CRM or ERP: Which Is Right for You?
At first glance, a customer relationship management (CRM) solution and an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution might seem quite similar. They are both ways to help you get the most out of what you have using technology solutions, but they have specific uses in a business environment.
Tip of the Week: Which Headphones are Right for Your Needs?
If your office is hectic, a pair of headphones is practically a necessity in order to get anything done. If they are wireless, all the better. When picking your own set of wireless headphones, you’ll want to keep a couple of factors in mind. Here are some of them for your consideration.
Tip of the Week: Which Headphones are Right for Your Needs?
If your office is hectic, a pair of headphones is practically a necessity in order to get anything done. If they are wireless, all the better. When picking your own set of wireless headphones, you’ll want to keep a couple of factors in mind. Here are some of them for your consideration.
Tip of the Week: Which Headphones are Right for Your Needs?
If your office is hectic, a pair of headphones is practically a necessity in order to get anything done. If they are wireless, all the better. When picking your own set of wireless headphones, you’ll want to keep a couple of factors in mind. Here are some of them for your consideration.
Specifications
First, you should ask if the headphones in question will be able to serve your express needs. You’ll have to do a little bit of research into the specifications of each of the potential models you plan on looking at, as well as reviews whenever possible to see what the masses think about them.
The first factor you want to look at is the sound quality. Will you be using this headset to talk on the phone? In this case, the quality of the microphone and sound quality is going to be particularly important. Bluetooth headphones are often limited in their sound quality, but they are still perfectly usable for talking on the phone. If you absolutely have to use one of these devices, you should make sure that it’s a headset designed specifically for this purpose. The headsets that are primarily used for listening to music tend to fall short of expectations when considering phone calls.
Next, think about how your headphones might restrict flexibility in the office. If you’re using a headset that has a dongle plugged into your workstation, you might be limited by the distance your headset can travel from the source of the call. Some headphones will also have battery life variables that will need to be considered, and you can’t have your headset powering down in the middle of an important call.
Lastly, you’ll need to determine just how comfortable each pair of headphones is. You don’t want to be uncomfortable while being productive, especially since this could put your productivity in jeopardy. In order to get the most out of your headphones, make sure that they don’t hurt your head.
Other Concerns
There are other questions that you’ll want to ask about your headphones, but they will be based on factors within your office. These include how the headphones are used and inter-office noise. If your office doesn’t have a lot of noise, you won’t need noise-cancelling headphones, but otherwise they might be a worthy investment. To this end, over-the-ear headphones will prove to be quite valuable, but it’s best to err on the side of comfort for the sake of your productivity.
Do you have any suggested headphones? Let us know in the comments and be sure to subscribe for more technology advice.
Artificial Intelligence: Right For The SMB?
If the results of a Google search for ‘small business technology trends’ is any indication, artificial intelligence (AI) is not something that just concerns larger businesses and enterprises. Judging by the sheer number of articles that have been produced over the last several months, it is easy to see why a user might get the impression that SMBs who are not considering (or that aren’t already) investigating possible uses of AI are detrimental to their own success.
For those of you who are unclear as to what exactly artificial intelligence is in the modern business setting, it should be noted that AI isn’t necessarily like traditional notions of Skynet from the Terminator series or Agent Smith from the Matrix. The AI we’re referring to hasn’t shown the ability to operate autonomously or made plans to eliminate humanity… at least not yet.
Rather, today’s version of AI is more of a way that computers can learn and solve problems based on information amassed in an extensive database. For example, AI might be referring to an application’s ability to understand human speech, take that audio and use it as data to more accurately predict a future purchase based on that audio, as well as, past purchases, buying behavior, demographics and other data. As the database grows, so improves the AI useable with that data.
- Machine learning – It means that technology uses data collected over time to make better predictions about what you want. The idea of machine learning is not like human learning. It still requires data to be input in some way. This technology is by no means brand new but it has really taken on a new life in recent times.
ex. Amazon uses your purchase history and the history of those similar to you to better advertise and recommend you products. - Deep learning – Machine learning that is enhanced by additional layers of data to further refine predictions making it more accurate as additional layers are accumulated.
AI Already in Use
Virtual personal assistants, like Apple’s ‘Siri’ and Amazon’s ‘Alexa’, are used by millions of people. The majority of those users haven’t realized that they’re already relying on AI. Asking Siri a question and having her answer is an example of machine learning. With each edition of these VPAs, capabilities and features are improving, expanding AI abilities with each release or update. How about Netflix? The popular film/TV application uses machine learning to try and curate content of media that you’re likely to enjoy.
AI and SMBs
Moving forward, your company will likely be met with inquiries regarding whether or not you’ve considered looking into artificial intelligence to improve operations, better accommodate customers, remain competitive with your peers who are considering AI, or any host of perceived benefits for SMBs. An investigation into AI use for an SMB can be something as simple as thinking of ways to automate processes or service customers better using technology. It’s worth noting, however, that before you can even think about using AI to bring your business to the next level, you’ll want to be cognizant of the fact that without advanced technology to handle it, exploring the use of AI is a moot point.
Software and Application Development
Those SMBs who are curious about possibilities but have neither the time nor budget to consider exploring AI for their own use should consider that their line of business application might already be exploring AI use. Which means that even though your SMB is not going to take any specific steps toward vetting and using AI in your business model, you’ll still reap the benefits of what it has to offer.
Far from the AI of Hollywood science fiction, today’s businesses are continuing to find new and innovative ways to apply AI to business intelligence and growth strategies. While small businesses might not have the capital to form their own AI exploration committee, there are still plenty of ways they can use AI to benefit their company and its clients. Are you interested in experimenting with AI? Connect with us at (317) 705-0333 or let us know in the comments below!
Prioritizing Productivity Is Easy With The Right IT
With productivity being so important in the modern business, it only makes sense that so much of the technology we have now–and will likely have in the future–is devoted to maximizing the amount of work that can be accomplished by one person in a given time. While not everything we will discuss is always relevant for the typical SMB, if your business continues to grow, more technologies will only become accessible over time. Here are a few technology tips to increase your organization’s productivity.
Work Harder By Working Less
One of the biggest barriers to productivity takes the shape of the tiny, menial tasks that every employee has to attend to every day. While it isn’t that these tasks aren’t necessary, it’s just that they don’t necessarily need to be supervised as they’re completed. What’s the best way to make sure that these necessary tasks aren’t ignored, without spending an exorbitant amount of time on them every day?
Automation. With technologies that can perform certain tasks, it frees up a user to attend to other matters. The boost to productivity that an organization can gain from automation is considerable, as twice as much can presumably be accomplished in the same amount of time. So, instead of an employee being tied up by sorting through email, they can continue with a revenue generating task while their email is sorted for them. The same can be said for data backup–automated solutions are more reliable and less prone to user error. Software patching is also a task that can be easily automated by a knowledgeable technology professional so that you don’t miss out on the most recent versions of your mission-critical software.
Using Televisions to Boost Productivity
While they may be distracting in at least some capacity, having a television in the office can actually benefit your workforce’s productivity. As long as you keep their use strictly for work purposes and not entertainment, you might be surprised by how much they can help. For example, you could display important information, such as upcoming meetings, deadlines, or otherwise to keep your employees focused on meeting their goals. These displays might even lead to some healthy competition in the office so see who can be more productive in either the short or long term.
You can also use televisions to add media to meetings. Imagine being able to pull up spreadsheets or slideshow presentations to drive home key factors or numbers regarding productivity. There is even the option for video conferencing, which can help out-of-office employees attend meetings as well.
Implement Better Working Conditions
Employees work better when they feel better. This simple, common-sense statement can be a great motivator to implement smart desks–Internet of Things devices that are designed to track health and behaviors of employees to help them achieve a better working condition. You may have heard that it’s best not to sit in front of a desk all day and to stand up on occasion, and the smart desk is a way to help alert employees when they are in need of a standing session. Health issues can be caught preemptively and resolved, allowing them to remain productive and keep sick time to a minimum.
Even just giving employees the freedom to pick and choose where they want to work can be empowering. With mobile devices like laptops and smartphones, employees can work from anywhere in the office, so make sure that you have a setup that is intuitive for this type of productivity.
Does your business have a plan to leverage technology to ensure maximum productivity? The right technology can be the game-changing factor in this pursuit. To learn more about what enterprise-level technology solutions can do for your business, reach out to us at (317) 705-0333.