Businesses requires constant innovation for them to succeed in ever growing industries and continuous competition. This means customer expectations are incredibly high and companies now need to ensure they are on their A game to be successful. It is now time for business to adapt and change as new technology is forever coming into the playing fields. Here we are going to tell you how to take your business into the digital age.
What is the digital age?
The digital age started in the 70’s and has gradually developed, many of us now use a wide range of technologies to help us get on with our day to day lives. It has also been defined as the digital era which is characterised as the technology in which has increased the speed and breadth of knowledge whether it be in economy or society.
Millenials have entirely lived within the digital age, they have grown up with it and can sometimes put older generations to shame when it comes to using new technologies. Even those that they have not used before they seem to be witty and fast learning which is why many businesses are now seeing it more critical for them to move into being more digital and proactive when it comes to implementing new technologies.
How do I move my traditional business into a digital one?
There are so many different ways of making your business digital, and this doesn’t just mean taking it online such as an e-commerce site. While it may be more beneficial for your business if you are selling products or services to move online, you might want to start with how you can make your business digital internally.
Payment systems
Some business is still using the method of a paper trail literally, using invoices and data recorded on paper. It is common knowledge that there is a range of risks your can encounter when only keeping this type of document on paper. Not only is this a hindrance to your employees constantly having to fill away paperwork it also makes your business less valuable as you are wasting your staffs time and company resources.
Using digital methods of recording payments or even making them is much safer than the paper counterpart. It is a great way for your business to become more streamline payments and improve the visibility of data and money of day to day operations. We recommend taking a look at The World Bank for more information on payment systems.
Customer service tools
Investing in good customer service tools will be paramount to your business being successful. You will want to think about installing point of sale systems which allow you to do a range of function which not only allows you to sell products but will also allow you to track inventory, sales and who has been selling the most. A good point of sale systems will need data cabling installations and touchscreens.
Communication methods
Communication is key to any business many businesses still use old data cables such as copper cabling which does not allow you to hold enough data transfers. Data can sometimes be lost when travelling through cables as it is easily interrupted.
Fibre cabling is a great way of making your business run efficiently day to day. Fibre cabling is made up of glass fibres that allow for faster broadband speeds, meaning larger files can be sent and downloaded. Fibre cabling is also great to be installed in telephony centres as data is uninterrupted during transmission.
Security systems
Security cameras systems are great to install in any business as it brings a range of benefits in an incident where there may be theft or disruption. There are two main reasons for installing security cameras, and that is to help with any investigation and to also deter anyone away from the building, the more cameras outside, the less likely someone is to try and break into the building.
There are a number of locations around the exterior and interior of your building you should be placing CCTV cameras:
- All car parks
- Any entry points to the property
- All doors – this will allow you to know exactly who is entering the property and what time they did so
- Stock rooms
- Shop floor
- Data Centres
Another thing to think about is installing alarms, including fire and break in alarms. There are a number of alarms you can look at that will detect whether there is motion in the room. The alarms then help in identifying threats, and many often inform the police as soon as they have been set off. So even if you are unable to get to the site quickly, there will be someone on hand to assist and help.
CCTV and alarms are also very beneficial for your business as it will help to reduce the overall cost of your insurance. The reason for this is with the help of heightened security in and around your business property you are less likely to make a claim.
Summary
There are so many different ways you can take your business into the digital age, here we have only mentioned a few, but we think there’s are the primary things to think about. Introducing technology into your business may be a daunting idea. However, it doesn’t need to be. The technologies we have mentioned throughout this article are only there to help and aid your daily life for better productivity and less time wasted. Payment systems and point of sale systems will make your life so much easier and get things done much quicker allowing you to focus on your customers more.
