Recessions—defined as two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth can be a scary time for business owners, as money gets tighter and people find they don’t have as much to spend on expensive items like custom software applications and hardware upgrades.
But even during hard times, some businesses thrive by offering enterprise technology solutions that help their customers save money or otherwise streamline their processes. It’s tempting to think of a recession as a time to play it safe and reduce costs. However, a downturn is the best time to encourage the adoption of new technologies. But in times of uncertainty, it is important to either hire dedicated developers or partner with a trusted IT company to gain a strategic edge.
What is Recession?
Recession is a period in the business cycle that occurs when there is a significant decline in economic activity. Here are major recessions faced in the past 30 years.
- The Great Recession (December 2007 to June 2009)
- Dot-Com Recession (March 2001 to November 2001)
- Gulf War Recession (July 1990 to March 1991)
Recession is defined as “a period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced, generally identified by a fall in GDP in two successive quarters.”
Courtesy: Forbes.com
A nation is in recession when the economy is experiencing turmoil, resulting in inflation, reduced consumer spending, or hiring freeze among others:
- Rising levels of unemployment
- Negative gross domestic product (GDP)
- Multiple business failures
- Declining measures of income
- Crashing stock markets
While recession often results in very conservative behavior and cautious spending by companies across the globe, there is no doubt this is about time for companies to change their outlook. It is time when companies need to modernize legacy systems, streamline operations and reduce operational costs. Enterprise software solutions help companies overcome the impact of recession.
Emerging Technology Solutions to Help Businesses Survive Recession
1.) Employee Recognition Software
In these difficult times, it’s more important than ever to keep morale high and show your employees that you appreciate their hard work. Employee recognition software can help by automating the process of sending out awards and tracking points, making it easy to show your employees some love.
The software is completely customizable so you can choose what type of awards are given out, how many points each employee needs to receive before they qualify for an award, and the types of rewards they receive.
Finally, all reward notifications are personalized with messages from the sender – be it management or an individual coworker – in order to remind them why they’re appreciated!
2.) CRM Software
In difficult economic times, it’s more important than ever to keep track of your customers and know exactly who your best customers are. CRM software can help you do just that. By tracking customer interactions and data, you can quickly see who your most valuable customers are and target your marketing efforts accordingly.
The software also gives you the ability to better tailor products and services for specific customer needs in order to stay competitive in the market. With CRM tools, small businesses have an edge over large companies because they have access to a wealth of information about their customers as well as the flexibility needed for changing business strategies quickly when necessary.
3.) Online Collaboration Tools
In today’s business world, online collaboration and project collaboration tools are essential for companies who want to stay afloat during tough economic times. By allowing employees to work together on projects from anywhere in the world, these tools can help reduce costs and increase efficiency.
4.) Team Communication Tools
In order to maintain high productivity levels during a recession, it’s important for team members to be able to communicate easily and efficiently with a reliable messaging app. Luckily, there are plenty of great team communication tools available that can help with this.
Slack, for example, is a messaging platform that allows for real-time communication between team members. It’s also possible to set up video conferencing with tools like Zoom or Google Hangouts, which can be helpful for team meetings or one-on-one check-ins.
5.) Customer Engagement
In these trying times, it’s more important than ever to keep your customers engaged. Here are seven technology solutions that can help you do just that – Live chat software for a fast response and 24/7 customer service
- SMS text messaging for on-the-go updates
- Text message marketing for instant results
- Mobile apps for offsite check ins and updates
- Social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter for quick customer feedback
Emerging Technologies That Can Help Your Business Survive a Recession
In the midst of an economic recession, every business owner wants to increase revenue, decrease costs, and enhance profitability. The problem is that many businesses are weighed down by excess inventory, too much overhead spending, or old systems and processes that don’t make sense in today’s marketplace. So what can you do to help your business survive and even thrive? Emerging technologies can help your business weather the storm and thrive as the economy recovers.
Here are emerging technologies that will get you started
1.) Virtual reality
Many businesses are finding that virtual reality is a cost-effective way to train employees, educate customers, and even entertain guests. While the technology is still in its early stages, it’s expected to grow rapidly in the next few years. Here are some ways that businesses are using virtual reality:
- Construction: Using VR, architects can virtually build their project from any angle before investing in expensive physical models.
- Training: VR offers an immersive training experience for companies of all sizes and fields.
- Retailers: Retailers like Home Depot are already taking advantage of VR to improve customer engagement with products by letting shoppers walk through rooms before buying anything.
- Entertainment: For movie theaters or amusement parks, virtual reality could allow for new types of experiences for visitors without requiring significant investments in building new attractions.
It also has potential applications in healthcare, education, tourism, architecture, law enforcement, marketing and more. In addition to these examples, there are many other industries where virtual reality could have a major impact on the bottom line.
2.) Intelligent automation
In difficult economic times, businesses need to find ways to do more with less. That’s where intelligent automation comes in. Intelligent automation is one of the most effective technology solutions that can help you optimize your operations and make your business more efficient, improving bottom-line results.
Here are seven ways that intelligent automation can help your business survive a recession:
- Reduce the number of data errors;
- Automate repetitive tasks;
- Monitor manufacturing processes;
- Save on labor costs by having fewer staff members;
- Shorten lead time by eliminating bottlenecks;
- Reduce the need for spare parts inventories;
- Minimize the need for overtime work hours.
3.) Cloud
The cloud is one of the most popular emerging technologies, and for good reason. It can help businesses save money on infrastructure and increase flexibility. During a recession, businesses may need to downsize their operations. The cloud can help by allowing businesses to scale back their IT operations and only pay for what they use.
Storage costs are also reduced because data is stored in remote locations instead of locally. In some cases, storage costs can be reduced by 50%. If your business needs more space or bandwidth, you can simply upgrade to a new plan with the click of a button.
Finally
Every organization has a different way of overcoming a crisis or economic meltdown. With innovative technology solutions, enterprises can transform and seize new opportunities that are ahead. It is important to partner with a leading IT company to prepare for the road that is ahead.