StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |IT department|How Small Businesses Can Make Their IT Department More Efficient

How Small Businesses Can Make Their IT Department More Efficient

StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |IT department|How Small Businesses Can Make Their IT Department More EfficientRegardless of the sector, your business operates in or the size of your organization, small, mid-sized, and large corporations lose hundreds and hundreds of dollars each year due to inefficiencies. So much so that the market research firm IDC has calculated that businesses lose 20-30% in revenue each year due to poor decision-making.

Whether using better technology than needed, incorrectly marketing, having more staff than required, or simply poor tracking of expenses, inefficient decision-making can damage your company in many ways. Unfortunately, your business IT department is no different, and providing that you are not forward-thinking with your decisions, your IT department can cost you significantly.

However, the key to avoiding unnecessary costs in your business IT department is to use IT proactively and determine ways to make the department more efficient. Fortunately, there are many ways that small businesses can improve their IT department’s efficiency, from using outsourced IT services to improving communication; we list several of the best practices below:

Optimize Communication In Your IT Department

A communication breakdown is one of the biggest obstacles in your IT department’s path. Understandably, it can be hard to describe a problem if the individual describing it has no idea how to communicate this to another person or if they are particularly tech shy. Yet, failure to communicate correctly can cause frustrations, resulting in a potential conflict between employees.

In addition, if a problem isn’t communicated effectively to your IT department, it can cause other issues such as misunderstandings, lower productivity, an unwillingness to co-operate, and many more. You can make communication easier between your IT department and your other employees by granting them access to more robust communication tools such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, and many more.

Through more robust communication platforms, your IT department has a range of tools at its disposal to assist other employees with any technical issues they might be experiencing. For instance, some of the best team messaging applications have tools like remote access, screen-sharing, audio calls, etc., which makes the communication process much more straightforward and eliminates the need for detailed explanations since your IT department can see the issue first-hand.

Access to better communication tools makes it easier for your IT department to resolve issues, especially for employees who work remotely and cannot visit the IT department in person to discuss the problem they are experiencing. As a result, you’ll find that members of the IT department resolve issues more effectively and have more time to invest in more critical areas of IT.


Invest In Outsourced IT Services

Another way businesses can improve their IT department’s efficiency is by investing in outsourced IT services. Sometimes the best way to help your IT department is to relieve them of routine, everyday IT tasks or auxiliary services that take time out of their day and enable them to filter the time that would have been wasted into more critical areas that need their attention.

Depending on the needs of your business, you might decide to use outsourced IT services to take care of one aspect of your IT department like cloud management, cyber security, project management, help desk, etc. On the other hand, you might want to turn to outsourced IT services to take care of all the issues within your IT department.

Whichever option you choose, outsourced IT services can offer various benefits for your business, from quickly implementing new technology, reduced labor costs, increased efficiency, reduced risks, and much more.

For more inspiration, look at the outsourced IT services from Solution Builder, which provide small and mid-sized businesses with a range of IT services from cloud management and migrations to cyber security. Consider visiting their website or contacting a team member directly to learn more about their outsourced IT services and how they could help maximize efficiency in your business.

Perform Regular Software Reviews

Performing reviews is essential in every area of your business, so much like you wouldn’t skip an employee performance review, ensure that you don’t forget to perform periodic checks of the software your workforce is using and whether it is still suitable.

Especially if you’re paying for a monthly package, it’s vital that you conduct regular reviews to ensure that the package is still relevant for your business needs, as there is no point in paying for something unsuitable for your needs.

Ensure that you conduct the same checks with any software your business might be using, as you might be keeping an older platform around for a handful of users or a specific department, which can soon burn holes in your budget.

Start by making a list of all the packages or software that your business pays for, then go through the list and evaluate whether replacing or canceling the subscription would make your IT department more efficient or if it’ll be more cost-effective for your business.

StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Cloud Technology|How to Incorporate Cloud Technology: 5 Steps to Success

How to Incorporate Cloud Technology: 5 Steps to Success

StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Cloud Technology|How to Incorporate Cloud Technology: 5 Steps to SuccessIn this day and age, is a business complete without using some form of cloud technology? No longer a trend or buzzword, “the cloud” has become an integral component in how many companies function.

There are various reasons organizations add cloud technology to their repertoire, including how it saves time and resources and makes them more productive overall.

Are you itching to also experience these benefits? Below are five steps to successfully incorporate cloud technology.

1. Understand your requirements

The first step is to fully understand your business requirements and how cloud computing can help. In general, cloud technology has the potential to dramatically improve the efficiency, security, and cost-effectiveness of your business. Yet you need to select the right service for your business. There are three primary options available:

  • Infrastructure as a service
  • Platform as a service
  • Software as a service

Is the plan to incorporate cloud technology for every element of your business? How will the future growth of your business affect your cloud-related plans? These are the types of questions you have to answer before moving forward.

2. Put in the research

Once you know your requirements, the next step is to put in the necessary research. You have to understand cloud technology, what it provides, and how it can help your business. With this knowledge, you’ll have a much better idea about which areas of your company would benefit most from the cloud – and also the areas that don’t necessarily require adopting this technology.


3. Understand the risks

Your focus will be on the advantages gained from cloud computing. That’s understandable. However, there are certain risks involved with integrating and using this technology. Ensure you are fully aware of these risks before adding cloud technology to your company’s operations.

For instance, once you put your data on the cloud, it’s important you have the necessary backup options and threat prevention policies in place.

4. Use the right technology solutions

Cloud technology incorporates a wide assortment of software and solutions. Different companies will use different technology, and it’s important your business selects the right options that fit your requirements.
As an example, say your company creates and manages its own APIs. If you’ve got numerous APIs under your belt, it can be hard to keep track of these effectively without the right approach. That right approach can be found with an API management platform. With the help of a management platform, it allows you to monitor, manage, and utilize your APIs with ease.

5. Educate your employees

It’s not just you who has to research and understand cloud technology. It’s imperative your employees are also on the same page. After all, if work is now being performed on the cloud, you don’t want staff members to struggle with completing their tasks due to a lack of understanding about how the technology works.
Even before migrating, you should explain to employees why it is beneficial for your company – and them – to make the move to the cloud.

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Social Media Marketing|Social Media Marketing: The Effectiveness and How to Generate More Leads

Social Media Marketing: The Effectiveness and How to Generate More Leads

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Social Media Marketing|Social Media Marketing: The Effectiveness and How to Generate More LeadsBusinesses have been using social media marketing for a while now with mixed results. Some businesses find it to be very effective in generating leads, while others find that it doesn’t really do much for them. So, what’s the deal? Is social media marketing worth your time and effort? This blog post will explore the effectiveness of social media marketing and how you can generate more leads from it.

There’s no doubt that social media marketing can be effective if done correctly. In fact, a recent study by HubSpot found that social media is one of the top three most effective lead generation tactics. That being said, simply having a presence on social media isn’t enough. You need to actively engage with your audience and create content that they will find valuable. If you can do this, then you will start to see more leads come in from your social media marketing efforts.

So, how can you generate more leads from social media marketing?

1) Use targeted ads:

Running ads on social media is a great way to reach more people with your message. However, simply running ads is not enough. It would help if you ensured that your ads targeted the right audience. For example, if you sell products for businesses, you would want to target your ads to people working in businesses. You can use the targeting options on each social media platform to ensure that your ads are shown to the right people.

2) Engage with your audience:

As mentioned above, having a social media presence is not enough. You need to actively engage with your audience if you want to generate more leads. This means responding to comments and questions, sharing interesting content, and overall just being active on social media. The more engaged you are, the more likely people will notice your business and eventually become leads.


3) Use social media to drive traffic to your website:

Your website should be the central hub of your online presence. From your website, you can collect leads and sell products or services. Make sure that you’re driving traffic to your website from your social media accounts. You can include links to your website in your posts and bio, run ads that link to your website, and use call-to-actions on your social media posts.

4) Get in touch with a professional:

If you’re serious about generating leads from social media marketing, then you may want to get in touch with a marketing consultant like Chris Boggs. Professionals like Boggs can help you create a social media marketing strategy that is tailored to your business and audience. Then, with a professional’s help, you can maximize the effectiveness of your social media marketing and start seeing more leads come in.

5) Try a lead generation tool:

Several lead generation tools are available that can help you generate leads from social media. These tools allow you to capture leads from your social media followers and turn them into customers. Some popular lead generation tools include LeadPages, OptinMonster, and HubSpot’s Lead Flow tool.

Social media marketing can be an effective way to generate leads for your business. If you can do this, then you will start to see more leads come in from your social media marketing efforts. Try using some of the tips above to get more out of your social media marketing and generate more leads for your business.

StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Funding your marketing strategy| Small Business Guide: Funding Your Marketing Strategy

Small Business Guide: Funding Your Marketing Strategy

StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Funding your marketing strategy| Small Business Guide: Funding Your Marketing StrategySmall businesses are in something of a bind at the start, they need to get noticed through advertising, but it’s hard to achieve when you look at the numbers. Luckily, there are a few systems in place to help with this exact problem. One of the best is a merchant cash advance.

Create a Marketing Budget

One of the best ways to create a buzz around your product is by advertising it through digital channels. Done correctly, a digital advertising campaign puts your products in front of the right people at the right times and gets people talking about what you sell both online and offline.

Organizing an effective digital marketing campaign is one thing; paying for it is something else. Unless you have a sustainable and controlled way to pay for your marketing campaign, it can get out of control fast and leave you with a black hole in your finances. Create a tight ad budget.

Merchant Cash Advance

If you’re a startup, you have a problem; how do you compete with the big guns? In this case, the big guns are the competition in your niche that has grown and developed into leading brands with substantial marketing budgets. The answer might be simple – use Merchant Cash Advance.

A merchant cash advance is designed to support startup businesses and close the marketing gap between them and the more established players in the niche. A merchant cash advance is issued by a cash advance company as a loan and receives a percentage of the future profits.


Paid Online Advertising

When you are trying to get your startup noticed by your target customers, you need to advertise. These days, the standard way to make your brand visible and attract more prospects to your website is through paid online ads. These can be on search engines or social media channels.

Paid online advertising is highly effective; it allows you to target your ideal audience and gets your brand and website noticed. Of course, there is more to do to sell your products, but without making your business visible online, you are relying on the quality of SEO and organic traffic.

Social Media Management

Social media channels are extremely important for your marketing campaign nowadays. In some ways, these channels are just as important as your search engine traffic – perhaps more so. The reason is that social media interactions are genuine, frequent, and highly valuable.

That said, social media channels are also numerous, and they have to be managed by a dedicated team member. The social media channels – perhaps three of them – need to be updated regularly with content; analytics must also be acquired to ensure optimal performance.

Website Optimization

There’s no reason why you can’t optimize your website yourself to ensure your organic reach is at its best and you have the best conversion strategy for your business. However, not everyone is a wiz when it comes to website optimization, so seriously consider investing in a professional website optimization service to ensure that your website performs to the highest standards.

StrategyDriven Tactical Execution Article |Warehouse Operations|Why Warehouse Operations Often Struggle

Why Warehouse Operations Often Struggle

StrategyDriven Tactical Execution Article |Warehouse Operations|Why Warehouse Operations Often StruggleYou will find that many organizations struggle when it comes to warehouse management. The warehouse is an area of the business that has a massive impact on the success of the company and customer satisfaction levels, but it can also be challenging to thrive because it can be a complex operation with a lot of constant movement. This means that there are often inefficiencies here, but this also means that there are often improvements that can be made. This article will outline a few of the main reasons why warehouses struggle and will provide a few ideas for improvements that should help.

Unmotivated Workforce

One of the primary reasons why warehouses struggle is that the workforce is not motivated. You could have an efficient system in place, but if your team does not work to a high standard each day, then it will be impossible to succeed. Therefore, you need to keep your team motivated with decent pay, a relaxed yet productive work environment, goals and incentives, and career development opportunities.

Inefficient Layout

Many warehouses have the same layout that they did when they first started, which can cause inefficiencies and make work harder than it needs to be. You should not shy away from trying a new layout, as you might find that you can speed up operations and get more done each day.


Lack of Speed

These days, many warehouses struggle when it comes to speed and find that they are unable to meet consumer expectations. Consumer expectations have risen with next-day delivery becoming the norm. It is challenging to increase speed, while still maintaining accuracy and safety, but you will find that it is possible and often this is through automation. A warehouse management system, that integrates with your shipping systems, conveyors, and ERP can help you to speed operations up and keep your customers happy.

Out of Date Equipment

Another common reason that warehouses struggle is the equipment that they use. Forklifts are one of the best examples of this as this is equipment that is used constantly throughout the day, so you need to have the very best forklifts to succeed. Forklift hire is smart because you are not tied down and you can upgrade to the latest and best forklifts when they become available, and this should make a big difference to the daily performance of the warehouse.

Lack of Data

These days, all business operations should be utilizing data, but it is sometimes lacking in warehouse operations. Data can provide a deep insight into the daily performance of your staff members, teams, and the entire warehouse operation, which will allow you to identify the best ways to improve and become more efficient.

These are the main reasons that warehouses struggle. It is a difficult area of the business to manage with a lot of moving parts, but it is also an area of the business that has a massive impact on your success and customer satisfaction levels, so it is important to address these areas.