We live and work in a digital-focused world; a growing business needs to take that into account. That means your digital capability matters more than anything else. Your network, your servers, your equipment load, even your social media channels - they carry the majority of the work burden within your company.
But what does this mean for your expansion plans? Well, when you want to see yourself evolve from this point, you need to funnel efforts toward growing those first. To do that, it’s best to ask questions about where you are currently, and then align your goals with the answers. With that in mind, let’s go through a few of the most beneficial to ask below.
What’s the Customer Journey Like?
Start with your website. How does the customer move through it? How do they use the checkout? How smooth is the overall experience - how easy? The customer journey, as it currently stands, is the first thing you want to worry about whenever you plan to bring more customers in.
Without a clearly trackable experience from start to finish, it’s going to be hard to attract new visitors your way. Without this information, or testing it for yourself, you don’t know what they’re coming for or if they’re even enjoying it. That means streamlining the experience is the best way to begin your expansion.
How Stable are Your Servers?
Server stability is the core of your IT needs. When you want to upgrade your business, it’s best to invest in your server architecture for the future. You want to have room to grow from the inside out, and if you’ve got everything stored on a server, and your data is being kept secure in the same place, be sure to expand here first. You want to be ready for the influx of customers that might come your way.
Indeed, think of it like putting an extension onto a house. You get more room and more function all in one go! So, get in touch with a cloud data architecture consultant to get an idea of how much bigger your server needs to be, as well as necessary integrations and required employee access. Even with all that new space, you still need to configure the locking mechanisms to keep your client data and only the right people opening it.
Can You Protect Your Data?
It’s something we touched on in the section above, but it deserves its own paragraph. If you want to be a bigger business but remain trustworthy to your customer base, you need to prove you can protect the data you collect. This means following general legal rules, ensuring only the right people have access, and that encryption is in place at all times.
You’re going to need to institute a regular upgrade schedule, as well as perform manual patches from time to time too. You’ll also want to invest in ‘intrusion detection’, which is software that can block outside attempts to hack in, as well as make you aware whenever something suspicious is going on in the background.
What Tools Will You Need?
Tools most often come in the form of new tech, so you’ll want to do your research here. From the simplest tools like Microsoft Excel to new accounting software and employee management apps, you’re likely to need at least 4 or 5 new programs downloaded to your system. Of course, even the seemingly simple tools can present their challenges to staff - fortunately, things like these free Excel and Google Sheets resources can help them out when it comes to specific functions they may not have ever had to use before.
This way you’ve got a good chance to keep an eye on your entire operation as it moves. From your small beginnings to sourcing customers nationally, these tech platforms can move with you for a small price. You don’t have to build any software yourself, you can simply use those already trusted by thousands of other business owners!
Can Your Team Adapt?
Are your team ready to take on more work? Adapting the website and your digital systems is fine in theory, but your team are the ones who’ll have to carry all these changes out. Ensure they’re aware of your plans well in advance and get some direct feedback from them.
If you want to grow your business, focus on your digital needs. You can use tools to make it happen fast and efficiently, but you need to understand your customer wants and needs first. And finally, make sure your team is ready for the expansion you’re about to undertake, using training, technology, and a simple understanding of the digital world.