Love it or hate it, technology has infiltrated almost every part of daily life. So why not use it to your company’s advantage? Technology can help small businesses do more with less while becoming more efficient and adaptable. But using technology does not have to be rocket science. Try some of these small changes and see how the savings in time and costs add up significantly over time. The best thing about these options is that they are low cost or free and do not require radical overhauls of the way you do business.
Digitize printing and mailing
Three of the biggest areas where technology can help you do this is with customer invoices, paying vendors and payroll. Emailing invoices to your customers instead of mailing them not only lowers your paper and ink usage, it also eliminates postage costs and the time used for stuffing envelopes. The same savings can be seen by switching from checks to paying bills online and using payroll cards. Basic versions of these services are offered to businesses for free by many banks and require no computer software, only internet access. Vendor payments can be scheduled ahead and postage costs are covered by the bank. With payroll cards, employees’ pay check amounts are loaded onto the equivalent of debit cards. Both require little more than putting in the desired amounts and choosing the payment date.
Another way to cut costs in this area is by using an efax service. Some people don’t even know that fax machines still exist, but if you still use it on a regular basis, an efax service, such as Efax.com, MetroFax or RingCentral, allows you to send faxes from your computer instead of having to print them and sends digital copies of incoming ones to your email.
Use open source software
Open source software is non-proprietary software that does not require licensing fees. Some of the most commonly used open source software is OpenOffice.org and LibreOffice. They can be used in place of word processing, spreadsheets and other office suite programs. These programs look and operate similarly to Microsoft Office’s suite of programs and are also compatible with it. Files created in Microsoft Office programs can be opened in OpenOffice.org or LibreOffice and vice versa.
Use Internet-based phones
Voice over IP (VoIP) service is a phone line that operates over the internet. When it first came out, VoIP calls had frequent glitches. But that is no longer the case. Once installed, they can work the same as a conventional phone line, complete with a telephone number, but at a much lower cost. Sometimes it’s even possible to keep the same number you have. Some of the major VoIP options include Ooma, Skype and Google Voice.
Store data in the Cloud
Cloud storage is basically online digital storage. Its benefits include cutting down the amount of digital storage space you need on hard drives, being able to access your information from anywhere you have internet access, being easy to share with anyone you need to and data archiving for disaster recovery purposes. Some well-known cloud storage options that offer free or low cost storage are Apple iCloud Drive, DropBox, Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive.
Small businesses can use these and other options to leverage limited budgets in smarter and more effective ways. There has never been a better time to use cheap effective technology to save time and shrink costs.
