Apr 29, 2014 By Laura Fagan

FREE E-BOOK: Best Practices to Grow Your Business

in Cloud, Featured

It’s no secret that running a small business is often a juggling act. Even with a great support staff, overseeing all the various departments (sales, marketing, finance, human resources, etc.) is a demanding job.

How can you find the time to grow your operation with all this activity going on? Having the right technology in place is a big key. It helps your business do what it does best, even better, and with more profit. And it will free you up to focus on growth.

Here are some ways technology can help save time:

1. By making processes efficient

Efficiency should always be on your mind. You don’t want to treat your staff like assembly-line robots, but you should look to implement fresh, logical ways for them to get stuff done. The fastest path to this is a technology solution, like a customer relationship management (CRM) system, that makes automating tasks simple.

2. By keeping data in one place

Notes on paper, spreadsheets, and any other disconnected systems for storing information will only slow your business down as it grows. It also makes it easy for valuable info to get lost. CRM technology lets you manage data in one place from the beginning.

3. By keeping everyone in the know

Even if you have a small business, chances are all of your employees don’t sit in one room. As a result, you need simple ways to communicate with each other. Email threads quickly become inefficient, especially when someone new is added to the thread and has to read back, in order to catch up. In CRM, all conversations are automatically tracked for easy reference by any necessary staff member at any time

4. By making everyone accountable

Centralized reporting helps you understand all aspects of your business, including individual and team progress towards goals. One screen with a series of dashboards tracking key metrics can keep you clued in to how your company is achieving its vision.

5. By increasing collaboration

Working together is better than working apart, especially in a growing business. Plus, people can often wear many different hats, depending on the project. Collaboration systems can and should support regular and temporary teams in ways that make sense.

6. By allowing for customization

Regardless of budget or scope, nearly any technology system you choose allows for some level of customization. When considering such options, think about how even small tweaks can make a big difference when it comes to your small business operations.

Many things can trigger business growth: increased sales, more customers, a bigger staff, or a larger inventory. This e-book shows you how to spark growth and the best ways to get ready so you handle it.

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