The SMAC Stack: A Continuing Trend for 2016

As the year comes to a close, we begin to look back on some of its most popular trends. While some will continue to grow, others will fizzle out.

One trend that’s sticking around for 2016?

The SMAC stack.

With SMAC, companies have the chance to take advantage of easily accessible technology platforms to improve business practices and increase customer satisfaction.

What does it stand for?

Social Media
Mobile Technology
Analytics (driven by big data)
Cloud solutions

Social Media Platforms

Companies are beginning to realize the immense potential of connecting with their customers over social media. Not only does this platform aid customer service, but it allows users the chance to share ideas and come up with new ways to make products better.

If a business really wants to cultivate a positive reputation among its customers, they must address as many of their concerns as possible. Social media allows them to do this. Plus, these public interactions will show potential clients your dedication to customer satisfaction.

Mobile Technology

Phones and tablets are everywhere these days. People don’t like to be too far away from their technology!

Industries have begun to take advantage of this habit by allowing employees to utilize personal or company mobile devices to increase productivity. People are no longer tied to a desk, but rather, they can get work done wherever they are.

Analytics

To know how to better serve your customer, you must understand them first. Companies are shelling out big bucks to gather information on the type of customer to which they appeal.

Everything from buying trends to web activity is available, and companies know that they can use this data to decide which areas of their business need improvement.

Cloud Solutions

At first, companies were cautious of switching from physical data centers to cloud-based storage. However, it seems the majority of industries have embraced this technology, mostly because it allows employees easy access to data from anywhere.

Easy retrieval of data means getting more done faster.

By utilizing this collection of technologies, companies are finding simpler ways to reach more people and manage their business effectively. SMAC has proven to be useful to a variety of industries and will continue to be a popular in the coming year.

Want to get started implementing the SMAC stack in your own company? Enroll in one of our Excel 2016 course to learn about how to analyze big data with business intelligence tools and to manage projects easily!