The Benefits of Advances in Technology

Small-business owners can find keeping up with changes in technology difficult. But proactive business owners understand that investments in technology can benefit a company financially and give a company a tactical advantage over the competition. Investigate advances in technology to determine if they offer a positive return on investment for your company.

In the Field

Outside sales representatives, workers at a construction site and traveling insurance adjusters are just a few of the many occupations that require extensive work in the field. Investing in advances in communication technology can help you to get information to your field personnel faster and help you gain an advantage on the competition. Transmitting documents over the Internet as opposed to sending packets of information via an overnight courier can save you money on printing and shipping costs as well as getting important information to clients fast.

Administration

Advances in technology can make running your company easier and less expensive. Interactive software programs can eliminate the need to train your employees on their benefits package. A step-by-step online training program can be used to not only help employees understand their benefits at their own pace, but it can also help employees fill out the paperwork. All of this is done without the need to hire additional human resources personnel to administer the training and process the paperwork. This can apply to all new-hire paperwork and ongoing administrative forms and information that your company needs. When technology collects and processes the information for you, your human resources group has more time to focus on developing a better workforce.

Customer Interaction

Your customers are using mobile communications devices and Internet websites to find information and purchase products. By getting involved in the advances in technology, you can offer customers new ways to purchase products and help customers to get instant support for product returns and shipping issues. For example, advances in technology allow you to have an e-commerce website where customers can purchase products from their computers. An an e-commerce website allows you to put applications on mobile devices that allow your customers to track orders and buy products when they are not near a computer.

Productivity

Technology allows you to merge inventory needs as projected by the purchasing department with the manufacturing group to ensure accurate production levels. Computer software can deliver production needs to the manufacturing department, create ordering schedules with vendors and schedule pickups and deliveries with shipping companies. Advances in technology allow your staff to focus on their jobs without having to track several activities at the same time and improves overall productivity.