Digital Boost
Digital skills and online tools can help your business survive and thrive.
Going digital can help with:
- cash flow, including how to weather financial ups and downs
- operations, from bookings to inventory, scheduling work to communicating with your team
- marketing, to reach people most likely to buy from you.
Spotlight series | Videos and free tools
Watch how small businesses from around New Zealand have recently moved to digital. You’ll also find advice and online tools to suit your business.
Social media
Café owner Jackie uses social media to attract customers, hone products, and boost orders of her specialty brownies. “It’s just me, sitting at home with my cat, trying to figure out which thing to post today. If there’s a big response, I know we’ll be busy .”
Cloud-based software
Farm manager Kurt uses online systems to organise five workers spread across 1,500 hectares. “Shared calendars and files make it more bullet-proof. We can all access the same information.”
Building a website
Craft shop owner Robyn started selling online as the first COVID-19 lockdown eased. “The website keeps our doors open. It’s our storefront. Before all our customers were within a 10km radius. Now we’re growing.”
Accounting software
Furniture maker Guido uses accounting software to keep tabs on his business finances. And cash flow forecasting helps Guido feel confident about moving into a bigger workshop. “Understanding where our money is, where it’s coming and where it’s going, means I can relax.”
Digital communications
Farm manager Kurt uses a free messaging app to keep his team updated throughout the day. No need for morning meetings, no missed messages, and no more worries about radios being out of range. “With Messenger I can see that someone’s seen the post and I know ‘sweet, you’re onto it’. It’s an awesome way to streamline the business at no cost to us.”
Point of sale systems
Café owner Jackie uses a digital point of sale system to track sales, reduce time spent on admin, and manage stock levels. Even from home, Jackie can tap into real-time information. “The customer pays, they sit down, and we have all of our reporting right there.”
About Digital Boost
The Small Business Digital Boost™ initiative will support more small business owners to realise the benefits of digitising their business.
Digital production processes
Furniture maker Guido uses a basic project management tool to keep production running smoothly — and it’s dramatically reduced human error. “Learning a different way of doing things saves time in the long run. Everyone’s lives are so much easier.”