Using Technology to Cut Costs

As customers cut orders for products or services to small businesses, small businesses are looking for ways - any ways - to cut costs. The proper and strategic use of technology is one way businesses can cut costs. For example, if you are still using traditional phone service and paying expensive per minute costs - you are throwing money out the window of a moving car.

AMI Partners, a NYC based technology research firm, reports that switching to VOIP is what some companies are doing to cut costs. Integrated mar.com writes: The main reason for the increase adoption in VoIP in the small- and medium-sized business (SMB) segment is cost savings, with productivity gains being a secondary consideration, said Sanjeev Aggarwal, vice president of SMB infrastructure at AMI-Partners. While this is driving adoption of VoIP in all levels of the SMB market, including in businesses with fewer than 50 employees, it's not having the same effect in unified communications, which is still mostly being adopted by enterprises and the upper end of the mid-market, he said.

Some other ways you can cut costs and boost productivity include:

• Using video conference software to meet 'face to face" instead of flying so much.
• Using less courier service and instead scanning large documents and sending them to the recipient digitally.
• If you are growing, ask employees to work at home to save money getting more space.
• Consider using notebook computers instead of large desktops and their accompanying monitors to save on energy costs.