3 Simple IT Tools Dramatically Enhance Your Business

 Three Simple IT Tools for Enhance Business 

It tools for business,

Technology advances have dominated the planet of labor for pretty much the whole period of time of anyone reading this text. Yet, till recently, communication technology has didn't deliver on the guarantees that were created. Computers were meant to attach U.S.A., to form our lives easier and to require work far from U.S.A.. Yet, most folks have experienced the alternative. we tend to is also ready to communicate a lot of, however it feels as if we’re connecting less. Buried beneath associate degree avalanche of emails, voicemails and instant messages, we tend to don't have the luxurious of your time to arrange thought of responses. Our hurriedly composed messages ar usually misunderstood, misinterpreted or simply neglected. Our advertising and promotional communication is equally usually neglected.

It appears that data technology has created our offices (and lives) a lot of economical, a lot of productive and a lot of frenzied. however additionally a lot of sterile. We’ve had to regulate however we would like to figure so as to accommodate the PC and its preferences. this can be immortalized during a running series of jokes within the UK comedy series, very little Britain: “The laptop says ‘No’”, that was the solution of client services to nearly any affordable client request. this can be not what we tend to had in mind once we embraced the computer’s arrival simply some decades past.

But, only in the near past, things have begun to alter. continued advances in constituent power and capability, information measure enhancements and new developments in computer code, have combined to permit U.S.A. to use technology to reinforce true human affiliation. folks wish to attach. we would like to contribute, to be concerned and to interact with one another. These ar natural human drives. And currently technology is getting down to accommodate U.S.A., and become a lot of of a tool than a driver of however we tend to do things.

The problem is that a lot of folks ar currently wont to doing things the “old technology” method. We’ve become familiar with seeing computers and knowledge technology during a sure method. Having spent most of our lives learning these patterns of behaviour, we tend to currently have to be compelled to unlearn them and discover a lot of “human” ways that of connecting and human activity, mistreatment IT as a tool to assist U.S.A. do therefore. this can be beginning to have profound impact on the method we tend to use technology in our corporations.

Here ar simply 3 recent advances in technology and developments in computer code that you simply ought to bear in mind of, and additionally conceive to incorporate into your company toolkit within the next few months and years. I hope you perceive that it’s not the technology itself that's fascinating, however what it permits U.S.A. to try and do. The technology can still adapt and alter, however what it's permitting U.S.A. to try and do, and also the connections it's sanctionable U.S.A. to possess, ar the keys to taking advantage of those new trends for your business profit.

1. Social Media

I don’t wish to bore you with another paragraph regarding Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and every one the remainder. you recognize by currently that these social media communities square measure over simply teen toys and communication tools for college kids. progressively, businesses square measure exploitation social media for a range of functions. the plain uses embody communication (internal and external), PR and classified ads. If you’re simply exploitation social media for these functions, though, you’re missing out on the $64000 revolution. however I actually have written regarding this before.

What is essential to grasp is that social media permits you to interact with folks – and permits them to interact with you. Internally or outwardly, you currently have the pc power and code to induce folks to act with you and your company, and to induce involved you. this can be the key to understanding the ability social media has got to enhance your business.

So, here square measure a number of things for you to try and do to require advantage of this trend:

• At terribly least, although you're not able to develop a social media presence for your company, you must make sure that your company web site permits users to put in writing comments on key pages. In fact, absolutely the minimum ought to be to permit folks to use a Facebook-like “I like this” button for rating your web site. Clicking the “I like this” button lets their entire network fathom you, and is that the least expensive kind of advertising you’ll ever be able to do. however you must conjointly think about permitting folks to feature comments to your webpages. i'm not talking regarding your “Contact us” page or kind – that’s however they send a letter to you. I mean permitting them to feature their thoughts, comments, queries and suggestions to the lowest of your webpages. Why do it? as a result of that gets them engaged and involved you. What if they write a complaint? Well, wouldn’t you rather they write that on your web site rather than on their journal or Facebook page (where you have got no management over it, and probably even don’t fathom it). And isn’t it true that the foremost important client experiences continually happen once you build a slip-up, they complain and you fix it well (that’s a lot of spectacular than simply doing an honest job each time, isn’t it)? thus, allow them to touch upon your website.

• The second factor you must do is to use Google Alerts to trace social media references to your company (http://www.google.com/alerts). You enter any search string as you'd into a Google search, however additionally add your email address. Google then stores your search request. Anytime a brand new web site is intercalary to the net matching your search, you may be sent AN email alerting you to the present. It is established to send like a shot, or once a day/week/month – it’s your selection. this can make sure that if you're mentioned in anyone’s Facebook or Twitter standing updates, you may be alerted to the present reality, and may opt for however (and if) to reply. (By the method, you must additionally embody your major purchasers in Google Alerts).

• Thirdly, you wish to find out the “language” – the particular rule – of the social media networks you’re fascinated by victimization. every completely different network has its own rule, and if you break the unwritten ground rules, you may be unnoticed and even vilified by the community there. Listen before you speak, do your schoolwork, get recommendation from individuals within the understand, and begin slowly with fast feedback loops and changes. In alternative words, do what you must do once traveling to a rustic with a unique culture.

• Fourthly, you wish to search out ways in which to make a community – consider developing an admirer base instead of a client base. I recently interacted with a distinct segment non depository financial institution marketing insurance for pets. They realized that their customers weren't hooked in to insurance. however they were hooked in to their pets. for his or her non depository financial institution social media strategy they’d get far better worth from a social media approach that centered on pets, instead of insurance. You produce your community 1st, then realize ways in which to gift your merchandise and services to them. It thousands so easy, however thus few corporations perceive this.

• Finally, why not think about using social media to assist you in numerous elements of your business. this is often a brand new approach known as crowd sourcing. You get crowds of individuals to assist you influence a problem victimization social networks. corporations already experimenting with this embody Innocent (crowd source your innovation needs to a number of the world’s prime thinkers, scientists and students), plan Bounty (crowd source your advertising and selling requirements), Ten pages (crowd source your book ideas and obtain published), Kiva (crowd source your giving for aid and foreign investment – even simply many hundred dollars), Zona (use social media to attach people UN agency have cash to speculate with people that wish to borrow money), and then more examples that ar rising each single day at the instant. If you’re not attempting to search out ways in which to try and do this currently, you’re already falling behind in your trade.

Social media is way, far more than merely change your standing and uploading many photos. it's dynamical however we have a tendency to connect and the way we have a tendency to act and the way we have a tendency to relate to every alternative. If up your ability to attach with individuals might enhance your business, then social media can assist you to try and do this dramatically.

2. Localized, asterisked and Advanced Search

Search websites like Google, Bing and Yahoo square measure progressively focusing their search results with localized search choices. Do an exploration for a selected location in Google Maps (for example, your company’s head workplace, or a favorite hotel). Click on one in every of the listed things within the search results, and a window can crop up on the map showing its location, any reviews that may are written (and the choice for you to put in writing a review), and therefore the address and call details of the situation. however notice many alternative things. Firstly, next to the venue’s name is little define of a star (note that you just should be logged into Google for this to figure – if you don’t have associate degree account, it’s simple to form one). that's a favorite button, and if you click that (Google sit down with it as “starring” the location) it'll save this venue in your own personal list of “starred locations”. This becomes terribly helpful if you log into Google on your mobile (or good phone), and click on on the “starred venues” tab which will seem there. all of your asterisked venues (regardless of once or wherever you chose them) can seem in your mobile phone’s list of asterisked venues.

But conjointly notice that you just have many alternative choices. you'll get directions or “search nearby”. Click on search close and sort in another search item. for instance, explore for “pizza” and it'll show all the dish shops within the close to neck of the woods of the primary location you chose. this is often localized search, and it's the longer term of looking.

Do you apprehend what's listed in your company’s Google Maps search page? does one apprehend if there square measure any reviews, and have you ever felt them (especially if there square measure negative ones)?

But it’s even a lot of powerful than merely having native individuals realize you. This new approach to look also will amendment what quantity data we've as shoppers. My middle girl, Hannah is popping nine years recent shortly, and she’s terribly keen on obtaining her 1st real wrist watch. Knowing that i used to be occurring a business trip to Svizzera, she asked ME to seek out a selected variety of await her. I went into a watch look, and located the watch she was searching for, and asked a salesperson to return and facilitate ME. He wasn’t prepared for the new technology i used to be near to use. Firstly, I asked to visualize the barcode on the packaging of the watch. I took a photograph of it employing a code reader application, that then searched the web and came back data concerning the watch. I currently knew the manufacturer, the specifications, the counseled retail worth and heaps a lot of. I conjointly did a localized search and located a watch look down the road that offered a similar watch at a rather cheaper worth. I indicated to the salesperson that I knew the watch was near to exit of production and was finish of vary, which I might comprehend cheaper down the road. Being Swiss, though, he wasn’t therefore keen on negotiating with ME, and failed to supply a reduction. sadly for each those Swiss watch outlets, I conjointly checked Amazon, and discovered that I might get the watch delivered to my house without charge at a reduction of over twenty fifth on what I might exit in Svizzera.

This trend goes to alter the ability relationship between customers and salespeople. does one knowledge a lot of data somebody will establish concerning you, your product and services with a sophisticated web search? square measure your sales individuals equipped to subsume today’s knowledgeable, tech-savvy, advanced looking clients? however square measure you planning to train your line workers to subsume these forms of customer engagements?

3. Geo-Tagging

Geo-tagging refers to a collection of applications that link to your physical location. hottest mobile phones have GPS inbuilt, which suggests your phone is aware of precisely wherever you're. In fact, a number of the terribly latest even have a compass inbuilt further, so that they conjointly understand that means you’re facing.

The easiest application of geo-tagging is digital photos. you most likely understand that your digital photos all have the photographic image you took, further as further digital information coupled to the photograph (at least date, time, exposure and size). Geo-tagging adds GPS co-ordinates and even compass orientation to the info coupled to your photograph. currently imagine you'll transfer that photograph to a centralized repository of photos, which it may be coupled to any or all the opposite photographs ever taken within the same place and facing constant direction you probably did after you took your photo. In alternative words, you'll instantly link your photograph to each alternative photograph ever taken at that very same location. So, currently you'll see what the thing in your photograph sounds like in several seasons, at totally different|completely different} times of the day and night and with different lighting. By the way, that web site is http://www.flickr.com, and if you wish to examine a video of the technology that pulls the photos along into a 3-D image, attend .

But, however does one use this to boost your business?

If your business interacts with customers at physical locations, then you'll use a number of the rising programs that area unit permitting folks to log their movements and locations. There area unit a number of of those. The 3 i exploit frequently area unit “Around Me”, “Go walla” and “Foursquare”.

Around American state has similar practicality to Google’s localized search i discussed higher than. the sole distinction is that Around American state is aware of wherever you're before you begin looking.

Foursquare and Go walla permit folks to “check in” at specific locations – essentially they log into the program, and do a probe of venues close to them. once they realize the precise look or building or cinema or location they’re in, they merely indicate “I’m here”. they'll then see WHO else is there – or close to there – currently. they'll conjointly see WHO has been there, and WHO comes there frequently. you would possibly surprise why folks would try this. It’s constant reason they update their social media standing – to make connections with others. (Yes, it extremely could be a human desire). folks also {can|can even|may also|may} write tips on venues (including reviews) that others can scan once they sign on.

It’s a touch of fun, however the business advantages area unit rising quickly. the foremost obvious is that you simply will link advertising to specific locations, and permit folks to “find” these adverts. If somebody arrives at a food hall during a sales outlet, as an example, and try to settle on that building to delaminate, they'll sign on, and therefore the geo-tagging system will alert them to specials and tips on restaurants within the close to neighbourhood. you'll purchase these geo-tagged adverts and cargo them into the geo-tagging system. It’s like swing a large banner advert before of all of your competitors’ retailers.

Really progressive firms area unit mistreatment these geo-tagging programs to create communities of individuals WHO congregate at their venues. {i understand|i do know} some pubs that have hosted events wherever the only real aim was to earn Swarm and Super Swarm badges in Foursquare (if you don’t know Foursquare, you earn awards for numerous activities – and one amongst the foremost elusive awards is earned only if an entire cluster of individuals all sign on at constant venue together). a series of {pizza look|pizzeria|pizza parlor|shop|store}s in London offers the “Mayor” of the venue free drinks whenever they delaminated the dish shop (the “mayor” of a venue is that the one who has checked into that venue the foremost range of times). this is often a resourceful thanks to reward frequent shoppers – and provides them a reason to come with their friends and mention you to their network.

Is This For Everyone?

Most firms area unit already behind these trends. It’s in all probability as a result of the choice manufacturers tend to be older those who don’t get these trends. In fact, even worse, they will feel powerless by the number of information that flows through of these programs (I’ll pen a way to deal with the flood of information at someday within the next few months).

Some firms still ban the utilization of those systems throughout workplace hours. Unless they need a technical reason for doing this (some firms have real information measure restrictions), they’re simply demonstrating however so much out of bit with common culture they need become. Of course, that may not be a drag for them. I did some work recently with a awfully high-end personal bank for ultra-rich people. Their customers tend to be a lot of older, then introducing these new communication technologies is maybe gratuitous at the instant. However, it won’t invariably be that method. Today’s young superstars use social media and geo-tagging all the time, and can in all probability need to bank with an establishment that they feel is in reality with their fashion. it slow within the next few years, even my personal banking consumer can notice price in taking these (and alternative similar) systems on board. If then, why not now?

So, yes, these area unit for everybody. perhaps not currently, however someday before long each company in each trade can notice price in victimisation these communication technologies. At terribly least they ought to get a tiny low team to begin staring at the potential, the opportunities and threats posed by new info and communication technology, and starting a method of deciding that they're aiming to use and that they'll ignore.

What Area Unit You Waiting For?

When it involves new communication technologies several firms have their default setting at “Ignore”. Some have it on “Reject”. solely some have associate acceptive mental attitude, with a curiosity that leads them to analyze and think about the potential advantages. All i actually hoped to try to to with this paper is amendment your initial mental attitude. The It tools technologies I even have made public on top of might not suit you, and should be unhelpful in your position in your company and for your trade. however the rationale these technologies area unit control can't be neglected.

People area unit victimisation technology otherwise recently – they need to attach, to act, to have interaction and to contribute. meaning your workers, your customers, your business partners and anyone else you act with area unit doubtless to be victimisation some or all of the technologies I even have made public on top of. If not, they'll be victimisation one thing similar. And if not currently, then they before long are going to be. this can be too massive to ignore. now could be the time for you to act and do one thing concerning it.