Five Technologies that Are Making Running Small Business More Affordable
Saturday, November 16, 2013, 1:00 AM | Leave Comment
Small business owners are always looking for way to lower operating costs without sacrificing efficiency, quality or productivity. Technology is making this possible today in many different industries. Technology can automate processes or reduce complex workloads for key employees.
Five technologies will make running a small business more affordable.
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Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems
An ERP system is a collection of software components that tie into nearly every part of a small business. An ERP allows a business owner or team leader to get a broad overview of everything happening in a real-time interface. This provides accurate information when making decisions or assessing results in a systemic way. Running a small business is more affordable because the ERP system makes it unnecessary to dedicate time, people and resources to generating reports or gathering data every day.
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Cloud Networks
Cloud networks make running small businesses less expensive by removing the need for expensive specialized technology. Cloud technology makes it unnecessary to buy complex network hardware and to maintain expert staff just to manage the system. Using cloud-based systems will reduce overhead costs, software costs and staffing costs.
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Human Resource Information System (HRIS)
An HRIS is management software for HR that can be used to track employee information, manage talent and make the hiring process easier. An HRIS connects HR data through a common interface. Businesses can use the system for benefits management, time tracking and potentially payroll. A small business can save money with HRIS because it makes the hiring process more streamlined. The reduction in labor and time will reduce costs every month.
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Mobile Payment Technology
Small businesses that operate locally can use mobile payment technology to increase revenue and reduce costs. This technology allows authorized employees with a mobile device or a special peripheral to accept credit card or even electronic check payments from any location. The business can have a real presence in many areas without having to open new storefronts or offices. Mobile payment gateways can cost less than managing traditional point of sale terminals.
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Content Management Systems (CMS)
Businesses with an active online presence can reduce costs by using a CMS. A CMS allows people with little technical knowledge to make sweeping changes to a website through a graphical interface. A CMS makes running a small business more affordable because it is unnecessary to pay a website designer or programmer to modify content every time a small changed is needed. Some modern CMS applications can even be used to generate an entire custom website from scratch.
