4 Tips for Scalable Communication Tools for Small Businesses

Every business wants to stay ahead of new trends. It is not merely a luxury any longer to have the latest piece of software, it is a requirement to stay ahead of competition, keep up with frequent changes, and stay in touch with other collaborators. SmallBizDaily says that small businesses in particular need to adapt to change as their growth potential is the largest, and the cost of failure to them is perhaps even larger.

But fears of high costs and difficulty in learning how to use unfamiliar tech still set many companies back. The good news is that technology has adapted so much that what used to be expensive and difficult to use, even just a few years ago, is now accessible for everyone and much easier to learn. Nowhere is this clearer than in the area of communications, probably the most important thing for companies. Online video conferencing, especially, has aided not only large corporations but the influx of startups, which have sprung up in the last decade. If you are a small business owner, here are just a few tips you can use to save your enterprise time and effort:

  1. Use Conferencing to Cut Your Budget

A monthly subscription to a video conferencing service not only pays for itself with the opportunities it opens up, it could potentially save your budget in other areas as well. Go through your monthly and yearly budget and consider which costs, high or low, could be saved with the use of online meetings. Travel and hiring spaces for in-person meetings are a major one, not only the cost of travel and renting a space, but small costs such as refreshments as well soon mount up. You could also save money in recruiting, marketing, file storage, and a number of other areas if you are creative enough. The numerous services you are already paying monthly fees for could potentially be cut and replaced with online conferencing tools instead.

  1. Utilize What You Already Have

SmallBizTrends says that one of the major benefits of cloud conferencing (that is, using a system that is based and accessed online rather than a computer download) is that it requires a minimal amount of capital and operation and can save time and money across its entire lifetime of service. Conferencing software is an investment, but one that doesn’t have to set a small business with a limited budget back too much. Instead of spending a lot of money on expensive cameras and computers, you can instead save that money for the monthly subscription and use the software on your existing devices. Any device which has internet access and a decent camera and microphone will work. This also makes it much more accessible for staff, freelancers, clients, and collaborators as they too can simply use their own devices to stay in contact with you.

  1. Find Staff Who Are Open to Change

Many people are ‘set in their ways’ and don’t like to switch to something unfamiliar if doing things a certain way already works well. There is technically no problem with this mind set, but when the rest of the world is changing and improving and your staff are purposely holding you back, it is a problem. When you are recruiting, look for people who are willing to adapt to whatever may come their way. Even if they aren’t familiar with new video conferencing systems like BlueJeans, they should at least be willing to learn. Thankfully, that isn’t too difficult with modern systems.

  1. Make Sure Everyone Is on the Same Level

New tech does update frequently to stay up to date, adapt to changes, and prevent contamination from viruses. If you use this technology on a regular basis, you probably won’t notice these updates, as most of them happen in the background while you are working, and will subconsciously adapt along with them. Even when updates are noticeably different, you will still find yourself figuring out how to use them within only a few hours, sometimes even less. Even so, your colleagues may not be so adaptable. It is wise to check in with your staff from time to time to see how they are doing and if they are having any problems. Anybody who has been trying but is still struggling can feel alienated and frustrated. While frequent staff training is a drain on company resources, at least checking how your employees are adapting and catching up anybody who has been left behind will enable everybody to use the same software effectively.

The reliability, flexibility, and low price of modern communication tools such as online conferencing make them one of the most scalable solutions for small businesses, or businesses of any size. Use them effectively to not only cut your budget, but also to save time on employee training and troubleshooting.