Are You On Top Of Your Business Needs?
So you’ve done it. The business idea you have been toying with for a while is up and running and you can now sit back and take a look at what you have achieved.
But, now is not the time to celebrate. Because if you have done a great job then there is every chance your new business will be expanding soon, and you need to make sure you are ready for it.
This is especially the case with an internet based business. In the current climate, some of the high street shops and businesses are finding it hard going, as more and more people turn to the internet to save money. But growing too quickly as a result of this can be just as precarious as trying to make sales when you aren’t growing at all.
That’s why you need to stay on top of your business. Being logical and efficient is what will allow it to grow successfully. For example, think about what you need to rely on. If you receive orders online they will come to you via email. Is your provider efficient enough to keep up with your needs?
As it goes, email is a very important medium to allow a business to communicate effectively and should this service go down, it can have a negative impact on every part of your business. As such, this means being able to communicate with ease internally, with your suppliers and customers, and least forgetting, potential customers. Furthermore, if your email service happens to go down, your business will not be able to receive orders – and that can be detrimental.
A lot of people find the measures they put in place initially aren’t good enough to see them through a period of sudden growth. For example, you may only have purchased the basic website hosting package at first, because you couldn’t envisage having a huge amount of traffic coming to your website.
But if your promotional efforts pay off, you need to know that people can reach your site whenever they like. And to get the best service for your developing business, you will be better off switching your services to a company that deals with all kinds of business needs.
The same applies to your email service. If your current service has a problem, it has a knock on effect elsewhere too. For example, if you get thirty orders a day and your service goes down for 24 hours, you could well have a backlog of orders to deal with; should your email provider be able to recover them, of course. In that respect, it is important that you choose an email service that is able to provide back up and recovery, in the event of such scenarios.
As you can see, it’s not just a case of making sure you can serve your customer base now. You also need to gauge what services you will need to grow into, so that you can continue to provide uninterrupted coverage and services to your expanding customer base.
Understandably, not every service provider can offer you what you need. You don’t just need an autoresponder to manage your emails. If you go for professional business email hosting then you will be assured that your email systems are fully secure and always available. The last thing you need is for someone to hack into your system and bring your business to a grinding halt.
So, be aware of where you are going, as well as where you are now. It could make a world of difference.
Paul McIndoe writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.