As a small business, there’s genuinely a limited amount of time available to play around with hardware and software tools. Business owners and managers need to cut to the quick to ensure that technology is a net benefit to the company and doesn’t suck too much time out of the business.

A streamlined approach is needed to allow the company to make use of technology without creating a significant drag factor in the process. Here are a few thoughts on how to do that.

Make Technology Work for You, Not the Other Way Around

Look at software tools in terms of how it will help the business solve problems and get more done. Don’t get overwhelmed with all the exotic bells and whistles. Most knowledge workers barely use 20 percent of the features in well-known software like Microsoft Excel and Word.

Knowledge collaboration by Nugraha Jati Utama

Focus on the features that are regularly used by the staff. Ensure that everyone has sufficient training on those aspects of the software to extract the most value from those features. Then, layer in other training courses that are only needed by a few people at the company.

Use training tools like Udemy.com and Lynda.com which break down training courses by subject matter and knowledge level. Sections and video segments restrict each part of the course to only a few minutes at a time, so it’s easy to refer a member of staff to a specific video to learn what they need to know. This also helps staff not get too overwhelmed with new software.

Get an Affordable Website That Delivers Meaningful Leads

The same diligent approach to technology should also be applied to the company’s website. Sites should not only provide useful information but also create meaningful leads for sales staff to follow-up on. Wherever possible, the goal should be to sign up visitors to an email newsletter or complete an online sale where it doesn’t require direct interaction with the company’s staff.

New visitors might arrive from a good ranking in Google for relevant search terms. Effective search engine optimization carried out by a quality firm SEO Company can help to achieve this. Alternatively, a well-managed pay-per-click advertising campaign is likely to deliver new visitors interested in working with the company when the advert contains the right pitch or incentive.

Go Spartan with Software Tools to Cover Just the Basics

With software tools, don’t invest too much at first. Only certain staff members require access to specific business apps. Bear in mind that there are usually different levels or licenses for software versions. Not everyone will require the same suite of tools and it wastes financial resources to supply more than what’s required for them to do their job effectively. Cover the basics, then see what else might be needed on a case-by-case basis.

The cost of technology for SMEs is a significant expense. However, the burden needn’t be too excessive when taking the right approach. Make technology work for the company, not the other way around.