Ways that the IT Revolution Has Shaved Costs for Small Businesses

The Dotcom revolution has transformed businesses. Entrepreneurs can now reach customers all over the world. The Internet also helps companies reduce operating costs. Here are some reasons that you can use computers to make your business more cost-efficient. Many companies are using products from West County Computers, A-1 Networks and other computer companies to reduce their costs.

Shift Towards Inbound Marketing
Studies have shown that inbound marketing is about 45% cheaper than cold-calling or direct mail marketing. Companies that use computers can shift their resources towards online marketing instead. They can reach the same number of customers at a much lower cost. Those customers will also be much more likely to convert, which significantly increases the company's ROI.

Eliminate Need for Landlines
Almost every business needs to use a phone to stay in touch with its customers, suppliers and other stakeholders. The average landline costs about $50 a month. Since businesses often need multiple phone lines, they can end up paying a couple hundred dollars in monthly fees.

Computers have eliminated the need for landlines for many businesses. You can use virtual services such as Skype or Uber to speak with clients. These services tend to be much cheaper than using a landline, especially if you are going to be making a number of out-of-state calls.

Improve Employee Productivity

Computers have helped make employees much more productive. Erik Brynjolfsson, a professor of the  MIT Sloan School of Management and Director of the MIT Center for Digital Business first discussed this trend in 1998. He said that these improvements weren't captured in productivity statistics at the time, but it was clear that organizations were much more efficient. Newer applications have increased productivity even further.

Allow for a Mobile Workforce
Computers have also made it possible for companies to create a mobile workforce. Workers can be based anywhere in the world. Many companies outsource work to people in India or the Philippines and have project managers in the United States oversee their work. They also use the Internet to hold virtual conferences so that employees can stay in touch with the rest of the team while they are traveling.