When you launched your startup, you were likely thinking primarily about seeing your ideas come into existence. Technology could’ve been a part of that, but you may have viewed it as more of a means than an end. So you assembled the tools and equipment absolutely necessary to get things up and running.
Now that your business has gotten off the ground, you realize the tools in your tech stack aren’t sufficient. To support continued growth, your startup requires more powerful applications and gadgets. Nonetheless, you don’t want to completely reinvent the wheel. An easy and smooth transition to more capable platforms and devices is your goal. Here are four simple ways to accomplish that.
1. Intelligent Wi-Fi Solutions
In your own home, you hook up a modem or router, and within minutes you can connect to the web and the outside world. However, consumer Wi-Fi solutions are limited in what they can do. While some of these solutions have advanced security and remote troubleshooting features, they’re not sophisticated enough for startups.
Small businesses often need something more adaptive and robust. AI-driven features that streamline network access for employees versus customers and adjust Wi-Fi signal strength are extremely beneficial. An intelligent, small business Wi-Fi solution has those capabilities and more.
A Wi-Fi system designed especially for small businesses is much more than a way to connect with the outside world. You get AI-backed and enterprise-grade security that keeps your company’s data safe and guards against cyberattacks. The built-in software also collects and analyzes customers’ behaviors and helps track employees’ network activities and timecards. If this sounds complicated, it’s not. You can manage everything from an intuitive app.
2. Customer Relationship Management Software
Customer relationship management applications do provide a lot of bang for your buck. The software organizes and segments lists of existing customers and leads according to customized filters. For example, you can pull lists of customers who subscribe to specific services or buy certain products. CRM apps also let you track your sales team’s outreach activities and results at the customer or prospect level.
Some of the more enhanced benefits of CRM solutions include web building, email, lead generation, and automation tools. You can create landing pages and emails from pre-designed templates or build your own. No one needs any coding or HTML experience to do this, either. Drag-and-drop interfaces make it easy to insert text, videos, images, and lead capture forms. You can also automate emails based on customer behaviors, such as new purchases.
Many CRM apps make transitioning data from other software simple, too. Say you’re currently tracking customers and prospects with spreadsheets. CRM solutions let you upload those records without having to change file formats. Once that data is in the new system, you can start creating and curating your lists from there.
3. Collaboration or Project Management Tools
It’s hard for employees to get things done if they don’t know where to start. Projects can easily get derailed if team members have to guess what their next move should be. Trying to hunt down the right point person or resource is time-consuming and mentally taxing. Without good communication processes and tools, collaboration and productivity suffer.
Statistics show that workplace productivity can increase by 25% when organizations practice effective communication. However, communication can be a challenge if team members are working remotely or have hybrid and varying schedules. Sometimes, even without these factors, good exchanges don’t happen without a way to clarify and document information.
Collaboration and project management apps help solve a variety of communication challenges. Whether employees work in the office or somewhere else, they have a way to check in. They see where projects and tasks are and what needs to be done next. Team members can ask the right people questions, exchange work for feedback or approval, and complete assignments together. Centralized software allows this collaboration to happen in real time or asynchronously.
4. Money Management Apps
Every company needs a way to track revenues and expenses to stay in business. Otherwise, you won’t know if you are breaking even, are generating a profit, or need to tighten the company’s belt. Startups also require a way to track customer invoices, pending and late payments, and payroll expenses. The latter can sometimes include employees’ expense reports for travel and other incidentals.
Money management and accounting software streamlines cash flows by monitoring how much is coming in and going out. Startup founders often rely on funding from investors to get their businesses going. However, money from investors might also be necessary during the later stages of a young company’s growth. Taking too long to secure required funding as expansion occurs is one of the reasons startups can fail.
Expense and money management apps can help identify additional funding or revenue needs. Since costs and revenues are organized in one place, you can spot and better anticipate cash flow problems. You’ll know whether your growth plans are sustainable or should be scaled back until you get more investors on board.
Tech Improvements for Startups
As in any venture, the tools that make your startup run demand an upgrade every now and then. Technology should help fuel your company’s growth rather than hinder it. But it can be daunting to start over from scratch or introduce devices too complex to understand.
Instead, startups need solutions that are simple to put in place and easy to grasp. Intelligent Wi-Fi solutions, CRM software, project management tools, and money management offer great returns on your tech investment. By implementing these technologies, startup founders can effectively manage changes and expansions at a comfortable pace.
