Finding the Technology to Fit Your Business

Augmented Reality (AR) in grocery stores. Robots to help automate “smart homes.” Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the retail space. It’s no secret that small and large enterprises are leveraging technology to improve their customer experience, scale to serve a worldwide marketplace or incorporate more digital portals, like cashierless check-out kiosks to help consumers purchase expeditiously. Though most of these examples are business-to-consumer (or B2C), these businesses decided to venture into technology to garner more revenue and take advantage of the brave new world of tech to move their business forward.

As a business owner or entrepreneur, are you prepared to leverage technology to grow your business in 2020?

Leveraging Technology to Scale Your Business

Fifty percent of small businesses in the U.S. in 2018 were home-based. The Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy also states that the industries in which businesses are most likely to be home-based are information (70.0%), construction (68.2%), professional, scientific, and technical services (65.3%).

These types of businesses could include IT professionals, real estate agents, personal trainers, or consultants. Truly, the list is endless. The common challenge these small businesses share is can my business scale? If the answer is no or maybe, then YES, technology can help you.

Can each of those small businesses leverage technology to help more customers at one time? Absolutely. Is there an ideal type of custom software solution that will grow with their business? Definitely. And is there a software solution that can help them track their analytics, so they can continue to market themselves to the appropriate audience? The answer is a resounding yes.

We’ve helped enterprise and small business owners develop web-based and mobile applications to help optimize their existing business and prepare for new business. From personal trainers to attorneys, custom apps have helped them scale to help more customers – via a much larger market – with ease. And where applicable, custom apps can track visitors, process payments, organize transactions and more importantly, monitor revenue.

The worldwide mobile payments market was valued at 897.68 billion in 2018 and is expected to reach a value of USD 3695.46 billion by 2024. Can your business afford to miss out on that revenue?

Leveraging Technology to Market Your Business

When you think about marketing your business, the first thing that comes to mind is – where do I send my customers for more information about my business? Glad you asked!

The common answer would be to send customers to your website or personal landing page. If you don’t have one, it’s time to get one. If you have one, you should be reevaluating your content every six months to a year to make sure all content is up to date and still communicating your brand/message.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Is my website updated and designed to track and capture visitors for future marketing efforts?
• Is my website able to handle an influx of traffic at any given time?
• Is my website truly representative of my business’s identity and brand?
• Can my website scale on mobile devices or tablets?
• Is my website easily editable in case content changes?

Since most marketing efforts result in sending customers to your website, you should consider your site your primary marketing asset – and update it appropriately. According to Search Engine Watch, 90% of searchers haven’t made their mind up about a brand before starting their search. SO, if you have five extra seconds to capture their interest with your website – carpe diem!

If you’re unsure that a dynamic smart web application or redesign is ideal for your long-term business goals, just ask. We’ll guide you in the right direction. We speak business and tech fluently. Let’s talk to find the best solution for your business.

Leveraging Tech Consultants to Manage Your Existing Salesforce Org

Salesforce is the #1 CRM provider for the 5th year in a row. And there’s no debate that it’s one of the greatest CRMs in existence today, however many small- to medium-sized businesses using Salesforce haven’t yet discovered how to appropriately implement the platform to truly optimize their data and leverage it to grow their business.

Many admins or ‘accidental admins’ who must oversee implementation and management of their Salesforce instance are finding themselves Googling and searching forums for the best solution to enhance their experience and their users’ experience.

Whether you Bing for the answer or find a consultant, you definitely want to have the ability to customize your org, enhance functionality and go beyond the basics to truly garner the ROI your business deserves – and using the tools you already have in place.

If you decide on a third-party consultant to help you with clicks or code, be sure they’re SFDC certified developers, so they can build you a custom solution in full accordance with Salesforce guidelines and best practices.

As a Salesforce Admin, ask yourself these questions:

• Can I manage my Salesforce org without short-term or long-term help?
• If I seek a third-party consultant, can they help me walkthrough, install and manage our Lightning transition?
• How can a consultant help our org work smarter and with streamlined workflows?

If you have any questions regarding optimizing your Salesforce instance, let’s chat! We specialize in implementation services to ensure your Salesforce org serves your evolving business requirements and not the other way around.

Start 2020 Off with a Bang

The possibilities are endless when it comes to identifying the appropriate technology to help you grow your business in 2020. Whether you need a custom web or mobile app or just want to manage internal Salesforce challenges – we’ve got you. It all begins with a brief convo and then watch the magic happen. The world is your digital oyster in 2020, let’s dig in. Give us a call at 559 560 3300 or email us at [email protected]. Learn more about Shift3 here.

This post was written by Celeste A. Barron, Content Development Manager. You’ll find her hoarding away Girl Scout Cookies and loudly singing Bel Biv DeVoe’s Poison.

If you’re interested in uncovering the tech possibilities available to your organization or want to find more ways to increase your ROI with technology, click this link to schedule some time with one of our experts.