Testing the waters: there’s nothing to fear
There are all sorts of reasons your business may not be using as much tech as it could. Perhaps you’ve long thought that your core business is so far away from the world of tech that there’s little point in upgrading your system. Equally, it may be that a lack of confidence in the digital skills base of your people, or possibly even your own, has held you back.
But the truth is that there are few processes these days that cannot be made easier by currently available business tech – which is now more accessible and affordable than ever – freeing up time to concentrate on your core business and removing previous barriers to entry in relation to higher-level digital skills.
Today the emphasis is on simplicity and connectivity – touch-screen smartphones and tablets with simple apps enable people to do their jobs more easily and effectively. So, investigating how mobile solutions could help is a great place to begin for SMEs. Service providers now offer a range of devices that can be tailored to your needs, including flexible tariffs suitable for your budget and setup, no matter how large or small your business is.
With little capital outlay, SMEs can eliminate much of the administrative drudgery we all dread, improve communication with colleagues and customers, boost productivity and gain the ability to adapt quickly to market changes. All your productivity software – such as word processing, spreadsheets, databases and email – can be accessed directly through the cloud. A simple subscription to Microsoft Office 365, for example, is a good starting point; it will give you and your people access to all the applications and files needed, wherever they are – and whatever device they’re using. You can even add it to a package from a network provider such as O2, so you don’t have the hassle of managing multiple tech suppliers.
Digital dabblers: take back control
Most SMEs are switched on to the benefits of new technology, but aren’t using it to its full potential. As you’ve grown, you’ve probably adopted systems and services piecemeal, according to short-term business needs.
You maybe have applications with overlapping functionality, newer technologies that can’t talk to older systems, or a mixture of fixed, wireless and mobile networks that aren’t sufficiently reliable, robust or integrated. For example, you’ve probably introduced different ways for customers to contact you – phone, email, website and social media platforms – over time, but you might have to monitor each of these channels separately.
Now you need all your technology to work together seamlessly, securely and scalably. With smart connectivity knitting together all the people and information in your organisation, you can open up new opportunities – such as giving your employees the ability to work on any device whether they’re in the workplace, at home or on the move. App stores can give your business and your staff easy, on-demand access to a dizzying array of tools for everything from collaborative working and job scheduling to information management and connecting legacy systems.
But while the initial temptation might be to act like a kid in a sweet shop, you need to think strategically to find systems and services that fit together most effectively for you. Work with a technology and connectivity provider that gets how people want to work and can help you strike a balance between giving them the right tools and assuring you maintain control and resilience. For example, a provider such as O2 can link your voice, video conferencing and instant messaging together to simplify its management and give you guaranteed levels of service.
Tech trailblazers: onward and upward
If you’re one of the small but growing band of trailblazing, tech-savvy SMEs, you don’t need to be told how to suck eggs. Unencumbered by old technology, you’re already comfortable using smart, connected devices to run your business and boost your people’s productivity.
Whether you had the luxury to start with a blank slate or successfully switched on to smart tech early, your priority now is to stay agile and innovative as you grow. You want to maintain the competitive edge you already have and take advantage of exciting new technologies as they emerge – whether to improve operations or introduce compelling new products and services.
For most, that means embracing cloud infrastructure and services that give you the ability to access as much or as little computing power as you need, when you need it, without the need for capital expenditure on in-house hardware.
As well as building your own cloud-based systems and services, you can also draw on a myriad of third-party pay-as-you-go technologies and services – everything from AI-powered data analysis and security tools to virtual and augmented reality systems, or applications for managing connected devices such as sensors and robots.
But when you’re operating in the cloud, handling potentially sensitive data, it’s vital to remain secure and legally compliant at all times. You’ll need a reliable, speedy connection to the cloud, and (soon) to the superfast 5G networks rolling out to support the explosion of smart, connected devices everywhere.
For example, the O2 Gateway service lets you combine your mobile, enterprise network and wifi services through a service-level agreement that guarantees the security and reliability of your infrastructure as you grow.
In the end, every SME is on a digital journey – and understanding where you go next on that journey isn’t down to technology, but people. You won’t go far wrong if you focus on two key principles: helping your employees be as productive and fulfilled as possible; and delighting your customers.
