by The new technology will help save time and money.
Andrey Balyakin General Director of MyQRcards service developer company.
What is an electronic business card and what are they like
An electronic business card is a way to share information about a person and a company electronically. In fact, instead of a traditional paper business card, a file with contacts is used, which can be stored in an application on the phone or, for example, on a plastic card.
There are many types of business cards. Here are the main ones:
- A mobile application with a business card. One of the most convenient options. You are unlikely to forget or lose it – it will always be in your smartphone. You can share a business card both at a distance and at a meeting. In the first case, you will need to send a link directly from the application, in the second case, you will need to use a QR code that is automatically generated in the program. You can also edit data and make additional business cards there.
- NFC business card. NFC, or near contactless communication, helps to instantly exchange information over short distances. A plastic card is used with an NFC chip inside, on which a link to an electronic business card is recorded. The data is filled in when it is activated. They, as a rule, can be edited, but you cannot create additional business cards. When a person swipes the card to the interlocutor's smartphone, he can add all the information to his contacts with one click.
- QR business card.A link to an electronic business card is encrypted into a QR code using a mobile application or online service. You can use the QR business card in electronic form by opening it in the application. Or you can print your QR on a sticker and stick it on a case or diary. To share a business card, the interlocutor just needs to point the smartphone’s camera at the code, and the information will immediately open on the device. Data can be viewed or saved to contacts.
There are also enterprise solutions on the market today that combine different types of electronic business cards and allow you to manage entire fleets of digital employee cards. In this case, combinations of different solutions can be used: a mobile application, NFC, and QR. And organizations get access to managing employees' business cards in the company's personal account. For example, its representatives can create, delete user cards and edit data at any time.
What are the advantages of electronic business cards
They are useful for both organizations and individual employees.
They can be used to reduce costs
Almost all development companies offer non-commercial service options. And every employee can download the app and use it for free. So the cost of business cards will drop to zero.
Corporate use cases for digital business cards involve moving to a subscription model. In this case, the difference between electronic and paper cards will become smaller and will largely depend on the number of employees and the business cards they use. The larger the company and the more paper business cards it orders, the more profitable it becomes to subscribe to electronic ones.
They are easy to create
The production of a paper business card is a complex and lengthy process that usually takes two to four business days. First you need to fill out the template, send it to the printing house, get the layout for confirmation, check for errors and agree, pay the bill, wait until the printing house prints the circulation, send the driver, sign the documents. And God forbid a mistake will be made in the business card.
But electronic cards exclude such problems. They are easy to create in the application or the personal account of the company and just as easy to edit.
They can be made for any employee
It takes less time to create electronic cards than to coordinate and print in a printing house, and you can always use the free option. Therefore, a digital business card can be prepared for any employee of the company who may ever need them.
They are easy to edit
A mistake in a paper business card means only one thing – the batch is damaged, everything will have to be redone . An electronic card can be corrected in a second. In the mobile application, the employee is able to delete errors himself, and in the company's personal account, the administrator can easily edit any business card or even make changes to all at once.
With their help, it is convenient to add data to the client's phone book
The easier it is to save your contacts, the higher the chances that the call will not be identified as another unwanted call. Electronic business cards simplify the process of data transfer as much as possible. All information is easy to save. This does not require the installation of any applications or other manipulations – just bring the business card to the smartphone or let the QR code be read.
Will the client transfer data to the phone from a paper business card — big question.
And since it’s easier to keep a contact, then the company’s employees will always be recognized when they receive an incoming call, and they will spend less time dialing and trying to contact customers and partners.
What are the disadvantages of electronic business cards
Although there are many advantages, it is also important to note the disadvantages.
Not all clients can be given them
If a person does not use a smartphone or simply prefers to store contacts in paper form, an electronic business card will not work .
In addition, older smartphones are not always able to read NFC chips, and in some phones QR code recognition is not built into the camera function. In the second case, you will need to download a separate application for QR codes, which may not always be convenient.
NFC is not always read immediately
That happens. For example, when a smartphone case is thick or has metal inserts, NFC may not be detected the first time. This is unlikely to be a big problem, but when communicating with business partners or clients, you want to avoid any hitches.
Sometimes they should not be used in terms of etiquette
This is a rare situation, but important mention her. In some countries, paper business cards are so widespread that an electronic business card can be considered rude. For example, in Japan, printed cards are the basis of business etiquette. Almost everyone has them, and special attention is paid to the rules of exchange. In this case, QR codes or NFC will most likely not work.
How to transfer a company to electronic business cards
Try this.
Explore different options for free
Most services offer trial periods. In some cases, you can also order a demonstration of the capabilities of your personal account and the program on the websites of developer companies.
Another option is to download a free mobile application. Although there will be no corporate functions, it will be possible to create one electronic business card. So you can evaluate how convenient the service is for you.
Choose the appropriate service and tariff
After you have decided on the company, it remains to choose the appropriate tariff. It is worth paying attention to the maximum number of users, the set of functions in the personal account and additional services. The latter include, for example, individual design and corporate management of an electronic business card fleet.
When you connect the service, you can immediately order QR stickers or NFC cards for the required number of employees.
Enter the data in system
Add the contact information of employees in the personal account of the company: name, position, email, phone, photo, social networks, name and description of the organization. If you have a large staff (hundreds and thousands of people), then representatives of the developer company can help you enter the data.
It's too early to say that electronic business cards are the future that has come. But they have quite a few advantages, from ease of use to new useful features. Already, electronic cards are a worthy alternative to paper ones.
