FROM A LOCAL BUSINESS TO A REGIONAL (OR INTERNATIONAL) PRESENCE: THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN TRANSFORMING BUSINESS OPERATIONS

Technology is transforming the way business is done, least of all in the arena of small business. As a small business, you have a unique advantage to your larger competitors in that your cost for adoption of new technology is minimal, and the difference the technology can make is invaluable. Aside from being able to connect and communicate with a local consumer more easily and more efficiently than before, technology can also enable you to expand your business’s horizons – what started as a local “Main Street” type business can expand into a regional, or even international, player.

So, how does this happen? It is easier than you may think. Most obviously, technology enables you to conduct business via the Internet. Whether you provide a product or a service, you can reach new consumers, check existing consumers, and obtain valuable market research inexpensively and with little upfront costs. The issue of state, regional, or national boundaries is essentially dissolved. In addition, technology also enables you to expand your operations through its role in communications. You can message, IM, video conference, telephone, or interact on one of the many networking sites (both social and private). Lastly, technology has also opened shipping networks, so that it is possible for you to send a package, be it of a product, a signed contract, or a hardcopy of a service provided (e.g. engineering plans, business plan, photographs), to anywhere in the world, in as little as a few days, if you are willing to pay the extra costs.

However, this is considering technology at its broadest level. If you are like many business owners and managers, you may know that such technology exists, but have little conception as to how to adopt it. The truth is that any modern technology is easy to adopt – they have designed it to be so – you only need to know where to start.

The following is a list of new technologies and ways that small businesses can use them to advantage:

1. Social Media: Social media (sites like Facebook and Twitter) add another dimension to your business operations. You are able to connect with current and potential customers in a whole new way. Not only are you able to provide information on your product or services and relay the news of your company, but you are also able to inquire as to what features or elements they prefer in your product/service offering, improvements they would like to see, etc. Further, you can run promotions in this way as well. The best part about social media however is that it is free to use and, unlike starting a blog without a unique domain name, you may actual gain esteem in the minds of many consumers for the fact of your adoption of the new technology.

2. Conferencing: Instead of traveling hundreds, or even thousands, of miles to hold a meeting, you can stay on top of client relationships, project management, and interact with suppliers or distributors via video on your computer. Some technologies will even allow you to interface over a document – each able to read and manipulate the document. Again, the cost is minimal. After all, you don’t necessarily need a huge network like Cisco. As a small business, you can get all the features you need for free through Skype or even just using the video conferencing software already built into many messaging and operating systems, such as iChat on Apple devices.

3. Networking Sites: Through free technologies, such as Ning.com, you are able to build your own social networking site. Use this technology to provide a platform for interfacing over a project, for internal communication within your company (particularly useful if you have employees in various locations, working various shifts, or if employees need to upload large documents), or providing a valuable communication point for highly integrated clients, suppliers, distributors, or subsidiaries. There are also many low-cist sites, such as Basecamp, that can provide similar advantages.

4. Communication: Lastly, consider communication. If your employees are wide spread, work autonomously, or travel frequently, you may want to consider providing them with smartphones. Smartphones can allow you to tether (meaning to use your phone’s wireless connection to get “online” with your laptop), access email on the go (and respond professionally), open documents, search contacts, etc. Whereas a larger corporation may only be able to afford to do this for select employees, as a small business you would be able to provide smartphones to everyone for minimal cost, a large part of which would be tax deductible.

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