If your business isn’t living up to its full potential, don’t blame your employees—blame your technology. To find success in business in the modern era, your company needs to embrace technology.
With the right tools, your business can accomplish more each day, save time, and streamline tasks and projects. From software to cloud computing, business technology is booming—and even small companies can benefit.
To learn more, keep reading to find seven technology trends in business that are here to stay. They can have both large and small businesses change their operations for the better.
1. Remote Teams
When it comes to technology trends in small businesses, one of the biggest to watch is remote work. Thanks, in part, to the impact of the pandemic, over 70% of us are working from home.
It’s taught companies that workers can be productive remotely and employees have learned to love the convenience that comes from working from home.
As a result, flexible working conditions are something that more and more employees are asking for, as many find working from home gives a better work-life balance and is less stressful. No more long commutes mean more time with family, which many employees value.
Thanks to tech such as high-speed internet, fast laptops, and cloud computing, it’s easier than ever to work from home. We predict we’ll only be seeing an increase in remote work from here on out, even after the pandemic comes to an end.
Remote workers also give companies a competitive advantage. No longer are they limited to hiring staff in their geographical area—instead, they can hire from anywhere in the world, giving their business access to the best workers in the country.
2. Artificial Intelligence
Another of the future technology trends in business to watch is AI or artificial intelligence. AI offers huge advantages to businesses, with even small companies able to benefit.
For example, if your business has a strong customer service focus, you can try out chatbots, which are powered by AI. Think of chatbots as virtual customer service support agents.
They work via messaging apps to answer questions and point your clients in the right direction. They offer instant support, 24 hours a day, giving your customers instant assistance, even when your customer care team has gone home.
AI can also be a big help from an analytics point of view. It’s very effective at analyzing data, especially at finding errors or looking for patterns.
This is great for marketing as well, as you can use AI to quickly scan your sales and work out which products are selling best at which locations. Use that to your advantage for your sales strategies, but also for managing inventory.
When you need to work through huge amounts of data, AI technology can help you work much faster than just using the human eye.
3. Cybersecurity
While cybersecurity has been around for some time, this trend is certainly here to stay. Businesses need to be increasingly vigilant when it comes to their online security, as hackers are constantly looking for ways to get in.
Hackers are keen to steal passwords, data, credit card numbers, and personal information—anything that they could profit from or sell. Even small companies are at risk, as hackers aren’t only targeting large corporations.
To keep your small business safe, you need to use the best possible malware and security software, ensuring it’s always kept up to date. It’s also recommended that businesses make backups of important data, lock their Wi-Fi networks, and change passwords every three months.
If you suspect that your account has been breached, contact your IT team right away so they can take action. Do your research as well and ensure your company only uses the most secure software programs and email systems.
4. HR Tech
HR technology is also changing the way companies work. If you’ve ever worked in HR, you know how complex it can be—you’re constantly being pulled in different directions, making it hard to stay on top of everything.
Luckily, new software is coming out all the time, with the aim of making it easier to manage your company’s HR. For hiring, you can find software programs that will sort through and analyze resumes, looking for certain keywords or achievements.
With most vacancies attracting hundreds of applications, this is a great way to save yourself time and avoid the manual task of reading through everything. This helps eliminate paperwork and makes it easier than ever to filter through large stacks of cover letters.
You can also find HR tools to help with onboarding, project management, and payroll, helping you accomplish more each day. With the right HR technology, you can set up automation processes, a big timesaver.
5. Video Calls
Another massive trend is video communication. We no longer need to meet in person to have meetings, since it’s not easier than ever to have virtual meetings with video software.
Platforms like Zoom, Skype, and GoToMeeting make it easy to connect from anywhere in the world. They offer clear, bright visuals and easy-to-understand audio for both group meetings or one-on-one chats. You can also conduct US CIO conferences here as well. So, all possible because of technology.
The power of video conferencing is enormous, especially as more people turn to remote work. If you haven’t tried it out yet, your business is missing out.
Video is also helpful for remote training as well, making it easier to onboard new employees who are in different cities. It’s also helpful for team building, as you and the team can jump on a video call at any time to have a chat, celebrate a birthday, or work on a project together.
For effective video calling, you’ll want the right laptop. Check out the options on lenovo.com, as they’re fast, powerful, and built with professionals in mind.
6. 5G
We think 5G is going to change how we work. The term 5G refers to the fifth generation of cellular network technology and is faster than 4G.
5G is faster and more powerful than any previous Wi-Fi source, so it gives us the ability to work smarter, no matter where we are. With 5G, you can easily handle large downloads or projects that require plenty of bandwidth, even if you’re in the local coffee shop.
It’s also easier for large groups of people to work off of one network. If you have a boardroom full of people that need to connect or a household of both parents and kids working from home, you’ll find 5G much more efficient.
It gives us much faster download times, quicker video streaming, and makes it easier to send and receive large files without delay.
If you haven’t already upgraded your office to 5G, consider making the change—your internet provider can let you know about your options.
7. E-Commerce
Online shopping, or e-commerce, is also here to stay. While online shopping has been popular for years, it’s no longer just a fun and novel way to shop—it’s something we use for our daily needs.
From Amazon’s lightning-fast deliveries to the click-and-collect shopping from your local grocery store, fewer people are browsing physical stores to shop these days.
Even when we do shop in person, we are using contactless checkout methods more frequently, paying with tools such as Apple Pay or Paywave. This is safer, faster, and easier for many shoppers.
What this means for companies is that they need to embrace e-commerce, if they haven’t already. If your company can add an online store, accept payment methods like PayPal, and offer fast delivery, this can give you a competitive advantage.
Improve Your Workplace With These Technology Trends in Business
There are plenty of technology trends in business, but the seven mentioned above are a few to watch. If your business could do with some new technology, why not try out some of the above ideas and see what a difference they can make?
If you’re embracing new technology, keep in mind that it may take some time for staff to get used to everything and learn how the new technology works. This is normal, so be patient and offer plenty of training sessions to get everyone up to speed.
Soon, your company will be loving the benefits that technology can bring, resulting in a more efficient workplace. Get started today and make the most out of business technology!
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