Virtual Office Resource

According to Gallup, Americans have steadily viewed the outlook for the economy more negatively than they have viewed current economic conditions. Regardless, “it’s not how much money you make, it’s how much you keep” is a good adage to stick to when running a business. Managing costs is key to having a healthy cash flow and a profitable company. Given that, how can businesses slash costs without compromising their productivity?

Forbes has a pretty good list and mentions some rather obvious choices: find how your utilities can be reduced without ditching necessary services, negotiate better terms with vendors, like office suppliers and equipment maintenance crews. What may not be obvious is the communications costs factor. Businesses may blindly sign up for services they’re not entirely sure they need, but there is a good amount of cost savings that can be done here when working with the right service provider. The typical telecom bill is several pages long with all sorts of poorly defined charges and taxes. Corporate bills are vastly more complex and indecipherable, and due to the opaque nature of these bills, many organizations end up paying far more than they should.

According to a Gartner (News - Alert) report, the average small business owner spends about 25 hours deciphering and procuring telecom services for their company. To make it easier, businesses should look for bundled services that offer all that they need without paying for services they do not.

For example, a small business can reduce communications costs by seeking a vendor that offers bundled VoIP, Internet, hosting services and more, which helps build the business without growing the communications bill.

VoIP by itself can offer plenty when it comes to slashing costs. Because of its cost efficiency, it can save almost half of the traditional phone bills, and sometimes more. For start ups and small businesses the savings can translate into more money on the bottom line. What’s more, it’s not required to put a lot of money up front to get it going. The technology pays for itself within a few months of using it.

No matter what business you own and operate, voice communication is a critical element of success. Your employees need a secure way to communicate with customers, contact prospective clients and conduct business. Moving towards a bundled system can provide a number of important competitive advantages for your firm, like easily connecting remote offices together. Most importantly, modern technology means a cost-effective way to keep your systems running while using the most cutting edge technologies available.

A tight budget doesn’t equate to lost productivity.  A solid, business-class system with the right features can benefit your business communication needs without sacrificing the bottom line.