starting and growing small business suffolk 06 12 11

Information and communication technologyYou also have to make sure that your site has some extrainformation in it called ‘meta tags’ and hope that ‘spiders’ readthem. This is not as strange as it might sound. Google often usecomputers to help them find interesting sites. Google is arguablythe best at doing this. It sends out search programs into theinternet called ‘spiders’ to find new websites. They ‘crawl’ aroundlooking for ‘meta tags’. These ‘meta tags’ are hidden from theuser when they look at a page, but are visible in the HTML code,and are specifically written so the ‘spiders’ pick them up.However, Google also works in another way. The more timesanother site ‘links’ (that is mentions) yours, the higher up thesearch engine it goes.E-CommerceAs well as helping you sell more through online trading, havingan ‘e-shop’ can really help you reduce your costs. Customers domost of the work for you by keying in their details on a securearea of your site, and card transactions can either be processedonline (through what is called a payment gateway - or an onlinecredit card transaction facility) or the details are stored in asecure area and then processed by hand. Either system is agreat way to start trading online but do note that there arecharges involved for the initial set up and for the use of a securepayment gateway. Payment gateways usually take a smallpercentage per sale which covers the cost of the transaction -for credit cards this is normally 3-4 per cent and debit cards areusually a flat fee of approximately 50 pence per transaction.But don’t leave it there. Any information you get from thecustomers filling in their details on your site can be added to yourdatabase and be used for future marketing.TelephonesNo business can operate without an efficient telephone system butthere are many competing suppliers all offering ‘the best’ deals oncombined landline/mobile/broadband packages. Before you investUseful contacts1. Department for Business, Innovation & SkillsTel: 020 7215 5000. www.bis.gov.uk2. E-Skills UKTel: 020 7963 8920. www.e-skills.com3. Learndirect BusinessTel: 08000 150 750.www.learndirect-business.co.uk4. Telecoms Advicewww.telecomsadvice.org.uk5. Business LinkTel: 08457 17 16 15.www.businesslink.gov.uk/eastDid you know…• computers are at the heart of all businessoperations.• you need to make the best choice of computersystem to fit the requirements of your business.• the internet can seriously boost your custom -so build a creative and effective website.• you need to be insured against errors andfailures as insurance and maintenance arekey to continuity.in any equipment, think about how many telephone lines andextensions you will need - and whether these can be increased ifthe business grows. Broadband is the obvious choice over slowdial-up connections because you can access the internet fromyour computer and use the telephone at the same time, but shouldyou consider combined broadband telephone services which allowyou to use the IP telephone to make cheap calls, especiallyoverseas, via the internet.FaxesAlthough email is the main way of communication today, it is stillworth considering whether you need a fax. Faxed documents areaccepted as legal copies, including signed documents such ascontracts. Think about whether you need a dedicated fax lineinstalled and therefore need to buy a standalone fax machine, orwhether you could use computer-based fax software - whichmeans you can send and receive faxes with your computer.PhotocopiersAs with the fax machine, is it really necessary for you to buy adedicated photocopier? If you feel you won’t need a photocopiermuch, many printers now double as scanners and photocopiersmeaning you can print or email documents from your computer.Or perhaps it would be cheaper to outsource photocopying to areprographic firm as and when necessary.“The first rule of technology used inbusiness is that automation applied toan efficient operation will magnify theefficiency. The second is thatautomation applied to an inefficientoperation will magnify the inefficiency.”Bill Gates, Founder, Microsoft Corporation17