How ICT can help your business grow

Businesses can improve the efficiency of different business processes – production, sales and administration – reduce costs and increase their competitiveness through the use of Information Technology and Communication (ICT). In addition to improving the efficiency of business processes, the use of ICT is particularly important for marketing and sales for search and communication with suppliers and customers and for continual learning entrepreneur and company staff.

What ICT?

When we talk about ICT almost always we relate the term with computers. In fact, computers are now the most important in the field of information and communication technology tools. However, the concept of ICT includes other equipment that perform different functions. Among modern computers are mobile phones, fax, image projectors, payment processors, credit card and electronic agendas. But already they existed long before conventional telephones, typewriters, calculators, copiers, radio and television, which are means for communication, processing and information management. They make up what we call ICT, and all have been mainly used in companies to make their operations more quickly and efficiently.

The benefits of using ICT for business

Cost reduction and increased efficiency and productivity

In the field of communication, take for example the phone. Before mobile phones or cell phones were invented, for a company located in a place where there is no availability of conventional telephone lines, the alternative is to use the postal service to communicate, which means long waiting times for communication with its suppliers or customers if they are away. It also means higher expenses to achieve that communication in case the company staff must be transported to the place where suppliers or customers are. The conventional telephone came to reduce the time and costs of communication, allowing companies to reduce costs and increase sales.

Then, mobile phones meant an extra step that revolutionized the way we communicate, by allowing communication with customers or suppliers no matter where they move. Also, no matter where it is who makes the call. Today’s entrepreneur no longer needs to be in your office to communicate. You can do this at any time while you are out doing their own business efforts. Thus, the time and costs for communication with customers and suppliers are further reduced, but also the mobile phone allows constant communication with your staff. As a result, this technology helps increase efficiency and productivity of enterprises.

The cost of service of mobile and conventional phones is largely offset by the benefits it brings to businesses. However, when it comes to international communications costs are high. For companies that have relationships with suppliers and customers abroad, a solution which has recently been gaining popularity is Internet telephony, or voice over IP (VOIP), which reduces to a fraction of the cost of international telephone communications.

In short, these communication technologies, conventional phone first, then the mobile phone and VOIP phone recently, have come to reduce the time and costs of communication allowing companies to significantly improve their efficiency and productivity.

Similarly, other technologies related to information management have produced similar results. For businesses, the savings in time and money are important when moving from out-of records purchasing, inventory, sales, customers, financial transactions, etc. – written on paper, to record a digital computer, or going from operations of calculation with a hand-held calculator to use an automatic calculation program computer, or going from writing letters, memos and communications on a typewriter to use a word processor and then print them, or better yet, use e-mail for such communications. Time, paper, ink, staff salaries, etc it saves and gains in efficiency and productivity.

The Internet: expanding the market for their products and services

The above are just some examples of basic operations that every company routinely performed. There are also other examples of the use of ICT activities that help without them would be not only more difficult to perform, but also involve greater time and cost of resources.

For example, to make known the products of your company, you can use traditional advertising: advertising in the yellow pages of the phone book, pay advertisements in newspapers, magazines, radio and television, signs road, pamphlets or brochures, etc. Every entrepreneur knows the cost of advertising, and for a small business some types of advertising are so expensive that are not profitable.

And what if you produce something that could well sell out your country? Would have enough money to advertise overseas? To travel to other countries to promote their product at fairs and contact potential customers? And if I did, would bear the selling price of the product the high costs of marketing and outdoor advertising that implies?

Now, thanks to the Internet, you. You can make known your company to a national audience as well as an international for the same cost as for Internet borders do not exist.

Web site: An indispensable technological tool for business success

A website becomes the gateway to your business in the international network known as the World Wide Web (WWW) available to be accessed 24 hours a day throughout the year by network users anywhere in the world.

If you pages of your website, provides adequate information for a product that has actual or potential demand it is likely to contact you interested to do business with your company. Thus, through the Internet your company can get customers without incurring high costs of marketing, advertising, travel, etc. A website properly prepared plays the role of a sales agent who works for you 24 hours a day at a very low cost compared to traditional alternatives.

You may also like to read another article on Web-Build: Big data! Companies and brands are still struggling to process and analyze data

Also, through its Web site, you may be contacted by people who want to offer a product that can be useful for your company, a new premium or material matter, a more efficient production process equipment, a service that your company you could benefit, or maybe someone interested in partnering with you to expand your business, who knows, it all depends on who visit your website.

In addition, a Web site can help in other business operations, such as in the case of after-sales service for its customers, establishing a communication channel that helps maintain customer loyalty and continue to buy their products.

The Web site is the most important for companies in today’s world technological tool. Especially for those who look to the international market. From the point of view of customers in the international market, a company without your Web site is not considered competitive. Also, having your website are getting customers because you can easily find them through the Internet and achieve faster contact. In business, time is money.

However, for some it is not that simple take the necessary steps to successfully implement and benefit from technologies that your company needs. Moreover, perhaps at this time your company does not need more than some of them, the most basic. It all depends on what you want. Do to determine how ICT can help you achieve your goals. Only one thing is certain: no matter the size of your company, companies that implement ICT will be in a better position than yours to reap the benefits they offer.

Maybe to you it seems very complicated matter because you do not know what technologies are most appropriate for your needs, what equipment, software and services purchased, which is the least costly alternative, how to put them into operation, how to use them to take advantage of them, etc.

Fortunately, for that you can count on us, because that’s our job. Help you determine and implement ICT solutions that really needs to achieve the goals that you have been proposed, at the lowest cost possible.

To start help, this website will provide information that will help you learn more about these topics. The better informed you are, better decisions can be taken to determine how ICT can help your business grow.