Photo by olia danilevich from Pexels2020 was a confusing and complicated year for every business. No matter which industry you work in, or what kind of customer you’re trying to appeal to, there’s a good chance that your business processes changed at an incredible pace.
The fact that staff members could no longer simply work within their standard office places as usual meant that companies suddenly had to deal with a new kind of team.
At the same time, the demand for customer service increased on a massive scale, as consumers searched for reassurance and support from companies they couldn’t visit in person.
The good news? In 2020, the technology already available for business leaders offered a way to overcome complex staffing challenges and achieve better outcomes.
Here’s how you can use tech to deal with your team issues today.
Switch to Remote Work
One of the most important steps that many businesses needed to take in 2020 was ensuring that their company was prepared for a remote working transition.
Employees needed a way to work from home with the same level of productivity and efficiency that they had in the office.
Cloud-based tools for everything from document production to collaboration have paved the way to unlimited opportunities for mobile and flexible work.
Team members can now access contact center tools on the web by simply logging into a browser, or connect with other colleagues through video conferencing at the touch of a button.
With tools like Google Docs, it’s even possible for employees to work on the same project or idea in real-time, no matter where they are in the world.
Access Chatbots for Customer Support
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are becoming the ultimate way for business leaders to augment and empower the modern workforce.
These tools reduce some of the repetitive and exhausting tasks that companies need to deal with every day. For instance, with chatbots on your website, your customers can access a form of self-service for dealing with their problems.
All your consumer needs to do is type their question into a box, and a chatbot will deliver an answer based on the information that is available in your knowledgebase.
Chatbots can also direct consumers to the right source for help when they’re struggling with common concerns.
When customers can solve problems without the help of a human agent, this opens up more opportunities for staff to focus on more complex and creative tasks instead.
Automate Marketing Efforts
Intelligent tools in the digital landscape will even help you to automate some of the strategies that bring new leads and sales opportunities your way.
For instance, rather than having a team ready to create email marketing strategies and roll them out at the right time every day, you can automate your entire email series according to specific behavior triggers from your customers.
Another way to automate marketing efforts is to set up a social media schedule, which allows you to promote specific offers and content at the perfect time to suit your target audience.
There are plenty of solutions that can help you to do this in the current landscape.
Additionally, the more you use these tools for automation, the more you learn about your customers’ preferences and expectations. This makes it easier to optimize marketing in the future, enabling you to tell your story in an effective way.
Create an App
Smartphones are a crucial tool in our day to day lives these days. We rely on them for everything from learning to communication.
A business app for your company can help bypass several of the issues that you might otherwise need to hire talent for.
Imagine you recently moved your business online. Having an app will enable you to automate the ordering process, so that you don’t need employees to take requests by phone or email.
Apps can also support a better quality of customer service for your customers, allowing them to connect with you in a way that they find convenient.
All the while, you essentially have access to real estate in your customer’s pocket, so you can send them messages with upselling and cross-selling opportunities that improve your profits.
Digitize Inventory or Asset Management
Finally, one of the most time-consuming tasks that employees need to deal with these days is good asset management.
It takes a lot of time to enter information about how inventory and assets move in and out of the business.
This is the time that your staff could be spending on other things, like serving customers or improving the brand’s reputation.
Technology enables you to digitize inventory and asset management, making it easier to track your business demands in real-time.
With the right technology, it’s incredibly easy to ensure that you never lose track of any important tools. Plus, you can even set up automated notifications that let you know when stock is running low.
Embracing the Tech Revolution
Although 2020 was a complex year for many of us, it also brought with it an opportunity for digital transformation.
Companies willing to take advantage of the tech available on the market today will be able to unlock a new level of productivity and efficiency for their team.
The right solutions will handle everything from automating exhausting processes, to ensuring that you have the right information required to make intelligent business decisions.
If your business hasn’t made the shift to a more tech-driven strategy yet, now might be the time to start.
