Change and adaptation are central elements of entrepreneurship, and staying stagnant in your business practices is the next way to wind up at the bottom of the barrel in both profits and name recognition. That might seem like a fairly obvious conclusion, but what’s not so obvious is exactly how to adapt to changes in your market. As it turns out, you can pick up some wisdom from a rather unexpected source: the tech industry! Below, we’ll give you a few pointers from tech culture that you can use to revitalize your traditional business!
Sharpen Your Customer Service Skills
Customer service and research might not seem like something the largely-digital tech industry has to worry about. After all, you might think, how much personalized service is involved in a business that operates mostly by clicking and typing on keyboards? In reality, the tech industry uses customer research extensively for everything from app development to software testing, and good customer service is one of their top priorities.
So what can you learn about customer service from the tech industry? One tactic you can implement is a streamlined and effective feedback system, such as a review board or a digital complaint form. Above all else, though, the one thing you absolutely cannot forget to do is engage with customers on a personal level. Crank up your social media presence, retool your website to be more user-friendly, and get out there with your customers so that they can see you, speak with you, and communicate their needs to you!
Use Data To Your Advantage
It’s no secret that data and statistics are two of the pillars of the tech industry. Data is a key tool because it gives you hard, numerical facts, and it plays a huge role in tech development, driving decisions about what products to create, release, and update, as well as decisions about where to focus marketing campaigns for sustained growth. Needless to say, data is not just a tech tool. If you’re a savvy business owner, it can change the very way you function.
In the age of data, you no longer have to rely solely on your gut to make business decisions. Now, you can look at a whole wealth of data that’s right at your fingertips, from sales numbers, to customer searches, to transaction data, and even online engagement. All of it can inform what areas you focus on and how you adapt to new trends. Plus, data acquisition is easier than ever in today’s world, with tools like analytics software and even AI at your disposal.
Perfect and Test Your Products
In tech culture, constant improvement and updates are the norm. Think of how often your personal devices receive updates over the internet that help them function better, or of how startups develop their core technology over time before releasing a pilot version. Traditionally, brick-and-mortar businesses have been less capable of practicing such constant updates. After all, you can’t update a physical product once you sell it, so if there are flaws in the finished product, they can’t be undone.
While you can’t change a product once you release it, there is one habit you can learn from tech culture that might help you enhance your products, which is phased testing. Tech companies often develop products in stages, and you can do that in your industry, making updates to new versions of a product that you release to trusted beta testers, whose feedback can help you perfect the final product. Remember, no detail is too small to test out!
Be Creative and Innovative
In the modern business world, the name of the game is creativity. Customers have seen every trick in the book by now, and they’re no longer impressed with businesses that do things the same old way. While customers might still patronize businesses that opt for the tried-and-true, they won’t spread the word about them, so if you’re a new business, sticking to the straight and narrow path is going to keep you from breaking out.
If you want to boost your innovation and creativity, think about the ways the tech industry has its thumb on the pulse of what’s new and creative. The key takeaway to adopting an innovative mindset is this: never set anything in stone. Nothing has to be permanent; what works now is often best. Think of the process like a chiropractic adjustment: you have to rewire yourself so that you can be ready to make changes when innovation calls for it.
Embrace the AI Revolution
Artificial intelligence is taking over the tech world, and its influence is even spreading into traditional business industries. Some tech leaders and business owners are concerned about AI and the impacts it might have, worrying that it could stunt human creativity and even replace people altogether. However, the truth is not nearly so dire. AI is a tool, and it can be misused, but so can any tool, and the more important facet of AI is how it can be used to enhance human work, not eliminate it.
As a business owner, you probably already see AI creeping into your industry in some form. It’s an inevitability of innovation, and the best way to meet it is head-on, by embracing its power and what it can do for you. Whether you use AI to automate basic tasks that you and your employees often get derailed by or as a supplemental idea generator in your marketing strategy, there’s always a way it can benefit you!
Modernize the Way You Work
Tech firms have become known for their innovative methods of structuring the workday. The traditional 9-5 job is something of a rarity with tech companies, and new trends show that business owners in other industries are also shifting the norms away from what we think of as a normal workday.
Whether or not you fully implement a new procedure in your business, you can learn how to optimize your workflow better. AI can be a helpful tool for this, but so can other methods such as restructuring company meetings, giving employees more leverage and leeway with their tasks, and inculcating a culture of communication in the office.
Understand the Need for Speed
Moving at a fast pace is the norm in tech culture. Tech companies make the absolute most of their time, working long hours and addressing core issues as they come up rather than kicking the can down the road. You can do the same in your industry, even if you might not be on the same schedule as a tech giant. Prompt responses to customer concerns and technical issues will help you capitalize quicker and save time. Treat every issue that arises as if it’s a sudden back issue–see the chiropractor immediately, adjust, and get back to work!
Closing Thoughts
If you’re trying to grow your traditional business, you don’t have to feel obligated to follow traditional methods! The tech industry has a lot to teach you about ways you can reshape how you run your business. Take initiative towards a new business model now, and don’t get left in the dust!
Author Name: Sherjan Husainie
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherjan
Author Bio: Sherjan Husainie is the Founder of KIRO, the world’s most advanced chiropractic brand. He studied Aerospace Engineering at the University of Toronto and Financial Engineering at UCLA Anderson. Before founding KIRO, Sherjan worked at Google and was a Vice President in Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley. His mission is to make modern, accessible chiropractic care available to 100 million members globally.
