It’s a digital world out there, and if your company is still abiding by the traditional doctrines and depending on the efficiency of traditional processes, then it is slowly falling behind. Your brand will inevitably lose its position in the competitive market if you don’t implement the latest technology and embrace the digital trends that permeate your industry. After all, how else do you expect to appeal to the tech-driven demographic and accommodate the needs of a growing digital audience.
Remember, if you don’t, your top competitors will. While going digital doesn’t necessarily have to go as far as running the entire company from your kitchen, it does mean digitizing several crucial processes in order to improve efficiency and productivity across the board. Here are the five ways you can gain a competitive advantage by going digital.
Improve cross-department communication
Effective and efficient internal communication is one of the keys to long-term business success nowadays, as there is little room for error in the face of fierce competition. If you want to run your company like a well-oiled machine that never stalls, you need to banish the old printed memo and eliminate the he-said-she-said mentality by taking your internal communication into the 21st century.
Fortunately for you, there are a number of digital communication tools you can introduce, ranging from simple chat and messaging systems, to comprehensive team-management apps that allow people to communicate and discuss projects efficiently. What’s more, business communication apps will allow your employees to share files seamlessly, ensuring that everyone is always in the know.
Shift focus to digital marketing
It should go without saying that digital marketing is not only a better way to save money, but also expand your brand’s reach on a global scale. Digital marketing methods have the potential and power that traditional media simply cannot match, and its time you reallocated your funds to growing your online presence instead of pushing for costly local exposure.
The best part of online marketing is that it can even skyrocket your brand in the local market, simply because the modern audience is increasingly consuming content in the digital sphere. With that in mind, focus on building a responsive and visually-appealing website, write in-depth, SEO-driven content to improve your search-engine ranking, and tend to meticulous social media management that will improve your brand’s visibility and build that highly sought-after social media buzz.
Migrate document workflow into the online realm
It’s an increasingly paperless age we live in, and the modern business environment is rapidly becoming a place where workflow and documentation are managed and stored in the online realm. And good thing it is, too, because it not only minimizes human error and expedites numerous processes around the company, but it also reduces the company’s use of paper and thus cuts extraneous overhead costs.
What’s more, the internet is the best place to find all of the necessary business document templates you might need for all legal, HR, and commercial processes, which will effectively improve productivity and expedite all of your administrative processes. There is no viable or financially-sound reason not to go digital when it comes to documentation and administration, not if you want to improve efficiency in every aspect of your business.
Find and recruit the best employees
Human resources is one of the most important sectors in any company, big or small. A productive HR department will aim to make your life and the lives of your employees easier, and their time more enjoyable and productive in the workplace. But beyond that, HR has a very specific role of finding, attracting, and deciding on who would be the best fit for your team.
This is a delicate and nuanced process with plenty of room for error. However, instead of skimming through hundreds of resumes for every job position in your company, your HR department could use one of the online, software-based recruiting services that use sophisticated algorithms to filter out the best candidates for the job. You can then cherry-pick your favorite applicants to reach a better decision in a fraction of the time you would need to spend using outdated recruiting methods.
Digitize your sales processes
Sales is a highly-intricate process involving lead generation, meticulous nurturing and communication, and of course, the complex task of closing the deal itself. There are numerous ways you can boost the success of your sales department by implementing passive digital solutions, but also providing your employees with the digital tools needed to find and reach high-value prospects.
You can start by improving the overall UX of your website. Make sure the information on your website is accurate and that your CTAs are positioned strategically throughout to incentivize visitors to make a purchase. Use digital tools such as Salesforce to find quality leads and fuel your sales team. Lastly, engage with your online prospects via email and social media and provide them with special deals and discounts along with quality content to transform them into loyal brand followers and paying customers.
In conclusion
The world is rapidly embracing the technological progress going on in recent decades. The business world in particular stands to benefit greatly from these types of innovations, so make sure you implement these digital solutions in order to future-proof your company and gain a competitive advantage.
