60 years ago starting your own business was a relatively simple prospect, now the opposite is true. There are so many rules, regulations and hoops to jump through that even just the day to day running of a small business can seem daunting to some.
Something that small business owners have now that their counterparts didn’t 60 years ago is a vast array of technology designed to make their daily lives as easy and stress-free as possible. If you’re starting to feel the pressure or struggling to maximise your time and resources this is the article for you.
Read on to find out about some great tech that could save you time, money and give you peace of mind as an added bonus.
Streamlined Tax
If there is one organisation that you don’t want to get on the wrong side of it’s the IRS. To ensure that your tax obligations are always fulfilled when you pay your staff, invest in Intuit’s handy tax kits.
They come with 2021 W-2 Form, 4 free W-3 form and compatible double window envelopes. The pre-printed federal tax forms used to report employee wages to government agencies also include copies for your employees.
The kits are compatible with QuickBooks Desktop and Desktop Pro to make your payment systems as streamlined as possible.
Remote Working
Large corporations and some elements of the press have given remote working a bad name. It’s symptomatic of Millennials and Gen Z according to the stuffy establishment who fear the speed with which the world is moving around them.
Remote working isn’t a fad or a symptom of an entitled younger generation though, in fact it’s a vital tool that far too many businesses are not taking advantage of.
If for example, you run an accounting consultancy business out of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin how many great accountants out of a population of 14, 954 will you be able to hire?
Without wanting to do a disservice to the good people of Whitefish Bay, your options may be fairly limited. If however, you offer a remote position and cast your net out into Milwaukee you’ll be able to access more quality accountants and perhaps make some salary savings.
Remote working could save your business money and get you access to a higher calibre of talent so it’s worth looking into.
Chatbots
Customers and clients are the lifeblood of our businesses but, let’s face it, they can be a real pain in the butt at times. From the customer that rings up at 2 in the afternoon to ask if you’re open to the client that emails to check if your barber’s salon does haircuts for Golden Retrievers.
Save time and sanity by using a chatbot on your website that answers customers most frequently asked questions in the moment. This will help to save you so much time and it will also help with customer engagement as they will have their queries answered in quick time.
Also, it can be a really effective way to filter out those ‘prospective’ customers who don’t want what you’re selling but just want to eat up your time!
Fast Internet
In a recent study conducted in the UK it was found that workers were losing on average, 17.5 full working days a year because of slow or unreliable internet connections. If you’re scrimping on your internet package maybe it’s time to think again.
A super-fast internet connection will allow you and your staff to do your jobs quickly and more efficiently. An extra $30 a month is a small price to pay for an extra 17.5 days of productivity from every employee.
Are there any technological solutions that you use day in day out to improve your business? If so, let us know about them in the comments section below.
