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Josh P.
Take Action Now on These 2020 Technology Predictions
The business tech world underwent huge changes this past decade. A few trends led the way:
The boom of CRM software showed companies who their customers really are
Cloud software became the most common way to adopt technology
The dread of Big Data dissipated with every new data analytics report
In 2020, new trends will change things further. But how? After helping more than 80,000 buyers find the right software in 2019, we have thoughts.
Our three predictions for technology, the workforce, and consumer behavior illustrate how data-driven, agile, and collaborative businesses will need to be in 2020. Proactive business leaders will turn to our FrontRunners reports to find the right software for tackling these changes.
Below, we’ll show you what to expect and how to outperform your competitors through the next year—and beyond.
Data in 2020: Use it or lose it
Spanish? Mandarin? No, the most critical language skill for employers to develop in 2020 is fluency in data. Data literacy—or the ability to gather, analyze, and then effectively communicate data insights—is necessary to navigate the digital workplace of the next decade.
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is mainstream; personal mobile devices are often used for work; and robots are automating repetitive, dangerous tasks. Data is the common thread tying all of these new technologies together.
That’s why, according to our 2019 survey on technology trends, we see nearly half of U.S. companies currently leveraging data with business intelligence tools, or evaluating and implementing data analytics for next year—a 10% jump from the year before.
The sudden availability of data analytics tools opens the gates for even small businesses to join the digital transformation path many large companies are forging.
Every company has value to uncover in their data, and 2020 is the best time to finally use it.
Take Action: First, determine the most elusive and lucrative questions an analytics tool can answer about your company—what insights do you suspect are hiding in your data?
Then, use our Business Intelligence FrontRunners to identify a BI provider that is experienced with your specific industry and use case—ask for their help to answer a single question you know is buried in your data for the biggest immediate impact.
If you employ them, let them go home to work sometimes
Nearly 60% of U.S. workers already work remotely one to two days a week, but the percentage of full-time remote workers is still in the single digits. So while employees push for a more flexible style of work, traditional business norms die hard.
For those managers worried about productivity slipping for remote workers, allow me to put you at ease. Remote work policies are shown to:
Boost productivity for employees who prefer a less-disruptive environment
Eliminate long commutes, the worst part of the work day for 40% of employees
Maintain and often boost employee engagement
Expand the reach for talent outside your immediate area
Reduce real-estate costs, as less space is required to support the same workers
With low unemployment and the challenge of finding qualified hires, offering a reasonable remote working policy can attract more talent who value work-life balance.
Imagine the remote worker of 2020. She video chats with her team from home each morning, and reviews related tasks in the centralized project management system, then she pings the internal help desk to solve a quick issue with her laptop. For her in-person presentation on Thursday, she uses her own phone to book a conference room with her company’s workplace management (IWMS) app, and on the big day, the app guides her to the room quickly to set up.
Technology that supports your in-office employees also gives remote workers what they need to thrive.
Take Action: Anonymously survey your workforce to understand what type of environment makes them most productive, then ideate a more flexible working policy that supports remote employees while maintaining your business priorities.
Our FrontRunners for Project Management and Help Desk offers systems with functionality you can use for collaboration and task management for a more productive environment for any type of worker.
Hold the phone: mobile convenience is everything in 2020
2020 will be a record year for mobile engagement and sales, as our phones and tablets become a focal point for marketers and the primary place for more than half of online purchases.
It’s surprising it hasn’t happened sooner, considering how often we see folks staring at their phone. But most of them aren’t hitting the “Buy” button. They’re simply doing research beforehand.
That’s good news for retailers because the stages of a buyer’s journey that bookend the “Purchase” step are fertile ground for mobile engagement: nudge the customers browsing your website to buy with a well-timed discount notification, or follow up with an exclusive email offer after they’ve abandoned their cart.
But the effective mobile storefront of 2020 won’t be simply transactional. To meet consumer expectations next year, the most successful mobile marketing campaigns will revolve around unique experiences using mobile device capabilities like photos, video, and GPS.
Of course, the first step to capturing mobile sales is displaying your website properly on mobile devices. With that in mind, you should spend 2020 forming a website that meets customer needs and your own business goals.
Take Action: Start gathering phone numbers and emails as shoppers make purchases in-store, offering updates on products and sales. Then, deliver regular messaging for promotions and reward loyal customers to drive more sales and keep them coming back.
Evaluate the capabilities of the top products in our Retail FrontRunners report to find vendors who emphasize mobile storefronts, then work to unify the online and in-store customer experience.
The formula for success in 2020
In a nutshell, these trends show that companies that leverage data to better understand how customers shop and how employees get work done will rise to the top.
Software functionality will be the prime factor in bringing this plan to life. While most companies spend nearly two years researching and adopting new technology, according to our recent software buyer survey, you can cut that time in half with help from a trustworthy resource.
That’s where Software Advice specializes. Twice each year, we present the top products for multiple software markets, ranked by using real user reviews of usability, customer satisfaction, and likelihood to recommend. These FrontRunners reports offer a snapshot of the best products in a certain category so you can make an informed decision quickly.
2019 Business Intelligence Software FrontRunners
The FrontRunners report is a great starting point when evaluating technology to take action based on these predictions. Get started with some popular software markets:
If you prefer a helping hand, let our software advisors narrow down your list of systems based on your industry and unique business needs during a free consultation. Here are some easy ways to kick off 2020 with the right technology:
Tell our advisors when a call is most convenient for you—schedule now.
Or, connect with advisors in a live chat.
2019 Top Technology Trends Survey Methodology: Software Advice performed a study to understand small business challenges and approaches to technology investments among companies with fewer than 250 employees and annual revenue of less than $100 million USD. This included 715 respondents in 2018, and 539 in 2019.