Covid-19: How to optimize your business operations with technology

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected impacted virtually every single business, and while we’re all seeing new challenges arise, we can’t help but notice that businesses who had already invested in their operational tech stack are the businesses who are winning right now.

With social distancing likely lasting well into May, companies are now forced to face the reality of their technology shortfalls as their workforce operates remotely.

We’re seeing companies who have relied for decades on the age-old sales model (the Outbound approach) go into complete panic mode as their sales team can no longer visit customers, attend networking events and trade shows, or meet face-to-face.

Here are our top 3 operational technologies to help your business stay productive during self-isolation and beyond.

Project Management Software

As teams begin working remotely, communication largely takes place online in the form of instant messages and emails, making it quite easy for details to slip through the cracks. Investing in a project management platform is key, as it allows for easy, real-time collaboration online.

A few of our favorite softwares are TaskRay, Smartsheets, and Asana. Each of these tools allow organizations to create projects, share documents, communicate in real-time, assign tasks, track progress, and track time spent on projects. Most importantly, they are easy-to-use and create an online space for your team to continue to push projects forward in a totally collaborative setting.

Customer Relationship Management software

A CRM is absolutely paramount to your business operations. If you’re still managing customers and processing orders through spreadsheets, we strongly recommend that you download our Guide to CRMs immediately (or better yet, just schedule a meeting with us!).

Think of your CRM as your business’s central nervous system. You should put as much info (and effort!) into your CRM as possible, as it will in turn keep your entire organization apprised of your customers, sales, and communications. You can also integrate your CRM with your accounting and ERP programs, your project management software, and your marketing/communications programs.

In short, if you keep your data organized, up-to-date, and accessible in a CRM, your entire team will be able to check in on customers, orders, etc. in real-time.

Say, for example, one of your sales managers has to unexpectedly step away from work for a week (we sincerely hope that doesn’t happen, but in today’s situation it’s unfortunately pretty common). What happens to that sales manager’s customers and orders? If they sit stagnant for a week or more, you’re losing out on that business. If you’ve invested in a CRM and that sales managers customer communications are tracked and recorded on the platform, another team member can easily step in, survey the situation and take over.

Again, if your team isn’t documenting their client conversations and day-to-day activities, you’ll have a really tough time picking up where they left of if you’re in the unfortunate situation of losing that person.

Digital communication channels

Client communications are currently 100% digital. From Zoom conference calls to email conversations, everything now happens online (because it HAS to happen online). If you haven’t already, invest in your digital communication channels like:

• Your website. It’s 2020- if your website is still an atrocity, you’re not going to compete in this digital world.
• Your employees’ computer & phone. Make sure they have a webcam and a solid WFH setup!
• Inbound communication channels. Make it easy for people to contact you- try a website live chat or a 24/7 phone line.
• Social media. And we’re not just talking about your company pages, but also the pages of your employees since they’re going to have to rely heavily on social media in the coming months for networking purposes.

Additionally, make sure your marketing analytics are in order– the more info you can gather from via marketing measurement tools, the more targeted your campaigns can be.

If you haven’t already invested in your company’s operational tech stack, you’re struggling right now to find a way to remain productive.

Remember, this is the new normal, so it’s time for you to make the necessary changes and focus on your business’s digital transformation.