The Situation
As I mentioned in one of my earlier blogs, being a small educational service business is an uphill battle. This is, in part, because of a newfound interest by the government and public school systems in the allocation of funds that are often directed toward educational support and enrichment programs. Imagine being an educational service business that provides all of its services online. Now your challenges are at least doubled, based on the technology challenges that you will face. I aim to point out a few of these challenges based on my recent graduate school experiences alongside the commitment to re-launch my own educational services business as an online academy.
Website Design and Implementation
Launching a website can be a very nerve racking experience. Particularly for a business that routes all of its current and potential customers through the site. The first thing you will find is that website design can be very expensive. A quick google search turned up initial set-up and design cost ranging anywhere from $250 to $1000. In some cases, these cost did not even include the domain name and server space. Here is a list of challenges and possible solutions for entrepreneurs surrounding website delivery.
Challenges
- Upfront and/or recurring cost
- Creative vision to create site on own
- Patience
Here are a couple of instructional videos if you cannot pay to have your website professionally done and want to try it yourself.
If these instructional videos intrigue you and you feel that you have the time to take this task on, then you may already have a solution. However, as many entrepreneurs' time is very precious, you may find one of the solutions below more feasible.
Solutions
- Start with a template from a site like Wix or GoDaddy
- Seek in-kind services or look to barter with others
- Check for student services at local high schools or universities
Synchronous Session Delivery
Asynchronous course content can usually be delivered by email, blogs, Google+ communities and even YouTube videos with little to no cost. Given the nature of educational support services, there are many instances where synchronous sessions are imperative in order to truly service your clients. That being the case, here are a few challenges that you may face with synchronous content delivery.
Challenges
- Expensive platforms (WebEx and Blackboard)
- Difficulty building a client base to re-coupe this expense, if paid
- Reliable backup plans if primary platform fails
WebEx pricing (cost has gone down a lot)
WebEx recently has changed its pricing. I believe that the driving force is competition and a couple of the solutions that I offer below.
Solutions
- Big Blue Button (Open source)
- Google Hangouts
- Skype
- E-lecta live (affordable options)
Big Blue Button Moderator/Presenter
Big Blue Button Viewer Overview
E-lecta Live Pricing (compare to WebEx)
Internet Connectivity and Speeds
We all have experienced slow internet speeds or losing our connections all together. If your business is totally dependent on your internet speed and connectivity, here are a few things that you need to consider.
Challenges
- Service interruptions
- Slow speeds
- Increasing cost
- Hardware
Solutions
- Mobile hotspot as a backup plan
- AT&T Gigapower and Google Fiber (others in your local market - 1Gbps)
- Upgrade hardware
Why is my internet slow?
Top 5 Fastest Internet in the World
Accessibility Compliance
One place that I believe that I have a jump on most of my competition is surrounding Web Accessibility compliance. Website accessibility regulations delayed until 2018. My graduate school program has afforded me several opportunities to evaluate and complete projects surrounding accessibility. I must admit, before this program, I was completely clueless as to the impending regulations that are sure to come. As well they should be! I welcome the challenge of providing quality services to people with accessibility needs.
Challenges
- Meeting ADA Requirements
- Servicing clientele in need
- Knowing where to get guidance and help
- Added expenses not typically planned for
Solutions
- Use sites like YouTube that caption for you
- Quality services that will assist (3playmedia)
- Contact local universities
- Check websites of larger companies for guidance
Here is a resource that I put together and willing to share.
There are some serious challenges that small business face everyday. As I have outlined here, technology challenges can become daunting and overwhelming. I hope that I have provided you with at least a few starting points as solutions to your technology challenges. Good luck!
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