When you were first starting out, you needed little more than a few spreadsheets and a Google Voice number to run your company. Now, as your following grows, you’ve got more customers to keep up with, and they expect a lot more of you. That’s good news for your profits, but the cracks are starting to show in your piecemeal operations. Here’s how to build up your tech infrastructure so you can scale flexibly without falling apart.

1. Content Optimization Tools

You know you need a killer content marketing strategy to grow your traffic and your ranking in the SERP. You have the writing talent on your team, and they’ve got the research chops to make it happen. There’s just one problem: You’re covering all the same topics as your competitors, and there’s little to make your brand stand out.

With content optimization tools, you can automate your competitive content analysis so you know exactly what your competitors are and aren’t covering. You can fill in the gaps, fleshing out all your content clusters so you never miss an important topic. That way, when a prospect searches for products, services, or industry info, they’ll land on your pages, not your competitors’.

2. Investor Matching Platforms and Online Funding Solutions

Getting funding for your startup was much more complicated when you had to know a guy who knew a guy. Now, when cash flow is short, or you need extra funding scale, the experience is much more akin to swiping on Tinder. With investor matching platforms and other online funding solutions, you can simply create a profile or fill out an application.

With investor matching tools, you let investors know what you’re looking for and why you’d make a good candidate. Landing a pitch meeting may take some proactivity, but these platforms can open many doors. Another option is to seek funding through a fintech lending solution or online merchant cash advance program. It’s essential, however, to vet these carefully and clearly understand any loan terms.

3. Advanced and Specialized CRMs

Many growing startups need a centralized system for tracking and following up on customer interactions. With a modern CRM, startups access a convenient dashboard containing all lead and customer information. These systems are becoming increasingly advanced, encompassing not just contact info and notes but detailed call transcripts and AI automations.

A sophisticated CRM can tell a sales rep exactly when to reach out to a client for the highest chance of a sale. It can tell them what to say and whether to say it by email, text, or a good old-fashioned phone call. Many newer CRMs are also designed to serve industry-specific functions. For example, CRMs are designed for moving companies, real estate firms, healthcare, construction, and more.

4. 3PLs and Logistics Providers

If you deal in physical goods, you can only go so long packing and schlepping your own packages to the post office. At a certain point, you may need to contract with a provider that can fulfill your orders and handle your deliveries for you. You’re also going to need one that will speed up, not slow down, your growth: a trusty 3PL with a good, error-free record.

A good 3PL will have tech tools and systems to help you scale at home and abroad. They’ll also have established procedures for expanding to new regions and handling red tape overseas. Most importantly, however, they’ll have automated picking, packing, shipping, and tracking systems for your deliveries. They’ll give you and your customers visibility into where their stuff is so you can build an excellent reputation with your audience.

5. Project Management and Remote Collaboration Tools

Demand for remote work is still high; chances are, you’ll attract more highly skilled talent if you can provide flexible work options. Plus, even if you keep your own workforce local, there’s a chance you’ll have some partners abroad. As you expand, you’ll need a plan for hiring and working with folks who live abroad, travel, or manage kids and/or COVID.

You’ll need remote collaboration tools like project management software and communications apps to collaborate effectively. For example, you can’t really manage asynchronous workers without a project management program like Asana or Clickup. You also need a professional way, like Slack, to message workers instantly without blowing up their personal phones.

6. Freelance and Remote Hiring Platforms

Regarding remote work, you may also want to use tech tools to find better, more affordable talent. For example, hiring and onboarding remotely in other countries with online platforms is easier than ever. These companies can provide both a matching service for finding talent and the pre-built infrastructure to handle their paperwork.

Another option is to hire remote freelance workers through programs like Fiverr and Upwork. If you pay fair wages and carefully vet your partners, these services can be great for finding talent for short-term creative projects. If things go well, you can keep them on contract or retainer and make them a part of your regular talent pool.

Scale to New Heights

The key to successful growth is to build a solid yet flexible base from which you can keep expanding. That means investing early in flexible systems and tools built to stretch and stay strong as you grow. Don’t cut corners by paying for tech tools that won’t support you in a year or two when your numbers are even better. Instead, choose companies that can be long-term partners — to scale and support you as you get bigger and bigger.

Published by: Khy Talara