5 ways companies are using tablets to decrease costs and improve performance

Some of the first steps that should be taken in the optimisation of any business should be striving to decrease costs and improve overall performance based on the company’s revenue and quality of customer service and experience.

Computers have always been the best tools to use to enhance productivity and operations in most industries, so it makes sense that desktop and laptop PCs have played an important role in company administration during the past decade and how tablets have developed.

Tablets are even more portable and versatile, and have therefore been catching on as the new generation of must-have digital business accessories, much like their ubiquitous companion the smartphone.

With that said, let’s look at 5 of the most common ways business are using tablets to enhance operations without investing huge sums:

1. Sales and service kiosks

Many small business owners are still unaware of how easy it is to turn a standard iPad or other tablet into a convenient kiosk, using an enclosure or stand accessory. A number of software developers have created kiosks apps and programs for Android, iOS, and Windows. Other companies sell kiosk stands for tablets in a variety of styles and sizes. You can see examples of tablet kiosks at Imageholders.com.

2. Point of sales apps

With the advent of payment processing apps, collecting payments has never been easier. Whereas in the past you would have to use a POS machine, you can now hand your customer a tablet equipped with a reliable mobile card reader, which processes their card just like a conventional credit card machine. An example of such a service would be PayPal’s Merchant Service.

3. Accounting and analysis

Systems Applications and Products (SAP), the Germany-based industry leader in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, has released ERP and analysis apps that are tailored for tablets. Thus, small to medium size enterprises can now take full advantage of corporate level management, accounting and planning tools, right from their tablets.

4. Equipping employees in the field

Let’s face it, a laptop will never be as portable as a tablet or smartphone. At the same time, a smartphone just doesn’t have enough screen space to be used seriously as a productive display tool in the field. When your employees need to conduct quick and smooth demonstrations tablets are the quick and effective option. Employees can use tablets to create proposals, collect payments for services, navigate, and communicate.

5. Cheap and flexible digital signage

A tablet can be connected to a monitor of any size to control a larger display in situations where a small tablet would not be visible enough to attract attention. Most tablets come with mini-HDMI connections, so achieving high quality output is easy as long as the attached signage is up to par. Of course, tablets are less noticeable and there’s less clutter to setup next to the sign as well.

Keep in mind that the library of apps is ever growing and every year tablets get new capabilities because of this. Thus, be sure to stay up to date with top app lists to give your business tablets the most functionality possible.