Top 5 Innovations All Businesses Need in 2021

2020 has changed the world in many small and big ways. One of those big ways is in the business world. Here are the top five innovations all businesses need in 2021.

1. Contactless Everything

If the pandemic of 2020 has taught the world anything it is that business doesn't need to stop even if you need to keep your distance. Sometimes that distance means never even leaving your house or waiting in lines. Using machines like a wireless kiosk or apps can help your company adapt to a clientele who wants to be helped quickly, efficiently and not in a crowded space.

In 2021 you need to use technology to benefit you while saving manpower and time, while at the same time benefiting the customer. It is not an area you can afford to lag behind in.

2. Remote Working Tools

Working from home was thrust on to many businesses in 2020 but it isn't going anywhere for a lot of businesses in 2021. Some are continuing to work from home because they want to choose to continue to be safe from any virus scares and others are working from home because companies have found it is a great option.

Working from home can be a great thing for your employees, proving flexibility and comfort, and for you as the employer. You benefit by saving money on rent and happy employees. Working from home doesn't come without its issues either, but with the right technology, any company can do it successfully!

To continue employee interaction, whether water cooler talk or business, can be achieved using apps like Slack, Skype and Zoom. Everyone by now is used to the Zoom call etiquette. Investing in these kinds of apps will help your team continue to work together when they can't actually be together.

3. Artificial Intelligence Integration

If you aren't already using artificial intelligence in your business technology then you are already behind, but 2021 is the year to catch up. AI has nothing to do with robots taking over the world, as your grandparents might think, but it really is a technology that will benefit you in many ways!

You can use AI for filing, natural language processing and understanding company data. This will make your company and its processes more efficient and catch any problems with fraud. You can use it to predict what your clients are buying and how to market to them. It is important to remember that technology is your friend and can help you understand patterns and issues you might miss.

4. The Virtual World

The world is virtual, even more so now in 2021. Shopping, movies and even concerts are now online. You can walk through a home you are thinking of buying without stepping foot in the actual house. Your customers are using their screens to find and buy products.

Any way you can take your marketing or user experience virtual you need to do it. It is what the clients expect. If you don't, then they will find you competitors online. You will always have some marketing help by word of mouth but by using social media and Google in your favor you will reach audiences that would never have known you existed otherwise.

5. Sustainable Business

2021 is going to be a big year in sustainable living and going green. The culture of these times is that it is unacceptable to produce mass amounts of excess waste or talk the talk of going green but not actually following through. This can be your year to create change in helping the planet in ways that you are able to and you can start with your business.

You have entered a totally different world in 2021 that no one has ever seen and it will never be the same. When you take those changes that have happened, and use them to your advantage in your business, you will see that the new normal isn't a bad thing. Using technology to have happy employees, taking care of the earth and becoming a more efficient company will always be a step forward.