to get an expert opinion and advice for cybersecurity.
2. Go Paperless
It’s time to get with the 20’s! Going paperless enables your workforce with easy access to everything at their fingertips. Need some examples? Digital collaboration tools make it easier to conduct teamwork, plan, and transfer information faster. Paperless accounting is huge and allows companies to send and receive invoices, payments, and handle general accounting functions easily from the cloud.
Another benefit of going paperless is using electronic documentation which can streamline every aspect of a business. Many of our clients use web-based form technology to collect and exchange information, or document assembly software to produce custom documents with a diverse range of sources and formats.
3. Digital Signatures
Use digital signatures to create a more efficient day-to-day work process. It’s a nice feeling streamlining your business in a simple way. One example is TrinitySignature – a Quickbase digital signature solution that helps you capture digital signatures to use them on your forms and outputs. Fast and easy. You can use the tool within the web version of Quickbase or on a custom mobile app that’s integrated with Quickbase.
4. Customized Software for Scalability
Let’s imagine a hypothetical situation: your business is growing, and your team wants to expand features for your current software. It’s a smart idea to ensure your software is custom built with scalability in mind.
Off-the-shelf software solutions generally have a limited capacity for customization. You need to think long game and consider how to future proof. Make a software selection that is scalable enough to account for the current and future requirements of your company. Always consider future expansion compared to your ongoing needs while considering how this affects your budget.
5. Follow the Trends
Make sure your marketing department keeps track of customer behavior to anticipate shifts in consumer or business trends. You want to be ahead of the curve. Set up a system to track customer behavior to predict changes in buying patterns.
It’s worth fostering a culture of innovation at your company. Keep the departments in the loop with each other so they can communicate and support each other with ideas to improve business operations. Workers enjoy feeling heard and being part of something bigger than themselves. It also helps to have more eyes on the ground that subconsciously track industry trends and customer behavior.
6. Cloud Workspace
Cloud-based technology updates automatically and keeps your entire business operation connected. Using cloud servers rids yourself of the burden of managing your IT support or managing hardware in an office space. You get real benefits such as consistent backups and scalability. On-site storage can get costly not only for the storage devices, but for the upkeep. It’s quite convenient and satisfying to only pay for the storage you need. The only downside is that you need an internet connection to access your information – not usually a problem in western countries.
Using a cloud workspace also gains access to multi-faceted security such as state of the art firewalls, high levels of encryption, multi-layers of authentication, and backup systems in case of emergencies on top of this. All companies deal with the struggles of implementing new software. Adopting a cloud workspace is generally easy. It typically entails less training time for employees. Office staff can access cloud desktops from across the world. They can handle virtually any business function such as creating customer orders, completing administrative tasks, and updating employee files.
7. Online Scheduling
Want to upgrade your calendar and scheduling needs? There are some great solutions available for online scheduling such as TrinityCalendar which is fully integrated with Quickbase. It has a range of features for powerful scheduling and resource management.
You’ve probably heard the standard quote about how efficiency is intelligent laziness. That sentiment is true because you’re making your life faster and easier. It’s surprising how many simple tools can improve efficiency, increase service levels, and upgrade the quality of output.
If you need assistance generating operational efficiency while future-proofing your business – we should talk. Feel free to send us your information for a no-obligation introduction. It’s a nice opportunity where we measure your project scope while giving you expert advice on the next steps forward.
If you are ready to develop customized software: Trinity can help. If you can define it, we can build it. Get in touch and we’ll explore the options.