Would you patronize a business that does not have fixed working hours? Obviously not. A business that does not follow a fixed schedule or does not operate in a reliable manner would obviously not get many clients.
Maintaining disciplined working hours may not be very difficult in an offline brick-and-mortar business. However, things can get complicated when you are running an online business because you will be dependent on a third-party service provider to keep your business available on the Internet at all times.
Reliable Connectivity is Key
So, the first and most important step of your running an online business Brisbane plan is to find a reliable Internet service provider guaranteeing zero downtime for your business. Remember, every minute that your business is offline will affect its credibility and goodwill. Every visitor who is unable to access your website is a potential customer lost.
You have the option of completely bypassing this risk by avoiding a website and using social media platforms to run your business. You certainly can set up an online business out of your Facebook page or Insta profile. However, what if these platforms are unavailable?
With a website, you have a certain amount of control over the public visibility of your website. By relying solely on social media platforms, you will be giving up this freedom, which may prove problematic when something goes wrong.
In any case, it is difficult to visualize a successful business catering to a hundred thousand clients across the world without even its own website. Even if you do run your business on social media pages, you will still need a website to ensure your business is taken seriously.
Data Security
Once you have a reliable service provider in hand, it is time to focus on security. This is a significant challenge when you’re running an online business simply because you don’t have the option of physically meeting clients and using verbal and nonverbal messaging to get your point across.
In such a scenario, even the smallest security flaw can lead to disastrous consequences for your business. This is even more important if you intend to accept payments from customers online.
Your customer needs to clear about whether his or her financial information is secure on your website. You should clearly specify that you shall not be storing any confidential information. Or, that you have an elaborate infrastructure in place to keep such confidential data secure and private at all times.
Once you have taken care of these two steps, you can focus on other operational aspects and facets of setting up and running an online business.
No Comments