Leveraging Existing Technology For Business Results
Leveraging existing technology to meet business goals is a key consideration in today’s competitive market. The rise of digital technologies has led to the development of new and innovative products and services that are changing the way we live, work, and play.
The future of business is all about leveraging technology to create new value for customers and meeting their needs. To remain competitive, it is important for businesses to stay on top of what’s happening in the world around them. Technology can be used as a tool for innovation or as a means for automation. For example, with artificial intelligence, machines can complete tasks that humans might find difficult or time-consuming.
Many businesses already own technology that is being under-utilized. Microsoft 365 is a perfect example. While most of us use the email function of Microsoft 365 and possibly some file storage, other productivity components are not being utilized. Microsoft Planner is a great basic product management app that can be used by anyone or any organization that has a need to manage multiple projects or projects that have multiple pieces that must be managed. Microsoft Lists is a simple tool that allows you to create and manage lists. Lists can be anything from contacts to products to vendors to tasks and more. How about a list to keep track of all those social media accounts that you have created?
If your organization is not using Microsoft Teams, you are missing out on one of the best productivity tools to come out in a long time. For many businesses Teams has been critical in keeping work from home workers engaged and productive. If you are using Teams, are you taking advantage of the ability to have external resources included in your Teams? Customers, vendors, and other external resources can be added to your Teams to keep everyone on the same page and productive.
It can be difficult for small and medium business to keep up with the ever-changing business environment. Often, they already own untapped tools that can help. What does it take to take advantage of what you already have? First, “check it out”. Take a look at the tools that you currently have. Find out what you are using and what you are not using. Evaluate if you are using the tools to the fullest or if there is a tool that you are not using that could benefit your workflow. Next, train yourself and your staff in the tools that you want to use. Many times I find this step is short changed. Training is an investment that will bring great returns in how you understand and utilize your technology tools. And finally, repeat! Times change and your needs change. A tool that did not have value 6 months ago may be perfect for a new task or function.
As small business owners we need to make the most of the resources we have at our disposal. We can do this by tapping into technology to help reach our business objectives. When we already own technology that we are not using to its fullest, there is a great opportunity to make a giant leap in our productivity. Let’s not waste it!