How Phones Can Help Your Business
With the world slowly being taken over by the wired generation, technology has become one of the key components for a successful business. We go about our days with one piece of technology constantly in our hands that we use to control our lives – and to snoop into the lives of others – our phones. The average age for a person to get their first phone has changed over the last five years from 14 to 11 years old, but many kids younger than that have their own phones and know how to use it.
So why wouldn’t a business? Phones can be used in so many ways to reach out and connect with their customers and to gain new ones. But there are many businesses out there, particularly newer businesses, who haven’t explored every avenue that is open to them.
Separating Life
Many business owners or people who work high up in their company have a hard time separating their work life from their home life. But by making a physical barrier between the two, it can make it a lot easier to make that break. Having two phones – one for work and one for personal – allows you to literally turn work off when you get home, over weekends and when you have holidays. It can feel like you’re completely disconnecting yourself from work, which can be hard when it’s your baby, and you don’t want to lose control, but living like that is incredibly unhealthy. The Mental Health Foundation has multiple articles on work and life balances which you can find here https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/w/work-life-balance. You need to have a break for your own sake if not for any other reason. Make sure that someone at work can contact you in an emergency as a safety blanket to make you feel more secure.
Customer Care
Having designated phone operators in the office to deal with any customer queries should always be on the agenda. Most people these days try to contact companies through email, which is a great way to deal with issues remotely during a busy day. But there is something personal about a phone call that text on a screen can’t replace. Customers like to know that they are valued, and speaking to someone to get things done and to properly explain what they want to know makes them feel that way. Not everyone can use a computer, or can write very well, and some people just prefer to call and speak to a real person, so you should always have that option open for your customers.
Marketing
Using technology in your marketing campaign should be second nature, and so should sending out email and text blasts to existing customers. These virtual ways of communication can alert people to any promotions and offers that you might have going on, but they can also be used to alert customers to the progress of their package delivery, or updates on their contract. Companies like Plivo, which you can find here http://www.plivo.com/sms-api/, create the link between you and your customers via SMS so that you know that it is being handled professionally and being received by the right person.
Apps
Now apps can fall into two categories – we’ll talk about the benefits they have for the running of your company first. There are so many apps out there which are purposefully designed to make the running of your business easier; ones to help with invoicing on the go, project management apps that links you to all your employees across the country, even apps that manage time off requests and HR issues. All the best of this year can be found here https://squareup.com/townsquare/20-small-business-apps-you-need-to-know. You use your phone for everything – so why not utilize these for your business. You can nestle them between Facebook and Flappy Bird, if you want, or they can be the sole apps on your business phone.
The second way you can use apps benefits your business, but is more in the hands of your customer; developing your own. Developing an app isn’t something you do overnight, and, like a website, it needs regular updating, but it can be a perfect addition to your company. And definitely the right step in expanding your reach.
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