4 ways to leverage new technologies and maintain a competitive edge
How to take advantage of innovations in everything from cloud to next generation mobile
Keeping up with technological innovations has never been more important. Smart adoption of the right products and services doesn't just give you a competitive advantage, it can provide opportunities to increase productivity and efficiency, reduce business costs and grow your bottom line.
The next generation of mobile technology, for example, is providing increased data at quicker speeds while adding new features that empower sales staff to deliver enhanced service to customers and get more done while on the go. Meanwhile, cloud storage solutions and applications are steadily becoming more robust and secure, providing faster access to files and information wherever you happen to be. Staying on the leading edge of these and other technologies provides immediate and tangible benefits to businesses, their processes and their staff.
The good news is that staying abreast with technological advancements is only becoming easier. Hefty upfront investments in on-premises hardware are disappearing, and new features are now offered in such a way that they can be added quickly and simply to your existing service when required, making painful retrofits a thing of the past. Here are four ways you can make sure your company stays ahead of the game and stop worrying about being left behind.
1. Leverage the cloud
Perhaps the easiest and least expensive way to keep up with and enjoy the benefits of business tech trends is to embrace the cloud. Whether you simply approve cloud-based productivity and collaboration apps like Microsoft 365 for staff use, or go all-in with a complete cloud solution from a service provider – making it easier for employees to access company apps and to scale as needed in the future – outfitting your company with cloud products requires little initial investment and typically takes a fraction of the time you'd spend moving to a new local hardware solution. Better still, cloud providers handle upgrades and updates automatically, which means you'll always be able to benefit from the latest and greatest features your provider offers without suffering any downtime.
2. Manage your mobile strategy
When it comes to mobile, we tend to associate technological advancement with new models of phones and tablets. But some of the most important business innovations in mobility fall under the umbrella of mobile strategy and originate from service providers working to increase data transfer speeds and figure out ways to link mobile handsets with office phone systems for more seamless communication. Evolving your mobile strategy simply takes a bit of research to stay on top of the latest technologies available from your provider. Take a look at the features offered and map them to your staff's work routines to see how your company might benefit. There may even be some features currently available that you can activate or take advantage of at no additional charge.
3. Upgrade your business internet
When it comes to business internet it's tempting to get into the mindset of leaving well enough alone. As long as staff can connect, it's good enough, right? Maybe not. New internet plans are designed to help you take advantage of the latest internet innovations, from symmetrical upload and download speeds available in fibre to connectivity contingency features. For example, some cable internet plans offer an LTE wireless backup feature that kicks in automatically in the event that you lose your connection due to issues such as construction, or erosion of wires– an especially important feature for companies that rely on cloud access or run a retail site. You can also get plans with network level security included to help keep your staff from accidentally straying into dangerous domains. Point being, there's more to business internet than just connecting to the web, and all you may need to do to get it is call your provider and request an upgrade.
4. Research new office phone technology
Upgrading your office phones to a more sophisticated and flexible system – such as Rogers UnisonTM – can have a significant impact on your company's outward appearance to customers. An automated attendant can quickly feed client calls to knowledgeable representatives, staff can seamlessly remain on calls even as they leave the office, and workers can receive voicemails as audio and text files via email. Rogers Unison can be installed quickly and easily, and you can reconfigure features as you like as your business evolves, ensuring your company is always enjoying the leading edge of office telecommunications with minimal cost and effort.
Putting the latest tech innovations to work for your company isn't the monumental task it once was. Sometimes all it takes is a call or a few mouse clicks. But it still requires initiative. Research cloud solutions and investigate new features in mobile technology to learn how your workers and business might stand to benefit from an upgrade, then make that call.