If You’re Not Doing These Things in 2018, You’re Not Doing Business Right

Business performance and progress is sometimes affected by things beyond our control. Some businesses have been doing great so far, while others have been doing worse day in day out. If your enterprise has failed and you feel like giving up, here are some things you can change to make 2018 the best year yet:

Automating Your Business Processes

Business process automation is all the rage today. It is the use of technology to make certain tasks automatic. Automation can simplify and quicken workflows to a point where manual work is no longer needed. It is also known to save time and money, and to bring about customer satisfaction. As some business processes are unfit for automation, you should take caution. Common areas of automation include:

• Repetitive  tasks prone to human error
• Tasks that can be solved with software and are difficult for humans, such as underwriting, financial analysis, credit check, and so on
• IoT(Internet of Things) technology like sensor-based alerts and tracking. Sensors that track cargo-filled containers and send a report when there has been a break in or another problem–IoT security
• Employee portals that enable self-service
• IT back office operations at a batch processing centre, for instance
• Risky or injurious manual tasks
• Research repositories
• Document management

As you seek to automate your business processes, think about the right tools to use. Additionally, make sure the areas you will automate will accelerate business growth and stay within your budget. Tools of automation include: shopping carts, email marketing software, AP auditing, CRM (Contact Relationship Management), and comprehensive software solutions.

You are Not on Social Media Websites

Prior to spending lots of money on expensive marketing, make the most of free online marketing tools. One of the best and widely used tools has been social media marketing and it will still be popular for years to come. Social media advertising leads you directly to a potential customer. As a result of being free and effective, people lose nothing when using it.

Acquire Accounting Software

The accounting department is the backbone of your business. It is involved with money handling and movements. As an owner of a small business, you can support this department better with accounting software. The software will streamline record keeping, and simplify daily, weekly, or monthly bookkeeping. Software doesn’t only free up time, it also eliminates unnecessary human errors.

Embrace the Millennials

These are the so-called generation Z people born after 1995. These young people are only interested in creative ways of doing things and cannot fit in a traditional workplace. As these are the people who are seriously searching for work now, you need to cater to their needs.

For example, you should automate the recruitment and onboarding process so they can apply for work and follow up their interview results online. Additionally, you should digitize your processes via software tools.

Look to Connect Customers Rather than Selling to Them

In 2018, company heads that are wiser are working harder to connect potential customers to what they want rather than selling to them directly. Modern buyers are interesting. They will move away if they sense any type of selling and stick around if they get directed to what they are searching for. That’s why most taxi companies that are using apps like Uber and Lyft to connect customers are doing great. If you are looking to begin a new business, try this kind.

Train Remote Employees

Remote employees are so trendy this year. As a result of working outside the office, these employees save you a lot of money and stress, as you don’t have to supervise them all the time. The millennials would take this offer with open arms as they are more fascinated by Skype and other IM services than the older generations.

If they receive training, they can hold internet-based meetings on your behalf, carry out customer service duties, do social media marketing, and take up other programming-based positions. There are so many talented young college graduates who can be trained to work as remote employees. Whether they would work from their homes, designated offices, or cyber cafés, remote employees are a great addition to your workforce.

Backup your Data and Secure it

Whether you will embrace cloud computing or continue to use in-house software solutions, backing up and securing your data is a must. There are so many people who wish they could take a peek at your data and you can prevent this through modern technological tools. Besides firewall and antivirus programs, you should consider using a Virtual Private Network to secure your business network.

Moreover, you should always keep a data backup to be safe when a data loss crisis happens. A lot of things can cause abrupt data loss, including mechanical problems in your hard drive. But, if you backup your data, you will not spend a lot of money trying to recover it. As businesses are currently generating lots of data, it’s important to improve data security. The best way to do this is to backup and encrypt your network.

Make 2018 Better

There is a lot of time left to make 2018 the best year of business yet. Make good use of this time by using our tips to improve your business. In recent years, you may have been fearful of taking risks, this year you want to make the right changes.

This doesn’t mean you have to change everything about your company, but you want to be more open to opportunities. Business is meant to evolve–those who aren’t willing to make the necessary changes will be left behind.