SmallBusinessNewz

We're told that "simple is good," yet "technology is our friend."  To try to reconcile these sayings - they can't both be right in every circumstance - here's a list of several technologies that might deserve a spot in a small business.

Credit for an original list of ten ideas goes to Gene Marks.  This article pares things down a bit, though (with no promises that we won't return to the original list later), and expands on some of the concepts.

Free conference calling is a big one.  Clients travel, employees get snowed in, and phone trees are ridiculous enough that they should never come into play.  Also, if you think people will be turned off by the occasional talking-over-one-another confusion, think again; earlier today, Microsoft held a conference call, and the company's operators were temporarily overwhelmed by media interest.

Wireless connectivity is important, as well.  No one's suggesting that you try to type while driving, but a number of minutes, and even hours, are lost to things that leave you drumming your fingers and waiting for something to happen.  Plus, even if you're being genuinely active, wireless connectivity gives you the chance to check things without physically relocating.

The last bit of technology we'll mention today is contact management software.  Pretty much every device comes with something that lets you enter names, email addresses, and phone numbers.  But you may also want fields that allow you to enter wives' (or husbands') names, favorite sports teams, and all other sorts of random tidbits.  Following the entry of this stuff, sorting abilities are important, too.

Good luck with these things; we've tried to highlight stuff that is cheap and/or easy to implement.