Now whilst I am conscious of the fact that the key focus area of technology is far too large to cover in a few short paragraphs and I don't want to specifically talk about CRM’s or ERP’s, it would be remiss of me not to give it some of the airplay it deserves. So whether we like it or not, the world is transitioning to digitization and the fourth industrial revolution, better known as Industry 4.0, is upon us.
We also know that technology is a whole industry sector in its own right and includes many sub-sectors with uniquely qualified experts driving continuous improvements all the time.
So, if you happen to be a small business owner with an IT background then I guess you are one step ahead in this domain.
If not, don’t bury your head in the sand, but rather embrace it and develop the right mindset by asking: “how can this work for me?”
For those who have not yet acknowledged the transformational nature of integrating more technology into their business, here are some prompters to get you to engage with this powerful business enabler:
1) TECH AWARENESS
Tech Awareness. Just reading up and being aware of new technologies that involve things like the IoT (Internet Of Things), Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning will open your mind to being more receptive to introducing technological advancements into your business.
Developing a positive mindset around how technology can increase potential customer reach, enhance customer experience and significantly improve internal processes, will shift your strategic thinking and drive stronger alignment with those experts in the know.
Another key point to mention is the greater the general technology understanding you have, the quicker you will be able to identify those skilled functional experts that are best placed to help you grow your business into the future.
2) UP-SKILL
When I hear the word up-skill, I immediately think about significantly investing time and money in doing a new course or attending training events.
These are all good initiatives and should never be discounted in any way. But what I’m advocating here though, is on a much broader level and with a specific focus on building technology-based skills.
So this includes learning by doing or trying new things. There are some great short courses or bite-size training options in subject areas such as e-commerce, social media marketing, coding and data analytics to name a few. These are often inexpensive and cater for the non-tech entrepreneurs to engage more with technology platforms. Alternatively, have a play around yourself and have a go at creating a new social media ad campaign.
3) IMPLEMENTATION VESSEL
Think of a technology platform as a medium to systemise and implement your business strategy. Be careful not to over invest in state-of-the-art technologies unless you have done all the foundational groundwork in finalising your strategic objectives and have all the right people, processes, policies and procedures in place first.
Use technology as a smart tool to build efficiencies and gain desired traction to grow your business rather than being over-reliant on its competitive advantage imperative and invite unwanted complacency within your business operations.
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