Are you running one of the 87% of enterprises that employ 5 or fewer people, and did you know that according to Statistics New Zealand, your type of business accounts for almost two thirds of all new net jobs in the economy?
If so, then you are also probably painfully aware how changes to the economy, legislation and compliance, competition, clients and suppliers, and technology affect your business. However, while there is not too much that can be done about some of these are you sure you are doing your best to reduce the effect of the last three?
Here are some examples of how we have helped businesses like yours retain their edge on their competitors, optimise the relationships with their suppliers and clients, and thus allowed them to maximise margins.
This usually revolves around using an internet application to offer something the competitors cannot. For one of our customers this involved creating an internet version of their core paper based survey product. This drastically changed their business model since instead of concentrating on processing the data forms they had more time to analyse and report on the results. This also meant more time in front of the customer's senior management i.e. the ones that manage the purse strings!
The nett result was reduced cost per survey, increased revenue, and a happier customer.
Often this involves creating a system that makes it easy for the customer to (re-)order products. One example is the asset archive and workflow tracking system we developed for a graphic design company. All a client had to do was search the password protected archive for their artwork, click a button saying how much and when, and the order was made. They could follow progress through the workflow tracking facility.
One particular client manager was so impressed that they almost refused a position with another company because that company didn't such a similar system. It must be said that it didn't take long before the new company signed up as a customer.
Ask as supplier to rush something and you will pay a higher price. The greater the urgency the higher the price. One way around this is to provide suppliers with an insight into your delivery schedule. This allows them, in turn, to plan your work into their schedule. By streamlining the process uneccessary haste is removed and apart from a better product the price remains reasonable. The particular company for whom we designed this process took it a step further and encouraged the suppliers to bid for the work available. Because of the transparency in the timeframe the suppliers were able to plan their production and offer very competitive prices. It was a win-win all around.
Whether you run your business from home, or from an office downtown, there are probably many areas that technology can improve integration and offer you a chance to possibly change your business model, or at a minimum, reduce costs.
We specialise in giving SME's the advantage other far larger companies may have and in doing so "level the playing field".
Please contact us if you wish to learn more.