If you are just about to set up your online business, it might be time to think about the supporting infrastructure that will help you achieve your goals faster and at a lower cost. Thanks to the recent developments of information and communication technology, you can take advantage of free apps, software that will predict and analyze your profits, and security programs that will protect your finances and reputation. Below you will find a few reasons why you should focus on your online business infrastructure to succeed.
Saving Time and Money
With the use of apps and software, you can reduce the time you are spending doing administration. You can get your accounts done on the go, thanks to low-cost accounting apps, so you always know where you stand, and get an overview of your financial situation in real time. Without this, you will only guess how you are doing, or have to learn statistics to get the full picture. Check out some of the accounting and bookkeeping software to see which one is likely to suit the needs of your business.
Collaboration
A great cloud-based software package, such as G-Suite will allow you to backup your files and work with your employees remotely, delegate tasks, monitor projects, or even request money and send invoices. You can easily share files and ask for feedback, store your project proposals and quotes, and follow up your leads. You can also assign each customer to an employee or support staff who will deal with the query and take ownership.
Easy Monitoring
It is also much easier to monitor your business processes through using an IT infrastructure. Whether you are getting a custom software written for your business or using a ready made solution, you will see your sales statistics, monitor the deadlines, and even work out the performance of each employee. Calculate the worth of each customer and order, and create cost estimates for delivering products or services so you can take the guesswork out of running your business more efficiently.
Security
Security should be implemented in every part of your startup business infrastructure. From getting SSL certificates for your sites if you process payments to backing up your computer and your website, there are several things you should think about to prevent the loss of profits, information, and reputation. You might want to make sure that you and your employees stay safe by getting a free vpn so you can stay anonymous when browsing the internet or using various software.
Design Tasks Made Easy
To save money, you might also want to take advantage of free design tools available on the internet. Instead of paying for a logo designer or getting your Facebook banner created by a professional, you might be able to use services such as Canva that will provide you with various templates to use. You can create stunning infographics, banners, and even leaflets using professional designs. Likewise, if you would like to create impressive, professional branding videos, you can use free software to create awareness of your company.
Automated Promotions
There are several great SEO and marketing software out there that will help you automate your online promotions. You can spend days and nights trying to figure out the best combination of images and text, or looking through your website statistics, or let the smart software do this for you. Schedule your social media posts and your promotions to work smarter instead of harder. You might even check the statistics and work out when it is the best time to post a new blog post, a social media update, hold a webinar, or send out a newsletter, so you can maximize your results.
Differentiation
Having great business infrastructure, such as online chat on your website, social media support, or automatic updates on deliveries and asking for feedback can help you build a point of differentiation, so you can stand out from the crowd. Your aim should be to provide more value than your competition does, and you can achieve it through implementing innovative solutions that will help your customers make the most out of your product or service.
If you would like to make sure that your new online business is running smoothly, you will have to take advantage of the latest technology available. Automate some of the processes, choose some an accounting and bookkeeping software to reduce your admin workload, and make use of the cloud collaboration tools to save time and money and focus on what matters in your business.
