2. Turn your PCs into phones.
Nico McLane, a broadcast media consultant, says
she turns to free Web-based services such as Skype
or Free Conference to bring clients together and
show off her products. "I target ROI on everything
I do for myself and my clients," she says.
"I use several tools in concert to achieve
the exact type of virtual meeting I need to deliver,
to educate potential clients on the power of these
tools."
How much does all of this cost? Usually, nothing,
since many of the products offer free trials.
This can also save money on travel expenses, since
virtual conferences often eliminate the need for
in-person meetings. Travel and entertainment costs
are typically the second or third-biggest business
expense.
3. Automate processes.
Are you still doing invoicing, receiving, purchasing
and inventory control the old-fashioned way by
hand? Automate those processes and save money.
The upfront costs are generally recouped within
a few months of purchase.
4. Outsource when
it makes sense. In most small organizations,
there's usually an employee who is responsible
for IT, including office machines, copiers and
interactions with the phone company. The problem
is, this person usually has another primary responsibility
-- the job they were actually hired for. As the
economy continues to tighten, companies are searching
for ways to get more out of their existing employees,
but we've found that these jack-of-all-trade staff
members are spending anywhere from 25% to 75%
of their time dealing with IT related problems.
By shifting resources, allowing your employees
to do what they were meant to -- and outsourcing
the rest to a third party -- you can save lots
of money.
5. Get rid of obsolete
technology. Perhaps the only thing that's
worse than not using IT to help your business
save money is trying to use obsolete technology.
Take a fax machine, for example. Get rid of it.
Instead of using the traditional fax machine,
check out eFax.com. You can save costs for faxing
long distance, and you will also save money on
paper and save the environment.
The same thing goes for other obsolete technologies
such as computer screens that use cathode ray
tubes, or old software. These vintage technologies
slow down your business and cost money in the
form of higher energy bills. Get rid of them and
it won't just speed up your processes; it will
save your company serious money.
6. Shift more of your
business to the Web. Many small businesses
have realized they can target incremental revenues
by establishing a Web site to sell from, in addition
to their brick-and-mortar store.
But why stop there? Using nothing more than a
PC and a broadband connection, your small business
can leverage the marketing power of the Internet.
Social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn
and Twitter let you push sales at virtually no
cost to your business.
For small businesses, IT isn't a problem. It's
a solution. By taking advantage of the technology
you already have, outsourcing what you shouldn't
be doing, upgrading and rethinking the way your
small business uses technology, you can harness
the power of low-cost computing for your company.
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