Successfully scaling a business in the modern world is rarely an easy task. Business leaders and management teams are often found trying to achieve a reasonable balance between managing proactive relationships with legacy clients, converting new leads and optimizing vital operations.
Ensuring that these key factors are given an appropriate amount of time and thought whilst also investing in growing numbers of staff, larger facilities and more effective professional processes can place a significant strain on fledgling businesses, that is without the aid of modern smart technology.
By streamlining workflows and meeting client expectations with assistance from data-backed insights and automated procedures, IT staff can better position expanding companies to capitalize on market growth. To help teams to achieve this, here are 4 smart software integrations for scaling businesses.
1. Live inventory management tools
With recent reports finding as many as 80% of businesses have experienced some degree of supply chain disruption in the last 12 months, ensuring that scaling companies have reliable access to all required infrastructural, operational and manufacturing resources can present a significant challenge.
Thankfully, IT professionals can help management teams to both avoid incoming shortages related to essential resources and better manage the use of stored inventory with the aid of smart technology systems and bespoke software integrations, specifically via real-time inventory monitoring programs.
Modern inventory management software will typically be deployed as a cloud-based service, offering teams the ability to view, manage and adjust incoming orders from anywhere with a secure internet connection. All incoming orders are logged and tracked to offer insights into efficiency improvements, with real-time supply chain data informing staff of potential shortages to help plan timely responses.
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2. Smart onboarding software
It’s becoming increasingly clear that many alternative employment models such as hybrid, remote and coworking structures are here to stay, with recently published data suggesting around 80% of modern companies are planning to adopt some form of hybrid work model in the coming months and years.
For scaling businesses looking to expand their workforce, these developments can be both beneficial and sometimes difficult to handle. Though the ability to hire from a much larger talent pool without the previous geographical limitations associated with in-person roles can present significant benefits, HR teams will be required to adjust existing onboarding policies to ensure new hires are fully supported.
IT professionals can help businesses to achieve this through the development of online onboarding programs, easily accessible platforms in which all relevant training procedures, useful documentation and internal communications tools are compiled for new employees to access at their own leisure, with data-backed insights used to help new employees optimize their workflows as projects develop.
3. Integrated client communication systems
Client acquisition and customer support are integral facets of successful company growth, so it’s essential that scaling businesses are well prepared to deliver the same level of client support that they were able to achieve as a smaller operation, even as their audience grows in-line with expanding business structures.
Designating IT teams to develop and implement an integrated client communications system can help to scale businesses to keep track of new customer requests and maintain prompt correspondence with existing clients by combining all email, invoicing, and similar communication tools within one platform.
Automated alerts and messaging functions can be designed to ensure that no requests or marketing opportunities are ever missed, with additional options to automatically follow up on significant issues like collecting outstanding invoices from clients without requiring manual assistance from HR employees.
4. Productivity management solutions
Even if businesses are well prepared to meet increased demand for their products and services as their operations grow, primarily through the hiring and onboarding of new employees, teams may face some challenges when applying traditional techniques to tasks that require efficiency improvements.
Rather than risking a trial-and-error approach in terms of optimizing production techniques that could lead to significant downtime or increased stress placed on the shoulders of employees, businesses can turn to smart software tools designed to analyze workflows in order to suggest actionable improvements.
Live productivity management software can be deployed alongside existing HR solutions to provide data-backed insights specific to the workflows of individual employees, including how this information is reflected in wider department metrics, helping to improve operational efficiencies and optimize workflows.
Summary
Successfully scaling a modern business requires dedicated planning, patience, and the ability for business leaders and department heads to accurately predict market movements to ensure teams are appropriately prepared for all eventualities, often, this can be achieved with smart software solutions.
By integrating data-informed processes and real-time management procedures into all essential operations and workflows, scaling businesses can ensure that every critical decision is backed by high-quality information and implemented intelligently to support employees, new hires, and clients.
Disclaimer: The author is completely responsible for the content of this article. The opinions expressed are their own and do not represent IEEE’s position nor that of the Computer Society nor its Leadership.
