While the economy may be climbing out of the recent recession, many businesses are still looking for effective ways to cut costs. Although some larger companies may have been able to cut major expenses by creating a smaller workforce and moving to a more affordable office, small businesses may not have the resources to make similar moves.
That being said, according to Entrepreneur Magazine, there are many ways for companies to cut costs. These businesses can create policies that limit employee spending on business travel, eliminate overtime pay and, most effectively, move as much of their operations as they can to an electronic platform.
By using custom database software, companies can transfer essential business practices such as bookkeeping, payroll management and tracking employee hours to a digital format, which can eliminate a litany of paper products, binders and office clutter. This can also create a more efficient workforce, as the ease and efficiency of using this software can allow employees to maintain this vital information on their own.
By putting corporate spreadsheets and travel budget expenses in software powered by FileMaker Pro, employees can input their own transactions and budget figures without needing to accost accountants with receipts. In addition, this information can be shared almost instantly with managers and executives.
Furthermore, this software can eliminate the need for creating unnecessary paper documents for meetings and internal circulation. Instead, employees can just upload key data, which can be accessed across all departments.
While it may seem as if this change is only cutting the costs on detail items that are usually in the peripheral of budgets – paper, copies, printer ink and the annoyance of office clutter – it's these small things that add up quickly and put a strain on a company's bottom line and operating budgets.