Whether you’re operating a brick-and-mortar retail store or running a consulting firm from a home office, as a small business owner, you are constantly looking for new ways to improve and streamline your day-to-day tasks. In the digital age, this means finding and implementing the right technology to manage your behind-the-scenes operations, so you can focus on the real reasons you started a business in the first place.
With that in mind, it’s no wonder that small business owners are moving more and more of their businesses onto the cloud. It’s a win/win scenario. The cloud simplifies the technical stuff while expanding the possibilities of where, when and how you do business. Still not convinced? Here are the 4 C’s of cloud computing that can transform the way you work.
Collaboration
If your business has employees in several locations or requires regular travel, it’s imperative that you have a means to communicate and collaborate with coworkers and clients when you’re away from your home base. Sure, you can rely solely on e-mail, but its limitations quickly become apparent when you have multiple people working on multiple projects simultaneously. By harnessing the power of cloud-based solutions, like Huddle, you can turn the chaos of collaboration into a focused, creative and stress-free endeavor. Not only can you create individual groups for each project, but you can track changes over time and avoid the unnecessary miscommunication and duplication of work that often comes when working remotely.
Credit Card and Debit Transactions
No matter what kind of business you own, your primary concern is making sure you get paid for your products and services. The cloud takes all of the stress out of financial transactions by letting you accept credit and debit cards from virtually anywhere. Whether you are at your flagship store or in the middle of the forest, Sage Payment Solutions lets you bring your product to where your customers are. Sage provides secure point-of-sale credit transactions and sends you a free card swiper for your mobile device for when you need to make a sale on the road. Best of all, Sage integrates with your favorite accounting software, so you always know exactly where you stand no matter where you are.
Content Storage
Using the cloud storage for all of your important data saves your small business a lot of time, money and resources. You don’t need to pay for the extra space, electricity and IT support necessary for storing and maintaining local servers. Moreover, you can securely access your important documents, digital media and databases from anywhere. Google Drive has set the standard for cloud-based storage, but digital access management solutions like WebDAM provide highly-specialized content delivery platforms for those in the business of selling digital content. The service makes it possible to store, access and share your content, and it also helps you build a digital storefront.
Customer Service
The cloud also can provide you with a platform for interacting with your customers. Companies like SalesForce have designed tools for the service cloud that allow you to quickly answer questions, resolve issues and respond to social media comments. They even provide support agents, who learn the ins and outs of your business and work with you to anticipate any issues that may arise with your products or services. Every conversation is stored on the cloud, so you can stay up to date on customer satisfaction and make quick adjustments to account for an ever-evolving market. Best of all: The cloud is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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