Every business is different and has unique requirements for running smoothly. However, there are 5 essential technologies that every small business should be using. These technologies add functionality, increase productivity and generally make life a lot easier for you and your team.
CRM Program: Every business has clients and should be using a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) program to track client activities. A good CRM program will allow you to keep track of your sales pipeline, client requests, sales projections, and track ROI for sales and marketing activities. Most CRM applications, such as Microsoft Dynamics CRM, are affordable, web based, and able to be accessed from anywhere.
Email Collaboration: Email is usually second only to your phone system in importance to running your business. If you’re not using a business class email system like Microsoft Exchange for collaboration then you could be missing out on some great features. Technologies like Microsoft’s Outlook Anywhere or Google Apps give you and your team access to emails wherever you are and allow you to share company contacts and calendars while keeping everything perfectly synchronized between all of your computers and phones.
Remote Access: With so many options for remote access there should be no reason your small business is stuck tethered to your desk. Larger company’s have been using remote access solutions for years because it makes financial sense. This technology enables you to become more flexible and gives you the ability to have employees work away from the office which can boost productivity.
Smartphone: Almost every phone manufactured today is a smartphone. That’s because smartphones allow you to stay connected 24/7. The average smartphone will allow you to access company emails, calendars, contacts, and even remote into your work computer. Most cell phone providers will outfit your entire team with smartphones on a trial basis for FREE.
Business Anti-Virus: Virus and spyware infections are prevalent these days. A business class anti-virus program is managed by a centralized server. This allows your IT provider to setup a security policy to protect all of the computers on your network automatically. If a computer becomes infected, the server will immediately attempt to remove the virus and send you an alert that one of your computers is at risk. The alternative is using a free anti-virus program and hoping your employee tells you if they suspect they have a virus.