How Cloud-Based Vacation Rental Software Helps You Increase Efficiency and Save Money

If you run a vacation rental business and you’re using software that needs to be installed on each user’s computer, cloud computing can be a godsend for your business.

There are many advantages to cloud computing, and we’re going to go over a few of the bigger ones in the following blog. These advantages all either help you increase your efficiency, save you money or both. But, before we get into the advantages of cloud computing, we need to explain the basics of it.

Cloud computing – or more specifically from a software standpoint, Software as a Service (SaaS) – is an emerging trend in how people store information and access software that has gained popularity with the increased availability of high-speed Internet. In a nutshell, cloud computing lets you store information online and access software online.

You can learn more about cloud computing from this video below (from SalesForce.com).

The Painful History of Software and the Internet

Why is cloud computing important? To explain, we have to go over a quick history lesson.

Back in the early ages of personal computers (before the Internet), individuals and businesses would buy computers and then install programs on them that would help them complete a number of tasks (i.e. word processing, accounting, drafting, etc.). For businesses that needed to share information between employees, they would set up servers and networks on site that would store information and make it possible for colleagues on different computers to share files.

Once the Internet came about, it made sending files much easier. Employees didn’t have to be in the same office to share files. They could simply e-mail a file to a colleague, provided that colleague had the software required to open the file installed on his or her computer.

But, this situation was still inconvenient for many reasons. First, each employee’s computer needed to have the software installed on it. That required the company to buy the software, have someone install it on the computer, troubleshoot problems that came up in using the software, and update the software once updates and fixes (or new versions) came out. These costs added up when you multiplied it by multiple programs and multiple employees.

The second problem was Internet speed. Remember dial-up internet? It was painfully slow. Sending anything larger than a word document through the Internet took forever. This meant that companies still needed local servers and networks for sharing big files, and these companies also had to pay IT staff to manage these servers and networks.

Cloud Computing to Save the Day

Fast forward to now. High speed Internet is readily available at affordable costs, making sending and receiving information incredibly easy. However, a number of companies still face the problem of being tied to software that is installed on a computer. They still have to buy it, install it and update it for every one of their employees. And, they are still tied to certain computers to access it.

That’s where cloud computing and SaaS (web-based software) really come to the rescue. In following sections, we’ll outline the major ways cloud-computing can save your business money and increase its efficiency.

The Advantages of Cloud Computing

No Installation Required – If you go with cloud-based (or web-based) software, you won’t have to install the software to your computer. You’ll just access the software through a web browser online.

Access the Software Anywhere 24-7 – Because it’s based online, all you need to access the software is an Internet connection and a browser. This means you’re not tied to your office or a specific computer.

Works on Mobile Devices – Many web-based software programs will work on mobile devices, like iPads, iPhones and other smart phones and tablets. This gives you the freedom to access your software practically anywhere.

Don’t Buy, Subscribe – Instead of buying software outright, with cloud computing you just subscribe to your software, meaning you pay a fee to get access to this software (that’s why they call it software as a service, or SaaS for short).

Scalability – Because you simply access your software online, when you want to allow an additional employee to use the software, all you have to do is create an additional user name and password. At LiveRez, we allow you as many admin users as you’d like at no additional cost. We even offer free and unlimited special logons for home owners.

No Installing Updates – When your software is updated, it takes place behind the scenes automatically and is conducted by the software provider, not your company IT guy.

Compatibility – Because your software is accessed online through a web browser, you don’t have to worry about what operating system it was built for (Mac, Windows, etc.). The software will work with any operating system, as long as the operating system supports a web browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla FireFox, Google Chrome, etc.).

Connection with Other Software – Web-based software also makes it easier to connect with other software products. This is great for users and developers. Developers don’t have to spend time developing their products from scratch to meet users’ changing needs. Instead, they can simply connect with an already established product – instead of building a brand new product, they just build an integration. Users often find that integrations with established products get higher-quality results than from-scratch development projects. For example, LiveRez’s platform connects seamlessly with QuickBooks, so you can take advantage of the world’s best accounting platform.

Major Benefits to Your Business

Reduce Labor Costs – Because web-based software is accessed online and is available on a variety of devices, your staff can access it from wherever they are. They could be at the site of a property, on the road, dropping their kids off at school, or even on vacation themselves. Being able to access the software remotely means that they can input information faster and avoid having to make a trip back to the office. It just cuts a number of steps out of the process and allows your staff to do their jobs quicker and more efficiently.

Reduce IT Costs – You don’t have to pay your IT staff to install the program on a computer, update it, troubleshoot it, maintain networks and servers, etc. Depending on the size of your business, that could be a huge cost savings.

Increased Efficiency and Communication – Your whole staff is using the same version of the same software and their changes are automatically reflected across the whole platform. This means employees are able to complete tasks quicker and more efficiently than they were before. Your staff’s productivity will go up while their workload decreases – that’s a good deal for the entire company.

If you’d like to learn more about how LiveRez’s cloud-based platform can save you money, call us today at (208) 639-6106.

Learn More About LiveRez

LiveRez is the fastest growing vacation rental software provider for professional vacation rental managers. The company’s cloud-based, end-to-end platform offers fully integrated solutions for reservation management, trust accounting and online marketing, with high-ranking, high-conversion dynamic websites and an extensive affiliate marketing program. The company is a proud Gold Sponsor of the Vacation Rental Manager’s Association (VRMA).

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