September 23, 2005

Making Your Small Business A Big Business With Technology

When you have only 20 people in your company but need to compete with a business that has 200 it can be VERY difficult. But if you use technology, if you SMARTLY use technology that process is so much easier.

Telephony technologies can vaporize the need for a receptionist and increase efficiency. A great web site can do wonders for customer service. Strong mobile technology can let you be away from the office but still quite near.

Startupjournal.com has an "ok" overview of some ways technology can do this.

It reads Last January, Kelly Ford helped launch Oriel Wines, an international wine-import business that sells 24 boutique wines from 22 regions and eight countries. But what might surprise Oriel's clientele is this: The company has only six employees.

"We're a luxury brand, so customers have to think we're bigger than we really are," says Ms. Ford, managing director at New York-based Oriel.

The secret is technology. To give the new company the look and feel of an international player, Oriel contacted NetSuite Inc., a San Mateo, Calif., technology-service provider that helps small businesses develop and manage operations from a single, hosted Web site. For Oriel, NetSuite has implemented software that tracks inventory, handles all accounting and orders, helps maintain customer relationships with email newsletters and sends out targeted marketing campaigns.

Read the full Startup article here

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