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Top 5 ways to save with technology in 2014

Too often, companies believe that they need to shell-out for expensive technology to keep up with the digital age, writes Mat Deevey.

However, few realise how much the latest online tools can help shave off vital pounds from their business expenses.

In a recent study, 94 per cent of UK companies said they had seen an increase in their overall business costs over the last year, with 81 per cent indicating that it had been detrimental to their business.

For SMEs, the cost of doing business is rising at roughly six per cent per annum – making cost-effective tech solutions a must for companies that are looking to take advantage of opportunities in the recovering economic market.

With increased spending in areas such as energy, marketing and the cost of materials, here are some suggestions of how technology can help you save in 2014.

1. Save money on phone bills by using VoIP services such as Skype or Viber. By downloading apps like these to your smartphone, you can make free phone calls whenever you’re connected to wifi or 3G. You can even chat with clients or friends abroad and conduct video or audio conference calls.

2. Ever saved data on a USB drive and mislaid it? Or run out of space on an external hard drive and had to buy another? Fear not – DropBox is at rescue! It’s cloud-based free software that gives users 2GB of storage to share files with others and sync documents online. Once you’ve downloaded the software, you’ll be provided with a folder on your computer – any files placed in the folder can then be accessed from other computers, your smartphone or tablet.

3. Sharpen up your money spending ideas with Stanza. This free app for your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch will allow you to download hundreds of free books and digital publications at no cost. Checking this app before buying a book, or subscribing to an online publication, will really make a difference to your resource outgoings.

4. Mixtape.me allows users to search for songs and create shareable playlists of your favourite songs for free. This is obviously great for personal use but also handy for businesses. While companies that play music, such as restaurants and retail outlets, will still require a licence to do so, they’re able to eliminate the costs of downloading music or purchasing CDs with the use of this site. Music sounds so much sweeter when it’s free!

5. Despite the advancements in technology over the last decade and Bill Gates’ 2005 prediction of a paperless office, post is still an everyday staple for the majority of businesses around the world.

Year-on-year, significant expense and employee time is spent printing, folding, enclosing and eventually posting documents such as invoices, statements and marketing letters.

cloudPOST, the innovative desktop-to-doormat postal solution, enables users to send a single letter through their Printer Driver or larger mailings by uploading templates and address databases to their Portal, or via the Spooler which acts like DropBox. This eliminates the need for in-house or outsourced mail management. At the click of a mouse, or touch of a button from anywhere in the world, users can have documents printed, enclosed and posted, all for less than the cost of a second class stamp.

The technology promises to cut costs on both resources and staffing hours, so this is a no-brainer for companies wanting to reduce the impact on their bottom line in 2014 and beyond.

Adopt some of these solutions and become technologically thrify this year!

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by cloudSMART .