It’s 2016. We all know what the cloud is, by now, don’t we? The chances are, you may not be familiar with everything that cloud computing can do for you and your business. After all, it is a rapidly evolving technology and many small businesses are still unfamiliar with even its most basic functionalities. So here we go, a full business buffet for you to pick and choose from this New Year! Think of these tips as a free upgrade:

Virutal Desktops

Diid you know that, thanks to cloud computing, you can operate solely from a virtual desktop? That means you can work from home off of your office computer, without being at your office computer. It sounds crazy, we know, but the demand for mobile hardware is off the charts. Services such as Chrome OS operate via web browser and connect directly to your SaaS applications running in the cloud. What you may not have known is that companies with a solid ‘work from home’ policy in place, often facilitate more productive employees. Take it from the Harvard Business Review. THere you have. Happier, more productive workers can thank the cloud.

Email

Your email is in the cloud. There’s no escaping the ubiquity of the cloud in this arena. Why? Because Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and Microsoft Outlook provide secure, reliable and affordable services which often intergrate with other business tools. As of yet, the great thing about cloud-based email is that you can link up to Internet browser plug-ins and expand your capabilities, twofold. Think Chrome.

Are you the kind of person who likes to know when your email has been read or opened? There’s an app for that! Do you like to automate messages? There’s a plug-in for that, too! Easy to maintain, we’re looking forward to advancements in email capabilities this year. Genuinely, all you have to do is log into Google Play Store or visit iTunes and search, “email”. You’ll be amazed when you earn back the subscription fee in the hours you save sending emails or sifting through your desktop for documents, with the help of apps. Just make sure you’re not killing the extra time you save and you’re off to a great start!

CRM Systems

What do you get when you cross marketing, social media, machine learning technology, your sales department, and IT guy? Likely, if you’re engaging all at once, you’re using a CRM tool. Otherwise known as customer relationship management systems, this cloud-based technology is the linchpin of many businesses. Basically a CRM takes your Big (customer and potential customer) Data and generates a series of usable analytics for you to craft a strategy around these relationships. See how we used the word in its definition? The more you know about your customers, the better equipped you are to serve them. Likewise, the more you know about your prospects, the better equipped you are to turn them into a customer. Improved sales and customer service is the end game.

Chances are, you’re already implementing a CRM. However, as your company grows, you may find yourself outgrowing the small cloud-based business tools you use. That’s where scalable CRM platforms come into the play, eliminating the need to change up software providers overtime. That’s the key. A CRM that scales. Take it from us. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. And there it is! Three easy ways to unlock cloud-computing that won’t cost you a dime in the long-term. You’ll earn everything back, thanks to more efficient business processes, happy employees, and even happier customers.