For most small businesses owners, they don't realise that their operational systems are outdated until sales, leads and employee contribution slow down. The world of small business is changing with the growing demand remote working due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are seven ways to tell your small business communications may be outdated and why it's time for an upgrade.

Slow internet

The first sign of outdated business communications is slow or unusable internet connection. Leading to lower productivity across the whole business and communication channels. This can include, answering emails and logging tickets using in-house systems. This can also be extended to assisting customers as slow internet can also impact software and communication channels.

Inability to grow or scale

Growth projections can also be a strong indicator of technology readiness, if your small business lack the modern technology it needs to scale this needs to change. For example, small businesses who still rely on traditional landlines are fixed to one office space which is detrimental for those looking to expand or move office buildings. This can force stalled or slowing growth and profits. Furthermore, adding a new line can be expensive in terms of maintenance and engineering costs.

Slow sales

Poor sales can be traced back to poor IT systems. For example, if your business struggles to get back to missed leads due to a full voicemail inbox or now call routing this can slow down stream of sales and general profits for the business. Furthermore, small business must keep up with an ever-increasing demand for better products and customer service levels. Nowadays, customers expect a quick response to emails, calls and even expect live chats. If your small business cannot account for these it can also vital current customers and new ones.

Low IT productivity

Low IT productivity can affect your business communication negatively if you have failing software. This will take time away from your business when there are potential clients your small business should be assisting. If your system is failing and your small business has to find ways to workaround for the software limits productivity.

If your small business is using supplemental software to make up for shortcomings it will decrease productivity and added cost that could be avoided. Old routers/computers undermine workers ability to meet deadlines which decreases productivity and that will put your business behind. Decreasing sales can also be traced back to IT low productivity which proves that your system is outdated and it is time to switch.

Missed calls/leads

Many businesses rely on calls if you are missing calls and leads you are missing on potential clients. VoIP has 50+ features that help with call management that would benefit anybody. For example, Auto Attendant is a menu that callers can use to reach the correct extension. Call Queues and this minimizes customer wait time and helps prevent missed calls. All these features make a customer's experience positive. Your business communication needs these features to not miss any potential customers. 

Low-quality security

If your business communication is not secure, your documents can be easily accessed by anyone. A lack of secure network could mean important documents and customer information could be leaked. It is important to keep your business secure, new communication tools such as VoIP have features that will help keep your sensitive information safe. With VoIP, you have the option to back up and secure important documents. It also has cloud storage where you can share files and documents with your colleagues for easy and safe access.

Upgrade your business communications with a switch to VoIP. To see how VoIP can help your small business communication check out our packages or call our team on 0203 697 4166.