It's the start of a new year — the perfect time to assess where your business is at and think about what your hopes are for the upcoming year, including the kind of technology you're using in your business. We've done the digging on small business tech trends for 2019 for you to consider implementing in your glazing business.
Our top three tech trends for glaziers are...
- Managing your team from the road with your mobile device
- Automating and streamlining day-to-day business processes
- Implementing chatbots to take bookings and answer simple
Manage your team from the road with your mobile device
Mobile phones are getting faster and less expensive, and mobile coverage is improving in most areas so it's a no-brainer to do more business on the go. Using combinations of apps like Google Calendar and Google Drive, or Microsoft Calendar and OneDrive, your team can access their job calendar and upload important information right from site.
We know how important it is to be able to access your business information on the go which is why you can now connect your Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive account with Smart-Toolbox. In addition, Smart-Toolbox's scheduling tool integrates with Google Calendar and Microsoft so you can send appointments directly to your (or your employee's) phone. Easy as that!
Make sure you check out our blog post 5 must-have mobile apps for glaziers.
Speed up day-to-day business processes with automation
Automating and streamlining routine business processes will save you time and reduce errors. Particularly worth automating are repetitive tasks that have room for error, like drawing up glass for orders that have to be redrawn by the glass fabricator for processing. If you're a glass fabricator, perhaps consider 2019 your year to implement Smart-Glass for Fabricators to handle order entry and free up time to focus on growing your business.
Chatbots
Chatbots have come a long way since their inception! They can be as simple and you don't need any coding experience to get started. The chatbots are powered by Artificial Intelligence and can answer simple questions and even take orders. If you're a small glazing outfit, a chatbot can do some of the work of a receptionist or administrator for you. SmallBizDaily has a great introductory article about implementing chatbots specifically for small businesses.
According to Forbes, 40% of large businesses either have or plan to adopt some kind of chatbot by the end of 2019. That's a big deal — as bigger companies start using this kind of technology regularly, improvements will continue to be made. Smaller businesses benefit from the development that bigger businesses are paying for!
What do you think of our list? What are your tech resolutions for 2019? Let us know!
