CanadianSME March Edition

Page 49

Some tips on how to plan ahead:

Data Breaches Make Trust More Important Than Ever

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Know What to Invest in: Get a proper consultation, with a company that cares about your business on a personal level. A good IT consulting company will do it for free.

Engagement Builds your Brand, Invest in it: Personalized apps and customized software can really improve the customer experience, as well as the employee experience. CRM is becoming a necessity, especially with a customer-centric focus being the new norm. Building relationships builds trust, which improves your bottom line.

website: https://www.bdc.ca/EN/Documents/analysis_research/ Consumer_Trends_Report_EN.pdf Chevalier, M. (2018, July 05). Small and Mid-Size Businesses Need to Focus on Cybersecurity. Retrieved February 13, 2019, from https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/89202-small-andmid-size-businesses-need-to-focus-on-cybersecurity Deepa. (2018, November 30). Top 7 trends driving enterprise IT transformation in 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2019, from https://www.cxovoice.com/top-7-trends-driving-enterprise-it-

Bad News is Everywhere: The accessibility to news about businesses’ mistakes is as close as voice activation and asking for the local business news updates. Prevention is key when it comes to data breaches- make sure you are prudent about your network security. Customers are growing more careful every day, especially with the constant spew of news about major data breaches all around the world.

Dimock, M., & Dimock, M. (2019, January 17). Defining generations: Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins. Retrieved February 13, 2019, from http://www.pewresearch.org/facttank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-zbegins/ Fry, R. (2018, March 01). Millennials expected to outnumber Boomers in 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2019, from http://www. pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/01/millennials-overtakebaby-boomers/

Your IT Infrastructure can Make or Break Your Business: Contrary to popular belief, hackers actually target small business networks. This is probably because most small businesses do not have very good security networks in place. You may think a data breach is not a big deal, however not only do you do a nosedive on the trust scale with clients, but over 60% of small businesses will fail within 6 months of experiencing a data breach.

The Customer Always Comes First

Good Customer Support is Paramount: Customers do a lot more research than ever before, and if a company takes too long to reply to their inquiry, they often move on to another prospect. Make sure your phone and internet connection are fast, and have very little downtime. Avoid those pesky internet connection outages with fibre connections. For example, we layer the connection, so if there is an issue with one, the signal is rerouted through the parallel connection.

February 13, 2019, from Business Development Bank of Canada

transformation-in-2019/

You could Get Scammed: You must do your research. From hidden fees to unclear contracts, there are many ways for companies to trick you into overpaying for managed IT services. Sometimes these run-arounds can make it hard for your company to switch IT providers in the future.

New Tech means New CX Ideas: Businesses today are focused on providing trendy ways to send marketing messages and provide innovative service. Follow business blogs, and consult with tech companies focused on growth and customized software.

5 Game Changing Consumer Trends(Rep.). (n.d.). Retrieved

Customers and Businesses are Focused on Privacy: Growth in technology is paired with a growth in cybercrime. Data breaches can ruin your brand’s reputation overnight. The ever-changing scope of technology growth is best countered with a proper IT infrastructure, and a good team to maintain your security throughout all the changes.

You could Lose Momentum: Your business is growing now, but if you fail to meet the demands and expectations of consumers or clients, they will go elsewhere. Remember, retention is key, but it’s harder than it sounds when tech is constantly improving. Make sure to pay close attention to your competition!

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REFERENCES:

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It’s a Race to Stay Current with Business Technology Robots, AI, Machine-Learning, and automation of all kinds are transforming the workforce and completely altering the customer experience. In order to compete in the current marketplace, no matter what industry you’re in (Medical, Law, Finance- you name it), your tech needs to be up-to-date. Partner with a Good IT Company: You teach us about your company- issues and all- and we provide IT solutions to improve it. That’s how your IT provider should be working with you to improve your bottom line. If they don’t make you feel safe and comfortable with their service, it’s probably a good idea to trust your instinct: make the switch. If you’re in the Toronto area, call us today at 416-363-9880 or email us at support@interface.ca to discover what IT should be.

CANADIANSME MAGAZINE I MARCH 2019 I

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