While there was a time when only big corporations with a big corporation technology budget could take advantage of the latest solutions, that time has long since passed. Today’s small and mid-sized businesses have access to resources like the cloud, which makes investing in and using brand-new innovations affordable and surprisingly simple with the right support.
There are three enterprise-level technologies, in particular, that your business should be prepared to embrace in the near future in order to stay competitive and successful.
- Chatbots/Business Bots.
While some of you may remember Chatbots as a silly bit of rudimentary Artificial Intelligence (AI) that was more entertaining than useful, this technology has come a long way in recent years. Where digital marketing and customer service are concerned, Chatbots are an essential tool. These new ‘bots are much smarter and more adaptable, able to learn and adapt in order to give helpful and informed responses to customer inquiries rather than just spitting out whichever pre-programmed response fits the situation best.
Chatbots also allow your business to make better use of social media, essentially giving you access to a virtual customer care person who is readily available 24/7/365. Now customers can ask your ‘bot questions about your policies, services, and hours of operation without having to navigate an automated phone menu.
- AI and Machine Learning.
Chatbots are just the start of what AI can do for your business. Machine Learning, as the name implies, is a type of AI that uses data given to it to teach itself patterns and behaviors that allow it to be extremely useful to various business processes. From improving customer service experiences to automating purchase transactions to detecting suspicious or fraudulent activity within a certain department or process, Machine Learning allows your business to use technology more effectively.
- Cloud-First Strategies.
Many businesses, especially those that have been around for a while, tend to still view the cloud as something to build up to rather than something to build on. Rather than supplementing your existing infrastructure with cloud solutions, your business should be looking at planning your IT strategy around the cloud to reduce costs, increase uptime, and enhance security. By thinking cloud-first, you can take advantage of the flexibility and accessibility the cloud provides, and avoid having to waste time and money on adapting outdated solutions to the cloud later on, or missing out on new solutions because they just don’t work with your legacy systems.
Ready to put the cloud to work for your business? CPU Inc. can help. Give us a call. We’re the trusted IT professionals for businesses nationwide.
Read more articles by Jeanne DeWitt at Jeanne DeWitt, Co-Owner of Computer Programming Unlimited contributor archive page.
