5 Smart Tech Ideas for Small Businesses

Small businesses succeed or fail primarily due to intelligent management. What big companies take for granted, are not always options for smaller organizations. Technology plays a big part in this. Owners who maximize advances in technology can compete on a global level with more prominent players.

Online Stores

Online stores have been around for many years, but, some small business owners still insist on maintaining bricks and mortar shops. For so many reasons, this is a money-pit and one of the reasons businesses fail.

The operating expenses to have a physical store can be monumental. After rent, utilities, and rates, there is the staffing expense as well as paying for stock that may lie around, unsold, for an extended period of time. These operating costs must be passed on to the buyer, inflating prices.

Online stores immediately reduce company overheads. This, in turn, leads to cut prices for the consumer. Having no shopfront means no kept stock. Customer orders are shipped straight from the manufacturer.

Non-Physical Call Centers

Rather than establishing a physical call center, why not use cloud telephony software to connect your staff from wherever they are, to your customers. No hardware installation or maintenance costs means a 60% reduction to overheads.

Link your CRM to the cloud telephony software so you can maintain caller history, via real-time analytics. The software can also mask caller number, giving your clients total privacy, even from your phone operators. IVRs with human-like call quality enhance the experience for your clients even further.

Teleconferencing

Meetings are often a necessary evil in the corporate environment. Logistically getting everyone together to have these meetings is time-consuming and costly.

Using technology like Microsoft’s Skype or Google Hangouts allows you to connect with all your employees no matter where they are in the world, bringing everyone together virtually.

The Power of the Cloud

With so much data to be stored in the form of documents, images, attachments, and other files, computer systems worldwide are getting clogged. Many businesses still underestimate the power of cloud storage. While many cloud services offer free options, the capacity is limited.  Paying small fees will allow you to access vast amounts of storage space that’s instantly accessible.

From a security point of view, not having your data stored on-site gives you extra protection from cyber-thieves.

Get Rid of Cash/Coins

Laundromats and basement laundries are good reliable businesses. Everybody needs to wash their clothes, and not everyone has a washer and dryer, especially those living in apartments. Coin-operated laundry machines were invented in 1949, and since then the only option people had was to haul bags of money to the laundromat to get their washing done.

With advances in technology, card operated laundry machines are now a reality. These machines have a device installed that links to a user’s smartphone app, and deducts the required amount directly from their account. This creates instant payments for the vendor, with no more daily physical trips to the shop to clear the coins. This same aspect can be adapted for all kinds of businesses.

Technology for Small Businesses

Small businesses need to embrace technology advances more so than their larger counterparts. High overheads are a significant issue for many organizations. By tapping into concepts like online stores and call centers in the cloud, these can be greatly reduced.

Technology can also assist with business meetings by using teleconferencing software and data storage issues by utilizing the cloud. For those businesses trying to eliminate the need for cash and coins, card-operated machines are the way forward.