With 2019 coming to a close, small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are starting to craft their new year's resolutions for 2020. The new year will allow you to address issues in your business that you never got around to doing. This may include taking advantage of the newest technology trends, focusing more on your customers’ needs, or finding ways to make your employees more productive. If you're not sure where to start, here are some ideas to get you on the right track.
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Improving communication – For your small business to run smoothly, good communication is crucial. Unfortunately, this is commonly overlooked and often leads to a lot of complications, such as incomplete tasks, lack of morale, unmet requirements, and dissatisfied customers, that can hurt your business. Resolving this issue can improve productivity, employee morale, and customer satisfaction.
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Embrace new technology – Nothing can hurt your business more than outdated technology. A slow internet connection, inadequate hardware, and clunky software can make things frustrating not only for your employees but for your customers as well. If you lack a dedicated IT staff, get a managed IT services provider (MSP) to make an inventory of your company's current assets to see what needs to be replaced.
Getting your employees new computers, updating all the software you're using, and applying for a better internet connection are good ways to start the new year.
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Update your website – If your company has a website, make sure it's updated for the new year. Your organization's website is your digital front and should be treated with as much care as you would a physical store. Any website should have relevant keywords properly integrated to make it easier for search engines to find it. Make sure the content of your website is focused on the needs of your customers.
Do you have calls to action (CTAs) that encourage visitors to purchase from your site? It may not seem much, but addressing these issues can increase your company's website traffic, increase revenue, and even produce new customers.
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Be more active on social media – This goes together with updating your company's website. Increasing your organization's online presence is not something you should take for granted in this day and age. For a small business owner such as yourself, having a well-engaged social media page like Facebook and Instagram can put more personality into your products, draw in potential customers, and help you directly communicate with your target audience. Social media is a powerful tool that, unfortunately, not a lot of SMBs are taking advantage of.
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Delegate more – One mistake most small business owners make is doing everything themselves. This shouldn't be the case when it comes to how you run your company. As a small business owner, there's only so much you can do. If you always find yourself stressed and exhausted at the end of the day, it's a sign that you should be asking others to pick up the slack for you.
Delegating tasks doesn't have to be limited to your in-house staff. One good example is having a reputable MSP handle all the IT concerns of your organization to leave you and your team free to focus on the core functions of your company.
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Think about business continuity – If you think that business continuity is only for large companies, you're wrong. Data and information are the lifeblood of many SMBs, and you should find the time to plan for disasters, both natural and man-made, so when they do happen, your business is ready and will continue to function even after a major disaster.
Creating a new year's resolution early is a good way to set goals for the coming year and motivate your employees to be more productive. Our goal here at F1 Solutions is to help SMBs in Huntsville grow by providing them with unparalleled IT support. We will listen and learn about your company's specific business needs and provide you with the right technology solutions to push your company to the next level. Contact us today to learn more about the services we offer.
