Many small business owners are in a very tough position. Not only have they had to navigate months of government mandated limitations, health scares, and rising vendor prices, they also don’t have any definitive answers to when this whole period might be over; and, what a new normal will look like when it is. For these reasons it is crucial that an organization has solid leadership in place.
We’ve come a long way since 1879 and the invention of the cash register. Today, point-of-sale (POS) solutions offer massive benefits to businesses who take advantage of their capabilities. Let’s go over how these capabilities can help the modern business and its owner.
All a business’ technology is important to its operations, but based on its industry, certain priorities are bound to arise. A recent survey cast a light on some of these priorities, giving us a view of what small to medium-sized businesses are concerning themselves with. Let’s review some of the trends this survey revealed to see how well your priorities match up.
Hope can be a big part of a person’s notion to start their own business. Needless to say that entrepreneurial hope doesn’t always consider that there will be a global pandemic that grinds the operational effectiveness that you’ve spent years building to a halt. Hope does, however, play a big part in the creation of a business continuity plan. Today, we’ll briefly discuss why you should never lose hope and how being prepared stems from the same notion as starting a business.
Spoiler alert: it isn’t good news.
On September 7th, 2017, it was made public that Equifax had suffered one of the largest cybersecurity breaches in history, and as a result, had left 145.5 million consumers in the United States vulnerable to identity theft. Due to a website application vulnerability, the personally identifiable information of these people was exposed from May until July of that year.
With so many businesses experiencing drastic changes with continued social distancing recommendations and suspended operations, it is important that one of the most critical groups associated with any business remains in the loop: its clients and customers. Therefore, it makes sense to do so using a tool that is readily available (and that most people use): social media.
Every business needs some sort of telephone system. If you are looking to save some money, a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) platform is a good place to start. However, VoIP can do more than just trim down your communications spend. There are many other options that VoIP can open up for the benefit of your business’ efficiency and productivity.
If you have a bank account or a credit card, chances are you’ve been made aware of a hack or a data breach. Big organizations are more frequently being breached, forcing them to run damage control for the often millions of customers affected. News coverage often bashes these big organizations, but what about smaller ones? The truth is, smaller businesses are breached just as often, with the consequences being just as severe.
Over 90 percent of people in the United States feel like their data is out of their control, and judging from the impression that the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation left on the world, it’s surely not going to be the last piece of privacy legislation that is issued. Still, will it be enough to urge certain governments and organizations to practice what they preach? The results could have long-lasting effects on businesses, as well.
Like a well-oiled machine, any business needs its internal components to line up correctly, interacting with the others to accomplish the ultimate goal of the device. This is more or less how we always describe collaborative processes in the context of your IT. Here, however, we’re going to focus our tip on ensuring these processes are directed by employees who are ready to collaborate as well.
For the average small business, technology use isn’t always a make-or-break scenario. Sure, there are some technologies that everyone uses nowadays. Inventory and point of sale systems, social media, and wireless Internet are some that you’ll often find used by small businesses. If, as small business owner, your plan was to enhance your company’s exposure to technology, cost may temper your expectations. Today, we look at some solutions that would be useful to your business, but will they break your budget?
Commerce has been fully embraced by the Internet, with online stores slowly phasing out many brick-and-mortar establishments. While you may not be in too much danger, depending on what you offer, you may also have the opportunity to leverage this trend in your favor. Below, we’ve outlined a few factors to help you decide if e-commerce is the right fit for you.
Does your business suffer from chronic miscommunication? Chances are that your business is not the only one. Small businesses often lack the ability to invest in solutions designed to cut down on communication problems in the workplace. To help your company’s workforce improve communication and collaboration, we’re going to discuss some of the many ways that you can implement technology to eliminate miscommunication in the workplace.
Here are some of the most important tips that we can offer, in no particular order.
Implement an Intranet
For those who might not be tech-savvy, one of the most difficult parts of communication comes from not knowing how to properly navigate around your own network. This could mean finding specific files, or moving about your organization's cloud-based file storage system. An intranet can help not just these employees, but all of them, by providing a central hub where any critical assets that your business depends on can be seen at a moment’s notice. This clears up any confusion regarding where your employees need to go to access links to software or important information.
Take Advantage of Communication Solutions
If your organization has yet to implement a unified communications solution, it’s in your best interest to do so as soon as possible. A unified communications solution includes an email solution that’s used across your entire business’ infrastructure, a phone system that provides each of your employees with an extension where they can easily be reached (this is often a Voice over IP solution), and an instant messaging or video chat system that can be used to get in touch with employees who might not be in the immediate area. Basically, you want to provide your employees with ample opportunities to reach out to others in your business for assistance with any projects.
Make Important Information Easily Accessible
Have you ever browsed the Internet for information about a particular solution, only to find a whole lot of nothing? In most cases, the services that your organization uses will have detailed online documentation and frequently asked questions that will help you figure out what you need to know; yet, your internal processes may not have these questions or documentation as transparent. You can implement your very own knowledge center that can be located in an intranet, allowing your employees to find any vital information that they need.
Does your business need to implement more powerful communication solutions? If so, PCSOFT can help. To learn more, reach out to us at 02 98730080.
It’s important that your business get as much value out of your technology as possible, but this is often easier said than done. There isn’t an easy answer to how you can get the most out of your technology. Even if you implement a brand-new solution, who’s to say that you don’t actually need it or use it? Cutting costs is more important now than it has ever been, and for small businesses hoping to save on IT support, there’s no time like the present to secure your business’s future.
This all starts by making IT profitable for your organization. In other words, you don’t want to waste assets on technology solutions. Instead, you want your technology to save you money, thus making it worth investing in. To find out if your technology is a waste or a benefit to your business, try asking yourself the following questions:
To get started, ask yourself how your business’s technology is affecting its bottom line. If you implement a new solution, what is it offering for your organization? Are the funds best being spent, or would they be better delegated elsewhere? For example, if you spend some money on automation technologies for basic tasks, you can eliminate the need for important personnel to waste time that would be better spent on more important tasks.
Another common example is the use of break-fix strategies. Businesses are throwing money away trying to keep their technology in proper working order. Break-fix model for IT support puts up the facade of value by providing support in the moment you need it most. While this does get your business back in action, you still have to pay exorbitant fees for new hardware and downtime. You’re not preventing the incident outright, which is where most of the waste comes from. Instead of wasting time, assets, and resources on downtime caused by reacting to technology troubles, try taking a preventative approach instead.
The best way to find more value in your technological investments is to work with a managed service provider like PCSOFT. Basically, you can cut out the costs of hiring multiple IT technicians by outsourcing the work to us. This eliminates the costs of managing an IT department, adding new technicians to payroll, and most important of all, the upkeep of your systems. Instead, for a single monthly payment, you can invest in an outsourced IT department that can handle any and all responsibilities of an in-house team, plus some. Here are some of the services that we can offer your organization:
To learn more about how IT outsourcing can help your business, reach out to PCSOFT at 02 98730080.
What kind of software does your business use to keep operations moving forward? Depending on what industry you are in, you might find it increasingly painstaking to procure and manage the software titles your organization uses, particularly if yours is a small business that has limited capital to invest in its software. Nowadays, however, the acquisition of software doesn’t have to be troublesome, as software as a service (SaaS) is providing organizations with limited resources access to software it normally could not afford.
If the results of a Google search for ‘small business technology trends’ is any indication, artificial intelligence (AI) is not something that just concerns larger businesses and enterprises. Judging by the sheer number of articles that have been produced over the last several months, it is easy to see why a user might get the impression that SMBs who are not considering (or that aren’t already) investigating possible uses of AI are detrimental to their own success.
Technology has revolutionized business. However, along with all the advantages and benefits technology affords us, it comes with a few risks and vulnerabilities that some businesses are still struggling to come to terms with. For example, storing records electronically makes them easier to organize and locate when they’re needed. It also makes them vulnerable to hacker and cyber-attacks. Still, most SMBs are working toward mitigating risks as opposed to abandoning the use of technology in their business operations - and a current assessment of the situation does show improvement over past years.
Technology is an ever-growing part of today’s society, and skilled technicians are always in high demand. Nowadays, technology is so complex that it takes comprehensive and preventative maintenance to ensure that it continues working as intended. Innovators in the IT industry, like ourselves, have adopted a way to handle IT maintenance that helps SMBs like you better leverage your assets.
We’ll help your business differentiate break-fix IT from managed IT, and how the latter has significantly changed the industry.
How Break-Fix IT Works
The unfortunate truth of the business world is that many professionals who aren’t tech-savvy will continue to use their technology, even though it’s showing signs of degradation. This is a dangerous practice. When technology isn’t receiving necessary preventative maintenance, small issues can blossom into major problems that can no longer be ignored. Some business owners feel that putting off maintenance for as long as possible can save them money, but in the end, it winds up being much more expensive and risky.
Let’s use the automobile as an example. It works best when you provide the proper maintenance, like oil changes, tire replacements, and so on. Unfortunately, some people don’t take very good care of their cars, and what happens to them when their vehicles break down? More often than not, they pay a hefty fee for replacement parts and labor. In some cases, they might have to take a loan out to pay for an entirely new vehicle. These are expenses that can be prevented if the car receives the proper care throughout its life cycle.
How Managed IT Services Work
Break-fix IT may be designed to prolong the inevitable, but proactive managed IT services are designed to resolve issues as they become apparent, in an effort to save you money in the long run. Businesses that utilize managed IT services tend to outsource the responsibility of maintaining IT systems to third-party providers. The goal is to avoid major technology problems by resolving minor issues. For example, taking proper care of your server units and workstations can improve their lifespan, which means that you won’t have to replace them as often due to hardware failure.
The Benefits
Business owners have a lot on their plate, and they often don’t have enough time in the day to accomplish all of their goals. One of the biggest advantages of utilizing managed IT solutions is that you get back all of the time that your team would waste on wrestling with your technology solutions. Plus, replacing a critical piece of hardware before its time is up can be crippling to your budget, making it far more cost-effective to prevent problems rather than continuously replace failing technology.
Basically, the big difference between break-fix IT and proactive managed IT is the fact that you’ll be dealing with fewer technical hiccups due to regular maintenance and management. This leads to more uptime and more cost savings, allowing you to focus on what matters most: running your business.
If your team is ready to improve the way you handle technology, or you’re just sick of dealing with faulty equipment, PCSOFT can help. Our technicians can provide expert advice and care for your technology. To learn more, give us a call at 02 98730080.
PCSOFT wants to help businesses like yours achieve what we call a "single point of contact," where you have an external party handle all of your technology vendors for you. This is called vendor management, and is one of PCSOFT's valuable services. We want to help your organization reap the benefits of a single point of contact, and in doing so, you will benefit from avoiding these three holdups associated with vendor management.
The Threat of Acquisition
The vendors which you purchase your mission-critical software and hardware through are businesses just like yours. Therefore, it's reasonable to say that they are subject to the same risk of acquisition as you are. If your vendors are acquired by a larger company, it can complicate your relationship with them. By outsourcing the responsibility of vendor management, your single point of contact would be PCSOFT. We would handle any dealings with vendors, allowing you to continue operations as normal, without the fear that your services would suddenly become unavailable.
Having to Repeat Yourself
Discussing your needs with vendors can be time-consuming and exhausting, especially if you have to do so for many different businesses. Rather than explain your circumstances to many different vendors, with vendor management, you only have to explain it once. We'll handle it from there. Dealing with an account manager from your vendor can be frustrating, especially if they rub you the wrong way. In general, it's in your business's best interest to allow an external party to handle the difficulties, which generally makes it much easier to retain a quality relationship with the vendor.
Wasting Time and Resources
In other words, vendor management has the potential to save your organization both time and money by lessening the amount of time you have to deal with vendors. This effectively allows you to spend your workday on more important matters, like optimizing operations and increasing profits. Plus, if you outsource this responsibility to trained technology professionals like PCSOFT's technicians, we can ensure that you get the best product at a price worth bragging about. We know the value of quality technology better than anyone else around, so we'll be sure to use our knowledge for your benefit.
By allowing PCSOFT to represent your business as your vendor management specialist, you'll be saving several hours that could otherwise have been spent on more productive parts of your organization's operations. Give us a call at 02 98730080 for more information about how we can make your technology work for you.
