By Arina Smith
A new business entity needs to keep a tab on expenses. So, many first-time entrepreneurs tend to avoid investing in office equipment. After all, a big chunk of startups shut shop in the very first year.
But, a seasoned businessman would tell you that the right office equipment can save your business a great deal of time, money, and effort. For instance, if your company is offering design services, having a good quality inkjet printer for graphic designers is a good idea.
Yes, you shouldn’t go overboard; there is no need to mimic a typical corporate office. You just need to get the equipment that offers one or all of the following benefits:
- Helps your employees get more organized
- Improves daily business operations
- Increases overall productivity
- This leads to cost-savings in the long run
You can even rent or lease some or all of the equipment if you do not wish to make a one-time investment at the moment.
Here’s a selection of the top seven office equipment that every business needs:
1. Business Telephone System
A modern-day business telephone system is an advanced calling network uniquely designed to help improve communications for small and large-scale organizations in a cost-effective manner. For instance, on-premise or cloud-based VoIP telephone systems can handle the complex needs of different types of businesses such as:
- Easy management of customer service calls
- Conference calling
- Voicemail feature to help store/retrieve messages received when you’re away
- Automated responses to an incoming call
- Direct the caller to the appropriate extension
- On-hold messages or music to keep callers informed that they’re on an active line
Choose a business telephone system that offers the right mix of features and tools. Stick to vendors who have a reputation of providing on-time customer support.
2. Multifunction Printer
Most of the information today is stored, organized, processed, and moved electronically but customers and vendors still love paper. From customer invoices and vendor bills to business correspondence, reports, labels, banners, flyers, and posters, your business may need to print/copy/scan a variety of documents.
However, most businesses know that having a printer is not enough. They realise that a major portion of daily expenses revolve around toner usage. This is why it is essential that businesses always go for toner surplus buyer to help them save costs. Buying in bulk also means that they do not have to content with problems like running out of printing ink during their day-to-day operations.
You can get an all-in-one laser/inkjet with print, copy, and scan functions at Gulf Coast Printing.
While inkjet or laser printers these days don’t involve a high upfront cost, ink cartridges and toners are still very expensive. You can purchase high-yield ink cartridges and toners to save up to 50% on ink costs. In case your daily business operations require more than 10 prints a day, and you use the Epson printer then consider purchasing Epson 200XL Ink Set at a discount from a reputable seller.
You may like also this: Is Purchasing A Used Business Equipment Worth It?
3. Paper Shredder
A mechanical device, a paper shredder is used to destroy certain documents such as business reports, trade agreements, invoices, bills, customer lists, etc. Ironically, these are the same documents that your staff would’ve worked hard to produce.
Any piece of printed information, which is sensitive in nature, can be destroyed in a manner that putting back the shredded paper pieces or recovering the lost information is impossible.
4. Pantry Equipment
Pantry equipment such as a water filter, drinking water dispenser, coffee maker, beverage vending machine, and crockery items such as cups, plates, glasses, and spoons are now considered necessary in any office. Be it your employees or customers and vendors visiting your premises, they’d almost certainly expect such amenities.
5. Office Furniture
Regardless of the size of an office – chairs, tables, stools, writing desks, and cabinets are some of the basic furniture items needed.
An office chair should have a comfortable backrest; you may also consider investing in upholstered chairs with great back support.
Tables should be spacious but not bulky; inbuilt cabinets, if any, should be designed keeping in mind the space constraints.
Cabinets are used to store confidential matters such as office records as well as backup supplies such as stationery items or used ink cartridges and spare devices. Many businesses provide small cabinets to their employees to keep their personal belongings on a daily basis.
6. Technology Hardware
Depending upon the nature of business and day-to-day operations, different types of technology hardware may be required. While desktop computers or laptops are now found in just about any business establishment, more specific technology hardware can be acquired as per the unique requirements. Some of the most common technology hardware that you may need includes the following:
- Internet router for setting up an office LAN (Local Area Network) or VPN (Virtual Private Network)
- A network switch for connecting multiple computers and VoIP phones
- External hard drive for storing digital media
- Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system
- Servers for running in-house databases, if any
- A big television screen or projector
7. Whiteboard or Interactive Display System
A whiteboard or an interactive display system can help make daily or weekly meetings more productive. A traditional whiteboard can be used to discuss various topics or list down daily/weekly targets. An interactive display system can seamlessly integrate with your IT hardware; it can be used for interactive group discussions or client presentations. Some participants can also participate remotely.
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