5 tech trends that businesses can’t afford to ignore

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Guest post by Chris Hoose, Choose Networks

With technology evolving at such a rapid pace, some business owners are left digitally disoriented as they try to figure out which of the latest tech trends they need to invest in and what they can ignore. 

It can make for confusing times. 

All that bewilderment aside, though, these fast-developing advances also create opportunities that can help small and medium-sized businesses become more competitive — if they understand how to seize them. 

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“Technology exists today that at one time was available only to large corporations with huge technology budgets,” says Chris Hoose an IT consultant who works with small businesses. “Every year, technology becomes even more accessible to companies of all sizes.” 

Hoose says businesses that want to stay on top of their games should make sure they invest in these tech trends if they haven’t already: 

The Internet of Things

“Many Internet of Things-connected devices, such as smart refrigerators and thermostats, are designed for home use, but there are also applications for small businesses,” states Hoose.

Some examples: smart locks use digital keys that can’t be lost or stolen, and log a record of who uses a door and when; RFID tags on merchandise can prevent theft and automatically update inventory; and mobile-card readers can replace cash registers. 

Artificial intelligence

Don’t be fooled into thinking that AI is something only the big organizations can afford to use.

“It’s making inroads into technologies accessible for businesses of all sizes,” Hoose says. “AI can help you offer increasingly personalized experiences to customers by maximizing your time and automating manual tasks, like data entry.”

AI also can be used to improve decision making. Essentially, AI will help you take that jumble of data most businesses have and analyze it in a way that allows you to make better-informed judgments on the actions you need to take. 

Telecommuting 

The office world is changing and more workers spend at least a portion of their work week telecommuting.

“In many cases, remote employees use their own equipment, which can eliminate some of the company’s costs with purchasing and maintaining computers, printers and mobile phones,” Hoose says. “Video conferencing, instant messaging and other advances are helping to make telecommuting a viable option.”

CRM software

Any application that a business uses to interact with customers, analyze data, or recommend products and services to customers is “part of the CRM (customer-relationship-management) family,” Hoose says.

“This type of software helps your team manage, control and build customer relationships,” he continues. “It can log your team’s touchpoints with prospects, including emails, phone calls, voicemails and in-person meetings. You can have a complete record of your team’s interaction with a prospect that’s easy for anyone to access.” 

Voice search

Consumers increasingly are making use of such AI assistants like Siri or Alexa to help them do internet searches using their voices. “Voice search is changing the way people find information because these queries are structured differently than when we type terms into a search engine,” Hoose says. “Organizations of all types can benefit from optimizing their content to improve where they fall in a voice search.” 

“To help propel your business going forward, it’s important to stay abreast of technology innovation,” Hoose says. “These technologies will help you expand your customer base, create more efficient in-house processes, and increase engagement from both customers and staff.” 

About Chris Hoose

Chris Hoose is the president of Choose Networks, an IT consulting firm for small businesses. Hoose started the company in 2001 to give large-scale solutions and support to businesses that can’t afford their own in-house IT department. He earned a Master of Information Systems Management from Friends University.

What do you think about the tech trends Chris recommends for businesses? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter, Facebook, or MeWe.

Last Updated on February 3, 2021.

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