Felicia Savage is a content strategist and up-and-coming PR specialist living in Indianapolis. When she isn’t sharing online content, Felicia loves to draw and watch animated films in her spare time. Twitter: @canonicalkitteh
Owning a business no longer means setting up shop in a building conveniently located to neighborhoods and the financial district, although these are still sound business practices for many retail operations. Today’s entrepreneurs are operating e-commerce sites with fulfillment contracts that eliminate the high costs associated with maintaining a warehouse full of inventory. Mid-sized companies often utilize automated replenishment systems integrated with order tracking software to spot trends in consumer buying. Clunky cash register terminals have gone the way of the dinosaur, replaced by a one-inch square powerful enough to service your credit and debit card customers from your mobile device. Even though the technology of business has gone through a metamorphosis of epic proportions, there are still some things every business still needs.
Backup
Every business needs a preparedness plan. Just think of Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy and the reasons are clear. Business owners need to develop a comprehensive plan to cover all what-ifs. What if your computer system fails? What is a massive winter storm destroys your office and all the sales records inside? What if your new employee erased your customer files for the past decade while trying to change the date on an invoice? One way to mitigate the loss from all of these what-ifs is to use a backup system. External hard drives that produce disks or tape records will work if the records are stored offsite. Another option is a virtual storage system that is protected from employee error and natural disasters. To protect against file corruption and recover after unexpected data loss, recovery management systems are instrumental. The important thing is to develop a preparedness plan that covers all aspects of your operations. Beyond being prepared, every business needs efficient tools that are easy to operate, highly productive and cost-effective.
Analyze
Every business needs tools to track and analyze customer data. A small cloud-based data center can help business owners manage customer ordering data and buying patterns to drive future purchases. The expense of wooing a new customer is avoided when you build customer loyalty that results in repeat business. More revenue, less expense. By analyzing customer data, business owners can reach out via email, Twitter or Facebook for personal follow up or to announce new products with a service like MailChimp.
Go mobile
A mobile WiFi hotspot provides flexibility on the go. This device operates similarly to a router for Internet access at your home. Multiple users can log on simultaneously and share data or discuss reports from any location. Most mobile carriers offer deals on hotspot devices and they are usually free or deeply discounted with a contract.
Cut your phone costs
Skype is essential for small business owners who need to stay in contact with their clients and an out-of-office workforce. Calling rates are a small fraction of typical landline rates and, with a webcam, you can organize a face-to-face conference call for your domestic or global team day or night.
Get organized
For help organizing your business, try Evernote. The free application helps you keep track of everything from music to receipts. Store all of your important information in one spot and retrieve it from computers, cellphones, laptops and tablets. It works with almost every electronic device on the market today.
Utilizing these tools can put you on the track to running a thriving business. From mobile communication to convenient access to your important information, technology makes the life of the contemporary business owner a bit easier than before.