Digital Solutions
Priorities and Tools
Acceleration of Tech
In the fifth edition of the Salesforce “Small and Medium Business Trends” report, it’s clear that more and more small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are embracing digital solutions and many are accelerating the process, convinced their survival depends on it. The survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll for Salesforce in June/July 2021 and included esponses from more than 2,500 SMB owners or senior executives at businesses with 200 or less employees and annual revenues less than $1 billion (US dollars).
Tools of the Trade
The 2018 Connected Small Businesses in the US study, conducted by Deloitte and commissioned by Google, surveyed more than 2,000 small businesses (those with fewer than 250 employees) and found that there were huge gains associated with adopting digital tools. Click here for important digital tools that small businesses may consider as part of their digital toolkit, many of which offer a free option.
Top 5 SMB Tech Solutions
Want to know what digital tools and technology software small and medium businesses are using to run their businesses? The Top 5 hasn’t changed compared to last year but their ranking has. Most growing small and medium-sized businesses (71%) say their business survived the pandemic because of going digital. What’s changed and why?
Top 3 Tech Priorities
SMBs are investing in technology, but what is it that they are prioritizing? You may be surprised to discover that it’s different for growing businesses vs. stagnant or declining businesses. In 2019, when Salesforce asked 2,000+ small and mid-sized business leaders what their top three priorities for their techology budget was, they responded – 1) Customer relationship management (CRM) system, 2) Financial software, and 3) Hardware.
Our Digital Technology Arsenal
As digital consultants, we've been an early adopter of technology especially that which enhances communication and collaboration, improves productivity, and/or offers a unique digital solution. Following you'll see the various platforms and software that makes up our digital toolbox. Some may fall into two or more categories, which is a great bonus because they are helpful on multiple levels. You'll also see competing software brands that are similar and wonder why we don't pick a favorite. Basically, it comes down to organizational needs and fit. For more information on tools of the trade, click here.
Communicate
These digital tools help to automate and/or scale communication to the masses. Click for details...
Automate
Automate the mundane by connecting apps, automating workflows and more. Click for details...
Coordinate & Collaborate
These tools keep everyone on track whether it’s managing projects, team messaging, and more. Click for details…
Unique Digital Solutions
Tools for a special need includes comprehensive business bundles, surveys, LMS and more. Click for details...
Communicate
This represents the core of most organization’s day-to-day communications including business application software – Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace – formerly G-suite; video conferencing platforms – Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Hangouts, email software – Gmail and Microsoft Outlook; email blast software – MailChimp, Constant Contact, Mailerlite; web posting/web design (WordPress, Adobe Dreamweaver, SideArm Sports); and social media messaging – Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
coordinate &
collaborate
These digital tools help teams, especially remote teams, effectively organize their work, stay on track, and meet their goals using team messaging tools including Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, Slack, and Quip; OKR tracking software with OKRStudio and Weekdone; project management using Trello and Smartsheet; and managing special events with Sched.com.
automate
Automate the mundane to make time to improve customer experiences with sales and marketing automation software from ActiveCampaign and Salesforce; manage social media channel scheduling and analytics with Hootsuite; and connect hundreds of apps and automate workflows with Zapier.
unique solutions
Unique software delivers unique solutions including ecommerce platforms – Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy; web posting and design software – WordPress, Adobe Dreamweaver, SideArm Sports, finance and accounting platforms – QuickBooks Online and Microsoft Dynamics, popular CRM platforms – Salesforce and ActiveCampaign; media creation software for graphics, PDFs, special effects and more – Adobe Creative Suite; video editing software – Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, Animoto, iMovie, and various TechSmith products; plus learning management system (LMS) for education and training – Thinkific and Moodle.