Originally written by Partner Content on Small Business
IT and software experts command high salaries in today’s competitive market, so only the largest companies can justify the cost of having permanent employees in this field.
Most people are not qualified to develop software at scale for their business, so outsourcing is the last remaining option to get your project completed on-time and without glitches. Outsourcing gives small and medium-sized organisations access to top talent when they need it, and at a lower cost than having a team of software developers on the payroll.
>See also: Five outsourcing trends for small businesses in 2019
Nearshoring vs. offshoring
According to the e-book, Your Essential Guide to Working With IT Companies, published by Euro IT powerhouse SoftwareHut; salaries outside the USA, UK, Australia, and Western Europe are much lower because of cheaper living costs. This salary difference is where most of the cost savings on outsourcing your software development project will come from.
Offshoring
You will find willing partners in every country you can name, so you need to make an early decision as to how far offshore will work best. Pay expectations will be lower the further from the USA and Western Europe you go.
However, lower costs are not
Tag Archive for Business Technology
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Best payment processors for UK small businesses – 11 of the best
by Anna Jordan • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
Now that your business is ready to take payments, it’s time to think about how you’ll be processing payments. Alternatively, you might just want to change your current payment system. It’s time to think about what are the best payment processors for you and your business.
You’ll find that payment processors perform largely the same tasks, but it could be a single feature – or the cost – that’ll steer your final decision.
Knowing what’s on the market will help get you going, which is why we’ve compiled a list of the most widely recognised systems. But first: a quick definition.
>See also: Why getting up to speed on card payments is essential for SMEs
What is a payment processor?
A payment processor is a third-party payments system, sending between your customer’s bank account and your business bank account. Payment processors can also authorise transactions and work on merchants being paid within a certain time period.
The term is often used interchangeably with payment gateway, a means of approving a payment. Many firms combine payment processors and payment gateways in one product, so you’ll more commonly see it referred to as a payment gateway.
>See also: Setting up card payments
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Live Chat revolution / convert leads into sales with Live Chat
by Partner Content • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Partner Content on Small Business
The customer is king. That much has always been true. But, in the digital era, customer demands have changed, largely due to the ever-increasing competition enabled by the internet and technology. Data-driven marketing and a level of personalisation not yet seen before have meant that customer loyalty is hard to maintain; there is always another competitor waiting in the wings to offer a more tailored and appropriate product – it’s simple, traditional website browsers are not converting leads to sales. A modern, tech-led approach is needed, and Live Chat might just be the solution you’re looking for.
Live Chat to customer conversion success
By offering website visitors (and potential customers) the opportunity to speak to the business exactly when they want to, and in a way that is convenient to them, businesses looking to gain the upper hand over their competitors will significantly increase their website conversion rate.
But it is not enough to simply install a Live Chat feature. The technology needs to be proactive; it needs to prompt the user to engage with the business or product, rather than standing idly by in the background waiting for the potential customer to click. This proactive
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The Magnificent Salesforce – 7 questions for SMEs
by Paul Smith • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Paul Smith on Small Business
What is the Fourth Industrial Revolution and what does it mean for SMEs in the UK?
The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has brought about an incredible wave of innovation and technology that is radically transforming our economies, our societies and our daily lives. For business, it’s the application of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing, and other technologies to significantly improve the efficiency of organisations. Companies are using these technologies to deliver amazing experiences, which in turn is changing customers’ expectations for the companies that they do business with.
For SMEs, the 4IR opens up opportunities to level the playing field with competitors and larger companies. There are some wonderful examples of SMEs using technology to transform industries – just look at GoCardless disrupting the banking sector, or Treatwell transforming the health and wellness world.
>See also: Self-employed think artificial intelligence won’t majorly affect the workplace
Which elements of technology can help SMEs be more productive and better service their customers?
Some SMEs are scrambling to service their customers – and customers don’t care if they are dealing with a large or small company because they expect the same level of service regardless
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How cloud telephone systems can help your small business
by Partner Content • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Partner Content on Small Business
Having a phone system that’s both reliable and easy to use is vital to every small business. Without one, the all-important communication on which you and your employees rely on to stay in touch, deliver projects on time and provide great experiences for customers can break down.
These days, choosing the right phone system for your business is more complicated than ever before. It’s impossible to ignore that the way in which employees communicate has fundamentally changed.
>See also: ‘Hello?’ Research suggests telephone greeting could lose you customers
Businesses have more communications tools to contend with such as email, instant messaging apps, mobile and social media. Old models and ways of thinking have become obsolete. Businesses need communication tools that can be compatible with each other. Traditional phone system providers fail to take this into account.
Cloud telephone systems
Business telephone system providers were once notable hotbeds of innovation spearheading features such as voicemail and call forwarding.
Today the rate of invention in personal communication has vastly outpaced its enterprise counterpart, shining a light on the shortcomings of the outdated legacy hardware still permeating offices.
What if phones could work alongside all these other tools? What if you could have
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6 of the best payment systems for accepting US dollars
by Anna Jordan • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
Whether your business offers a product or a service, markets these days are global so you need to be able to accept multiple currencies, including US dollars.
Before we crack on, a few definitions.
Payment system: A mechanism for transferring cash. As you’re collecting US dollars in this case, these will be online.
Presentment currency: The currency that the customer pays you in.
Settlement currency: The currency accepted by your account.
With most of these accounts, you can opt to open multiple separate currency accounts so that you can receive and withdraw US dollars directly. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay a currency conversion fee.
Airwallex
The Airwallex Global Account is an international collections platform which lets you receive foreign currency payment as if it’s local, using the local clearing system.
You can use the Global Account alongside Airwallex’s conversion engine and multi-currency wallet.
Fees: Free
Conversion rate: 0.5pc-1pc
Can I open multiple currency accounts?: Yes
Ideal for: Small businesses who deal with a larger number of multi-currency transactions
Worldpay
Worldpay accepts payments in over 120 currencies, including USD, as part of its multi-currency service. You can add up to five of a possible nine currencies: GBP, EUR, USD, CAD, DKK, HKD, NOK, SEK, SGD.
Fees: Free
Conversion rate: 4pc
Can I
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How small businesses can use Lightricks BoostApps to market on a budget
by Partner Content • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Partner Content on Small Business
Small businesses need to become widely visible to attract paying customers. However, it can be tough to compete against larger enterprises that have long established their brands and have gained loyal followings especially since SMBs often have meagre budgets set aside for marketing.
Often, SMBs take it upon themselves to create their marketing assets, whether it’s building their own websites, designing and writing content or managing social media campaigns.
Over a third of business owners in the UK say that attracting new customers is their biggest challenge. Content creation tool developer, Lightricks, also revealed a study that shows 72pc of business leaders believe they’re falling short of their marketing goals, even if they’re spending half of their time tending to their campaigns.
As such, SMBs must be able to find efficient ways on how to build their brands. Fortunately, they can take advantage of social media marketing in order to reach out to the right audiences quickly and cheaply.
Tools are now increasingly becoming available. Solutions like Lightricks’ BoostApps suite, for example, features easy-to-use content creation apps that help SMBs increase their engagement and sales.
The apps enable SMBs, one-man-show entrepreneurs and micro-influencers to generate visual content compelling
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Best UK business phone and broadband deals – how to choose
by Nathan Hill-Haimes • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Nathan Hill-Haimes on Small Business
As your business grows and develops, it’s natural that your phone and broadband requirements are likely to change. Coupled with the evolving nature of the workplace, multiple locations, increased security threats and flexible working patterns, choosing the right solution can be confusing. Here are some tips for deciding on the best phone and broadband solution for your business.
Speed
Broadband packages for business are much faster than home broadband solutions and also provide greater choice; you can opt for either ADSL or fibre and can even choose a leased line. It can be tempting to opt for the highest speeds available, with some providers offering up to 500Mbps, but it is worth being mindful that coverage may be limited. As a rough guideline, most business broadband plans will offer between 20Mbps to 80Mbps. If your business requirement is for much faster upload and download speeds, it would be sensible to move away from fibre broadband and explore a leased line instead. Leased lines are symmetrical, and this means that you are able to gain upload and download speeds of up to 1Gbps.
>See also: What broadband options are available for my business?
Dynamic or Static IP
You are
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Three steps to writing a cookie policy for your website
by Partner Content • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Partner Content on Small Business
When you visit a website, most of the time a cookie file is saved to your device (with your permission).
This is a simple text file which stores the website’s name and gives you a unique ID so that it can tell you’ve been there before. Cookies can also provide insights into how long you spend on a website, which links you click on, options you’ve chosen and which items you’ve placed into a shopping basket.
This allows websites to deliver pages and services which are tailored to you and your preferences.
What is a cookie policy and why does your website need one?
A cookie policy tells your website visitors what the cookies on your website are for, what data you’re collecting and how you’re using this information. It should also inform people how they can opt out or change their settings, especially as website cookies are prone to change.
Cookies have generated some controversy in the last few years as online consumers become ever more conscious of their online security and privacy. As cookies collect data around what individuals are doing on your website, it’s a legal requirement for all websites to get consent to collect
Hot Business News Today
5 critical small business concerns and the tech tools to solve them
by Partner Content • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Partner Content on Small Business
Dealing with the day-to-day operational concerns of running a small company requires discipline, savvy and the right tech tools.
Overlooking even just one area of the business can create major issues that can affect a venture’s survivability. In the UK, around 80pc of businesses shut down in their first year.
While such statistics can be discouraging, the challenges that small to medium-sized businesses face have become more manageable thanks to technology. Digital solutions are now widely available, and they’re specifically designed to address the pain points that most small businesses experience.
Here are five common problems small businesses face and the tools that can help companies solve them.
Cyberattacks – Reason
SMBs are now the primary target of cyberattacks. Over half (58pc) of malware attack victims today are small businesses. Despite this, small businesses are still ill-equipped to defend themselves from cyberthreats.
Security solutions provider Reason Cybersecurity has released Reason for Business, an anti-malware solution for small businesses. Reason offers advanced antivirus and privacy-focused capabilities such as real-time protection, threat removal, ransomware protection and webcam and microphone protection.
Reason for Business is currently available for small businesses through affordable subscription plans. The comprehensive protection suite can help companies combat modern