When we discuss our service offerings, we understand that it can all seem like a little much, especially to the small business that – up to this point – has never needed all these fancy solutions to operate effectively. However, there are a few considerations that the business this scenario applies to needs to account for. For instance, is it certain that these solutions are unnecessary?
As it happens, probably not. Apart from size and scope, what’s all that different between your operation and that of a large business? Not all that much – which means that you both are going about business similarly. At least, you probably should be. Here are a few common IT-based tools and solutions and the benefits each can deliver for your small business.
Web-Based Payments
Balancing out all of your business-essential tasks, it’s probably safe to say that ‘collecting payments’ ranks pretty high on that list. Any organization that provides goods and/or services needs to be reimbursed for those goods and/or services in some way if they are going to last very long. Accepting payments online can help encourage this by eliminating the need for a patron to visit your place of business to hand over a check, potentially reducing the time that your invoices are left outstanding. Of course, to implement this intelligently, you will need to make sure that this is implemented securely. Many security solutions integrate this requirement, so we can help advise you on the right platform to use and assist you in managing it.
Communication
Promising something to your business’s audience is one thing. Ensuring that you can pull it off behind the scenes is another. The right technology solutions will help your team keep clear communications with each other, whether it’s a project management system, company email account, or an internal chat interface.
You may be surprised to discover how many time-wasting issues can be avoided just by mitigating miscommunication, thanks to simpler and more informative referential information. Progress toward goals, potential and imminent complications, and other key milestones are all made much easier to keep track of.
Social Media
While many see social media as an activity that is inappropriate for businesses, it can be highly beneficial to your strategy to leverage it in some ways. Not only can it be a highly effective marketing tool, it can give you some improved insight into what your clients or customers are looking for, thereby helping you shape your strategy.
Then there’s its potential to be used as a line of communication with your audience. Someone seeking customer service would find it easy just to send a brief message to your business on social media, as long as someone is keeping an eye on the account and responding to these messages. Being too quick to discredit social media can have an impact on a business’s success. Leveraging it to assist your operations can as well, but with a much more preferable outcome.
Cloud Computing
There are many applications for cloud computing that businesses of all sizes could benefit from considerably. The ability to securely access data enables a team to access their data and collaborate on it from effectively anywhere, a highly useful prospect for many businesses. Alternatively, the cloud can be used to host a comprehensive business backup as an ace in the hole in case of disaster.
If you’re reconsidering how you implement IT solutions in your business, give us a call at (508) 453-4700. We can help you shape your strategy to fit your precise needs.
