Three Ways Small Businesses Can Use Technology To Be More Productive This Year

It has been estimated that Australian small business owners lose up to 250 productive work hours each year because they are unable to stay in touch with their business and continue to manage projects while away from the workplace. In this digitally-driven age, there is a plethora of new technologies, processes and tools available to help maximise productivity and reduce levels of ‘time-lost’.

I know that the vast selection of technologies available, whilst incredibly useful, can also be overwhelming and it can take up more valuable time looking for the right solution.

So, if you’re moving in to 2017 with improved work-life balance in mind, or if you’re simply looking to increase efficiencies during work hours, here are three ways you can harness new technologies to make the most of your business hours.

Become More Flexible With Your ‘Office’

Firstly, setting up your business to utilise the cloud will allow you to have access to everything you need, 24/7.

Moving your documents to ‘cloud-based’ software solutions will ultimately benefit you by creating more flexibility, and have the ability to access business data in real time.

Gain Insight From Your Business Data

In 2016, data became a buzz word – and for good reason. Having access to your customer data is crucial to being able to align your business priorities with your customers, and ultimately help you make better business decisions.

You can do this by analysing the sales you’ve made, the engagement that’s taken place and the feedback that you’ve received. Look at when sales drop throughout the week. Is this a reoccurring issue, or are there local events that you need to be tapping into to make sure your customer flow remains steady?

There’s a range of data analytic software available, most of which can provide valuable analytics in real time which can help you can make quick and educated decisions.

Having An ‘Always On’ Approach

Finally, a reliable network connection is key to the success of your flexible workspace, ensuring that you are able to act on the capability to work anytime. Working with Optus as a business partner will allow you to maximise the benefits of their mobile network and transform your business into a fully flexible workplace.

For example, there are apps that you can download on your mobile that will allow you to provide quotes while on route to another job or send invoices while waiting for your morning coffee – wherever there is a reliable network connection.

Remember: a standard mobile phone today has more computing power than Apollo 11 did when it landed on the moon. That’s a lot of computing power that can be used to benefit your business!

Matthew Ball is the head of Optus SMB