Wasp Barcode Technologies: The Barcode Solution People

New Technology Makes Small the New Big in Business

In the past larger businesses have had access to all the best tools and resources and consumers have been faced with an impossible choice. Large companies can be faceless, disinterested, and difficult to deal with. However, they have traditionally been able to offer simple, easy solutions that smaller firms could not. From simple things like the ability to contact a firm 24 hours a day, or the ability of a company to take card payments, the big boys had it all. However, the bigger they come, the harder they fall. Fast Movers Small companies are now in the strongest position they have been for years. In some senses this is a bit of a no-brainer; if there’s only one of you it’s easy to increase your workforce and productivity by 50 per cent. If there are five thousand of you, then chances are you’ll be looking to shave a few thousand off that figure at the moment. Big firms can’t move quickly when it comes to downturns; their commitments and legal requirements make changes and responses slower, just by virtue of their size.  However, they still have, or had, the edge when it came to technology. Cloud computing and mobile communications have done for that! Online Solutions Cloud computing offers a whole range of big business solutions for small firms, from online document storage and back up to online accounting software. The main benefit to most small businesses with cloud computing is that it offers reliable access to their business documents and records at the click of a mouse – and from any computer with an internet connection. Fatal computer crashes could potentially kill a small business a few years ago; today they are nothing more than a small blip – if that. Easy Pay Solutions Accounting and payment solutions have also been an area that has been costly and cumbersome for most small businesses. However a number of solutions have started to enter the market. In the past, taking payment from a customer was not always straightforward. It often meant the archaic use of checkbooks or, worse still, cash! For small businesses the hassle involved in the process included large amounts of paperwork, trips to the bank and yet more paperwork. Multiply that by several customers and the whole process could involve more time than it was worthwhile. It has taken some time but now, at last, all you need in order to take payment on delivery is a mobile phone and a handy little card reader. While mobile card readers have been available for a while, they have come with a not so mobile fee structure.  Today, all that is changing; Intuit Go Payment from a market leading online accounting firm is one good example. With a free, small attachment for your mobile device you can simply swipe your customer’s card and, well, that’s it.  This eminently simple solution is suitable even if you run your business off the back of bicycle. Indeed, it’s this type of technology that’s making running a business off the back of a bike a real possibility. Overheads? What overheads? On Your Bike David This type of technology levels the playing field considerably for small and large businesses. For clients, a small firm is often a first choice, and being able to offer the convenient features that were previously the preserve of the big firms, means that first choice is no longer a hassle for customers. As Goliath-like firms struggle to negotiate their way through these troublesome times, the small David-like firms are speeding ahead; even if they only have a bike to do it on. Author Bio Carlo Pandian blogs about small business issues and general business help for SME's, covering everything from ‘how businesses can use make use of Social Media’ to payroll software in Canada. When he’s not online Carlo enjoys swimming, cycling and travelling around the many sights of Europe.