Adopting appropriate technology is crucial when running a business, as the right software, applications and IT systems can help you and your team work better, faster and more efficiently. No matter the type of company you run or the size of the organisation, technology will aid you in data management, enhance connectivity and improve customer support, all while increasing productivity and reducing labour costs.

Experts from Syntax IT Support London advise on the most essential technology tools to incorporate into your business operations.

A quality website

Nearly 45 million people in the UK use the internet every day and studies suggest that 75% of people judge a company’s credibility based on how their website looks. This means that in order to impress potential customers and clients, a quality company website is crucial. Your website is often the first point of contact for customers and if it doesn’t look good, it’s likely to leave a negative impression and result in a loss of business. It’s estimated that you have an average of 10 seconds to impress website visitors before they leave, so you’ll need to capture their attention and keep them engaged from the start.

A good business website should be clean, modern, easy to navigate and clear and concise. Key business information such as your opening hours, address and contact details should be easy to find, and any social media buttons should be clearly presented. A quality website must also look good in all browsers and be optimised for use on mobile devices.

Marketing automation

The success of your business largely depends on how well you market your products and services, and marketing automation can make it much easier to create a winning strategy and monitor results. Marketing automation is technology designed to automatically manage marketing processes and campaigns across multiple channels, automating repetitive tasks across email, social, web and text.

By utilising marketing automation in your own business, you’ll be able to maximise efficiency and free up employees so they can spend time on high priority tasks. This key business tool will also help you market to customers and clients more effectively.

Chatbots

Integrate artificial intelligence into your business by starting with chatbots, which are computer programs designed to interact with humans and provide customer support. You can easily set up a chatbot to answer common questions relating to your products and services, locations and delivery details, giving your customer service team the time and resources to deal with the more in depth questions and complex issues.

Accounting software

Not many people enjoy dealing with business finances, but it’s one of those things that has to be done in order to keep a company running smoothly. Thankfully, there’s a range of accounting software out there to help you get to grips with your accounts and manage important tasks. These easy-to-use tools will help you sort out payroll and billing and can also help you keep track of expenses, all without having to learn the ins and outs of accounting.

Security

A thorough cyber security policy is essential in all businesses to reduce the risk of external threats and prevent data breaches. Cyber criminals target companies of all sizes and attacks are only becoming more advanced, so it’s absolutely vital that you properly safeguard your business assets.

Investing in a robust firewall and antivirus program are good places to start, but you’ll also need to utilise offensive techniques such as automated detection for peace of mind. Call in the professionals if you’re not confident in this area, as cyber security is one thing you must get right to stay safe, secure and successful as a business.