IT Strategy For Small Businesses in Kent

In today’s digital landscape, small businesses that leverage technology strategically can improve efficiency and gain a competitive edge. Implementing the right IT strategy for small businesses in Kent can add value to your overall operations by improving your digital work environment and providing a better service and user experience for customers.

However, developing a well-defined IT strategy for small businesses in Kent is not as straightforward as you might think. Every company has different needs and plug’n’play digital technologies may not always deliver the tools you need to enhance productivity and remain competitive.

The important rule to remember is that the IT strategy for small businesses should be practical, agile, and tailored to the specific needs and capabilities of your business operations. There are always solutions, but you need to know where to find them. 

With that said, this article offers a roundabout guide to the points that should be considered in an IT strategy for small businesses. It clearly can’t be a precise step-by-step instruction manual. We’d love to be able to do that, but it’s impossible to roll out a one-size fits all IT strategy for small businesses in Kent. 

IT Strategy for Small Businesses

We’ve previously written a broad outline of how to develop an IT strategy for businesses of all sizes. That article explains how to go about IT planning, and discusses IT strategy analysis and strategic risk assessment, together with managing your IT strategy. You may want to start with that article first: Why is IT Strategy Important for Business of All Sizes

In this article, we’re going to focus on everything that should be included in an IT strategy for small businesses. If you’re a start-up company, we recommend starting with our tech strategy round-up for start-ups. 

Let’s do this. 

Focus on Essential Technologies First

An IT strategy for small businesses should align with the core goals and objectives of your company mission. Therefore, prioritise essential technologies that directly impact business operations. 

Avoid unnecessary expenses on complex systems that might not be immediately beneficial. Identify how technology can support and enhance the core functions of your business so that you deliver on your promise. 

This will look different for various businesses depending on the nature of your business and the industry your working in. But to give you some common examples, the following will give most small businesses in Kent a competitive advantage.

Mobile Optimisation

With more people using mobile devices like smartphones and tablets to interact with businesses, mobile optimisation ensures that your website and online presence are accessible and user-friendly. 

The priority here is to deliver a responsive and mobile-friendly website that loads quickly, has easy-to-read content, and provides smooth navigation. All these factors enhance user satisfaction, reduce bounce rates and convert more customers.

You also have the opportunity to reach more people by improving SEO and connecting with potential customers who prefer browsing and shopping on their phones, even when they are on the go.

Cloud Services

Cloud services eliminate the need for small businesses to invest in and maintain physical servers and network infrastructure. This significantly reduces upfront capital expenses and ongoing maintenance costs.

You pay for cloud computing services on a monthly subscription which gives you access to a wide range of tools and resources. Therefore, leveraging cloud-based services provides scalable solutions which make your business more agile.

When you need to scale up, you simply add more users and additional services if required. If you need to scale down, you remove users and services that are not a priority.

However, some things to consider. Cloud-service packages may offer a host of tools — but they’re not always guaranteed to perform the job you need them to. In that case, you may need to invest in additional 3rd party tools. 

As a matter of fact, an IT strategy for small businesses in Kent may be entirely comprised of a tech stack of various software. Some will be free tools whilst others will be paid. 

Whilst this approach can offer more versatility than an umbrella cloud service like Microsoft 365 which has a full stack of tools in a central location, it can also cause more issues with network downtime. 

The way around this is to consult with experienced IT strategists that know which technologies are compatible. Or know how to configure various software to ensure they are compatible. 

We also recommend including 24/7 monitoring software in your IT stack so that you can identify potential issues before they arise. Monitoring software is essential for avoiding system crashes and maintaining optimal uptime.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

CRMs are an essential piece of an IT strategy for small businesses in Kent that reach customers through the Internet. They’re a cost-effective solution that provides you with a holistic view of customer interactions, purchase history, preferences, and other relevant data.

For example, CRM systems provide analytics and reporting capabilities that track customer trends, sales performance, and marketing effectiveness. Data-driven insights not only help you to make informed business decisions, but analytics data also enables you to segment customers and create targeted marketing campaigns. This leads to more effective marketing efforts and higher ROI on marketing spend.

Some CRM systems also include customer support features, enabling businesses to track and manage customer inquiries, issues, and resolutions. This leads to improved customer satisfaction.

Data Privacy and Compliance

Small businesses in the UK that generate and handle customer data are subject to data privacy laws (GDPR). An IT strategy should include how to manage and secure sensitive data in a way that ensures compliance with data protection regulations.

The first step is to identify where threats occur; software, phishing, servers etc. You then need to implement robust cybersecurity measures and make sure they are configured correctly in order to deliver optimal protection. 

It’s understandable that the mere mention of cybersecurity is daunting for business owners. Data protection is time-consuming, legally confusing and sounds expensive. With help from IT experts, cybersecurity is none of these things. 

If you do have doubts about cybersecurity — particularly the cost — take a look at our article titled: Cybersecurity Solutions Don’t Have To Be Expensive. This will hopefully alleviate some of your concerns and provide you with inspiration. 

Cybersecurity awareness also plays a key role in keeping out hackers. We recommend training you staff how to identify and prevent a data breach and keep up-to-date with the latest hacking techniques nefarious actors use to exploit firms. 

Regular data backups and a disaster recovery plan also help to ensure business continuity in case of system failures or unexpected events. 

IT Strategy for Small Businesses That Improves Operational Efficiency

An effective IT strategy for small businesses can significantly improve efficiency. By leveraging digital technologies, you can optimise processes, streamline operations, and enhance overall productivity. 

In addition, a smooth-running IT infrastructure is enjoyable for your employees. With less downtime and more speed, there is less frustration and more satisfaction. 

When approaching the efficiency question, you need to evaluate current IT systems, software, and processes to identify areas that could be improved. Whilst this is not easy in every instance, define specific metrics as best you can. 

To measure operational efficiency, record processing time, number of errors, amount of downtime, load speeds, and resource utilisation. For example, can you eliminate data silos to reduce duplication and ensure consistent and accurate information?

The latest digital IT systems provide real-time access to critical information. Employees can make informed decisions promptly, avoiding delays caused by waiting for data to be collected and shared. So this could be a potential solution. 

Almost undoubtedly, you will have manual processes that are laborious, time-consuming and boring. Is there automation software that can perform repetitive tasks and, at the same time, eliminate human error. 

You should also be able to find IT solutions that enable you to design and implement workflow optimisation. There are a ton of workflow management tools that enable you to manage projects, assign tasks, track deadlines, and reduce the risk of bottlenecks etc. 

Microsoft 365 alone has a handful of workflow and automation solutions including planning templates, file sharing and collaboration tools. Speaking of which…

Collaboration Tools

Implement collaboration and communication tools to improve teamwork and enhance productivity. Thus an IT strategy for small businesses should include tools that facilitate collaboration among team members, regardless of their physical location. 

The key advantages collaboration tools offer are improved communication, knowledge sharing, and project coordination. Collaboration tools provide instant communication channels such as instant messaging, chat, and video conferencing which eliminates delayed responses, enabling quick decision-making and problem-solving.

With collaboration tools, teams can collaborate effectively even when working remotely or from different locations. Employees can access and share documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, in real-time — and even work in the same document simultaneously. You can literally see the other person typing into the document from your computer. 

This flexibility reduces the need for physical presence for employees that take advantage of remote working opportunities. And because files and folders are stored in a central location, team members can access the most relevant and up-to-date information, documents, and discussions related to a project. This reduces the need to search for information across multiple channels.

When you’re not working in a document at the same time, collaborators can leave feedback, comments, and annotations directly on documents or projects. The names of the participants are also recorded so everybody knows who said what.

This not enhances communication and speeds up the review process, but enables teams to collaborate across different time zones seamlessly. This is especially valuable for multinational companies or teams with remote employees that prefer to work unusual hours.

Track IT Inventory

Asset management plays a central role in an IT strategy for small businesses in Kent. Tracking your IT inventory involves keeping a comprehensive record of all technology assets, including hardware, software, peripherals, and licenses.

All this is important for several reasons. Keeping accounts of your IT assets ensures that all your equipment is accounted for and properly managed, helps allocate resources efficiently and enables IT managers to identify underutilised assets and, potentially reallocate them where they are needed most or retire them altogether. 

By maintaining an accurate inventory, you avoid unnecessary purchases and overspending. This leads to cost savings in procurement and maintenance and also provides insights into the lifecycle of technology assets so you can factor the costs for replacements and upgrades in your budget planning more easily. 

IT Support Provider for Small Businesses in Kent 

There’s no doubt that the business landscape is becoming slippery right now. With an uncertain economic outlook, a cost in running expenses and a staff shortage of IT specialists, the next few years will be a critical period for many small businesses in Kent. 

Taking advantage of IT support specialists in Kent may prove to be a solution that not only saves you significant costs but also provides you with an IT strategy that enables your business to be more efficient, more productive and more competitive.

Micro Pro have well over a decade of creating winning IT strategies for small businesses in Kent and the surrounding areas. We work closely with you to understand your precise needs and implement effective solutions that suit your budget

Our breadth of expertise enables us to plan and implement solutions that cover every aspect of an IT strategy. From planning to installation and roll-out, our specialist technicians are on hand every step of the way. 

For more information about how our expertise and range of services can help you grow your company, contact one of our knowledgeable IT support members in Kent, or book a consultation with our senior IT specialists.