Smaller firms may hear about AI and how data is driving the big corporations of the world, but they often don’t realize that they can do the same. The size and age of your business doesn’t have to be a limiting factor in whether you use data. Today’s blog is a quick look at data management for the small firm. The first lesson is: don’t take your data for granted. The basic business model for some large IT companies is monetizing the data that they collect. While this may not be your goal, you probably collect a great deal of data about your customers, prospects, and operations. An MSP can help you make better use of that data. Here are just three examples:
Data tells you who is interested, when they're interested, and in what they are interested. Data can tell you where each individual prospect sits in the sales funnel, so your marketing messages reach them exactly where they are. It can also track the performance of your online marketing initiatives. Customer Relationship Management applications exist because of the data that can now be collected. They monitor sales efforts, nurture leads, and work to improve customer engagement.Data can track all manner of things in your production of goods or services, identifying where resources are being spent in each step of the process. Data can also be used in scheduling and pricing, although these tools can have human resource and customer relations implications that need to be carefully considered. 
Technology is more than just something to run your business today. It can be a source of innovation for the future of the business, pushing it in new directions. You should be taking a proactive view of technology as a strategic tool for the long-term growth of the business. How can new technology help with in-house software development, infrastructure upgrades, digital transformation, and product innovation? Questions to ask in this context would be “can technology improve the delivery of products and services, or improve qualitatively the nature of the product or service itself?” As part of C-suite plans to stay competitive and thrive in the market, leadership needs to understand what new technologies are available for future innovation. However, that means you need technology support that is focussed on strategic planning; understanding new technologies that can move the business forward. For an SMB, Managed Service Provider can be the CIO/CTO that understands your business and helps plans for the future. In summary, most SMBs are limited in how they can make use of technology in their strategic planning. As a result, this may compromise their capacity to remain competitive in the long-term. Consider using an MSP as a strategic partner in your long term planning.