Happy New Year -- or so you hope! Now that you're kicking off a brand-new business year, you're probably looking for new approaches and solutions that can help your productivity (and profitability) reach new heights. But you don't have to search too hard, thanks to the Information Superhighway. Some of the most powerful enhancements to your way of working can be found through handy web-based options. Here are three of the best online services for any business owner seeking a truly happy 2019.

1. Virtual Assistance Company

As you may know all too well, many of the most essential jobs that keep a business going also count among the most tedious. Entering data into countless spreadsheets or contact interfaces, tabulating expenses, sending out thank-you notes and event invitations, updating the details of your marketing content -- these and other tiresome tasks can distract you from crucial business decisions and money-making actions.

A virtual assistance company can handle much of that daily minutiae for you. The best of these companies are staffed by a variety of skilled personnel who can perform such diverse tasks as bookkeeping, online research, travel arrangements, social correspondence, email management, and ongoing data entry. You may never meet your virtual assistant, but you'll be glad that person is standing by to handle your outsourced drudgery.

2. Social Media Management Service

You can't truly compete in this day and age unless you're taking the smartest possible advantage of social media. From YouTube channels that receive thousands or even millions of views to posts on influential business platforms such as LinkedIn, businesses are using social media to establish their expertise and authority with their target markets. But navigating the dazzling array of social media options -- not to mention the scramble to provide regular, relevant content for the platforms you finally choose -- can wear you out.

A social media management service can help you make wise use of this compelling form of online marketing. These experts know how to determine which social media platforms are likely to harbor your best prospects, allowing you to focus on the most effective channels for your industry. They can also create all the content you may need and automate the uploading of that content to your social media channels. Best of all, it all happens without your raising a finger -- except, of course, for the mouse finger you use to communicate with your new virtual marketing team.

3. Managed IT Services Provider

No business can operate without some degree of IT, or information technology, working for it. But as businesses evolve, so do their technology needs. Maybe you have a bare-bones team of technicians, or just a single technician, and you need more help without putting more people on your permanent payroll. Maybe you've never even hired an in-house technology expert before, and you're not quite ready to start now. How do you expand your technological efficiency and capacity quickly and painlessly? The answer may lie in engaging a managed IT services provider.

"Managed services" refers to a variety of tasks, mainly revolving around routine (but critical) maintenance. For instance, your IT system must receive regular security updates, software patches, and data backups if you want to keep it safe against business-crushing disasters. These tasks can be performed with great expertise and reliability without a technician ever walking into your facility. A managed services provider can establish direct connections to your server and workstations, monitoring their security and upgrading software as needed. This connection also allows for easy remote troubleshooting when you can't figure out what's wrong with your technology.

Give your business the strongest possible start on the next 12 months -- and beyond. Look into these online services and see for yourself how they can help you enjoy a very happy new year indeed!