The first use is really the easiest form of communication, yet is very often overlooked. Using email between businesses can cut much of the overhead that is incurred when one business needs to get in touch with another. Before email, you either had to wait on the phone or hope the fax machine would not be overlooked. Obviously, in some critical situations, email would not be the most appropriate form of communication but in the majority of cases email can be used quite effectively. Having this record can be helpful in many situations.
Businesses can also use a portion of their web site as a forum for inter-business communications .
If your business offers supplies to other businesses, a form that allows that business to order those supplies could be included, thus cutting down on the time needed to fill these orders. As we have discussed before, thought needs to be given as to your plans for fulfilling these orders. If many companies like the Web-based ordering, you will need to have staff ready to handle the load. This could significantly cut down on the number of phone calls you receive just for simple information. The final means of employing E-commerce involves a little more thought and development and might not be practical for some businesses.