The traditional letter is still one of the most commonly used ways in business-to-business and business-to-consumer communication. The same applies for phone calls or business conferences.

Even though these ways have been approved over decades, there are possibilities, especially for small business owners, to use new ways via the Internet. At the same time, you can save time, money and even be more effective!

Basics everyone can use...

An e-mail is the electronic substitute of mail - you can use them in your business to replace letters. By creating a PDF file to send for instance bills or documents electronically, you save stamps, letter paper, envelopes and expenses to buy all of those. The total cost of one letter may seem low, but considered over one year, this expense accumulates - unnecessarily.

Telephones also have competitors. Voice over IP, a technique that has proven reliable over the last years, has certain advantages over conventional phone installations. It is cheaper, easier and more versatile. Even video phone calls or conference calls are possible without expensive hardware requirements. A webcam for around $50 is enough to be able to have a videoconference.

... and more advanced uses

Meetings are expensive; they require coordination, cost time and money. No matter if you want to meet with your staff, partners or customers, a virtual meeting can be an efficient alternative.

With free software like Microsoft NetMeeting, you can easily share PowerPoint slides for average business plan meetings or customer presentations. In combination with a phone conference, this is a powerful tool to cut travel expenses.

The Internet also enables collaborative work online. This is especially interesting for small businesses that are far spread or want to work from home offices together with partners. Web sites like thinkature.com provide you a shared whiteboard whereas Google Docs for instance offers a complete workspace including creating, importing and sharing of documents, spreadsheets and presentations for multiple users.

What to consider using the Internet

Even though online working offers new technologies, not all of them are suitable for your business. They may seem cool, trendy and fashionable. However, you should always be aware what you really need.

For instance in order to convince a new customer, a face-to-face meeting is not replaceable by any means. But it is the everyday life in office that offers plenty of opportunities for your business to cut expenses and gain money from these new possibilities.