Technology can improve your daily operations while making it easier to outdo competitors; even when competing with businesses larger than your own. But finding the right solutions can be hard for small business owners who need professional, industry-grade tech that offers the greatest number of benefits. Depending on the size of your staff, you may not have the in-house expertise needed to locate, implement and manage the best solutions— and if you do, you probably need those people to devote their time toward driving your key business objectives.
What SMBs need is a small business technology adoption plan that will deliver easy to implement, high-value solutions while staying within budget. Here’s how to devise a plan that’s uniquely tailored for your business.
Crafting a Competitive Small Business Technology Adoption Plan
As tech continues to evolve at a break-neck pace, it can be hard for small business owners to keep up with the latest and greatest solutions. To make sure you don’t miss out on the most beneficial new tech, ask yourself two simple questions.
The first is, “what are my greatest business needs?” Then ask, “can these needs be fulfilled using technology?” If you’re unsure of the answers, you may want to conduct a small business technology needs assessment, which can give you an idea of where you currently stand and outline areas that need improvement. Examine each step of your current business operations and look for any hiccups, bottlenecks or outdated systems.
Here are some common small business needs that can be fulfilled through technology:
- Inventory, financial and staff management
- Reporting and analytics
- Easy hardware and software maintenance, and implementation
- System backup
- Operations monitoring
- System redundancy
If your business is lacking capabilities in any or all of these areas, you can optimize them all using a modern POS solution. And although these problems seem varied, POS systems that have comprehensive sets of abilities can easily fill tech gaps in all of these areas.
A Modern POS System Solves Problems
If you haven’t updated your POS system in a while or if you’re still doing things manually, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the number of functionalities a modern POS system offers. The best POS systems serve as a central hub for all your business operations and provide the easiest way for SMBs to get organized and up-to-date fast. They’re great for a variety of business types, including restaurants/cafes, bars, retail outlets or professional services. And, they can run on a variety of tablet, mobile or desktop equipment, using either iOS or Android operating systems.
The best POS systems make inventory management easy, as they offer real-time inventory tracking. This prevents low- or no-stock inventories that disappoint customers. They collect data, identifying customer and sales trends that make financial management a breeze. And they make staff management easier, skipping outdated punched cards or spreadsheets for touchscreen systems employees can simply tap. This also makes scheduling a lot easier to visualize and adjust.
A robust POS solution also condenses your core business applications into a single system. They offer real-time reporting and analysis presented within simple dashboard formats, making business analysts and accountants necessary for many reporting tasks. The best ones have cloud storage and data sync capabilities that keep your data and system continuously backed up and available. They give you visibility of your operations, even when you’re not physically present at the store. Finally, a good system includes hardware maintenance, as we all know how easy it is for devices to get dropped or damaged during busy hours.
Small business technology adoption can feel scary at first, and you may be unsure if you’re really getting a professional solution that offers the most benefits possible. So make sure the POS system you go with offers:
- Responsive support with frequent updates
- Comprehensive inventory features
- Advanced purchase and online ordering
- An affordable starting plan
In short, only upgrade to a scalable, complete and functional POS system.
Get Ahead and Stay Ahead
Small business technology adoption isn’t based on fear of missing out. Technology furthers your status as an industry leader, giving you an advantage your competitors will envy. By implementing cutting-edge solutions you can get ahead in your industry and stay ahead. It can make your daily operations easier and increase your business’s profitability. And no matter if your small business is a restaurant, in retail or in the service industry, you always want to define your industry’s standards— not struggle to keep up with them.
When it comes to your business, you’re the expert. But you can’t let yourself get bogged down by the nuances and challenges of daily operations; the struggle is unnecessary! Follow this plan to discover the best technology that helps overcome business challenges. The answer to your problems just might be waiting for you.
No matter what industry you’re in, talech’s POS system offers you a wide range of capabilities that can fulfill your business needs. Request a free demo of our system to try all of its features and see how game-changing it truly is.
