MTR Virtual Solutions, LLC

Posts Tagged ‘small business resources’

Small businesses are always looking for ways to cut costs.  If a business is really looking to cut costs, that business must embrace technology.  It’s easiest to cut costs in the area of travel and this can be done through the implementation of web conferencing.  A company can enjoy great savings by using web conferencing, which offers the ability to share screens, presentations and videos in a virtual setting.

Here’s a list of ten web conferencing service providers.

1. GoToMeeting: Packages start at $49/mo. and they offer a free trial.

2. Microsoft Office Live Meeting: $5-15 bucks per user. It’s important to note that they use licenses, which cannot be shared.

3. Adobe Connect Pro: Packages start at $45 and up. They can also bill at $.32 per minute/per user.

4. Intercall: They offer packages that start at $59 and up. They also offer a plan at the rate of $.17 per minute/per user.

5. DimDim: Packages start at $25/mo.  There’s even a free version available and there’s no software to download.

6. Packetel: They offer packages as low as $10.90/mo.

7. Yugma: They also offer a free package as well and the regular packages start off at $14.95.

8. MegaMeeting.com: Offers packages that start off at $45/mo.

9. WebConference.com: Pricing begins $39/mo.

10. InstantPresenter: Packages start at $39/mo.

Most of the vendors above offer a free trial period for users looking to test the performance of these applications.  One should expect to see three main price plans: pricing per minute/per user, licensing per user and monthly plans with an assigned number limit for users.  While in the process of selecting a web conference provider, be sure to take into your monthly budget, number of users that would need access, and frequency of web conference calls to be made on a monthly basis.  Web conferencing is the perfect solution for companies looking to cut costs, since the business owner can reduce costs associated with travel.  It’s also a great step towards going green.

A virtual office is a collaborative workspace that can enhance the productivity of a small business.  Many virtual office applications are designed with the team environment in mind, but solopreneurs can benefit from this tool as well.

What can a virtual office do?

• Store documents online
• Restrict access to certain documents
• Track appointments and contacts
• Allow the user to export documents
• Create a space to huddle in team discussion settings
• Store presentations online
• Allow the user to email documents from within the application

There are many applications out there that can do what’s listed above and more.  The most important benefit of having a virtual office is peace of mind.  When the hard drive fails or a disk is misplaced, the virtual office is that secondary storage place where lost files can be easily retrieved.

Web presence for the small business is crucial.  Many small business owners are looking for a cost-effective way to get their website up and running. Here are five free website resources your small business could benefit from.

Five Great Web Resources

1. The first resource is Weebly.  Weebly is a very user-friendly application to learn.
2. Google is another good provider.  They have quite a few templates available for your design needs.
3. A wonderful resource is Wix. Wix has some really impressive templates available for use.  They have an impressive gallery.
4. Homestead is a great option.  The application used to build the website in is very user-friendly.
5. Yola is an additional resource.  This provider also offers a password-protected option.

There are a ton of providers that offer free hosting.  The hidden costs with most of the providers lie within the additional features you have the option of adding on.  There is usually a one-time fee associated with purchasing a domain name.  Should you decide to use the sub-domain option when setting up your website, you will be able to avoid the fees associated with the domain.  Also consider storage capacity when selecting a vendor, the amount of content (images and literature) dictates how much space you will need.

Empty Filing Cabinets

In 2007,  the estimated number of office pages printed was more than 1.019 trillion according to InfoTrends.  People copied, re-copied, faxed, mailed  and filed all of this paper unnecessarily.

Consider how much the cost of postage stamps, courier fees, filing space, paper, ink and  printing documents is effecting your bottom line.  It’s hard to imagine adapting to the concept of a paperless office, but it is possible.

Adopting cost-cutting measures can be difficult at first, but once the system is in place, savings can be realized.

The vast amount of technology out there has made the paper-free office more than possible.   E-readers, electronic filing systems, virtual offices and scanners all make it possible for an office to become paperless.