Archives for July 2018

Different Ways to Connect With Customers

July 4, 2018 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Connecting with your customers can be a challenge, but the reality is that it’s never been easier than it is right now. There are simply so many ways in which you can reach out and connect with the people who make your business what it is today. But you do have to move with the times and keep finding new and modern ways to engage your customers so that they don’t have their heads turned by a rival business. Read on to find out some of the things to consider doing.

Create Competitions for Customers

Customers love to have the chance to get something for nothing. Don’t we all? So why not engage with them by offering competitions with genuinely appealing prizes? More people will get involved with your business than ever before because they will all want the chance to win. And it’s entirely up to you how you set the regulations for how to enter, so give this some thought.

Meet People at Events

Networking is not something that you only have to do with business partners and people like that. It’s just as important to meet people face to face if they’re the customers of your business. It allows you to show a human face to your business and stops you feeling like a bland corporate entity. So try to attend company events and invite customers along too.

Networking

Listening to and Acting on Feedback

When you do talk to people about what they think of your business, always take the feedback they provide as seriously as you possibly can. If you hear what they say but make no effort at all to act on it, you will only regret it later. Your regular customers often know your business better than anyone, so when they tell you there’s a problem, it should be listened to.

Online Apps

These days, apps are perfect for bring people together in once place and sharing information with them. That’s why your business should consider creating its own app. There are so many ways in which it can be used, from creating an online store to harvesting feedback or alerting customers to new sales. Find an App Development company and get to work on this as soon as you can.

By Answering Their Questions Rapidly on Social Media

Social media is the ideal platform for you connect with people like never before. When a customer or potential customer fires a question your way on Facebook or Twitter, do your best to engage with it and offer a fair and human answer as soon as you can. This is one of those things that customers really care about because it shows you care too.

Your customers mean everything to your business because without them, you would have nothing at all. That’s why it’s up to you to find ways to connect with them. The ideas discussed here will all help you to get started, but don’t stop looking for your own ideas to make use of as well.

Business Efficiency: Your New Corporate Buzz Phrase

July 3, 2018 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Running a modern brand is full of ups and downs, and there are many ways you can improve your business going forward. You need to make sure you focus on getting the business as well run as you possibly can. This is something you can achieve in a multitude of different ways, and it is through this that you will become a more impressive and successful business long-term.

Now, one thing is clear, any business that is going to be a success in 2018, and beyond, is a business that needs to focus on efficiency. This is something that a lot of businesses overlook, but in many ways, it is the most important part of running a great brand. You have to make efficiency a huge part of your business ethos, and consider what you can do to improve the efficiency of the brand moving forward.

Digitize

You need to look at what you can do to digitize the business beyond what you already have. Are there things you can do to move the company even farther in the digital landscape? You want to make sure your company is embracing the digital world as much as possible because this is the key to efficiency. Stuff happens much faster when it is digital, and it is easier to back information up.

Let Staff Work From Home

You need to think about how you can bring more efficiency to the business, and this often comes down to the staff. It is becoming increasingly more important for modern companies to allow staff to work from home now and again. This bypasses the issue of having staff unable to make it into the office or people who are off sick. By allowing them to work from home, you see to it that they are able to get some work done even when they aren’t physically at work. This is a very efficient use of manpower and will help the company run better.

Hire Excellent IT Support

Of course, a digitized business is one that needs to keep running at all times, and this means you have to make sure you have excellent IT support. You need people who can make sure you are running the company with no technical hitches, and who can fix IT problems quickly, as soon as they arise. AYS Canada – business computer support, and other companies offering similar services are so important to modern businesses. You’ve got to make sure you have the perfect IT support team on board, as this is going to help make the business much more efficient.

Anticipate Problems Before They Arise

Once you have been a business owner for a while, you will become better at seeing problems before they arise. There are a lot of issues that can contribute to the downfall of a business, and you need to make sure you deal with these issues as quickly as you can so they won’t impact the business. Anticipating potential problems in advance is so important, and it can do an awful lot to make the company run better, not to mention maintaining success and productivity.

Outsource as Much as Possible

Another excellent way of making sure your company is much more efficient in the future is to outsource as much as you can. This is becoming more and more common among businesses in 2018, and it’s clear to see why. You have to make sure you are streamlining the business, and making the most sensible choices, and this is something that outsourcing can help with a lot. Make sure you try to outsource as much as possible because this is going to really help the business perform much more effectively.

Hire a Consultant

Business consultants are actually a hugely important asset for a lot of modern business owners. The reason why is because these guys can assess what is not working in your company and provide suggestions for how you can make it better. There are a lot of things you should be looking at that will help you improve the business, but hiring a business consultant is one of the best ways of achieving this. A lot of business owners don’t like having someone else “treading on their toes,” but it can actually be hugely beneficial.

Cut Out the Team Meetings

Be honest with yourself, how many team meetings do you actually need to have as a business owner? A couple are okay, but you also have to make sure that you cut down on them because they take up valuable time you could be using to run the business better. Team meetings are important, but you don’t need to be having one every day. Once a week would be more than enough, and this will free up more time for the team to focus on the day to day running of the business.

Get Rid of Some Clients

Okay, this might sound counterproductive, but it is actually one of the best things you can do for boosting business efficiency. You see, there are a lot of clients out there who can be a nightmare, they pay late, respond late, and take up far too much time. These are the clients you need to be getting rid of because they are detrimental to the way the business is running. You have to think about culling a few of these nightmare clients, and instead sticking with those who are reliable and easy to work with.

These are just a few of the great ways you can go about making your modern business more efficient. You want to do as much as possible to help your company thrive and improve, and there are a lot of things you can change to help you achieve this. The business has got to be as well run as possible, and there are quite a few ways of doing this. By focusing on making your company more efficient, you will be able to get more projects completed to the required standard, and you will encourage your customers to stick with the business in the future as well.

Lifelong Learning: Career Edition

July 3, 2018 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Most of us are aware that having excellent skills and qualifications is something that can help to boost our career prospects in the long term. However choosing the right route through education, whether you are at the start of your career, or looking to progress up the ladder, later on, can be confusing. Happily, this is something I can help you with as I have written the following post to explain all the learning options that are open to you. Keep reading to find out more.

On the job training

On the job training, can be informal or formal and mainly takes place while you are working full time. Jobs with informal training can be useful if they are the only way into the role that is available to you. Although most people stay away from these if possible in favor of positions that offer a more formal training route.

Formal on the job training can work well for people.

Such routes, sometimes known as apprenticeships can work well for you because you will be given time off to be trained in house, or attend college and study for a qualification relating to your chosen profession. While they are beneficial for your employer as they can receive financial help from funding bodies, and they also get an enthusiastic worker to train the way they do things, someone that will hopefully stay with the company for the long term.

The downside of these formal on the job training programs is that they tend to pay a little less than the going rate. Something that makes them better for school leavers and those still living at home, but more problematic for folks with an already established independent life.

On-Campus Degrees

The next option to consider concerning career-related education is going to college and studying for a degree in your field.

This is by far one of the most popular choices for those of school leaving age, although you will find some older or mature students as they are known, as well. However, due to the life experience of the mature student and the sacrifices they have had to make to attend college then tend to be more motivated to succeed academically, and less inclined to enjoy the social scene college can bring, something that often delineated the two groups sharply.

Of course, the advantage of such a form of education is that it provides in-depth schooling from experts within a specific field, and it also allows you to cut your teeth and practice your art before you have to make it in the real world. Sadly, the massive cost of college loans and accommodation fees that are involved put many people off of this option, making it unsuitable for everyone.

Online degree

Another work-related education option to consider is that of the online degree. These provide the opportunity for those that cannot afford to take an on-campus degree course, as well as those that need to work full time for the duration of their education. In fact, you are still getting the specialist expertise of those at the top of their field; only you don’t have to leave your home to access it.

While you can do online degrees on pretty much any subject under the sun, those that are partaking of these educational experiences to strengthen their career position do best to pick a course with a vocational focus like the online business degrees that are available from universities with a strong reputation. In fact, pick sometime that has a direct application to your field after graduation can give you a serious advantage in the career market.

Professional career development courses

Lastly, there is one more educational option to consider when it comes to boosting your career and its professional career development courses. These tend to be from half a day to a week in length, or longer and are often paid for by the company that employs you, although this isn’t always the case.

Such courses are designed to teach you a specific skill by the end, and while they may not go into as much breadth or depth as the other educational options, they are incredibly useful for staying on top of the latest trends and development in your field such as information technology.

Therefore if your current employer offers you some professional career development courses, it is always wise to embrace them with both hands and attend. After all, even if it’s only teaching you what you already know you can record it on your resume and it will be another thing that will be in your favor when it comes to changing jobs or why you apply for that promotion you have had your eye on.

Make Your Commute To Work More Enjoyable

July 3, 2018 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

One of the biggest parts of the working lifestyle is the commute to and from your workplace. It’s something that takes a good 20 minutes out of the early day at least, and it’s very easy to get waylaid whilst you’re stuck in traffic or on a train that’s delayed by an hour. And all that means you can get very easily bored and worried about the day’s proceedings; but there’s some mini solutions out there to cut out so much of the strenuous emotional labor you might have to do here.

So with that in mind, here’s a few ideas to take along with you when you start afresh on your commute next week; give you plenty of time to get your head together and make sure you don’t have to rush out of the door.

Commuting — Do yourself a favor by packing your day full of stimulation; it’ll wake you up even when it’s dark out

Take a Drink with You

If you’ve got a good drink to sip on, you’re going to be much brighter and more alert by the time you get to the office or the shop floor than you ever did without one. Your reactions will be faster, and you’re going to be paying better attention to everything around you; no more missed trains or turnings for you. And you can make sure your beloved tea or iced coffee stays as hot or cold as it’s meant to be with coverage like a metal koozie on your side.

Have Something to Listen To (apart from music!)

If you’ve got something playing in your ears, or over your car stereo, you’re never going to be letting your brain stagnate and get lethargic all over again before the day has even started. So this is where you should put on an audiobook, or maybe even put on a podcast you like the sound of. Your brain is fresh from sleep and wants to consume details about the day, so feed it in a creative and productive manner.

Don’t Let Yourself Rush

Of course you’re going to need to get through any congestion as fast as you can, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take it a leisurely pace otherwise. When we get into a habit of rushing in the mornings before work, we get it into our heads that work is something to rush to, and that you can never take a bit of time to take care of yourself when you most need to. But this is simply not true: get yourself up a little bit earlier and spend some time to eat breakfast or sip your coffee in the kitchen.

You’ll thank yourself for following tips like these as soon as you’ve been at them for about a week, and got yourself into some much better habits as a result. Everyone should take some more time for themselves before using all their energy up at storming the work world, so don’t let yourself down here.

Tech Mistakes Businesses Are Making In Today’s Digital World

July 3, 2018 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Tech Mistakes

It is no exaggeration to say that technology has taken over. It has completely transformed the way that we go about our daily lives and the way that we work too. Of course, there are so many benefits associated with this. Technology enables us to work smarter, quicker, and more effectively. However, this is only the case if it is used properly. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the mistakes that businesses are making with regards to technology in today’s digital world.

Skipping the training phase – You can purchase the most sophisticated and intelligent piece of tech in your industry – something that has received rave reviews across the board. However, if you have skipped the training phase, what is the point? Your tech is only going to be as good as the people that are using it. If they do not know how to use it properly or how to make the most of the different features, then you are missing out on a whole host of opportunities for improvement and efficiencies.

Using the wrong tech – This is something a lot of businesses are guilty of. They know that software will help them to improve their processes and work more efficiently. They know that most of their competitors are making the most of online tools to help them achieve more. However, this does not mean that you should simply buy any old software solution. You need to make sure it has the right features for your business and that it can easily be integrated into your current set-up. This is where hiring a technology consulting company comes advised. They will be able to assess your current set-up and processes to determine what sort of tech is actually going to be beneficial and take your business to the next level.

Failing to plan ahead – Last but not least, you have probably heard the following: if you fail to plan, you plan to fail! This is certainly the case when it comes to tech. After all, it is highly likely that you aim for your business to grow. Therefore, your home Internet service and a couple of computers are not going to suffice. You need to plan so you can ensure that your IT can keep pace with the growth of your company. Not only this, but you need to make sure you are able to respond should there be any computer issues so that you do not experience any downtime.

So there you have it: some of the most common mistakes that businesses make when it comes to technology in the current day and age. Are you guilty of making one of the errors that have been discussed? If so, there is nothing to panic about! You simply need to make sure that you put steps in place to make some changes for the better.