Small business startup problems cannot be avoided. These problems are agnostic to what industry your business caters to – technology to support operations, finance to manage resources – the list of problem areas can go on! We know for a fact that many small businesses start really small and are unable to estimate business volumes and as a result, opt for “make-shift” technology arrangements for these issues.
We don’t want you to repeat the same mistakes. Here’s what you need to keep in mind when choosing technology for your small business:
1. Identify and foresee problems.
Ask questions like
- What business volumes do I serve now?
- What volumes will I serve a year from now, two years from now and so on?
- Do I have a bird’s eye view of the technology stack that has been used? Do they serve their purpose? Their licenses and renewal fees? Are those justified when compared to the value they deliver?
- Is my staff tech enabled? How much training would they need in case I opt for newer software or technology platforms?
2. Determine your requirements
The answers to the questions above, will lead you to your requirements. For example, if you serve, say 50 customers in a year, you could easily manage their information, i.e. basic payments received and demographic information about them in an excel sheet. However, if you wish to constantly farm the same 50 customers in the same year, with monthly follow-ups, monitor their responses, cross sell other products to them, you need to decide whether data processing software such as Word or Excel would suffice or should you need something more.
3. Seek help
It is a misnomer that software consultants come with a whopping fee! If you are unable to fight the technology monster in your office, start shopping for consultants who not only understand technology, but also have had first-hand experience in dealing with such issues. And ask for references!
4. Go ahead, make that plan!
Plan the time and resources that would take care of the technology upgrade and allocate time that you would require for monitoring the system as well. Before you finalize your deal, make sure you have sorted out costs for maintenance as well as the standard SLAs provided by the software or the service provider.
Inefficiency can become expensive for your small business enterprise. So go ahead – plan well, choose wisely, and implement carefully!
As an IT technology company, we firmly believe in the value of outsourcing. But we also know that businesses need flexibility, lower risk, and more options when outsourcing their IT work. Suyati offers traditional as well as customized, unique models of engagement that ensures every business does extend their IT profitably when they choose us as their IT outsourcing partner.
