October 1, 2007

Software Empowers & Enables Small Business Producitivity: Two Examples

Sometimes we really don't understand the importance and power that software brings to a business. Software and how you use it, is what can easily separate a successful business from one that's not successful.

For example, you'll start to see an increasing use and focus on business intelligence - software that can connect the dots in your business, from a variety of sources and help you gain vital information for better decision making. The WSJ wrote a nice piece on this recently. This article is for WSJ subscribers only.

Two other articles the WSJ wrote, which are open to all, are also excellent examples of how software is so important for small business success:

WSJ writes how Bill Collector in a Box helped an auto dealership cut down on bounced checks.

While doing some research online, she ran across an ad for Bill Collector in a Box, a software program from Marauder Corp. of Indian Wells, Calif. After looking at several other programs, she went with Bill Collector in a Box because it was the only software program that had several of the features she needed in one system. She paid $99 for the software, which included the first year of service. Now she pays $99 a year for automatic upgrades and unlimited support.

WSJ writes how a ticket broker saved $600,000 in annual credit card fees through a new billing system. The system the Vernon, Conn., company now uses allows it to send automatic electronic invoices to customers each week, and initiate the transactions to have payments transferred directly from customers' bank accounts into TicketNetwork's account. To get started, brokers fax over a voided check and the company inputs the customers' bank-account numbers and other information into the system. The transactions show up as withdrawals on the customers' statements. "The money hits our accounts in two to three days," Mr. Vaccaro says.

If you think your business is going along just fine, consider how better it could do and how more efficient things could be if you had the right software to do MORE with LESS. Think about how much money you are wasting in fees, late charges or other areas by not using software intelligently to empower your business.

The solution. Ask a GOOD technology consultant to do a technology audit or assessment of your business processes. It might be good to have a business coach do this first and/or with the tech person. I'm sure you'll find ways that software can help your business gain a competitive edge.

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