Cloud-based business tools: the benefits you may have missed

Guest blog by BookingBug co-founder Greg Bock

For years, businesses across the globe have been using cloud-based tools to run their businesses, and the growth and popularity of these integratable tools has been phenomenal. From accounting to payment gateways, from booking services to storage facilities, we live in a world where we just can’t live without the cloud. And for good reason too – it has heaps of benefits. Not just for managing your business – but for your customers too.

Besides the more obvious selling points of cloud-based platforms, such as being time-conserving and whole-rounded convenience, what are the other less known added benefits of cloud-based tools?

24/7 functionality
One of the many great things about cloud-based tools is their ability to function all around the clock. This means that while you are out of the office, on the move or even asleep, your business is still able to function as normal in its online space. Even most accounting systems and other data-collective tools sync in real time, ensuring information is kept up to date almost instantaneously.

Online integration
Many cloud-based booking/purchasing platforms offer users the ability to integrate them into their website (and sometimes Facebook page), in the form of a widget. This is a major benefactor for many businesses, as it allows their customers to book or make payments without the need to contact the company directly. It’s this functionality that increases the chances of a sale or booking, purely because it is a call to action in itself. It encourages the customer to use the widget right there and then, even targeting those that only visited your social media page or website without initially looking to book or make a purchase.

Easy to track, compile and export data
For the more data-based online tools, such as accounting platforms, data can be easily managed and updated in a couple of clicks – even more so if they are integrated with a booking or purchasing system. Customer data can be easily stored, compiled and exported to other platforms, taking the strain out of building a customer database and financial reports as you would manually.

Portability
One of the more favourable benefits of cloud-based platforms is the fact they can be accessed from any of your devices. Gone are the days of forgetting or losing an important file and lugging your laptop around because it contains a certain software. These things are becoming obsolete now, as you can access these platforms through pretty much any of your devices.

Having everything in one place is the ultimate key to managing and maintaining the running of your business. Although cloud-based tools have been around for years, the up and coming popularity of the integration of these tools is what is driving online businesses into the future and in turn, allowing them to focus on other areas of the business that require more care and attention.

Greg Bock is the co-founder of BookingBug, the complete online scheduling and appointment booking platform for all businesses. BookingBug is a partner of KashFlow. Visit http://bookingbug.com for more information.