So for most SMB’s in the UK, a combination of rising costs, falling sales, diminishing cash flow and a lack of credit can spell disaster. Now is right time to explore how communication solutions can radically improve your business by reducing costs, increasing productivity, improving the flow of communications and enhancing your customer service. This could be key to differentiating your business from your competitors. Here are a few ideas which are explored more thoroughly throughout this guide.

•    Improve your business’s carbon footprint; reduce meeting costs and travel time by using Audio, Web and Video conferencing for presentations, demonstrations and training.

•    Ditch the fax machine; use an electronic fax to email service. No fax machine, replacement paper, ink cartridge or power required. Faxes are handled using your e-mail client for easy access and storage.

•    Ditch unwanted office space; enable workers to operate remotely using innovative communication applications and services.

•    Want a London or other city presence without the high costs of setting up an office? Purchase a London AreaCall number. AreaCall gives you a local number anywhere in the UK which is not fixed to a landline meaning that you can direct calls to anywhere you like and your customers will be none the wiser to your real location.

•    Use a free phone 0800 number and advertise it to drive sales. 0800 is proven to significantly increase your call traffic compared to local and national numbers.

•    Cut down on missed appointments by using an application to send automated text message reminders to customers. It’s much cheaper than calling a mobile and time isn’t wasted with missed calls and leaving voicemail messages.

•    Increase productivity using intelligent CTI applications which allow you to dial from your pc screen and automatically pop up customer records for incoming calls. Know who is calling before they answer, prioritise importance of calls; it saves time and increases customer service and satisfaction.

•    Deploy a cost-effective VoIP service such as Featureplus for free calls between your office locations.

•    Call recorders protect your company, your customers and your staff. By recording all calls you know exactly what was said, by whom and when. This means that you can settle queries and disputes based on facts. Reviewing recorded calls is a great way of providing feedback and training to your team, which leads to better productivity and improved customer service.