Last Updated on Dec 24, 2019 by James W
If your business feels like it is bumping and struggling along, it may be time to add a little more technology to your structure and processes. The digital age is here, and with it comes a wide variety of solutions to help with everyday business operations. If you’re ready to relinquish your outdated practices and get your business running more smoothly, here are five technologies that can help you.
- Freight Management Software
If you are spending precious time hunting down shipments, booking consignments, comparing rates, and reconciling invoices with a variety of services, it is high time that you consider transitioning from your typical shipping methods to some freight management software.
Instead of scattering your efforts among a variety of services, choose one that captures all freight-related activities in one dashboard. You will find that it serves both you and your clients much better in addition to significantly reducing your level of stress.
- Time Tracking Software
Optimize your workday by tracking where you spend your time. Whether you want to boost your productivity, improve your processes, or create accountability for employees, time tracking software is an excellent addition to any business.
If you are unsure of its benefit, start with one of the many free applications out there to see whether it’s a good fit (these top applications for freelancers are a great place to start).
- Email Management
Email can consume your day like few other things. Luckily, there are plenty of email automation options available, each one allowing you to regain control of your inbox. If you primarily utilize email for marketing purposes, you can add software that will automate your email marketing.
You can respond to your customers and funnel them appropriately without ever touching your account. If you want to be able to snooze emails, schedule replies to be sent during certain hours, or even set up reminders to address issues at appropriate times, then look into the available plugins that you can add to your email service.
- Enterprise Collaboration Software
If your team’s communication needs help, it can make good business sense to incorporate social media tools into your organization.
Email and calendars can feel impersonal and distant when people are used to emojis, and the quick communication text messaging provides. Improve your team’s communication and collaboration while boosting productivity by moving to enterprise collaboration software such as Slack or Workplace by Facebook.
- Online Paperwork
Contract-driven businesses can require a lot of time spent at the copy machine and scanner. Services such as PandaDoc take these processes digital, allowing you to do everything from quoting a project to processing a signed contract without ever having to print or scan a single piece of paper.
Transitioning these files to a digital application speeds up customer response times and allows more people from your organization easy access to necessary files. Paperwork will never get lost again!
Going digital and incorporating more technology into your day-to-day business processes can radically smooth out your work life. If you don’t know what processes to automate, use time tracking software to determine where the majority of your hours are spent.
If paperwork or email are consuming too much time, consider transitioning to an online document service or utilizing email automation tools. If your team’s communication is suffering, consider adopting enterprise collaboration software.
If packages are a problem, streamline your shipping with freight management software. Don’t be afraid to get rid of what isn’t working. Step into the digital age and automate those bumpy business processes!
Photo by Farzad Nazifi on Unsplash
