A simple guide to the 5 best technologies available to small business to unleash their gorwth

1. Small business technology crunched -
get the insight on 5 major advances not to miss

2. What this guide will tell you?
 The background to recent office technology advances available to
small businesses
 What advances are small businesses achieving adopting new technologies
 Which are the 5 key technologies that enable small business to grow ahead of
the competition
 What is the best way to adopt technology change to reap the benefits
 4 things to do today to prepare your business to accelerate
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3. Technology is becoming a key enabler of small business growth
“smarter work practices are
playing an important role in
business growth right now,
much of which is being
facilitated by technology, but
this isn't always immediately
apparent.”
Source: Emma Jones, founder of small
business community Enterprise Nation
“Traditionally, our perception of
a growing business is one that's
hiring lots of people, whereas in
fact now 70% of businesses
that start in the UK do so from
home.”
“the main way that we're
seeing businesses grow is by
outsourcing and subcontracting
work, as opposed to hiring
people full time. Technology is a
key enabler to all of this,
through software like
Basecamp.”
“The UK is witnessing record
start-up rates at the moment.
In 2012 there were 484,000
new limited companies.
This year the UK is on track to
hit half a million.”

4. Technology savvy businesses grow faster
“from 2010 to 2012, IT-enabled
small and midsize businesses
created jobs almost twice as
fast than other less tech-savvy
businesses.” (BCG)
“businesses that are technology
leaders increased annual
revenues 15 percent faster than
those that are slow to adopt
new technologies.” (BCG)
Sources: Boston Consulting Group study & Microsoft
“modern technology solutions today enable you and your employees to
be more efficient, work remotely, learn from your data, and get more
done. Cloud services, mobility solutions, and business analytics all offer
valuable capabilities that allow small and midsize businesses access to
the same technology solutions that used to be reserved for larger
companies.
While poised to benefit from these growth enablers, small business
owners need to evaluate how to take advantage of modern technology
to grow and transform your business.” (Microsoft)

5. The five key technologies that enable small
business to grow ahead of the competition
1. Software Online (or SaaS software as a service) What is it?
Quite simply this is using the internet to deliver access to the software
you need when you need to use it. You simply login to the service
through your browser and access all the facilities you need.
Examples to Explore:
• Microsoft Office 365 – all your familiar office products (word, excel, etc.) plus a
lot more (cloud storage, online meetings, web site hosting)
• Xero, Kashflow – online accounting software
• Salesforce.com– Online sales and marketing software
• Expensify – Automated online expenses
Benefits:
• Rent your software rather than buy – pay for your software by
monthly subscription, only buy what you need and add new users in
minutes
• No lengthy downloads or upgrading – all software is kept up to date
online
• Link packages together – many providers have links to other
services so link your sales software (CRM) to your accounting
package and
your bank

6. System features:
Abbreviated Dialling, Auto Attendant, Call Forwarding, Call Parking, Call Pickup,
Call Recording, Call Return, Call Transfer, Call Waiting, Conference Bridge, Dial
Directory, Fax To Email, Hunt Group, Intercom Dialling, Music On Hold, Three Way
Calling Voicemail.
Benefits:
• Reduced overall costs – unlimited plans, cheaper overseas calling
• Reduced hassle - no clunky site equipment needed in your office,
no lengthy engineer visits to install
• No maintenance costs
• Fully scalable no matter how many more staff you bring on board.
New users can be set up in minutes
2. VoIP Office Telephone System What is it?
Your telephone calls are routed via your broadband line and all
of the features you would expect from an office telephone system
are managed online.
The five key technologies that enable small
business to grow ahead of the competition
Phone Internet Connection
(Router)

7. A fully mobile enabled office will have:
• A web site that is adapts to the device it is being viewed on
• Direct links between office telephones and mobile phones
• Data stored on line (in the cloud) so that it can be accessed anywhere
at any time
• A policy of buying lighter weight mobile devices like laptops and tablets rather
than desktop computers
Benefits:
• Increased efficiency – employees out of the office can be productive
wherever they are
• Flexibility – employees can elect to work form home reducing
travelling and other down-time
• Employee satisfaction - employees are encouraged by their ability
to fit work around the demands of home life and will catch up in
their own time on mobile devices
3. Mobile What is it?
It’s not just buying a mobile phone. It’s making sure all your
information & services are available as well over mobile devices as
they are on your desktop computer.
The five key technologies that enable small
business to grow ahead of the competition

8. Common concerns:
• Will my data be safe? Often more so than if you stored it in your office. The big
data storage providers back things up and keep the data in very secure and
resilient facilities
• Will others see my data? No, again the storage providers are pretty hot on
security and only giving access to those who have the correct permission
Benefits:
• Increased safety and security – your data is backed up and kept
securely. If you had an office fire you could lose all your information.
Keeping it in the cloud will prevent this.
• Cost efficiency – as with all computer costs fallen. Cloud based
data storage is low cost and sometimes free
• Access your data any time any where. As your information is
available online, you can access it any where over any kind of
device.
4. Internet Data Storage (The Cloud) What is it?
Instead of storing your information locally on your computers hard
drive. It is passed over the internet to storage provided by a
specialist data storage company.
The five key technologies that enable small
business to grow ahead of the competition

9. The five key technologies that enable small
business to grow ahead of the competition
Top apps for the small business:
• Train times – The national rail enquiries app gives you live train information, it
even gives you platform information if you have to change invaluable when you
are travelling
• Camera – Don’t scribble down what's on the whiteboard take a picture
• LinkedIn – Look someone up the moment you have met them
Benefits:
Convenience and efficiency
• Always connected via your mobile device
• Often free
• Dedicated to deliver one solution like the weather, or maps or train
times
• They save your information and settings so that you can use them
seamlessly across devices
• They update themselves
5. Apps (on your mobile devices) What are they?
They are small software programs designed to run on mobile
devices. They typically take advantage of information flowing into the
devices like location, pictures (from the camera) and the internet.

10. What is the best way to introduce these new technologies into my business?
 Don’t attempt to do everything at once – evolution rather than revolution.
Your employees will have to adapt in some cases to a new way of working
 Start where there is most immediate advantage – moving to a VoIP telephone
system for example will give you cost savings from day one
 Don’t get confused by the range of solutions on offer, keep it simple and look
for things that can work for your specific situation
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11. What four things can I do today to prepare your business to accelerate?
Plan to grow • Research your options online
• Involve others in your business to help make
the best decisions
• Set a goal as to what improvement level you
want to achieve
• Check when your existing service contracts
expire and diarise a change

12. What next?
Download our White Paper
THE HOSTED BUSINESS
PHONE SYSTEM - a flexible and
cost effective option for a growing
small business – NOW!