Running a successful business without technology is almost unthinkable these days, but it hasn’t always been this way. Even just a few decades ago, technology was nowhere to be seen in many company offices – you might have found a calculator stuffed in a drawer, but that was about the strength of it. Nowadays, however, things have changed dramatically.
This rapid change can make it easy to forget how much tech has improved our businesses, especially when it comes to productivity. With this in mind, we thought we’d give a run down of just how the technology that we have today has changed our working lives:
Communication
Possibly the biggest area of change has come in the field of communication. Meetings can now be held virtually with attendees from different continents all brought together by technology.
Email connects us like never before and the smartphones that we now take for granted are able to keep us in touch with what is happening within our businesses wherever we are in the world.
This connectivity helps to increase productivity in literally dozens of different ways, and without it many businesses would simply cease to exist.
Faster, simpler processes
Implementing software solutions into your business can make traditionally mundane and painstaking tasks a breeze, increasing productivity and creating a happier workplace to boot.
Take HR systems, for example. HR departments have been revolutionised by the advent of software that helps to take care of payroll management, recruitment, training, and much more. This frees up staff, allowing them to take a more proactive approach to their work, which, in turn, helps your business to prosper.
Greater control
Technology has helped immensely with things such as project management. Productivity has increased exponentially in businesses across the globe thanks to now having the ability to control teams regardless of where they are in the world.
Programs such as Basecamp and Wrike have changed the way we do business for good. Having this kind of software in place allows you to see the bigger picture as it happens, giving you greater control over the end result.
Easier access
Remember when you used to have to go into the office each time you needed to get something done? If you do, then no doubt a wry grin has just appeared on your face. Technology has, thankfully, made this a thing of the past and now the cloud is taking remote storage to the next level.
The fact that any trusted individual can access the data that they need to complete the task that they want to do from anywhere in the world would have blown peoples minds just a quarter of a century ago. Now, however,many of us are using this technology every day; think of the amount of time and money this single piece of technology has save the business world!
From 1973 to 2013, productivity in the workplace increased by 74.4%, all largely thanks to technology. What’s up next for the businesses of the future? Who knows, but you can bet it’s going to be interesting to find out.
