7 Technology Based Business Productivity Hacks

By now most business owners are well aware that we’re living in a golden age of technology and communication. For some, “technology”, “IT” and even “computer” are still dirty words, but the truth is that we are surrounded by tools that have been designed to help – not hinder. Increase business productivity and efficiency in all areas by following these business productivity tips.

1. Turn Data into Information

Whether intentional or not, businesses relentlessly collect and thrive on data. Website traffic, conversion rates, accounting reports, staffing levels… absolutely anything that can be counted and quantified can be considered as data. If looked at in the right way – and sometimes with the right tools – this data can unlock a veritable treasure trove of useful information, a great deal of which can be used to increase your business productivity. For example, the right data can help detect pressure points in your strategies, identify correlations between seemingly unrelated processes and even predict future behaviour based on identifiable patterns.

2. Make Your IT More Efficient

If there’s any area of your business in which you close the gap between A & B then do it – even if it seems like a small difference at the time. Is a poor email service slowing you down? Are too many processes running on your computer and making it sluggish? Make your day to day operations more efficient and improve your business productivity by making sure all IT operations are running smoothly.

3. Connect Your People

Communication is the key to many things, and there are some great tools out there to help individuals and teams stay informed. Keeping people in the know not only contributes towards a more happy workplace (which in turn helps increase business productivity), but it also keeps the wheels greased and the business moving. Without effective communication, you’re in the dark.

4. Embrace the Cloud

A lot of businesses have yet to welcome cloud computing into some of their operations. For some, this could be due to fear of the unknown, or perhaps it’s more about failing to see the benefits. Either way, cloud computing is often cheaper, it’s scalable, is quicker to set up and offers better tools for internal and external collaboration. If you’re serious about increasing business productivity, moving at least some operations to the cloud needs to be on your list.

5. Secure Your Network

Securing your network is a more passive approach to increasing business productivity – but you’ll be glad you took the right steps when you did. Nothing kills productivity more than losing days, weeks or months of work due to massive hardware failures or power cuts. If you don’t maintain a backup of your network, or ignored the warnings about having an Uninterrupted Power Supply in place, then you could find yourself wishing you’d acted when you had the chance.

6. Automation

So many of us are still carrying out monotonous, painstakingly mundane tasks when we could be getting robots to do it. Okay, robots is probably a bit dramatic, but there are so many tools and services out there that can help with automating many of your day to day processes, leading to improved efficiency and increased business productivity.

7. Take the Shortcut

Shortcuts are simple key combinations that perform a specified task, and they’re ready to be used right now. Are you still right-clicking on your selected text and choosing “Copy” from the context menu that pops up? You don’t need to. Do you always leave your computer unlocked when you leave your desk? A shortcut can help with that. All you need to do it get into the habit of using a few small but powerful shortcuts that fit with how you work, and you’ll be well on your way to smoother workflows and increased business productivity. Here’s a list of some great shortcuts, that can help with things from copying and pasting to organising your active windows.