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Due to technology evolving at such an extraordinary pace, the competitiveness amongst any area of business is growing rapidly too. Small businesses are the ones affected and struggling the most because they are the ones that need to adapt to the solutions big players are coming up with.

The key for the modern-day company is to implement as much technology as possible into the business process, in order to attain THE best optimized flow of resources. 

The trends small businesses need to follow in terms of custom software nowadays are:

Social commerce

If you were not aware that you can sell not only on Facebook, but on WhatsApp too (!), well, now you know. Yes, you can have an actual online shop on both Facebook and WhatsApp, where your customers can both place and pay for their orders.

If you run a small business and you are not online yet, this is where you need to start, like yesterday. And it is also the most cost-effective way. So, start by building your social shops before following the next trends.

Cloud based systems and working from home

You can comply all your calls, messages, videoconferences, emails into one platform, did you know?

Microsoft Teams, for example, integrates all the communication services mentioned above with Office 365, so your team has easier access to information. This will speed up the (still classic) back and forth of requesting for information or documents, it organizes the process, and also (very importantly!) enhances the possibility of remote work, which creates a balance of work / home life for your employees.

Adoption of AI (artificial intelligence)

You might think AI is way too techy for your small business. Not quite. You cannot afford to ignore it, actually! AI can bring you an incredible advantage when it comes to response times and customer support.

Chat bots, for example, can help you solve most of the customer support issues, considerably minimizing the work of at least 1 employee that you would need on this specific job. Does your business imply an employee answering emails or social media messages? It probably does. Well, then consider using AI services.

Automation

Small businesses are often downsized and overloaded. Businesses can lose around 3 work weeks per year with administrative tasks, like paying late invoices and other daily chores.

If this is what you are experiencing too, you need to implement automated software for these types of activities. If it's sounds complicated, it's just a misconception. You can have an accounting software, for example, that will save you the 3 weeks you spend paying bills.

What you also lack as a small business is time, so use it wisely, for more important goals as building your business.

Basically, the adoption of technology will create better process flows, it will improve the time your team spends on tasks and will generate a better collaboration, in a more efficient and faster paced manner. This definitely offers you a big advantage in getting market share, but it also means that how you do business now will have to radically change.

Be ready.