By Amber Ramsey
When you are getting ready to launch your first e-commerce shop, you may think that a shopping cart and a way to pay are all you need. The truth is that there is much more technology involved with running an online business than meets the eye. Today, Polite On Society shares ways that you can integrate tech in all areas of your online store.
How Can Technology Help?
There are virtually unlimited ways that technology can help your business. Just a few of these include optimizing your workspace, enjoying better customer service, keeping your employees more engaged, and helping your management team, as well as your customers, make better decisions when it comes to running and/or patronizing your business.
Workflow Optimization
An optimized workplace is one that employs automation tools & BPM daily. Having business process management functions in place, such as auto-respond to emails, can help you reduce man-hours on time-tedious tasks. While there is no one specific product or service involved in BPM, your processes should always be evaluated for effectiveness and altered as needed. Something else important here is that anything you can do to streamline your operations frees your employees up to be more productive, and there’s a good chance they’ll be highly open to offering more suggestions on how to make the workplace a better space.
Expediting Customer Service
Customer service matters more than you might think, even more so than price. SuperOffice explains that customers these days want customer service to be top-notch, and they base their loyalty on their experience with you, not your product. Implement technology that allows you to interact with your customers on their terms. A few examples here are using artificial intelligence for customer support, gathering data, and creating a more personalized experience for each customer.
Remote Work
If you want to have more money available to put into your business, allow your employees to work from home. According to Productivity Leaders, you may save an average of $11,000 each year per employee by moving to a remote platform. Your employees can save up to $7000 by working from home, which can feel like an automatic raise. While there are many different technologies that can help you work from home more productively, one that you should not overlook is a VPN. A virtual private network allows your employees to work securely and significantly reduces the chances of a data breach or cyber attack.
3-D Imagery
Buying on an e-commerce platform has many benefits for your customers, but there’s also one significant drawback: people can’t put their hands on the item they plan to buy. Although you cannot translate tactile features, such as texture, weight, and elasticity, through the internet, you can add 3-D images, which allow your customers to look more closely at their potential purpose. 3-D imagery allows you to showcase subtle differences between products and can boost sales. It’s a great way for your customers to get more familiar with your products before making their online purchase, and this can greatly reduce chances of a return.
This is only a very small list of ways technology can enhance your online business. There are many, many more, and technological advances change every day. While you may not be able to implement every digital tool available, spend some time evaluating what’s most beneficial to your business. Remember, not keeping up with the digital age can put you behind when you really deserve to be leading the pack.
Join the Polite On Society mailing list to have more great content like this delivered to your inbox.