If you run a business, small or large as a solo entrepreneur, then you use technology. Everything from smartphones to laptops to printers or scanner de bureau are forms of technology that help your business operate.

The question is, have you fully investigated the ways technology can help improve your business practices, grow your market share, and make your employees’ jobs easier?

Here are three ways different forms of technology can boost your business revenue and improve your day-to-day tasks.

1. There’s An App For That

It’s true, there is an app for everything, and that’s fantastic news for you and your business. For example, when you have a growing team and some employees are remote or work from home, email can only be so effective for immediate communication. Email is asynchronous, so while it’s great for archival and longer communications, it can get cumbersome and clutter your inbox with unneeded messages; if all you want to do is see if your sales manager can hop on a quick call with a client, sending a message via an app or text is a lot simpler and more immediate.

Consider a communications app like Slack or Teams, which allows all your employees to easily filter specific team members into chat groups so the communication is targeted, effective, and only reaches the employees who need to know. This can save a lot of time and frustration from digging through your already over-full inbox looking for that one chat thread.

Communication apps have search functions and many have video and voice features for those times when you need to talk in real-time.

2. Automation and The Cloud

Cloud technology is cutting-edge and continually improving. It can offer unlimited storage space, immediate access to files from any location, and fast, reliable backups for files or whole systems.

If you’ve ever experienced the frustration and time-consuming process of restoring a computer that has crashed, you know it’s something you want to avoid at all costs. Not only can your data be lost but the time and expense of replacing the equipment can eat into your budget.

With automatic cloud backups and syncing, you have far less to worry about; your files and systems can be replicated in remote servers, aka “the cloud,” so the information is secure and accessible whenever you need it. Plus, with the advances in technology and microprocessing, cloud solutions continue to become more affordable for businesses of any size.

3. Gamification and Productivity

Making work fun and rewarding can encourage employees to focus on their targeted tasks and become more productive and efficient. Gamification, a process where tasks are styled like a game, so each completed task gives you a reward or points, has been shown to significantly increase employee focus and retention at jobs.

Sure, not everything needs to be a fun game to get tasks done, but gratifying mundane or repetitive tasks can make the process a lot more engaging, and encourage employees to put greater effort and focus into their jobs.

Whatever the scale of your business, utilizing technology can benefit you immediately and continuously in the long run, making it a good investment for your company.