Many startups are taking advantage of virtual business practices to make their work easier. Companies don’t have to restrict themselves to only working in an office anymore. This is because an increasing number of tasks can be completed outside of the office, from a laptop or smartphone. The cloud allows people to perform a variety of business tasks, from managing finances to creating an online fax account. Small businesses are making the switch to the cloud because it saves them money. They don’t have to pay for unnecessary office space and energy costs. With the cloud, the cost of computer hardware, software, and maintenance can be dramatically reduced. And keep in mind that there are a lot of options on the cloud, enough for you to find the right online services for your company. Many of the services offer free trials, which give you a chance to test them out before you financially commit to using them. Here are six ways you can use cloud services:
1. For your scheduling needs, try out online calendars. Cloud powered calendar services, like GoogleCalendar and Microsoft 365, allow you to store information about your appointments, meetings, and deadlines. They also allow you to share your calendar with employees and colleagues and invite people to events and meetings.
2. When you need to get in touch, try out programs like Skype and GoogleVoice that offer super low rates for international calls and assign you a single number for all of your phone lines. Companies like Gotomeeting.com and Join.me are very beneficial to businesses because they let you make conference calls and share online presentations.
3. When you need to send a paper copy, think about creating an online fax account. With online fax services, you can send and receive faxes right from your computer. No fax machine or phone line is necessary.
4. If you want to collaborate, try out GoogleDocs, Sharepoint, or ConceptShare. They let multiple people work on the same document, so nobody’s changes are at risk of being saved over.
5. To keep your finances in order, use Quickbooks online, instead of downloading the software on your computer. Make use of mobile and online banking to view your account statements instantly. And look into online banking that offers online accounting tools. To keep your receivables and payables in order, find some cloud services like Netledger.com that will help you. Programs like Dimewise and Wesabe let you enter information about purchases, and they chart that information for you.
6. To improve your customer relationship management (CRM), you have a lot of options. Online CRM is way more effective than CRM systems that are server based. For more details on online CRM, check out: Free CRM Software.
If you use the cloud in the ways mentioned above, you’ll find that running your startup is simpler than ever!
