Technology helping small businesses compete

Friday, November 21, 2014

Mobile technology offers small businesses the ability to conduct operations from just about any place where there is a mobile or WiFi signal. One of the latest ways to come along is the ability to attach a small EFTPOS device to a smartphone to instantly convert it to a credit card payment terminal. This capability puts the small business on equal footing with larger competitors by enabling those businesses to offer customers the convenience of immediate card payments. The business using the technology also benefits by not having to deal with cheque processing or billing.

Another benefit of the latest mobile technology is the ability to send faxes and voice-mail to your email address, enabling you to respond practically instantaneously, even when you are away from your office.

Other technology enables a small business to create the impression of being a larger organisation. This is facilitated by technology that makes it possible to direct incoming calls to wherever you happen to be. Any businessperson who has returned to an office to find incoming calls where the caller hung up without leaving a message can appreciate this ability. In these days of instant gratification, customers seldom leave messages. Instead, they conclude that it is better to simply move on to the next business that handles the product or service in which they are interested.

Lastly, the mobility provided by any of the cloud-based services will completely eliminate the possibility of showing up for a meeting having left a critical file or document back at your office. Cloud-based technology is a brilliant innovation that seems to keep finding new ways to become indispensable. Have you ever asked yourself, How did I ever manage to get cash before there were ATMs?

Cloud-based technology is a game changer of similar or even greater magnitude, such that you might eventually reminisce, Remember when we used to store our documents and files on a hard drive?