Business Databases: How it has been Changing the Fates of Millions Over the Years

The fundamentals of business have remained the same for decades. The first winds of change came in 1991 when people could access the internet for commercial use. Buying and selling stuff was no longer a strict land-based activity. Retailers could open a shop online and reach out to potential buyers through the web. The development of reliable encryption and security protocols accelerated the digitization of businesses. By 2000, some leading businesses and adventurous entrepreneurs hopped on the e-commerce bandwagon that continues to thrive till today.

Why do you need a business database now, more than ever?

Today, millions of companies engage in online transactions every day. Some of these are large conglomerates and enterprises including Amazon, Etsy, and Wal-Mart, while others include nascent small businesses. In case of the latter, most entrepreneurs started with spreadsheet models to keep an account of their customer data and user data. That is quite alright. People have used pen and paper for decades to keep a note of customer details, item IDs, stock updates, and sales. This is 2018, and when we are talking about e-commerce, we are automatically talking about the involvement of thousands of customers. Several small companies and start-ups begin with just a few customers but escalate to a hundred and then a thousand within very short spans of time. This calls for measures that can handle the explosion of data. Old-school black and white and spreadsheets are simply not apt enough to adapt to the needs of a booming business.

The presence of database software is a huge step towards automation of data. Earlier, the use of excel spreadsheets required people on standby to update the data from time to time. A huge part of the collection and analysis process was manual. Infobesity has eliminated the possibility of manual data input for long hauls, even for SMBs. Now, these e-commerce sites can produce terabytes of data each day thanks to the evolution of digital marketing, SEO, and organic traffic. Booming customer data is just a sign of a prospering business.

How can a database propel your company towards a better future?

This customer data is imperative for business growth, future decision-making processes, and smart investments. A good customer database is a key to knowing your customers well and giving them exactly what they need. This provides you a window into the customer’s psyche and helps you predict the next big trend. Therefore, data collection and maintenance is quite essential and challenging. Giving the responsibility of your data to untrained individuals is like riding a ship in the middle of the sea without a captain.

Your company needs the touch of a database administrator to keep the databases in place. Remote database experts can also help you the same way by staying connected with your marketing, sales and customer service teams 24×7. This is the defining factor of a good DBA team and company. They might not be in the vicinity of your business physically, but they are always in touch with your key players through a secure cloud. To know more about choosing the best remote DBA players for your company, visit remoteDba.com today.

Your database can become the real customer magnet

When new companies start off, they rarely think about the distant future where customer retention might become a challenge. In case of health insurance, auto insurance companies, Medicare agents and other yearly services, these customer databases that track business-customer activities can be of putative importance during the time of policy renewal or yearly service. Even dental websites and healthcare websites now have a database that keeps track of patient health, disease history, and progress. The healthcare customer service agents get notifications each time a test is due. They notify the patients and the doctors about the pending MRIs, PET Scans, CT Scans and other follow up tests depending on the data from the table.

Think of data before you dream of success

Now, think of an office from the 50s, where everyone kept their files in the same cabinet. Although in the same place, these professionals were least likely to go through them every day to look for current updates, upcoming birthdays, anniversaries of customers or pending tests of former patients. The advent of e-commerce brings for the responsibility of staying in touch with your clients and customers throughout the year, and the presence of these databases (along with the updating tools) makes the process a lot easier. Before you start thinking about getting a hundred thousand likes on social media or getting a thousand followers, invest in an excellent database and a good data expert, who can monitor the progress of your company assets.