Business First Family Business, Accounting, Finance, Investing, Marketing And Management
In this day and age, it is a must that businesses be versatile: no matter their industry, advancements in computing and technology and changes in employee expectations have all contributed to a global economy, which can shift on a dime. This is true even if you own an online business. Nowhere is this more true than for small and startup businesses, which cangrow or fail based on the events of single transactions. Running a lean operation which can adjust quickly has become a top priority.
And some clever technological changes can help you do just that. We’ll run through our top techy tips to save your business money. Many of these also offer other benefits as well, from streamlining operations to reducing redundant systems to improving employee satisfaction! Here’s the list:
Make The Switch To VoIP
Let’s face it, VoIP is often just a small percentage of the cost of a traditional phoneline. So right off the bat, you’re saving money on a recurring expense. But there are other perks, too! Suddenly you can make and receive calls to your business number no matter where you are. Whether at a trade show, on-site at a job, or even from your living room, you can be handling business as needed. On top of that, most business VoIP systems can transcribe or save calls, so that you can have clear records of calls made. If clients ever need to be passed between departments or employees, this can be a lifesaver which improves customer satisfaction and makes it easier for your customer service team to do their job.
Use Free And Open Source Software
‘Don’t pay for anything if there are free solutions’ should be a rule of thumb for businesses wanting to cut costs. And with free software, it’s easier than ever to find solutions which perform comparably to paid ones. Open Office is a great free solution for an office suite, so that you don’t need to purchase Microsoft Office for your business computers. Even better, Google Drive offers an on-line version of all of these products which is not only free, but hosts your files easily on the cloud. That’s just one example: but you can find almost anything you need, for free. From video and photo editing software to analytics programs for tracking market segment data, you can find it for free.
Remove Your Business From Subscription Lists
Avoiding temptation is the best way to save money in your personal life, but it is also true when it comes to business as well. Your business email, or even your personal email, no doubt gets inundated with promotional emails from B2B sales businesses. This email branding can lead you to making impulse purchases for your business in addition to your home life. Avoid the temptation by unsubscribing to any marketing emails, newsletters or even telemarketing lists.
Use Electronic Invoicing
If you’re still using a paper billing system and mailing bills to clients, you could easily decrease the time it takes your invoices to be paid by using electronic billing systems. Emailing invoices and receipts allows customers to pay quickly and to maintain better records, and it also reduces the hassle and time wasted on invoice tracking. An electronic system will do it all for you… and there are plenty of free or cheap options!
Aggregate Your Social Media
If you’re like most businesses, you try to maintain a social media presence. But it’s a time-consuming endeavor, and even your marketing department could probably spend their time better elsewhere, generating more useful content for your website or working on other direct mail marketing campaigns. Using tools which aggregate your social media presence in one place, like Postano and Twine, can help shave hours off your social media management.
Save On Transportation Costs
This doesn’t mean to just encourage ride-sharing with the company cars: but to save on any kind of transportation for anything your business sends or receives. Transportation is one of the biggest expenses for any business, whether it’s paying for a fleet of vehicles or simply shipping items to consumers. Use online tools like Uship or Shipwire to find out how to save costs on shipping items, and using apps like Waze or Gasbuddy can help your company save money at the pump by directing you only to the cheapest gas around your location: often with a savings of 5 to 10 cents a gallon.
Image from https://www.sanechoice.com/internet-based-services-help-small-businesses-save-money/
