19 Aug Why Entrepreneurs Are Turning To Office 365
More and more small business owners are turning to data management software, either to grow their business, or to do more with the staff they already have. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in – chances are, there’s something in the Office 365 suite that will help your business. But don’t just take our word for it. There are many reasons why you could need this software package:
Gets tailored to your needs
What’s great about Office 365 is that it’s flexible and scalable. For the most part, you can add on groups of features that your business needs, and simply forget the ones that you don’t. If your business is on the ground floor and you want to be taken seriously, Office 365 will make your brand seem more established. For instance, the built-in email client enables users to use their own domain with their email account; so every time you send a message, your business name is featured. Needless to say, this is generally considered much more professional than using a service provider domain like “@yahoo.com” or “@gmail.com” .
Makes the communication flow
One of the biggest benefits of data management software is how much easier it makes it to communicate- both within your company and externally. Take a look at how Fitness Australia, a company dedicated to promoting better health through exercise, found a way to grow their business by using Office 365, including incorporating it into the social media platform Yammer. Although it’s a relatively small business with just 26 employees, the staff were scattered around eight different locations in Australia – that’s four different time zones! Employees were encouraged to use Yammer to communicate with each other, and since it’s so easy to use, everyone jumped right in. [tweet_box design=”default”]“Yammer is a good fit with our organisational culture, and it has delivered great outcomes for us. Collaboration has become faster-paced and more open.” – Lauretta Stace, Fitness Australia CEO[/tweet_box]
Enables collaboration
Social collaboration is one of the major advantages of using this kind of software. Whether it is through social media platforms like Yammer, or the other-built in communication tools included, the aim is to improve communication between employees by simplifying the entire process. Whether it is the built-in Skype compatibility, the ability to quickly host or attend video meetings or work on the same document at the same time, in the end the tool has to make working together easier. With data management software solutions, the time and space gaps are getting easier to bridge. In practice, this means employees can have access to all the data and services they need anywhere as long as there’s Internet coverage; this holds true regardless of whether they are using a PC, Mac, Android, iPhone or iPad. Of course, not all entrepreneurs have employees in different cities, let alone different countries. However, the number of small businesses utilising remote and mobile workers is constantly on the rise; regardless of whether they are interested in saving money, getting the best talent, or simply finding the right fit for the job. [tweet_box design=”default”]According to a study from Microsoft, 85% of small businesses have employees in different cities.[/tweet_box] It’s therefore not surprising the world’s mobile worker population accounts for 1.3 billion, or 37% of the total workforce.
Gets you on cloud (nine)
Another added value of Office 365 is that it makes the transition to the cloud much easier and more cost effective. Talentpay, a rights-management company, was seeking to lower their IT costs and expand to locations overseas, such as in New Zealand. Using Microsoft Azure, the company was able to make the transition of its core IT to the cloud. The savings were both immense and instantaneous.According to the company: “Before we switched to the cloud, we spent approximately $2,700 per month on IT, including maintenance. Now, our IT bill has halved, and we don’t have to worry about security, reliability or backups.”Transitioning to the cloud might come with certain worries about security and access. However, Microsoft offers a 99.9% up-time guarantee. Guarantees are simply not possible with in-house solutions. For an upstart company, up-time is especially important, because you want your new customers to have the best experience possible. If they don’t, whether it’s unsuccessfully trying to access your website, or a broken shopping cart, you’ll most likely never see them again.
Shortens your path to the top
Solid evidence suggests that tech-savvy companies stand a greater likelihood to succeed. The same study reports that small businesses keen on technology grow revenue 15 points faster, and create jobs twice as fast as their low-tech competitors. Advanced technology like data management software also has a direct impact on customer satisfaction. 44% of small businesses said technologies such as cloud and mobile have created more satisfied customers. These equal more returning business, more referrals, and ultimately, more profit for your company; regardless if it’s firmly established or a brand new one.Red Rock Software specialise in custom solutions and software development in Perth, Australia. Want to know more? Contact us to discuss your custom software needs for your business. 
