Use Technology to Drive Your Post-Pandemic Business Forward

Employees are not the only ones suffering from the coronavirus. Businesses are suffering as well. 2020 has left a trail of tears and broken dreams, defaulted loans, and permanent closures. Countless businesses have closed their doors, never to reopen.

For some time after the pandemic has passed, there will be a vacuum. Your community will have fewer restaurants, dry cleaners, pet groomers, barbers, tailors, locksmiths, and auto repair shops. That plus-size store is gone. And it is not coming back. And that is a tragedy.

The good news is that other stores will rise up and keep the community moving forward. That rebuilding will take a while. It will not happen overnight. New people will have to make new business plans and get new loans and lease new buildings. They will have to try new strategies to deal with the new needs of a new market.

The old strategies and mindsets will not serve these new businesses well. Companies that were uncomfortable with technology are going to have to set that discomfort aside and utilize perhaps the best weapon in their arsenal. Technology for business is more than a 10 year old Windows 7 laptop and a Blackberry. It is the engine of change that can drive your post-pandemic business forward. Here's how:

Use Technology to Reduce Injuries and Increase Efficiency

One of the most important reasons to add an exoskeleton suit to your technology toolkit is to enable your workforce to be more productive while greatly reducing workplace injuries. This type of wearable robotics can be customized to fit specific jobs and allow the operator to get more done with less time and effort.

According to Building, Design, and Construction magazine, the second most likely cause of non-fatal workplace accidents fall into the category of handling, lifting, or carrying. Tech like this does for individual lifting what a forklift does for pallets. When workers have this sort of advanced technology, they not only are more efficient, they can spend more time on the job and less time off work. That also translates to less money paid out in workman's comp claims. It is the kind of transformative technology that can give your business the competitive edge in 2021.

Use Technology to Take Control of Your Finances

The time has passed when you could run your business with a pencil and print ledger. You can't invest based on your gut. You can't run your budget from the back of a napkin. That time is well and truly over, and has been for quite a while. Small business does not mean small-minded business.

You can use the same tools for finances in your business as you use in your personal life for things like wills, investments, taxes, insurance, and complex estates. These tools are also effective at managing payroll, accounts payable, and accounts receivable. Many of these tools are free and readily available for use on any smartphone. With a small investment in software, you can get more professional versions of these tools.

Use Technology to Better Secure Your Business Data

At this point, it is just embarrassing how badly companies have dealt with sensitive data. They aren't even using consumer-level data security to protect their data, not to mention enterprise tools. Instead, a shocking number of business people have no password policies for their phones and computers. When they do have a password, they feel like "monkey123" is sufficient.

Data breaches have become standard business practice these days. But in the post-pandemic world, expect serious backlash from customers who are tired of having the ground shift beneath their feet. You will not be excused for poor security measures and no backups. The world has moved on and will expect more of you. If you insist on collecting customer data such as emails, addresses, and phone numbers, you need to be using the best security measures available. The days of excusing poor security and selling customer data to the highest bidders are numbered.

It is no longer acceptable to joke about your inadequacy with computers. Either become proficient or watch your business go extinct. Stop joking about technology and start using it to reduce injuries and improve efficiency, take control of your finances, and better secure your business data.