How to Save On Tech for Your Office?

Technology isn’t going anywhere any time soon, and most of us wouldn’t want that anyway. In fact, it brings with us many useful innovations and, hopefully soon, some cures to diseases that have been around far too long.

When it comes to running your own business, however, technology isn’t cheap. And while you obviously can’t shun it altogether and wouldn’t succeed by doing that anyway, there are ways to cut corners financially. Need some inspiration? Read on for how to save on tech for your office.

Go Paperless

Not only will this save you money but, as we all know, it’s the ideal way to go green and treat Mother Earth with kindness. And even if you don’t go entirely paperless, you can at the very least significantly reduce your current tree-killing.

Instead of printing out that email to go over in the company meeting, have everyone refer to it using their laptops. Consider giving everyone multiple monitors, as this will cut down on the need for printing out documents to refer to while using their monitors. This will be an initial cost increase but will pay off in the long run. If your company is relatively big, you can even turn it into a competition, with the department that uses the least paper that month winning some sort of prize.

Another way to go paperless and get organized at the same time is to roll out a project management software system. If you’ve been paper-oriented for a while, the transition might take a while but once it’s done, it’s done. You can now send all documents through the software of your choice, Dropbox, or the Google Drive. The last step is conveying this change to your clients, letting them know that nearly everything they receive from now on will be sent electronically. They’ll surely be impressed and might even implement the same system within their company.

Implement Small Ways to Save on Energy

This might sound like your dad griping at you when you were growing up, but there’s a lot to be said for turning lights and other electrical items off when not in use. If you don’t want to leave this up to the employees, you can put your lights on timers. Even doling out laptop batteries to encourage employees not to have to plug in will make a difference. This could be one area that you should sweat the small stuff, as this will help your company in the long run.

Think About the Telecommuting Option

These days, many large companies allow their employees to telecommute (hello, IBM). Sure, you’ll surely have to still incorporate technology to make this work with Skype and other types of conference calls, etc., but the money you save on office overhead will be significant. If you don’t think you can do this 100 percent of the time, you might share the office and offer part-time telecommuting. As with going paperless, this is another environmentally friendly option, as you are cutting down on the damage to the ecosystem caused by employees commuting into the office. Encourage carpooling for the days in the office.

What’s even more noteworthy is how happy this will make most if not all of your employees, as reducing or eliminating their commute allows them more time to their personal lives. It’s a true win/win. As this triplepundit.com article notes, “This way, employers reduce their overhead, while employees get extra time for their private lives. As a result, employees enjoy an improved work-life balance that makes them happier and more productive at work.” Not only will this make current employees more content but you can use it as a recruiting tool when hiring new workers. Many millennials will even weigh telecommuting more heavily than salary when considering whether to take a position.

Cut Down on Traveling

Traveling is one of if not THE most expensive cost your company incurs, and many times the accomplishments from these trips could have been handled via online meetings. Once there, these employees often have per diems for meals or, worse yet, expensive client dinners. They’re paying for cab rides to meetings and for the technology enlisted at these client get-togethers. Sometimes this face-to-face interaction is needed to seal a deal, but many times it’s simply done because it’s been considered status quo. If it is decided that the trip is necessary, you can still implement ways to cut costs. Employees can skip things like the minibar, cut down on ground transportation, stay at convenience hotels in lieu of the luxury options, and watch meal costs.

Some of these changes in reducing the cost of company technology might seem difficult at first but they’ll be second nature before you know it. And as a bonus, these price reductions are also good for the environment.