Top 5 Recommended Technologies to Improve the Workplace

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Our ever-evolving technology means that we can never stand still and wait to improve our business practices. History shows us that those who are metaphorically late to the party, are more likely to fail. Think of the retail behemoths in the US such as Sears, Blockbuster and Toys R Us who failed to react quickly enough to changing consumer habits. Their inability to see the opportunity the internet presented, or the threat of others using it before them, ultimately contributed to their collapse. If you are a decision maker in your organisation, you should know full well you need to be embracing modern technology, but this doesn’t mean you need to try and use it all. Here are our top picks of technology that will improve the workplace.

1) High-speed internet

Not just any internet will do, it must be high-speed, as in this day and age, any downtime or lag can have extremely costly consequences. The internet speed and workforce productivity can almost pretty much be directly correlated, and especially if your organisation relies on making real-time decisions, there should never be any excuse for a lack of investment in this area.

2) Booking systems

Organising events or meetings should be almost completely digital and automated. Gone are the days of asking your secretary to call up the reception and book a meeting room and then invite people. No, nowadays this can all be done using meeting room booking systems on an app on your phone or computer with absolutely minimal human interaction. Not only is this a time saver but it also reduces any potential errors and improves your workplace’s overall efficiency.

3) Group chat software

Think along the lines of Google Hangouts or Slack. These apps allow conversations between multiple people (enough for a small team) to ensure that messages are communicated more efficiently and effectively. After all, we spend most of our time looking at our phones, so we might as well be looking at something productive.

4) Smartsheets

These are extremely useful to track the progress of projects and ensure you are doing the utmost to meet your deadlines. Smartsheets also allow you to assign tasks, and from a management perspective, is a very useful technology to easily communicate and delegate work.

5) Cloud storage

If your organisation is required to store huge amounts of data, then it may make sense to outsource your storage needs to the pros. Gone are the days of having to account for huge server space in your office – this can now be used for more income-generating activities – instead, companies such as Amazon and Google will store all your data for a monthly fee. Having your data stored off site gives it an added level of security, too.