The nature of business development and growth is changing rapidly. The evolution of mobile technology and proliferation of free mobile applications can be utilised by businesses of all sizes in order to drive down costs and turn a profit. It matters not if a business is a multi-national or a start-up, free mobile and tablet technology should be embraced to save money where it could not have been saved ten years ago. It can also add efficiency to everyday processes.
For example, the utilisation of WhatsApp, an instant messaging app which has recently been purchased by social media giants Facebook for a staggering $19 billion, has allowed doctors in India to speed up diagnosis of patients with suspected heart complications. By sending photos via WhatsApp to each other, they can receive a quick review from a fellow professional rather than spending time reaching the emergency ward. This allows them to begin treatment sooner, increasing the likelihood of successful emergency care. Whilst it’s highly unlikely that those in business will use WhatsApp in life threatening situations, it could be used to send photos of last minute changes to an advertising pitch whilst on a train with no Wi-Fi. A simple but cost effective way to touch base that will save spending a few pennies on Wi-Fi and subsequently, company expenses. Pennies, after all make pounds.
In the same manner, if a team or department wish for a copy of a monthly report, rather than photocopying numerous pages and spending money on printing, circulate a PDF electronically or upload it to cloud storage such as Google Drive or Dropbox. What is more, if a company installs processes that utilise free technology to drive down costs and streamline business management, they are more likely to achieve ISO 9001 certification which recognises the quality of business processes and is all good press to publish, for free, on your low-cost website and free social media accounts.
Website hosting and domain names cost just a few pounds per year, meaning that costs are minimal. On top of this, if your site is hosted on WordPress, plugins can really bring out the best in a site. The WPTouch plugin is a free plugin that optimises a site for mobile and tablet devices, is user friendly and easily customisable. Social media accounts are also free and assist in maintaining a digital presence and spreading the word about services you offer.
With 65% of people considering their tablet as a useful business tool and 79% of people using their mobile to send emails, harnessing this technology as a means to expand your business and cut down costs is a necessity for any that wish to grow and flourish.
