By 2023, businesses that have transformed digitally, adopting the latest advanced analytics, AI, and other next-generation software, will represent over half of the global GDP.
Remaining competitive in today’s business world means adopting and implementing innovative technologies. Anything else means falling behind and suffering with legacy systems that harm efficiency and weaken productivity.
The impetus is with you and your leadership team to discover and consider the various forms of technology that can deliver value in your industry. There are countless options to transform your business, and this article introduces you to three systems that should be your research priorities.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software:
The most vital aspect of any business is creating a consistently superior customer experience. Without returning customers who can talk highly of your services, sustainable profits will remain beyond reach.
CRM software is an essential technology for constantly creating unforgettable customer experiences. The standard features of a CRM platform are as follows:
- A 360-degree view of each customer.
- Real-time engagement with individual customers.
- Manage customer relationships through automated processes, workflows, and alerts.
- Gathering data and insights on pricing, product development, marketing campaigns, and other strategic initiatives.
While many customers will not have heard of CRM software, they have come to expect a quality of service only possible with CRM. A CRM alone is only enough to keep with the pack. However, if you find the right CRM, you can gain a competitive edge and increase profitability. The features of great CRM technology includes:
- AI features that automate more tasks and predict consumer behaviours.
- Integration with project management software.
- Location-based features that help find sales prospects based on location.
There are many other features of intelligent CRM systems. When choosing a CRM, make sure to understand what advanced features are on the market and procure a system with the most useful features for the customers you engage with.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems:
ERP systems integrate all business processes onto a single platform. This costly and complex technology can be written off by the tech-averse who fail to see an impact worth the investment.
However, just because the impact of ERP can be subtle does not mean it won’t help your business to gain a competitive edge. For many businesses, it is the ultimate “behind the scenes” system that:
- Streamlines processes.
- Creates consistency, accuracy, and precision in everything you do.
These two crucial advantages allow you to do much more at a reduced cost and help you build a reputation for consistent excellence. Still, ERP is a complex technology, and you can only achieve these benefits with the right implementation.
Exemplary implementation requires a careful process that will continue for months. It involves six thorough phases: Discovery and Planning, Design, Development, Testing, Deployment, and Support. Yet, at the end of this painstaking process, your business systems will be transformed.
Business Intelligence (BI) tools:
Making decisions in business is stressful. You only get one shot. How can you guarantee that your company is taking the right path?
The first step to making any decision is knowing everything you can. Information-based decision-making is as old as time, but contemporary businesses can use BI tools, giving them access to unprecedented amounts of data and analytics. The scope of structured and unstructured data that BI can utilise is beyond human comprehension.
BI technology isn’t just one thing your business can implement but is a suite of tools you can apply to your business operations. The primary BI tools are:
- Data warehouses gather and store vast amounts of data, organising it understandably.
- Data querying tools make such warehouses searchable, allowing you to cut through the haystack to find the needle you require.
- Dashboards organise all data into insights around your KPIs. Such visualisations mean your team can immediately understand how well they are fulfilling their objectives.
Unlocking the Opportunities of Big Data
The advent of big data has revolutionized the way businesses operate. Technology does not only help us to do our jobs but to understand them. Harnessing this power is an unmatched competitive edge that can lead you to make informed decisions on products, services, and operations. It also unlocks a new perspective on our audiences, turning customer experiences into actionable data.
Technology is transformative but also costly. Investing in any system described in this article is a considerable risk. At 3Gi, we have the experience and expertise to help you find and implement the best technology for your business needs. We understand that every business is different, so we take a customized approach to each project. Contact us today about how we can help you leverage technology to gain a competitive advantage in your industry.
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