Technology affects almost all of our businesses.  Whether you are in a field that relies heavily on technology or in one that incorporates it to make a more convenient, streamlined experience for your customers, utilizing technology can help any business owner be more successful.  One area of technology that has made huge strides in the past few years is mobile technology.  More people than ever are accessing email, games, books and other resources from smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices that are convenient, cost-effective and portable.  Of course, there is always a danger to technology and the two that many businesses face is that they use technology to replace human interaction and customer service and that they jump into technology too fast without first learning how to best incorporate it into their business and train their employees to use it effectively.

Working with professionals to consider which new technologies make sense to add to your business and then to make sure your staff is getting trained properly is key.  It’s easy to get wrapped up in all of the new products that are available and think you need every single one of them in your business TODAY.  However, this is a mistake and one that you will be paying for in numerous ways.  Every piece of new technology is not appropriate or advantageous for every business out there.  However, it is always a good idea to stay up on the trends and learn more about what is out there so you can make informed decisions on what to incorporate into your own business strategy.

Here are a few to consider:

Wireless Solutions

Those on the go don’t want to have to worry about connecting to their devices, which is why wireless solutions continue to evolve and provide more solutions.  AJ Warner with Headsetters explains, “Bluetooth technology is always evolving: the range of the device is always growing farther, batteries lasting longer, devices getting more comfortable to wear, the strength and durability continues to improve, etc.  These make it easy to talk on your phone, listen to music or connect to your tablet without worrying about cords or wires.  We are also offering some headsets that have ‘multi-connections’ where the headset can connect to a computer, a landline, a VoIP and a cell phone all at once and all it takes is the push of a button to tell it which one to make a call from.”

In addition to offering wireless solutions for their customers, Headsetters also offer mobile access to their products and services.  “People can log on to our website and browse our entire inventory and/or order the product from a computer, smartphone or tablet,” Warner explains.  “On top of that, we have a growing Facebook and Pinterest page that are linked to our site for easy cross-traffic, which can again be used on a computer, phone or tablet. These features benefit our customers because they can satisfy their headset needs on the go, as well as browse our inventory at any time of the day, any day of the week.  Even when we’re closed on nights and weekends, people never have to be out of info or out of contact.  We also post all Headsetters news on our social media pages.  Finally, we are thinking about an app for smartphones and tablets because of the sheer number of products we carry.  This app would offer a simplified, stripped-down version of our website.  Anyone with an Android or iPhone would be able to order products right from their phone without the loading and large pages of a website.”

Mobile-Optimized Applications

Whenever the term “application” is used, it is often automatically linked to the idea of an icon you push on your phone or tablet to access a program tailored to provide a specific function for its user, like Angry Birds, QuickOffice or YouTube.   However, this is not exactly the function of all designed mobile applications.  The term mobile app is very broad, and these types of applications are familiar to many through I-Tunes or the Android market.  Though these apps can be helpful and increase your productivity, they are not the only option for creating easier access to information about your business.  Mobile-Optimized Applications offer a solution for accessing information from any platform by simply re-formatting the information on your website to fit within the parameters of a smaller device, making it easy to interact with the information on the website instead of offering it as a game or operation.  If you are making a decision on which type of application works the best for your needs, consider what you actually need the application to do for your customers and how you want to distribute your information to mobile devices.

SirkDot Innovations provides IT Support and Web Development services to start-ups and small businesses.  Every business has unique needs and capabilities, and SirkDot takes the time to learn and understand their clients’ products, services, and systems in order to develop a realistic and customized solution.  SirkDot Innovations is constantly working at “revolutionizing the way you think about technology,” and Todd Messing, the Operations Manager at SirkDot, feels that MOA’s are a big part of that goal.  “At SirkDot Innovations, we focus on finding useful features to create content that is easier and faster to access and navigate in order to achieve mobile marketing goals.  It is the responsibility of businesses to provide content to customers that is easily accessible, and this can be accomplished in a cost-effective way by having a strategy for what exactly your goals are.”  For example, if your application looks nice with cool sounds but has no purpose, then your goals will not be met and your customers will lose interest.  Messing suggests that any companies treat mobile marketing like any other marketing, which includes a well-thought out plan.  This will save you from having a hodge-podge of mobile appearances in different variations, with some that only partially work, are constantly needing to be updated, or are confusing. Messing also notes that you only have so much time from the point when people access your application until they either give up on it or find what they need, making it very important to ask yourself what types of information you need users to access and how you want them to be able to navigate your application to successfully retrieve that information. A very important feature to consider is to make your website or web-based application responsive, which means they are designed to automatically scale websites to fit the type of mobile device that you are using.

Managing Technological Processes

QuickTeq offers ways to help you succeed by out-thinking the competition. It’s not just who can wire your building cheaper, but who will actually help you be a business partner to help you make the best decisions.  For example, two distinct companies may have 50 employees and yet require completely different hardware and software and server needs. A company with a laptop-enabled mobile sales force scattered across the USA and Europe has different computer needs than a local tire repair shop that has offices in six Nebraska counties. Yet each needs to support employees to quickly serve clients.  They work hard to listen to what your technology goal or challenge involves and will help you to formulate solutions based on that information.  Kevin Knudson, owner of QuickTeq, has implemented this technology into the restaurant business at DaVinci’s, which his family opened in 1978.   Knudson was one of the first in the global market to launch online ordering, to install advanced cash register programming, and to utilize cloud-based technology for his business.  He used that experience to launch QuickTeq and to help businesses find what works best for them.  He encourages business owners to be pro-active with technology as opposed to reactive, and as a business partner his company works alongside yours to keep your research current and strategize for the future.  QuickTeq has recently expanded to a larger facility that helps them not only conduct sales and repairs, but to teach and talk with their clients in order to coach them on making good choices that will benefit their company in the long-run.

Training

Training on new technology that you are incorporating is vitally important.  Companies like SirkDot and QuickTeq offer training solutions for you and your employees so you can most effectively utilize the products and services they offer.  However, if you decide to go with a company that does not provide this, make sure you are seeking out a professional in the area who provides training.  Technology is only as good as those operating it and you want to make sure you have not thrown your money away by purchasing costly products that no one in your office knows how to use!
The key to making technology and mobile solutions work for your business is making sure they enhance your core products and services and never take the place of what matters most: good old fashioned customer service.  Although technology can help with the customer service aspect of any business, there is always the possibility that you and your staff can begin relying on it too much and lose the face-to-face experience that many customers value.  The right mix of technology and hands-on customer service is imperative for a business to succeed, and how businesses choose to utilize rapidly evolving technology will determine their success in the future.