Whenever they’re getting started, small businesses need all the help they can get to survive.
As many as eight out of ten small businesses fail within the first 18 months. In 2020, a year
where global economies have been decimated by the coronavirus pandemic, it’s an even
tougher environment out there for most small businesses.
While there are government schemes to help small businesses weather the storm of the
pandemic, most businesses will be looking at how they can cut costs to help keep them
afloat. With that in mind, here are some ideas that could help you balance the books during
these times of economic uncertainty.
Get on top of your utility bills
Expenses on heating during the winter months and air conditioning during the warm months
are expenses that can’t be avoided, considering how neglecting them can have an adverse
effect on employees and customers alike. Yet programmable thermostats can cut climate
control costs without compromising comfort. They can help control when these systems are
on, so they’re only being used precisely when they need to be, for exact amounts of time.
Other small measures add up too; ensuring lights are off when people have left work,
computer workstations are powered down and machinery that can be switched off
overnight is turned off too.
As part of our service we can provide a free audit of your utility bills to see where you can
save money.
Reduce your paper use
Cutting down paper waste is good for your bottom line and the environment. Make
employees print all documents double-sided by default, use emails rather than paper
memos, try and get employees to use less paper for note taking and consider how much can
be done electronically rather than with physical copies.
Encourage people to work from home
One thing the coronavirus pandemic has shown us is that many of us can work just as
successfully from home as we can in the office. Remote working is a trend that is bound to
grow in the months and years ahead — and it can save you money! It can reduce utility costs
through lower electricity and water usage and also reduce the amount of space you need to
house employees, so you can downsize if you need to, replacing dedicated desks with
collaborate hot-spot workstations.
A VoIP phone system makes it very easy for staff to work remotely and stay in contact; they
can use a computer app, mobile app or even take a handset home and plug it into their
phone connection, whatever works best for them to remain available.
Get VoIP
Not only does VoIP make remote working easier and provide much in terms of added
functionality, savings of up to 80% on call charges and line rental, saving you huge amounts
of money in the long term, also quickly absorbing the low initial set up cost.
If you’d like to learn more about how VoIP could keep you, your colleagues and
your clients communicating smoothly, please give our experienced team a call
on 01237 420010.
