Investing in Collaborative and Communication Tools Will Pay Off
Do you know that small businesses can compete with larger companies? It’s a real challenge to keep up with bigger corporations. You want a share of the market, but you don’t have the money to promote your products and services. You want a slice of the audience, but you do not invest in tools and technology that will bring real change.
Fortunately, there are inexpensive communication and collaborative tools that will allow your small businesses to compete with the big guns. VoIP phone handsets in the UK and other countries proliferate small and medium enterprises. Why? They increase travel savings and communication costs. VoIP phones and other communication tools also give business owners access to knowledge and experts.
PR and Marketing
Without new technology, your business will be hard-pressed to reach your target audience. In this hyper-connected world, it is very important to find a means to connect and engage your market. You need to spread your message and deliver it in such a way that it will trigger a positive response from your target market.
There are three ways to do this: through augmented reality, webcasting, and remote conferencing. Augmented reality allows customers to try and test a product. For example, they can design a space in their house with a piece of furniture using augmented reality. They’ll be able to see if the furniture is a good fit for their home’s design.
Webcasting is not a new phenomenon. Most people know it as a live broadcast, which is now popular on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. A study showed that people are more inclined to watch a live feed than a pre-recorded video. They are more interested in asking questions when they know someone’s going to see their queries live.
Finally, businesses can use remote conferencing to chat with potential clients face to face. They can make presentations and show clients how to use their products. It’s telemarketing with videos.
Offshore Employees
Collaboration tools allow businesses to hire employees from other states or even countries. Through tools such as Slack, Trello, and Basecamp, your employees can collaborate on projects. It saves on travel costs and compensation benefits. Many businesses now prefer to hire offshore employees because they are cheaper, and they demand fewer resources. They don’t have to provide an office space or hardware for their offshore team members.
Access to Knowledge
You don’t need to push your employees to learn about new tools, technology, and concepts. They are aware of their need to improve their skills and learning. Giving them access to communication and collaborative tools will also open learning opportunities for them. They can do research and reach out to experts. Information is just at the tip of your fingertips anyway, so all you need is to provide the tools that will enable them to do so.
Every day, new apps and tools are being developed to streamline business processes and transactions. Investing in new technology will allow you and your workers to stay ahead of the curve. It’s the only way to survive in such tough industries.