For many of us, 2021 can’t come soon enough, and we're hoping next year will be a better one. One way to get the best start in the new year? Take the time now to review business technology. There are several areas that you might improve to support 2021 success.
First, look at your website. In this digital age, your business website is your calling card to the world. It is where your prospects and customers will go to learn more and buy your product or service. Yet many business websites are at least a few years old. That won’t do these days. Whether you’re a B2B or B2C, your buyers are making a decision about your brand based on your website. If your website looks a decade old, they’re going to doubt you’re on top of your game.
When reviewing your website, priorities should be:
- ease of site navigation – people have a low tolerance searching for information online;
- mobile responsiveness – depending on industry, more than 60% of website visits are from mobile devices;
- call to action – you’re making it clear what you want people to do on your site;
- visual appeal – if it doesn’t look good, your credibility will be damaged;
- search engine optimization – are you doing all you can to get people to your site?
- security – customers care more and more about data security and privacy.
Updates in the Office Environment
Of course, there are still people who will pick up a phone and call a business. Traditional phone systems are the reliable business workhorse. But settling for a plain old phone system could mean you’re missing out on a lot. Modern digital phone systems offer you access to a wide range of useful features. With a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) phone system, businesses of any size can get enterprise-level features. These include:
- interactive voice response (IVR) systems (e.g. "Press 1 to speak to sales, 2 to speak to tech support … etc.”;
- call queuing that helps distribute incoming calls to the right party;
- call recording that helps you track compliance, and provides training and sales script intel;
- local phone numbers, free in-network calling, and consistent international-rate plans.
Also in the office, there may still be employees signing in to desktop workstations running Windows 7. This operating system reached “end of life” on January 14, 2020. That means Microsoft is no longer updating the software. Hackers know that, too, so sticking with the old system could make you vulnerable to cyberattack.
