Some people will still remember when horses and carts would arrive at their front door with bottles of glass milk and a sack of coal. Wind the clock forward, and such practices are now obsolete. Believe it or not, even some of the more recent advancements are now no longer putting you ahead of the curve. Don’t fall behind. Be aware of these six things your business might need to change before they are no longer relevant:
Physical Premises
Having the most easily-accessible office or store used to be crucial to a company’s survival. What about now? Suddenly, virtual offices are becoming equally as desirable, with businesses opting to offer the image of professionalism while working from their living room at home.
Companies can now secure a business address and mail forwarding services, but while enjoying the low overheads of the family home.
The Landline
In 2004, you were behind the technology eightball if you didn’t have a landline. Today, it’s a little bit archaic if you do have one. From 2004 to 2019, landline ownership dropped from 90% to 40%, and you won’t see too many people disappointed about it.
With the growth in smartphone technology, business owners and individuals prefer to carry around their connection to the outside world in their pocket, rather than leave it plugged into a wall at their workplace. Many businesses are even opting to accept appointments online, rather than making customers phone them.
Paper
Computers exist in almost every workplace, and the majority of business-related tasks are undertaken on them. You can fill out forms, receive letters, manage your accounts, and more, all without printing on a single piece of paper.
While paper consumption is still high in the United States, many businesses are using far fewer reams of paper today than ever before. Save money and the environment at the same time.
Cold Calling & Door Sales
Common business practices that used to be sure-fire ways to drum up business were cold calling and door-to-door sales. Someone from a company would turn up to your home with the best vacuum cleaner money could buy, or they would lock you into a servicing contract over the phone.
Today, those sales methods are a nuisance, rather than a money-maker. More and more businesses are turning to social media marketing and email marketing to bring in their customers instead.
Local Servers
It was only a few short years ago that, to carry out work, you had to drive into the office. All your important work files and emails were on local servers, and these could not be accessed from anywhere else. Today, businesses are all about the cloud. Cloud computing, which is data servers on the internet, allows any business owner who utilizes such as service to access all their information and data from anywhere in the world.
Given that local servers can be quite cumbersome and bulky, businesses who have made the switch have even been able to downsize their premises and cut costs on business leases.
Local Workers
Finding the best workers to run your business has been quite challenging in the past because there is a limited pool of talent to draw from in your area. Local workers are now not the only option, especially for online businesses. Thanks to virtual teams, companies can outsource everything from account management to data entry.
The digital age is changing how businesses operate at a rapid pace. Still, it’s up to you to decide whether you stay ahead or fall behind. What are you going to change to futureproof your business?