If you are a small business owner or a startup, then you will be used to ensuring that every cent you spend has the greatest return.
However, one of the biggest costs of all – your office – may not have much impact on your profits at all. And, often, it will just raise your costs and hurt your bottom line.
Now, the sensible thing would be to quit the office entirely and think about other ways of working. But, this would be impractical, and it could mean that you lose your professional sheen.
But what it if you could reduce those costs while still having the professional image that an office base gives you?
In this guide, we’re going to take a look at a few different things you can do to slash those costs in half.Read on to find out what you need to do.
Start using open source software
One of the biggest controllable costs of running an office is the software that you use. Business versions of popular software don’t come cheap, and although they can be worth the money, a lot of the time you just won’t use all the features.
So, an alternative would be to seek out open source versions of a similar nature. Open source programs are free to use and are developed by software programmers all over the world.
They will update the source codes and introduce new features as time goes by, and often they will be just as useful as the products they imitate.
As an example, check out OpenOffice. It’s an alternative for Microsoft Office and has plenty of features that will be more than enough for most businesses.
Outsource your IT
If you run your own IT system, you are probably aware of the time and money it takes to keep it up and running.
So, why not say goodbye to all that pain and outsource your IT management? According to IT firm Blue Star Technology, outsourcing your IT management can lower your costs, and help you run more efficiently.
Also, it will help you and your team concentrate on the far more important aspects of running your business. Making sales, for example, or improving your product.
Change your communications
Are you still using a traditional phone line in your office? If so, why not think about combining it with technology such as VoIP?
It’s popular with many businesses right now because it can help them stay on top of their communication costs.
VoIP specialists Nextiva say that consumers now expect businesses to be available via online tech. So, installing VoIP technology helps you provide to their expectations.
Regarding costs, VoIP makes a standard phone line look bulky and inefficient.
However, if you do go down this route, a mix of the two is likely to be your best bet.
OK, so those three solutions could see you slash your office IT costs in half.
Do you have any more ideas? If so, we would love to hear about them so let us know in the comments section below.
Good luck!
