Warm Up Your Email Account To Enhance Sender Reputation

Before you start thinking seriously about launching a large-scale email marketing campaign, you’ll need to work on your sender reputation. Email warmup can help you build that reputation. One of the simplest ways to do this is by steadily increasing the amount of emails you’re sending. To avoid being blocked by providers, avoid the urge to fire off huge volumes of emails right off the bat. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways you can avoid being flagged as a spammer and start strengthening your sender reputation.

Easy Ways to Warm Up Your Account

Your domain reputation is the first thing to focus on. At best, a new domain is considered neutral by hosts. At worst, it’s looked upon as suspicious. You’ll want to avoid sending too many emails immediately and rule out using automated tools. It can take several months for a domain reputation to build, so you’ll need to be patient.

Another key step in the warmup process is configuring your email account. To ensure your account appears authentic, use actual data rather than fictitious personas. Thinking about adding HTML signatures to your emails? There’s no room for error here. If you’re not comfortable with HTML, stick to a basic text signature instead.

While you’re not ready to unleash a full email campaign just yet, you can begin by warming it up by sending out a handful of emails daily. Avoid automation here, and ensure you’re not sending any marketing messages. By sending out casual messages to personal contacts and taking the time to reply to responses, your sender reputation will benefit.

Why Quality Content Matters

Quality matters when sending emails. If you’re stuffing emails with irrelevant content that recipients have no interest in, you increase your odds of being relegated to spam folders. When this happens enough, your sender reputation suffers. By taking the time to create compelling content that engages your audience, you’re less likely to be sidelined as spam.

What’s more, make sure your content is optimized for all device types. Around 1.7 billion people use mobile phones to access their emails. If your content doesn’t display correctly on smartphone screens, you’re putting your campaign at a distinct disadvantage.

Use Analytics To Improve Engagement

Improving email deliverability should be an ongoing process. The good news is that it doesn’t take much effort to continuously enhance engagement and improve the success rate of email campaigns. Something as simple as sifting out inactive email addresses from your contact list can help improve your sender reputation.

You can also turn to basic email metrics to gauge the success of a campaign. Start with positive engagement metrics first. How many email opens are you getting? What about your click rate? If you’re scoring well on both counts, take this as a clear sign that you’re on the right track. However, you’ll also need to know how to analyze negative metrics. A high bounce rate can really hurt your reputation. Additionally, you’ll want to keep an eye on things like unsubscribes and how many spam complaints have been made against your account.

Unless you’ve been very lucky, you’re not going to be looking at a glowing slate of positive engagement metrics immediately. If results are more balanced and you’re not sure what’s resonating with readers, A/B testing can be a useful next step.

Patience Pays Off

Waiting around for the domain and sender’s reputation to improve can be frustrating. However, by being proactive and working on those deliverability metrics from the off, you’ll quickly start to see positive results. By holding fire on automation, creating compelling content, and regularly reviewing engagement metrics, there’s no reason why email deliverability issues should hinder your campaign.

The post How To Easily Increase Your Email Deliverability Rate appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

One hallmark of resilient leadership is emotional intelligence, another term that’s gained a lot of traction in recent years. Emotional intelligence means focusing on more than just a mission. Successful small business leaders understand how their team members feel—and how their words and behaviors impact team effectiveness. When you lead with empathy, you cultivate a strong culture that can bend with the winds of change and flow with uncertainty.

In Unbreakable: Building and Leading Resilient Teams, Bradley Kirkman and Adam Stoverink make the case that professional teams must demonstrate resilience to rebound from setbacks. In the face of volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous business environments, emotional intelligence comes into play.

Kirkman says, “If I had to share one piece of advice, I’d tell leaders that they need to create teams where individuals can be open and honest… If people can trust one another, they’ll feel safe and confident, be more likely to improvise, and be able to do the right thing at the right time when adversity strikes.”

Real-Life Team Resilience

Sports coaches understand how to build resilient teams; it’s the bedrock of what they do. The same holds true in emergency response teams. Front-line workers in government agencies such as FEMA need to stay adaptive in order to manage events as they occur. We all saw that during the COVID-19 pandemic medical personnel reinvented resilience on a daily basis.

Kirkman and Stoverink have worked with hundreds of team leaders across a variety of industries to learn what makes teams resilient. This background forms the basis for their innovative approach to teamwork and leadership.

They discovered that truly resilient teams embody four core traits:

1. Team Confidence

One notable example of a team that embodied team confidence was the 2004 Boston Red Sox Major League Baseball team. Before the 2004 season, the Red Sox had not won a World Series championship in 86 years. This created a sense of doubt and negativity among the team and its fans. However, the team’s new general manager built a roster of talented players. He instilled a sense of confidence and belief in the team’s abilities.

Throughout the season, the team faced numerous challenges and setbacks. But, despite the odds stacked against them, they remained resilient and maintained their confidence. They rallied together, focused on their strengths, and executed their game plan. This unwavering belief in themselves and their teammates allowed them to make a historic comeback, winning four consecutive games to advance to the World Series.

2. Teamwork Roadmaps

The successful landing of the Mars Rover in 2020 serves as a prime example of a team that fully embraced teamwork roadmaps. The mission involved collaboration between NASA, international partners, and various scientific and engineering teams. Each team had specific roles and responsibilities, all working towards a shared objective.

Their roadmap outlined the sequence of events, from the launch of the spacecraft to the precise entry, descent, and landing on the Martian surface. The teams followed the roadmap meticulously, ensuring that each step was executed flawlessly. By having a clearly defined roadmap, the teams were able to effectively communicate, synchronize their efforts, and anticipate potential challenges along the way. This level of coordination and collaboration ultimately led to the successful landing of the rover, showcasing the power of teamwork roadmaps in achieving complex goals.

3. Capacity to Improvise

During the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico, a team of engineers and experts demonstrated a remarkable capacity to improvise in the face of a challenging and unprecedented situation. The spill resulted from an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, causing a massive oil leak that threatened the environment and coastal communities.

As the crisis unfolded, the team faced numerous challenges and uncertainties. They formulated innovative solutions on the spot to contain the oil leak and reduce the environmental damage. This required them to think outside the box, adapt quickly to changing circumstances, and leverage their expertise to develop unconventional strategies. Their ability to improvise and find creative solutions in real-time proved crucial in decreasing the overall impact of the disaster and ultimately capping the well.

4. Psychological Safety

Google’s People Analytics team provides a compelling example of how psychological safety can foster innovation and collaboration. This team’s mission was to use data and analytics to improve Google’s employee experience. To achieve this, they needed an environment where team members felt safe to take risks, share ideas, and provide honest feedback. The team’s leader emphasized the importance of psychological safety by creating a culture that encouraged open communication and promoted a non-judgmental atmosphere.

As a result of psychological safety within the team, individuals felt empowered to experiment with new approaches and take calculated risks. This led to innovative solutions and insights that significantly contributed to Google’s understanding of employee engagement and well-being.

Building Your Unbreakable Team

What will a resilient team look like for your business? It can be broken down into three stages: Readiness, Response, and Recovery. As you can see from these real-world examples, resilient teams succeed because they are prepared. Resilient leadership has created a culture of resilience in the workers they support.

Second, in a crisis, resilient teams are able to respond with a coordinated, cooperative approach born of trust, belief, and a mental model of how to work together.

Third, after the crisis, resilient teams debrief and continue to adapt.

Here’s your playbook:

• Prepare. Adversity will strike; the only question is when. So just as we prepare for earthquakes and floods (or ought to!), resilience readiness must be intentional. Take the four core team resilience traits as a template to build a culture of confidence, trust, purpose, and the ability to improvise. Create hypothetical situations in which to role-play unique solutions. Discuss outcomes and build strong inclusivity for novel ideas.
• Act. When it’s game on with an unexpected challenge, coach your team to tap their resiliency training. Set the tone and direction. Support each team member in knowing they have the tools and knowledge to create and deliver the best possible outcome.
• Evaluate. When the crisis has passed, assess how well the team did, and what could be improved for the future. Look at both successes and failures with an objective eye. Applaud what worked and encourage your team to discuss what might be changed.

A resilient team that can save the day under duress starts with a resilient leader. Cultivate your own inner resilience first. Now you’re the ideal model for building a team that can adapt to any circumstance and improvise an achievable solution.

The post How Resilient Teams are the Key to Business Success in Uncertain Times appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

If you think a virtual phone number might help your organization, here are just some of the benefits of hanging up on conventional phones.

Increased Privacy While Offering Personalized Service

In some business situations providing a personal phone number can be a good strategy to build trust and demonstrate your personal commitment to helping them. It can, however, bring privacy issues as someone could search for your phone number to get more information about you.

If you are using a personal cell phone or operating a home office, you can use a virtual phone number instead of your private number. With a virtual phone number, calls can still be routed to your cell phone without customers gaining access to your personal phone number.

Virtual Phone Numbers Provide Additional Features

Virtual phones give you access to advanced calling features, including IVR (Interactive Voice Response), call recording, conference calling, time-based routing, call stacking, and voice-mail. You can get advanced calling features that Fortune 500 companies have without significant expense. Many providers offer these features for free as part of the deal. Also, many virtual phone numbers can also support texting. That’s something landlines can’t do.

A virtual phone number may also save on long distance calls. Using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), which is a cloud-based phone service, with your virtual phone service can save significant amounts of money. There are no more local tolls and no long-distance charges for domestic calls. Most international calls are free as well. Finally, you can also use virtual phone numbers to appear more “local.” If you want to appear to have a local presence, set up virtual phone numbers in all the area codes you serve. With a VoIP system, you can make changes easily through a dashboard. Virtual phone lines with local numbers can be created in more than 100 countries worldwide with virtual number forwarding to any device. If you every need help managing your messages, then consider checking out these texting solutions for small business. 

Flexible Set Up That Increases Calling Capabilities

With a virtual phone number for business, your options increase. As calls come in, they can be automatically routed to multiple destinations based on customized workflow rules. This can help manage when multiple calls come in or help manage different type of leads.

For example, you could have a single phone number you publish in TV commercials, print ads and business cards, then using technology tools, you can send inbound calls with local area codes to one receiving center, and out of town area codes to a different center. This could help you answer their inquiry or business need faster. Alternatively, if you often have too many calls come in at once, when you use a virtual phone number calls can automatically roll over to another line when unanswered or be routed to other locations.

Also, if you already have a business phone number, you don’t have to start all over. If you already have an established phone number for your business, you can switch to a virtual service and keep your existing number. Your provider can help you port your current number over and turn it into a virtual phone number.

Ditch The Landline

Using a virtual phone number can help your small business grow and better serve your customers. Virtual phone numbers untether your customer service team from a single phone or even a single office and allows the team to work nearly anywhere in the world. Additionally, leveraging different tools, a virtual phone number helps your business create a more professional experience or appear to be local to their area code.

Fortunately, even if your business phone is set up on a landline, you can keep your exact number and transfer it into a virtual landline. With so many added benefits and the ability to keep your current number there are really no downsides to a virtual phone number.

The post Top Business Benefits of Using a Virtual Phone Number appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

First impressions can color the rest of the relationship between individuals, companies, or even more transiently, experiences. The best sales teams are often the ones that feature the best opener. Let’s look at some of the best conversation starters in sales and break down exactly what makes them so solid.

“What motivated you to meet with us?”

Get to the point. Keep sales short and sweet. Figure out why they are there and what they are looking for. In the sales world, there is this idea that you are trying to convince someone of something they don’t want to do. Or rather that you are manipulating them into acquiring something they either don’t want or don’t need.

By informing the prospect of what your position is upfront you establish the baseline. Ask them what they are looking for. More often than not it isn’t that the prospect will not buy, but rather that you have them on the wrong product. You will wind up wasting time and energy on someone who is not in the market for what you have to offer. This works in relationships, in business, and in recreational or committee meetings.

By establishing what you are and being steadfast and concrete in that, you earn the respect of being honest, upfront, straightforward and fair. It makes the prospect feel like they can trust you. After all, they are looking to buy something. They are in the market talking to you already. Your job is to figure out why they’re there and to do that, you need to keep them talking.

“What are we trying to accomplish here today?”

Again you need to establish the baseline. Being a smart salesman involves the mindset of getting to the goal, but more so eliciting that out of who you are talking to. You need to have all the ideas of what you want to sell them, created remotely in their own head. Do not hit them with overuse of data or analytics. This is good in reputing yourself as an expert, but if you are already understood to be one you need to keep it moving toward a point of being goal driven based on their predilections and their individual needs.

“Where do you want to be?”

Whatever you have you need to be able to convince your client or customer that what you have; either abilities or products can take them from where they are today. A state of duress, anger, and opportunity-driven immobilization, to one that they picture themselves. You do not give them the vision. The smart customer views that as selling and being sold makes them weary. Trust that they already have a vision in their head that is far closer to where they want to be – one vision that you could never know and all you have to do is get them thinking about that. Get them thinking, and keep them talking.

“Where are those problems for you?”

One of the great conversation starters in sales is asking what spurs someone to action. What could motivate someone to leave a state of rest and venture out into an arduous risky landscape? The presence of a problem. What makes relationships dissolve? The presence of a problem. What gets someone willing to part ways with their valuable assets? The removal of a problem. This presents an opportunity.

Your job is to sell the alleviation to that problem by having the remedy you create value. And by creating value you are worthy of doing business with. This is where capability comes into play. By being an expert or coming off as so, you can secure a lot of that efficacy with mannerisms and professionalism. This is Sun Tzu’s “winning the battle before it begins.” The appearance of expertise is a good way to guarantee trust of capability. This is a really good idea for an article in the future.

“If this meeting could accomplish everything you wanted and needed, what would it look like?”

Sales are all about making the deal work. Using this you get to outline what exactly is going on in the client’s mind and get them to sell themselves an image. And you are the first point of contact and the perceived ticket and alleviation toward that vision. They will tell you.

It gets hard outlines from the client and they will give you clear instructions on how to reach them. You need to have them tell you what they need because that is what they will be paying you for. The most powerful thing any salesman can do is get the client or prospect to sell themselves. After that, it is about being present. As said by many professionals, you need to get the individual talking. Letting them talk, allows them to get comfortable and allows you time to assess and use your brain to acquire information and fetter out what they really want. Then be clear and concise and use that time you aren’t speaking to create a plan for them to reach their goals.

The post Conversation Starters That The Best Sales Teams Use appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

1. Organise Your Office Layout Strategically

The seating arrangement within an office can make a significant difference in noise levels. By organizing desks to seat people by department, you can contain noises in one area instead of them being spread across the room. Each department will be in close communication with each regarding their specific department’s tasks. This reduces the need for conversations across the entire room.

It’s also a good idea to keep noisy office equipment such as printers and fax machines out of the way or in a separate space altogether if possible. While printers aren’t particularly noisy by themselves, any noises that can be reduced should be to avoid the excessive buildup of noise. 

2. Introduce a Break Room (Designated Noisy Area)

Having a specific space away from the general office where people can take their breaks, eat lunch, and catch up with co-workers is essential. This will give people a chance to take a proper break away from their desks and recharge for the afternoon ahead.

Not only do breakout areas aid in improving employee wellbeing, but they’re also effective at reducing noise in the main office. By separating the people talking and the people working, you can give workers a better environment to concentrate and focus on their tasks.

3. Manage Background Noise

Managing the amount of background noise in an open-plan office is crucial for productivity. The small and seemingly innocent sounds such as typing or mouse clicking, quickly build up and cause havoc on office noise levels. Fortunately, there are several effective ways to reduce background noise within the office.

One popular method of background noise reduction is installing acoustic panels. Acoustic panels are sound absorbent. This gives them the ability to absorb background sounds and reduce the overall noise levels within the room. Acoustic panels can’t soundproof a room, but they do help improve the sound quality within it. This makes them a favorable option for open-plan offices. If wall space is limited, there are other acoustic solutions such as acoustic clouds or baffles. These can be applied to the ceiling to absorb sound from above.

Most acoustic solutions offer interior design improvements alongside their sound-absorbing benefits. Acoustic solutions such as wall panels, rafts, and baffles are available in an abundance of colors, designs, shapes, sizes, and patterns to suit and enhance the design of your office. These help in reducing noise in open-plan offices. 

4. Keep Meetings Separate

Meetings can be loud, especially when they involve several people. If meetings were to take place in the main office, it could easily disrupt people trying to work. Plus it potentially disrupts the meeting too. Having a dedicated space for people to hold meetings (whether this be an entirely separate room or just an area that’s out of the way) can not only reduce office noise levels but will also assist in keeping private meetings confidential.

Many businesses choose not to have separate rooms within the office to keep the design as open as possible. If this is the case, acoustic pods are a great alternative. Meeting pods, phone booths and acoustics pods offer a private space without ruining the collaborative benefits of an open plan design with permanent structures.

5. Use Desk Dividers

The occasional conversation is common in an office. If your employees often engage in a leisurely chat while they work, desk dividers could make a considerable difference. Desk dividers act as a barrier to noise, keeping conversational sounds to a minimum.

Desk dividers also provide a little more privacy, acting as a physical barrier as well as a noise barrier. Most desk dividers are easy to install, aren’t permanent, and can double up as a noticeboard.  

Enjoy Peace and Quiet

With these 5 simple changes, you can transform your open plan office into a productive, collaborative, and thriving work environment for all employees.

The post 5 Tips for Reducing Noise in Open-Plan Offices appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Considering the abruptness of the transformation, however, the art of team building and collaboration has been lagging behind.

But this initial stumble doesn’t mean it has to be a long-term struggle. There are achievable ways to help your hybrid team stay connected that will set them, and your organization, up for success.

1. Use collaboration tools to improve workflows and relationships.

Workplace collaboration tools are practically a given these days, but some companies have barely scratched the surface of their capabilities.

Beyond calendar functionality and chat channels, high-performing tools provide project management features, file sharing, and more.

Team leads can assign tasks, plot Gantt charts, and share works in progress all in one place. This centralized collaboration hub can improve efficiency and facilitate conversations akin to in-person chats.

For example, peers can share draft project requirements and track changes to ensure tired eyes don’t miss a detail. By reducing friction, these tools make staying connected easy, even when team members are physically apart.

Encourage both workflow management and social conversations, dedicating specific space for each.

Start a social chat thread where colleagues can celebrate milestones, discuss pop culture, and have fun. These threads can provide a much-needed brain break from hyper-focused work and facilitate connections beyond tasks and deadlines.

Some teams even cite improved productivity when working a hybrid schedule, reserving remote days for focused work. Colleagues who prefer this approach can clearly define this boundary, which often results in them performing at their best. Brainstorming sessions, Kanban boarding, and other high-touch activities can take priority when teams are in person, maximizing effectiveness and creativity.

2. Foster team camaraderie.

Forced fun isn’t the prescription for creating well-connected and cohesive teams. However, creating space for relationships to develop naturally is.

Authentic connections take time, so focus your efforts on facilitating opportunities versus requiring team-building activities.

Time, proximity, and shared experiences are the elements needed for building authentic relationships. At work and off the clock, this formula creates a bond, be it from a high-pressure assignment successfully achieved or a fun after-hours outing. It’s the shared experience that enriches the human connection.

If your workplace policies and workload allow, consider launching a service initiative with your team.

Identify an organization related to your type of work or close to your office location that your entire team can support. Carve out space during an in-office day to get out and do something good together. Whether you’re making care packages, beautifying a neighborhood, or repairing a house, these initiatives create a shared sense of purpose.

Beyond the typical work your team does on the clock, these opportunities often provide surprising ways to collaborate. Team members will be able to reflect on ways they supported each other during your service project. And these unique bonds can enhance the ways they’re able to connect when physically apart.

3. Create a strong organizational culture.

Company culture and branding can easily become corporate buzzwords that miss the mark. However, organizations with strong cultures know that aligning their purpose with what they say and do makes all the difference. On your team, focus on the “why” of what you do, even if your daily tasks seem mundane.

Back-end developers are often the backbone of many organizations, as tech drives so many internal and customer-facing functions. Aim to articulate how your team’s work matters, whether it’s keeping systems secure or improving functionality. These actions aren’t necessarily glamorous, but they do influence customer satisfaction and can support sales and retention efforts.

Use your company’s purpose to develop shared values that you live out daily. Integrate the language you’ve identified into your standard processes, benchmarking performance and project success against your core principles. Keeping your why at the forefront can help bridge the gap between digital and physical workspaces.

Reinforce your company message and purpose by creating branded backgrounds, email signatures, and company swag. Even for organizations with small budgets, providing relevant take-homes for employees can help them feel appreciated and connected.

Consider creating laptop stickers featuring your values statement, a culture reminder that’s visible even on remote days. Welcome teams back into the office with strong internal branding and signage that supports your culture initiative at every turn.

Adopting New Ways of Working Is Essential for Organizational Success

The world has changed, and today’s recruiting landscape is proof that employees want more out of their work experience.

Aside from the essential compensation and benefits package, flexibility is top of mind for many workers. But offering the ability to work remotely all or some of the time isn’t enough. Top employers must ensure that work location doesn’t damage the human experience.

Prioritize connectivity across your organization, even if remote work days outnumber in-office ones. When you keep the human element of your business at the forefront, you’ll boast more than a high-performing hybrid team. You’ll soon become known as an employer that gets remote work right, and top talent will be ready to join in.

The post 3 Ways to Keep Your Hybrid Team Connected appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

What Challenges Teams Can Face and How OKR Approach Helps

Essentially, an Objective answers where we want to go, Key Results explain how we’ll know we’re getting there, and Tasks list the steps necessary to get there. And the OKR is the plan that brings it all together.

Below we offer two OKR tools: the Objective Map and the Roadmap. The Objective Map allows you to build a visual hierarchy of goals and plan objectives, while the Roadmap links this hierarchy of goals to a time factor.

The goal hierarchy is the heart of OKR.

OKR Planning Tool #1: The Objective Map

Our first tool is the Objective Map. The visual nature of this map allows you to see the whole picture at once, making it easy to analyze possibilities, predict obstacles, and plan objectives and the necessary resources for them. The Objective Map shows all factors (and how they are connected) that are needed for your success.

See all information on a map at once.

To create your own Objective Map, follow these steps:

1. Identify and name your Objective. This is your long-term, overarching goal.
2. Determine your Key Factors. These are the measurable sub-goals needed to achieve your Objective.
3. Identify and name any possible obstacles you will face on the way to your Objective.
4. List your Tasks. These are the specific steps to accomplish each Key Factor. Assign team members to these tasks.
5. Create an Objective Map by plugging in the Key Factors and Tasks you’ve identified. Where appropriate, include your obstacle plans.
6. Define your success metrics and connect them to your Objective and Key Factors.
7. Review the Objective Map with your team to get buy-in and understanding.

The Objective Map is finished only once it provides answers to the following questions: where are you going, how will you get there, and what steps do you need to take along the way.

Tips for Creating an Objective Map

When creating your Objective Map, keep these tips in mind:

Tip #1: Name problems first, then make plans.

Take the time to brainstorm any obstacles that might come up on your way to plan Objectives. These obstacles can come in all shapes and sizes–from limited internal resources to external issues with your clients, product, or services. When you identify a potential obstacle, decide how you are going to address it before you set out on the journey towards your Objective.

Tip #2: Follow cause-and-effect logic.

It is important to have the Objective Map express the cause-and-effect connections between each element on the map (your Objective, Key Results, and Tasks). The best way to do this is to define success metrics for all factors. In other words, determine what success looks like for an activity (the cause) and connect that success to what happens next (the effect).

OKR Planning Tool #2: The Roadmap

The Roadmap is the tool you can use to determine the timeline, sequence, and deadlines of each step of your Objective Map. The Roadmap ensures that your team not only knows what they are doing but also when and in what order they will move through each step. Based on your goals, keep in mind that your team might be completing more than one step at a time. A Roadmap will help you identify those moments and prepare your resources accordingly.

The roadmap ends and begins with your Objective.

The steps of creating and using a Roadmap are:

1. Revisit your Objective Map and review all the Key Results you’ve included in the map.
2. Order each Key Result, and the Task activities that will get you to that result, in a logical sequence that moves towards your Objective.
3. Assign due dates for each activity and step toward your Objective. If there is a hard end date, work backward from there when you plan Objectives.
4. Revisit the Roadmap often to check-off completed steps and to prepare for the next steps.
5. Revise the Roadmap when changing circumstances require you to pivot.

A Roadmap gives your team the awareness of projects in real-time.

Possible Challenges

Before we jump into a discussion of OKR creation, let’s review a few possible challenges that your team might face when creating a plan.

Problem #1: Unrealistic Views

Don’t succumb to wishful thinking by setting unrealistic goals. True, you want your Objective to be ambitious, but it also needs to be based on reality. Keep the assessment of your internal resources and capabilities, as well as any external factors, realistic.

Problem #2: Rigidity

The growth of your company depends on sustainability; sustainability depends on flexibility. When creating an OKR plan, don’t follow the plan so rigidly that the plan becomes (at best) useless or (at worst) harmful to your end goal. Always have the expectation that you may need to adjust to changing circumstances.

Problem #3: Lack of Motivation

The resources and technology you have access to are important, but it’s the people in your company that are key to your success. Avoid a lack of motivation by making sure each team member understands your business goals and agrees with their importance. This allows everyone to feel invested in a positive outcome and to use their creativity and energy to solve any emerging issues.

Conclusion

By using the Objective Map and Roadmap tools as your own OKR method, you will eliminate all the common problems that teams face when planning the road to a goal. These tools allow flexibility when obstacles arise; they also teach your team how to think about their own problem-solving thought process and the cause-and-effect relationships between each Key Factor. Fostering these qualities will ensure your team and your company will always be improving the practices and routines you use for achieving your goals. This is the key to success.

The post The Best Way to Plan Objectives and Key Results appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Extreme natural catastrophes and pandemic risks have been shown to inflict significant economic harm. There are also other types of crises, such as the global recession of 2008 or the current pandemic, which have created major commercial disruptions.

How Can Technology Help Businesses in a Crisis?

The tsunami in Japan in 2011 had a direct influence on the profit margins of major American companies. In effect, it was the wave heard round the world. A calamity in one place might have far-reaching consequences in a worldwide economy.

For example, during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, governments issued measures prohibiting mass gatherings. As a result, fewer people reported to work.

When a company’s bottom line suffers, automation might be its best friend. But that usually means some investment capital. And how many small businesses save for a rainy day anymore? Not too many.

In reality, automation can help to alleviate a human resource shortage.

To compensate for a lack of staff, AI and machine intelligence can now take over daily jobs such as customer support. A basic self-help form on a company’s website, for example, can free up human personnel for more challenging work.

The self-help form can provide answers to essential inquiries concerning the company, such as service availability during a crisis. Listed below are some other ways that technology might help businesses during a crisis.

1. Communication is number one.

Businesses may now connect with their staff and consumers more quickly and efficiently, thanks to digital technologies.

Virtual meetings may be held using video conferencing software. Customers can receive critical information in real-time via social media networks. Collaboration with distant teams is feasible thanks to apps like Trello and Slack. This means firms can keep operating even in the face of a catastrophe.

The change to digital is even more crucial during a crisis. The website of a company should serve as a major center for communication, both with consumers and with staff.

2. Embrace advance preparation with technology.

During a crisis, there is a supply-demand imbalance. Utilize data to forecast future demand. This helps with resource and inventory management.

A worldwide epidemic, for example, may have a significant impact on people’s priorities. They can change in a heartbeat. People may be more likely to spend on needs if they have less disposable money. Because whether you’re rich or whether your poor — it’s nice to have money!

In the instance of the current pandemic, an eCommerce firm may utilize this knowledge to shift its focus to sourcing more health-related commodities, such as hand sanitizers, where we would expect demand to rise.

You can minimize losses, especially those related to inventory. When people’s morale is down, fashion businesses, for example, might employ flash deals to sell outdated stock. There’s really little difference between inspiration and desperation.

Companies can reduce the manufacturing of particular goods by using previous data. Predictive analytics help forecast when a crisis will end. Such data is valuable for a variety of purposes, including maintaining liquidity and determining HR practices.

3. Experiment with different revenue models.

Small firms are particularly heavily struck and more sensitive to the economic effects of any crisis. This is self-evident.

To stay relevant, many firms must change rapidly and adopt new monetization approaches. No one disagrees with that. For example, travel websites may charge a monthly fee for virtual tours of places. It couldn’t be otherwise.

Similarly, agencies that specialize in live performance events may go online and offer paid exclusive material to keep fans and artists involved.

At the end of the day, it’s about adjusting to a crisis and maybe using the crisis to solve creative problems. How else could it be?

Since the days of the Spanish flu, the global economy has come a long way. Longer than most think. In today’s world, technology may be used in previously inconceivable ways. Technology can help firms who are prepared to innovate outside the box, whether it’s real-time information distribution or new-age monetization strategies.

Sometimes, a crisis brings out the best in people. Sometimes the worst. It’s the same for a business. Many a small business has risen to the pandemic challenge. They’ve proven themselves to be good neighbors. How does your business stack up?

The post Can Technology Assist Businesses in a Crisis? appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

If you are considering replacing your desk phone, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is one of your best alternatives. All you need is to be connected to the internet to make and receive calls using a business VoIP system.

VoIP is the fastest-growing business communication solution around and for good reason.

It replaces the traditional landline telephone with an advanced and feature-rich phone that establishes calls over the internet. It also enables users to talk to anyone using a mobile phone, laptop, or desk phone. A classic example is “softphones” that enable conferencing over smartphones and conference phones.

Making the Switch 

VoIP vs PBX…which is better for your business? Should you really be replacing your desk phones? Let’s begin with the basics.

PBX

Long before modern chat and collaboration apps came on the scene, all business communication used to happen through a phone system in offices warehoused in a telco room. These rooms were called a private branch exchange (PBX) which were essentially little telephone companies. These used a complex structure of copper wires to transmit signals from the caller to the receiver.

PBX was the pioneer in business-grade, analog phone systems. This traditional telephony system enabled people to have a personal extension to answer phone calls at their desks, check voicemails, put a call on hold, transfer calls, and more.

Over time, the humble PBX evolved into IP-PBX by incorporating VoIP technology.

The IP-PBX could now deliver a broader range of services and more satellite locations — home users, branch offices — by leveraging data and bandwidth of the internet to connect users and offices together.

VoIP

VoIP works by transmitting voice data over the internet and also your office network. A step-by-step breakdown of how a VoIP system works looks like this.

• First, it transforms all analog phone calls into digital signals.
• These digital signals are then converted into IP (Internet Protocol) packets.
• The system then converts these IP packets back into phone signals, which are then received by the phone of the receiver.

VoIP is basically a set of rules and protocols that connects a device (phones) with an IP-PBX, over the LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet. It uses two different kinds of data packets.

• SIP (Session Initiation Protocol): The point where the call is initiated.
• RTP (Real-Time Transport Protocol): These are small data packets containing the audio files that phones use to make a sound.

Over time, “VoIP phone systems” evolved and added more functionality such as chats, messaging, voice calls, and video conferencing features in an attempt to provide more comprehensive business communication solutions.

They also eliminated the need for purchasing and maintaining an in-house PBX system. Today, VoIP technology-backed web phones have become the backbone of business phone systems that enables businesses with some of the most advanced features in calling, making it an apt alternative to the traditional PBX.

Web Phone vs. Desk Phone

• Call Delivery: The main difference between a desk phone (traditional PBX) and a web phone (VoIP enabled) is in the way they connect people on calls.
  • Web phones deliver calls via the internet, whereas desk phones (traditional PBX) deliver calls via physically connected circuits and phone lines.
• Features: Traditional desk phones and web phones really have no comparison when it comes to features.
  • VoIP-enabled web phones are equipped with the latest technology and multiple options for communicating, for both internal and external business communication needs.
  • Desk phones have a pretty limited feature set.
• Flexibility and Integration: Web phones can easily be integrated with other important systems a business is using whereas a desk phone can’t exactly do the same.
  • Besides, web phones do not require in-house IT support and maintenance.
  • This also gives employees the flexibility to work and make/receive calls from anywhere which is not the case with desk phones.

Why Replace Desk Phones with Web Phones?

Integration with Business Apps

In today’s digitized environment, different business systems cannot work in isolation.

VoIP-enabled web phones enable you to integrate your phone system with software that your business is already using. This is not possible in the case of desk phones.

When switching to a web phone, take a demo to see how these integrations work. You may already be using a CRM, calendaring tool, or other software which you may want to integrate with your phone system.

• Most web phones have salesforce integration features that enable agents to take calls from the sales dashboard itself.
• To efficiently handle heavy call volumes and conference calls (internal and external), integrating your phone system with Google or Outlook calendar can make scheduling meetings a breeze.
  • These smartphone solutions have the ability to automatically update an agent’s status by syncing with their work calendar.
  • This way, other teammates know when a particular team member is available and when busy.

The Rise of the Remote Workforce

Do you as an organization follow a hybrid or remote work culture? Does a sizable percentage of your staff work remotely? It is high time you make a switch to web phones.

The web phone or VoIP technology has been designed to make calls from anywhere making it an ideal fit for your remote team. It enables remote workers to use an office phone number from their laptop or personal smartphones, as long as they have strong and stable bandwidth and internet connection.

Scalability

For a company with a limited budget for technology, no expansion plans, and no hybrid/remote work strategy sticking to desk phones may still work.

However, the hassle of maintaining the PBX system and an in-house IT support team will still be there. What’s more, the lack of ability of traditional systems to integrate with your other technology stack can lead to a significant loss of business.

For a company with plans to grow the team in the near future, using a web phone will likely make more sense.

Web phones provide you with the flexibility to easily scale up or down in terms of phone lines and users as and when you expand your team or downsize it. Contact centers and call centers especially stand to benefit from VoIP technology. These advanced feature-rich phones can give a serious boost in handling high call volumes, identifying, and analyzing patterns in customer calls.

‘Web Phones’ to Consider to Replace ‘Desk Phones’

It’s clear that web phones are clearly a win-win to address modern business communication needs. Now, choosing the one that best fits your requirements is the next step. The market is flooded with various options when it comes to web phones. We have put together our top picks for you to consider.

1. Tragofone

Tragofone is essentially a VoIP softphone app that can be installed on a mobile phone, laptop/desktop, or basically any device your employee is comfortable with. This particular web phone tops our list because of the host of features it offers. It makes it an ideal match for any business that works in the hybrid or remote mode.

• It features a versatile dialer app that enables employees to use the business VoIP number on their personal devices.
• Backed by WebRTC technology it is fairly easy to use. Employees can open it in a web browser they are familiar with to make and receive calls.
• Tragofone is both iOS and Android friendly.
• The advanced feature set comprises call routing, call monitoring, call logging, chat/messaging, fax management, employee directory, and more.
• Other features such as auto-provisioning and white-labeling are an added bonus.

2. FireRTC

FireRTC is a free calling web phone that runs within a browser using  WebRTC technology. The technology eliminates the need to install or buy any add-ons.

FireRTC offers free calling to the PSTN in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also provides users with background information about the person or business they are speaking with.

With features like call recording, this is one of the best web phones available. The FireRTC app is available in the Chrome Webstore.

3. OnSIP Desktop App

The OnSIP Desktop App does not require any downloads or plug-ins. Likewise, it runs seamlessly on Windows and Mac operating systems on both Chrome and Firefox web browsers. Similarly, it also enables users to make voice or video calls at the click of a button. The desktop app is equipped to make calls to:

• PSTN;
• extension dial;
• SIP-to-SIP calls; and
• video calls with compatible devices.

The OnSIP desktop app has been designed keeping in mind the requirements of a call/contact center and is an ideal replacement for desk phones.

It enables both the sales and customer support teams to utilize calling and monitoring features. Additionally, it enables remote workers/mobile staff to log into the app and connect with the company’s phone system. The video call feature enables employees to better assist customers using visual cues.

4. Zoiper

The Zoiper web phone’s ability to integrate your website and web app make it a strong contender as one of the best in the category.

Zoiper web is compatible with all popular browsers like Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, and Opera on the Windows operating system. Zoiper has the unique ability to discover the browser and install the appropriate plugin.

The web phone enables a user to do unlimited concurrent calls to an unlimited number of users. It boasts of features such as call hold and call transfer. Getting a  license for Zoiper may be a good idea if embedding a fully functional phone on your website or web app is your business requirement. This makes it easy for customers to reach you directly from your website or app.

5. FluentCloud Web Phone

The FluentCloud web phone is a Google Chrome add-on that is compatible with ChromeBook computers, laptops, and desktops.

This device enables users to make and receive calls, messages, chat, check voicemails, read online fax, and more all using a single interface.

FluentCloud web phone has a paid subscription plan which gives the users access to a cloud-based all-inclusive business phone system.

6. Twilio

Twilio web phone enables a user to use a web browser to make phone calls. However, like the other web phones listed here, Twilio’s browser phone is not an enterprise-grade solution and requires a user to install an add-on manually in a terminal window. Additionally, the phone has the capability to call PSTNs, extensions, and SIP endpoints.

Web phones clearly equip businesses with more features when compared to old-school desk phones. Likewise, their ability to work seamlessly across multiple devices and the capability to let employees work from anywhere is something surely to consider in today’s fast-changing remote work culture. The sky’s the limit with these new-age web phones.

The post 6 Web Phone Options That Can Replace a Desk Phone appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Larger businesses may have more than one leader for different areas. However, the productivity of the team, processes, and organization is affected by how good these leaders and managers are at their jobs. You can start working towards becoming someone who can effectively manage and lead a business with ease. This guide will give you all the answers you need.

What Is a Business Leader?

Business leaders are at the heart of the company. However, there can be more than one within any organization.

Despite the obvious business leaders being in positions of power — such as the CEO, director, or president — smaller team leaders and managers are also business leaders. They may be responsible for different elements of the company. However, they are there to motivate employees, set goals, and achieve targets to work towards the overall aim of the company.

5 Key Traits of an Effective Business Leader

Of course, goals and outcomes will differ between business and industry. However, there are some key skills that will be present in all effective business leaders.

1. Excellent Communication Skills

Communication is the foundation of success, not only in business but in most aspects of life. Effective business leaders are able to communicate expectations, goals, and instructions with clarity and assertiveness. Likewise, they are also skilled at creating a space where employees feel comfortable to ask for help and guidance.

2. Creativity

An effective business leader is creative in the way that they approach challenges and problems. They are able to develop innovative ways to improve processes, organization, and productivity within their team. On top of this, they can influence employees to also begin thinking through this critical lens and solve problems for themselves.

3. Ability to Give — and Receive — Constructive Criticism

Nobody is perfect, and a business leader knows this. They have the ability to give constructive feedback to their staff in a manner that is not demoralizing. After all, they want their employees to grow, learn and develop their skills too. However, effective business leaders do not just give constructive criticism. They are also open and eager to receive it, using it to better themselves and their leadership style.

4. Ability to Self-Judge

Whilst receiving feedback from others is very useful, an effective business leader can notice their shortcomings themselves. They are able to pick up on areas of themselves that require improvements and work on them. Not only this, but they are not afraid to admit when they make mistakes. Mistakes lead to growth and growth leads to better business outcomes.

5. Works to Motivate and Encourage

A good business leader knows their employees’ professional strengths. They set goals and targets that are achievable and realistic, keeping team members motivated and giving them a sense of achievement. Additionally, effective leaders praise and thank their employees regularly. When people feel appreciated and rewarded, they work hard. An effective business leader knows how to use this to encourage productivity, loyalty, and determination.

Becoming an Effective Business Leader

You will not become an effective business leader overnight. The journey is a learning curve that twists and turns the whole way through your professional career.

And you must never forget that you cannot be perfect. There is always something to learn and further growth to be pursued. However, these methods will have you marching down the right path.

Practice clear communication.

The importance of communication cannot be highlighted enough. If employees aren’t sure what you want from them, you are not going to see the results you want.

Whilst communication is a two-way road, as a leader, you have to set the foundations. Organizing regular team meetings where clear goals can be set and people can provide updates on progress is a great place to start.

Communication as a leader is also about picking up on subtle hints and needs of employees, showing empathy, and being aware of your non-verbal communication. Take note of your tone of voice and body language when talking with employees. You want to be encouraging and open to make them feel comfortable and engaged.

Always look for ways to improve yourself.

You can always make improvements! This is true both personally and as an organization.

For example, studying for a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) will give you the advanced knowledge and skills to be able to solve complex business problems and develop professionally. Ashton University’s online DBA course has been designed for business leaders, professionals, and future executives to develop an understanding of processes through links to theory, applied research, and in-depth analyses.

Always take the initiative to make improvements to yourself. No matter how big or small, consistently make self-improvements to work towards becoming an effective business leader.

Listen to others.

Listening is a large part of communication. Honing this skill is absolutely critical. As a leader, listening covers a wide range of aspects.

You have to actively listen and respond to your employees. All of them. Whether they are asking for guidance, voicing their concerns, or putting forward a potential idea. You want them to feel respected and valuable, so make time for them and their concerns.

They are coming to you with hopes of change, improvements, or growth. You need to respond in a way that shows they are heard, their contributions to the company are important, and how they are feeling matters to you.

Lead by example.

Everyone has had or has heard about the lazy manager type that barks out orders to everyone else and then floats around not really doing anything. Don’t be that person.

You are the business leader, and if you aren’t working hard, why should your employees? Seeing you actively taking on tasks yourself, working towards the company vision, and putting in effort sets an example to everyone else. You show what is expected. You motivate them to want to work hard for you.

There are some key skills that all leaders possess. Now you know what they are and how to develop them. You are well on your way to becoming an effective and admirable business leader.

The post A Guide to Becoming an Effective Business Leader appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Help is on the way! Here’s how you can foster a meaningful connection among your hybrid workforce.

How Connections Define a Workforce

The world might get more digital by the day, but the human connection will always be a fundamental part of the business.

Solid relationships between employees, both in-office and remote, can improve a business’s daily productivity and help build a winning culture.

Remote and hybrid schedules can interfere with productivity. A reported 54% of remote employees have difficulty connecting with their co-workers because their work setting leaves them physically and socially isolated. As a result, they don’t get the same engagement, and the quality of their work can slip.

Aside from productivity and quality, inconsistent engagement among your workforce can bring down other facets of your business, including:

• employee retention;
• career advancement; and
• creation of employee networks.

How to Foster Connections in Your Hybrid Workforce

Leaders in human resources say a tightly knit group of employees contributes more to productivity than education, experience, cognitive ability, and personality.

With that in mind, you must find innovative ways to keep your hybrid workforce included and connected. Though you might not see their faces as often, they’re every bit as important to your company’s operations as full-time office employees.

1. Emphasize purpose.

Keep your hybrid employees focused by emphasizing purpose. People who find purpose or meaning in their jobs are more engaged and likely to stay with their organizations. You can instill purpose in the following ways.

• Structure your onboarding program with chapters, checkpoints, and measurable goals.
• Encourage them to share winning stories and the progress they’ve made.
• Let them try new things and tackle new projects as they improve.
• Provide frequent feedback.
• Constantly remind them of the bigger picture (how their job makes a difference).

Since hybrid employees often work alone, they might have to interpret instructions on their own. You should establish clear responsibilities and expectations to help them understand the scope of their position.

The tips above will keep hybrid workers engaged from day one and make them feel like an integral part of the team.

2. Keep your communication lines open.

A major factor contributing to the hybrid workforce’s sense of isolation is the lack of communication with peers and superiors. If you’re not careful, your company can become siloed and develop an informal hierarchy…with hybrid employees at the bottom.

To prevent this from happening, you must keep your ears open and reach out to all employees, so they feel heard.

Check your email inbox, give them your cell phone number, and hold periodic check-ins to see how things are going. You don’t even have to talk about work. Just provide them with the opportunity to speak their minds.

When hybrid workers can confidently communicate with their co-workers, they feel more in-tune with the rest of the office and can establish a network to help them advance their careers.

3. Use collaboration tools.

Communication goes far beyond emails and phone calls these days. You must also include collaborative communication methods so your employees can see each other’s faces and engage in group discussions. The following tools can help.

• Instant Messaging Apps: Apps such as Slack and GroupMe allow your entire team to stay on the same page and give different departments their own group chats.
• Video Meeting Rooms: Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom are platforms where your workforce can socialize remotely. They should hold a video conference bi-weekly or on another regular schedule.
• Cloud-Based Storage: Use Google Drive or Microsoft Office to store all of your business’s work and relevant documents in one place. Your employees can create, edit, and share their work with ease, establishing chemistry and camaraderie.

Connecting hybrid workers through group messaging, video conferences, and easily accessible documents makes them feel less like a separate group and more like part of the team.

4. Establish rituals and traditions.

From inside jokes to holiday parties, company traditions play an important role in creating a vibrant office culture. Since hybrid employees can’t always participate, you need to create alternatives for them. Some examples might include:

• shoutouts in emails and video meetings;
• personalized birthday and holiday messages;
• food deliveries to remote workers’ locations; and
• online multiplayer games.

You should also invite hybrid workers to events outside the office, such as fundraisers and happy hours. Make them feel welcome.

5. Create a mentor program.

Assign every new remote/hybrid hire with an in-office supervisor to guide them through the first few months of the job.

It’s difficult for hybrid employees to mesh with the company culture and day-to-day operations because they constantly change environments. A mentor establishes continuity with their schedules and acts as a helpful resource for them.

The hierarchy of employees can be unclear for hybrid workers, but a mentor solves this problem.

Instead of wondering who they need to report to, they can always look to their mentor for assistance. The mentor can also help them set goals, track progress, and potentially advance within the company.

One close working relationship can make all the difference. Set your hybrid workers up for success with an experienced coach.

Keeping Your Hybrid Workforce in the Loop

Isolation and lack of engagement are the main factors that contribute to a hybrid employee’s lack of productivity.

You can alleviate these problems by instilling a sense of purpose, using various lines of communication, and allowing them to collaborate with other workers seamlessly.

You can also make them feel welcome by including them in company rituals and traditions and giving them a mentor. Make them a part of the office loop, and they will be able to establish meaningful connections.

The post How to Foster Meaningful Connection Among Your Hybrid Workforce appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Interruptions from family members are common. Pets can demand their owner’s attention at any given moment. Even work-related activities, such as answering emails, vie for the attention of attendees.

With so many potential distractions out there, it’s wise to take steps to reduce the white noise as much as possible. Here are a few tips to help you do just that.

1. Lay the Groundwork With Tech

In a world driven by technology, your best meeting experience can only be as good as the tools that you use. That’s why, before you start working out clever meeting management techniques, you need to start with the basics.

The tech that you use to host your meeting must be compatible and user-friendly. Make sure everyone knows what program you’re using and, if necessary, any specific versions or updates they might need. In addition, if you meet regularly, consider equipping your team with consistent, company-approved hardware such as headphones or microphones to help them engage easier.

2. Build an Immersive Meeting Experience

Along with consistency, there are tech tools that you can use to help create a more immersive experience. This may seem unnecessary, but the disconnected nature of virtual meetings gives it more clout.

Along with making sure that your team can connect seamlessly, look for ways to improve the overall experience of the meeting.

For instance, the Dolby.io Spatial Audio feature allows attendees to manipulate the digital location of each person attending a meeting. Using options like this can lead to a more realistic experience that captures the attention of your audience for an extended period of time.

3. Coordinate Times Thoughtfully

The timing of your meeting may feel irrelevant in a flexible, work-from-home environment. However, with so much flexibility, it’s easy to set up meetings that do your team a disservice.

If you set a hard time for a meeting, you might be forcing an employee to sit up and focus too early in the morning or at the end of a long day. Instead, use a good meeting app like Doodle to find the best times so that everyone can bring their A-game.

4. Educate Your Attendees

Once you have your tech in place and your meeting scheduled, it’s time to find ways to improve everyone’s focus during the actual event. One way to reduce distractions is by educating your meeting members. You can do this in multiple ways.

For instance, start by making sure that everyone in attendance is aware of why the incoming information is important for them. This helps in two ways. First, if anyone doesn’t need to be there, you can excuse them. Second, everyone who does stay knows why they should pay attention.

You can also educate your attendees in more general ways. One good option is to spend time sharing resources about how ineffective and unproductive multitasking is. This can help your team resists the temptation to split their attention during a meeting.

5. Set Expectations Up Front

Along with educating team members, consider what expectations may be worth communicating upfront.

If you have a larger group, explain the need for everyone to mute their microphones when they’re not talking. Detail how to use things like Zoom’s “raise hand” function if someone wants to talk. Basically, provide a sense of structure for how the meeting is going to go and then let everyone know about it.

It’s also a good idea to set clear time boundaries before the meeting starts. Even if you don’t stick to them perfectly, having these in place can help everyone focus “while the clock is ticking.”

Setting these kinds of expectations can help you maintain control of a meeting. It avoids wandering off topic and gives you the ability to help everyone stay engaged and interactive.

6. Embrace Asynchronous Meetings

As a final tip, remember to limit your in-person meetings whenever possible. Some meetings are essential. Others are extracurricular. With virtual meetings, it’s wise to avoid the latter as often as possible.

One way to do this is by utilizing asynchronous meetings. According to Associations Now, asynchronous meetings follow a format where instead of allotting a specific time for a live meeting, participants review materials, watch pre-recorded content, and answer questions on their own time.

An asynchronous meeting occurs over the course of hours, days, and even weeks. It doesn’t require consistent attendance and is a great way to answer less urgent or complicated agenda items.

While convenient, asynchronous meetings do require understanding and a steady hand at the tiller. Take the time to educate yourself and your team about how to use asynchronous meetings effectively.

There are many ways to reduce distractions in a virtual meeting setting. Start by getting the right tech to create a seamless, immersive experience.

From there, make sure to educate your attendees and set clear expectations. Use apps to coordinate and find times that work for everyone, as well. Do your best to eliminate unnecessary in-person meetings, too, by turning them into asynchronous alternatives.

If you can set the stage for your team to focus, you can find ways to have distraction-free meetings, even in a virtual environment.

Image Credit: Vlada Karpovich; Pexels; Thanks!

The post 6 Ways to Reduce Distractions In Your Virtual Meetings appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Hiring and managing a global team is at the top of the list. As any business leader knows, cultivating a positive work environment is essential to employee wellness, morale, productivity, and customer service. However, when all or part of your team is overseas, it creates a new set of obstacles. Ultimately, entrepreneurs must identify their core issues and then implement practical solutions to achieve success.

Common Challenges Of Working With International Teams

What are some of the difficulties that companies face when working with international teams? While challenges vary, here’s a look at some of the most common issues.

Finding Top Talent

Hiring employees within your service area or country of origin is challenging. Yet, hiring global employees comes with a different set of challenges. Besides distance, differences in culture, employment laws, time zones, employee needs, and more result in an uphill battle for many business owners.

Even after getting through all the red tape, the process of reviewing applications, screening applicants, and scheduling interviews is a daunting task. Depending on a company’s budget and experience, it can take weeks or even months to build an effective international team.

Complying With Labor Laws

While employment laws can vary by state in the US, the differences are often minor, making it easy for companies to comply. Keeping up with labor laws in other countries is an entirely different beast. From differences in hourly work and compensation minimums to medical leave and cultural practices, businesses must ensure they comply with the demands of each country.

Onboarding

Once you’ve identified the appropriate candidates to join your international team, the next step is onboarding. During this stage, new hires get acquainted with the company culture, policies, and processes to perform their jobs effectively. It’s a critical phase that can take several months to execute. However, when your new hires get dispersed geographically, it’s hard to develop a uniform strategy to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Communication Barriers

How can you effectively communicate with employees that speak different languages? More importantly, how do they communicate with co-workers to complete projects? While learning the language can resolve the issue over time, learning multiple languages doesn’t happen overnight. Not to mention, trying to teach human resource representatives, supervisors, and English-speaking staff is expensive and time-consuming. Translation software isn’t always practical either, leaving business owners in a real pickle.

Workflow, Collaboration, And Inclusivity

International teams are most successful when they feel included, collaborate seamlessly, and have an efficient workflow. Reaching this point comes with several obstacles: language barriers and cultural differences to specialized experience and accessibility present challenges for international employees. If they can’t communicate with co-workers, don’t understand digital platforms, or have access to company tools and resources, it becomes impossible to do their jobs, let alone share a connection with the rest of the team.

Practical Solutions To Managing International Workers

So, how can you overcome the obstacles listed above and successfully manage international teams? Below are a few suggestions.

Outsource International Hiring and Onboarding

Failing to comply with the appropriate labor laws or hiring the wrong people can cost a business a lot of time and money. Ultimately, outsourcing your international employment needs to experts is the most practical solution. Some companies will help you with everything from understanding national labor laws to hiring global employees. If necessary, they’ll even handle the onboarding process for you, saving you a lot of time and money.

Consider International Managers

Another way to overcome many obstacles to managing international teams is to hire, outsource, or assign global managers. Having someone well-versed in the countries you’re engaging in can make the transition and management process more manageable.

You can hire an international manager, outsource international management solutions to a third-party agency, or assign someone in-house to relocate and oversee global teams. International managers can significantly bridge the gap and cultivate solid teams since they know the language, business landscape, and culture.

Understand And Support Cultural Differences

Employees want to work for a company that understands and supports their cultural differences no matter where they live. Do your due diligence to ensure that you, managers, and domestic workers clearly understand international employees’ values, customs, and culture. Support international teams by acknowledging and celebrating important holidays, providing space or time to engage in cultural practices, and creating a safe environment for employees to address any concerns.

Tech Training And Accessibility

Companies must also consider technological differences in working with international employees. Depending on where they live, gaining access to high-quality internet, state-of-the-art computers, and other technical devices isn’t always easy. Not to mention, knowledge of specific programs and applications is limited. Therefore, businesses need to ensure that they provide international staff with suitable technology and training.

Encourage Inclusivity Within International Teams

There’s nothing worse than having employees that feel like they’re not part of the team. That’s why businesses must encourage inclusivity across the board. There are plenty of technologies and strategies that can help employees get to know one another personally and professionally. You can host weekly virtual meetings, share contact information, encourage communication after hours, plan periodic events where teams can meet in person, and use team-building exercises to get everyone acquainted.

Sharing special events or milestones, educating teams on diverse cultures, and even participating in cultural practices and holidays can help your staff understand, respect, and appreciate cultural differences. When everyone feels included, it automatically leads to a stronger, more efficient work structure.

An international expansion is a dream come true for many business owners, but getting it isn’t easy. As having an efficient team is critical to the success of your expansion, entrepreneurs must find an effective way to build and manage employees from various destinations and walks of life. Although the process requires time and attention to detail, the solutions listed above can make this experience more manageable and improve your chances of success.

The post Common Challenges Of Managing International Teams appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

However, when these two departments clash, it can cause major issues both inside and outside the company.

1. IT and Sales…oil and water?

A major IT and sales divergence has been a “throw it over the wall” mindset. This is where one group works independently from the other until it’s too late in the process to turn back.

Making sure that each member of these teams is adequately incentivized to work toward a common goal is an effective strategy to combat this. As a result, it’s critical to hire people who are enthusiastic about working toward a common purpose.

2. Battle back against inadequate empathy.

If the problem is a lack of empathy, the solution might be increased visibility.

Look for opportunities to expose the vulnerable side of doing business. How difficult was it to get that deal? How many challenges did you have to overcome to get that new feature up and running?

We’re all working on puzzles. Seeing that someone else is working on similar but unrelated difficulties demonstrates that we’re on the same team. We are far less likely to throw each other under the bus.

3. Root out ineffective communication.

Communication is at the root of most corporate conflicts, whether within or across teams.

Because sales targets are the primary focus, sales teams frequently don’t understand the technology and don’t make time for it. Tech teams, on the other hand, frequently exist in a realm that is too far removed from clients.

In this case, having business plans — rather than personal or departmental agendas — is beneficial.

4. Eliminate IT under-delivery and/or over-selling.

Overselling is risky. It almost always leads to under-delivery.

It’s critical that your sales force is aware of the benefits and drawbacks of your service or product. For every two sales executives, a solutions expert is required to keep them honest. Setting client expectations and presenting the solution’s roadmap is both refreshing and beneficial to a potential client relationship.

5. Is there a lack of clarity on specific issues and use cases?

The most common source of disagreement is when IT teams lack insight on the exact problem, scenarios, or use cases that sales teams are grappling with. Additional tools or technology aren’t always worth it for the sales team, no matter how snazzy.

6. Your sales team lacks the capacity to articulate customer requirements.

When sales teams are unable to communicate exactly what their clients want, this is a recipe for problems. This can also happen when tech teams are not clear about development dates for things that the sales team is attempting to pre-sell. The keys to establishing alignment are open communication and openness.

7. Watch out for sales engineering or proof of concept engineering.

According to the tech world, development protocols are constantly broken while attempting to persuade that quarter-million-dollar deal customer.

8. Are salespeople force-feeding “solutions” rather than addressing a problem to be solved?

The most common disputes occur whenever the sales team gives the tech team the “solution” rather than the “issue” to fix.

Including engineers in the problem-solving process gives them a sense of belonging and importance to the issue. This also brings in a variety of viewpoints that may enable businesses to create better software more quickly.

9. Be aware of any IT desire to provide clients with quicker service.

Sales teams seek to meet their clients’ needs as quickly as possible. IT groups, on the other hand, may take more time to meet the need for delivering quality.

As a tech leader, you should negotiate with the customer for the bare minimum MVP required. Prioritize that outcome with your sales teams. After that, engage with IT to avoid over-architecting the solution. This will result in a win-win situation. As a result, leveraging win-win results leads to long-term success.

10. Different departments work in different ways.

Sales and tech teams operate inherently differently. Sales teams are aggressive…and perhaps oversell. Tech teams operate with prudent restraint. These differences can be beneficial since it drives the teams to be constructive, collaborative, and reach a balance point.

11. Any danger of forgetting what the operational purpose is?

Tech teams are frequently so engrossed in their apps that they fail to recognize the operational purpose of ops requests.

Salespeople are frequently willing to make promises that they suspect they won’t be able to keep.

To close the gap, the IT team should be more involved in understanding their impact on important KPIs. Sales should be mindful that promises take time to fulfill.

12. When should deliverables be expected?

It’s the responsibility of top management to maintain a close eye on sales commitments against development sprint accomplishments.

Scrum masters/project managers on the development side and sales operations leaders on the sales side need to work together like peanut butter and jelly.

13. Has IT been led astray by product specifications?

The majority of the time, sales teams are unaware of where a product is and what it can do. They are frequently tripped up by a product’s specifics.

If the product fails to meet expectations, the momentum is lost not only from a business standpoint but also from the perspective of the sales team’s morale. It’s critical that sales pitches be in sync and that the tech team is involved.

The post Handling Conflicts Between IT and Your Sales Team appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Small-business owners often send and receive messages for a variety of reasons, including to give direction and text vendors or to schedule appointments.

You probably send more text messages than you realize. Texting is a convenient way to communicate with your customers and manage your business.

If you only use SMS to send one-to-one messages, you may be missing out on some of text messaging’s more powerful features.

Business Texting Definition

A business text is an SMS (short message services) that can be sent using a mobile phone or desktop communications app and a text-enabled number. You can do this in one of two ways.

The first is by signing up for a standalone business texting solution. The second is to subscribe to a UCaaS solution that includes business messaging functionality.

Utilizing Business Texting

These days, business instant messaging should form the core of customer communications.

Surveys find that 93% of respondents want both text and voice options when communicating directly with small businesses. Customers are more likely to respond to text messages if they are relevant, frequent, and come from small businesses.

Text-enabling small businesses is a great way to interact with customers. This, along with other resources, can help you respond quickly to customer queries.

Text messaging with customers and clients is a great way to communicate with them. It also eliminates the need for long phone calls and makes it easy to let clients know that you’re available.

Flexibility: Work-from-Anywhere

Business texting is one tool your team can use to communicate, especially with the focus shifting from in-office meetings, in-person shopping, and on-site meetings to a dynamic, hybrid, and sometimes entirely virtual strategy. Apps are available on the user’s mobile device or their computer.

Best Practices to Streamline Text Communications

Not only do business messaging solutions add value to your company through the convenience they offer customers, but also, when used correctly, can streamline your internal communications. You can share numbers with your staff so that customers’ texts and calls (when combined with UCaaS) are always answered by the person who’s available.

It’s important to use quality business messaging in a way that simplifies rather than complicates business communications.

Communication with customers is a major concern. It’s important to determine how many customer service representatives you’ll need and what issues they will address.

To ensure customers’ needs are met promptly, assign time slots to team members. However, don’t over-staff this role.

You should also establish a single voice that your company will use to communicate with customers via text. It’s better to plan ahead for the questions that will be asked and then create templates that can be modified as needed.

Business texting, while it is a useful tool, can add complexity to your monitoring. It can be combined with UCaaS to provide a complete conversation view through an at-a-glance display that brings together all forms of communication. It’s easy to pick up the thread and reply if you have the right systems in place, such as uniform language and staffing.

It’s What Customers Want

Most consumers want to support local businesses. Many consumers feel that small businesses do not offer the same seamless customer experience as large corporations.

According to the same poll, 78% of respondents said that being able to instant message local businesses makes it easier for them to help. Customers want to communicate with you via SMS. It’s long past time to respond.

Be Considerate of Tech-Averse Customers

Texting will always remain a vital part of business-to-customer communication as well as customer-to-business communication.

Something to remember, though, is the technology resistance that many customers might have. For these people, and others who, for various reasons, may feel shy around newer technology, texting may not be an option.

So it’s important to keep other, more traditional, avenues of communication open for your customers who are not comfortable texting. This can include email newsletters or even a brief personal phone call.

In fact, a phone call to your most loyal customers can increase business, surprisingly. If done in a professional manner, such calls can generate additional orders. It’s always the personal touch that counts!

The post Texting Guidance for Small-Businesses appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Those two goals may at first seem to be at odds with one another, but that’s not true anymore. New software and hardware solutions make it increasingly simple to identify an authorized individual. This can be done by username and password but also by cell number, face scan, and thumbprint.

These improvements in user identification are running in parallel with a growing need for enhanced customer service. In our digital age, people are far less likely to cooperate with outdated processes. Nor should they be asked to do so.

What exactly is a “data silo?”

A data silo is best defined as a valuable set of data collected by one department within an organization but not shared with others. Very rarely do these silos develop out of a need for extreme security and protection. Far more often, data silos are a legacy of outdated systems that simply kept running untended.

Why are data silos such a bad thing?

Sometimes, a data silo can be the intentional result of an individual or group of people misguidedly attempting to become “indispensable.” They see giving unrestricted access to their resources as a threat of some kind. Whether the underlying cause is something that just organically developed over time or slightly more nefarious, data silos breed mistrust. They hamper overall efficiency and contribute to a lack of transparency.

Data silos keep people in the dark. Management is left to operate by hunches as no one has a complete picture of how the company is doing. This in turn leads to poor decision-making which does nothing to alleviate any trust issues. Collaboration falters when departments engage in turf wars. Customers have a degraded experience with your company. They must frequently share identical information with multiple representatives.

Data silos are known for being only as accurate as of the person or persons left in charge. Since only a privileged few can manipulate the data, there is no opportunity for someone in another area to spot a mistake or make a correction. Housing multiple data sets — many of which contain similar or identical information — adds to the operating costs of any business. Siloed data is not useless, but neither is it optimized.

How do I find these silos?

The trick to spotting data silos is as simple (and as difficult) as paying attention to internal processes with “new eyes.” In many settings, data silos have become part of the everyday routine, as ubiquitous as office furniture. Here are some questions you can ask yourself as you seek to uncover information logjams.

• Are there any processes that stall out for lack of access to information?
• Where and when are employees running into duplicate or conflicting information?
• Are there routines in place that require entering the same information more than once?
• Have we ever had to stop what we were doing to call someone who was out of the office?

Asking these types of questions can help you and other employees push past underlying assumptions. Those assumptions have helped give rise to data silos in the first place.

Another good tactic your teams can use is to pay attention to those times when they experience excellence in information availability balanced by security. Seeing how other companies keep their data sets talking to each other in real-time can call attention to areas where your business might be lacking.

What can I do to eliminate data silos?

The simple answer to eliminating data silos is getting your systems all talking to one another seamlessly. That’s most often easier said than done. However, hang onto that metanarrative as your people encounter snags. In most cases, the overall goal will be to eliminate data hoarding in outlying areas of your company and bring them all together under one roof.

Implement an all-in-one-place data management tool.

Some people balk at the idea of having all of their sensitive data housed in one location. However, this is a holdover from the days when the crash of one hard drive could take down a business for days if not weeks. Centralized servers — both secure and reliable — make it possible to gather all of your data in one place. You can then manage levels of access with a high degree of granularity.

There are many outstanding data management tools on the market today. Listing and evaluating them would be a daunting task and is beyond the scope of this article. Not only that but patches and software upgrades are being released every week.

The trick is to commit to a period of evaluation — six weeks, six months, whatever — and learn as much as you can from vendors and other resources as you can. At some point, you’ll want to pull the trigger. Don’t become paralyzed by promises of “new and exciting” products that may or may not be released on time.

Use applications with built-in integration mechanisms.

As your company moves forward with tearing down its data silos, be sure that any new investment in hardware or software solutions allows for the future integration of other methodologies. Any system that insists on nothing other than a single, proprietary solution is probably not a good bet. You won’t want to find yourself beholden to any single architecture or vendor. This is a set-up for being held hostage somewhere further on up the road.

As you look for applications and systems that promise to connect your silos and centralize your data sets, be cautious. Make sure to ask about the availability of application programming interfaces (APIs) that readily permit the use of other solutions. Those solutions can be proprietary to another company or open-source.

Reward collaboration.

Many organizations have employees who view access to certain information as a privilege unique to their position.

One telltale sign of someone who has a vested interest in maintaining data silos is the phrase “my data.” This phrase most often rolls off the tongue when the time is at hand to integrate systems. This type of thinking is certainly to be discouraged.

However, you’ll likely make more headway in your organization by publicly praising examples of collaboration and cooperation with regard to integrating data systems.

When teams that don’t normally work together demonstrate initiative in moving the company forward through breaking down data silos, be sure to call attention to these efforts by rewarding them. Rewards can include financial incentives and perhaps even promotions. The key is to make sure that everyone “gets it” that your company is actively moving away from information hoarding by treating it as a relic from another age.

When it comes to outdated information, purge, purge, purge.

Your integrated solution will only ever be as good as the data that gets uploaded to it. With that in mind, any effort to break down a data silo must have as its first step the systematic cleaning of the data housed within. While you may be able to write scripts to help root out incomplete, inaccurate, or outdated information, nothing beats an experienced set of eyes for cleaning data.

You may find you have employees that are somewhat reluctant to purge data out of concern for losing records. One way to get around this objection is to have your IT department set up a “sandbox” or staging server where multiple backups are made per day. Whatever you can do to embolden your people to purge bad data, it will be worth the effort when those data records are ultimately uploaded to your new integrated software solution.

Wrapping Up

The most challenging aspect of tearing down data silos is most often human, not technological. As you begin to tackle this task, you are almost certain to run into one or more employees who are reticent. This is to be expected. Many people get nervous in the face of systems changing.

To the extent that this is completely true, assure your staff that no one’s job is on the line. In fact, you’re hoping that the elimination of data silos will ultimately lead to improved productivity, a better customer experience overall, and perhaps even more jobs.

The post How to Spot and Eliminate Data Silos appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Even if you tend to shirk from this reality, it’s a good idea to ponder how new technology affects SMBS, project management, and even influences daily life on a global scale. Here are a few observations about how technology can make a positive impact on business, leadership, and management.

Technology Enhances Communication

If you’re not privy to the days before cellular phones, then you’re blissfully unaware of how communications were a major struggle in terms of conducting seamless business transactions in the past. Nowadays, with the advancement of satellite signals and technology, communication is a breeze. Even international communication is so much easier with resources like VoIP (voice-over IP or internet) and video chats online.

Furthermore, the exchange of ideas and brainstorming with a team is tremendously more convenient now in this techno-centric age. To illustrate, cloud-based platforms make it effortless to share with team members instantly, while other members on the same project can also edit or interject their thoughts about the design or proposal.

Technology has dramatically revolutionized how we communicate today and has made our jobs remarkably easier and faster in achieving results in leadership and business management.

Technology Supports Better Team Collaboration

Back in the old days, a new project was tackled in the boardroom where everybody gathered over doughnuts and coffee to communicate the trajectory and progress of various assignments. There’s nothing wrong with that model, and it can still be effective.

However, thanks to advancements in technology, work collaborations and communication are now easier than ever.

The invention and development of specialized project management software enable managers and co-workers to communicate on the same platform. Many of these platforms are extremely diverse, allowing teams to send videos, images, links, and direct messages to team leaders and members.  All of this has proven to streamline team meetings and make exchanges about projects far easier than old-school boardroom gatherings.

Efficient Data Collection And Progress Tracking

Project management software has also revolutionized how data is analyzed to assess which assignments are on track and which ones need more resources to thrive. Before technological advancements, collecting data about projects and reviewing their progress meant sorting through a mountain of charts and documents.

Now with cutting-edge tech, a manager has all the information at his or her fingertips and can make educated decisions about any project at the touch of a button.

Technology Solving Global Problems

When it comes to problem-solving, technology has proven to be a leader in rendering solutions regarding global concerns. Consider eco-friendly options now available to address the energy crises such as solar panels or wind turbines.

These advanced energy sources are based on technology and wean the world off fossil fuels which have been blamed for devastating global damages. Consequently, these techno-based solutions have facilitated a much-needed environmentally conscious edict within the business management realm.

Another example of leadership in modern advancements can be observed in the transportation industry. In the old days, carbon emissions during our commutes to work were a major concern for our environment.

Nowadays, technologically-driven innovations in transportation have made our reliance upon fossil fuels far less urgent. Inventions such as the Tesla electric car and the Tesla model 3 charger offer better hope for sustainability. Especially as these resources reduce carbon emissions and lessen the negative effects of global warming.

Economical Business Solutions

In many ways, technology has provided solutions that are discernibly more economical than the old ways. For example, making a simple phone call from Dallas to London used to cost a fortune before the advent of communication over the internet.

Even an act as simple as sending documents overseas was a huge financial burden on businesses before email and PDFs came on the scene.  Before the availability of online chats and video sessions, meeting with partners and associates meant expensive business trips.

Furthermore, training an international crew of new talent in the company implied costly per diems and travel expenses for any business in the days before hi-tech and high-speed internet.

Now we can adequately get business partners and team members updated with just a few clicks of a mouse. These may seem like antiquated examples. But they are valid illustrations of how the advancement in technology has influenced our ability to manage more effectively and economically.

In conclusion, embracing technology can make a big difference when you want to lead with efficacy and efficiency in your business or team objectives.

If you’re one to shy away from technology, hopefully, these insights can open your eyes as to how tech has (and will continue) to influence our lives in the business world in positive ways.  

The post 5 Examples of How Technology Positively Impacts Project Management appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Perhaps, then, this might be the best time for digital transformation in every type of business.

Unfortunately, many businesses fail to utilize their most valuable data resources to make this transition smoother and more successful. Research from Gartner reveals that more than half of companies don’t include data and analytics as key factors in their digital transformation strategy.

Moreover, 62% of companies have experienced stalls during the digital transformation process. McKinsey reported that the most common reasons for these delays were a lack of direction or clarity, ineffective planning or design, and misinformed strategies.

Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/digital-transformation-spotting-the-winners-and-losers-in-2020/

It’s quite clear that any strategy needs to be built upon a foundation of accurate data to succeed. So why is it any different when it comes time to boost digital transformation?

The fact of the matter is that data needs to fuel decisions throughout any process. Here’s how business leaders need to approach and integrate data along the digital transformation journey.

Boost Digital Transformation by First Identifying Opportunities from Data

For most companies, the process of digital transformation seems incredibly overwhelming. But the fact is that it does not need to happen all at once. Neither do you have to take a formulaic or one-size-fits-all approach.

For instance, digital transformation can give SMBs a much-needed leg-up against their competitors. While they can’t match large corporations’ million-dollar budgets, small businesses can focus efforts on specific areas that make the greatest impact.

Companies of any size can succeed at their efforts to boost digital transformation by solving some of the most significant issues first. Data can provide the roadmap and crucial starting points to get the transformation going.

Say your website’s traffic numbers are high but conversion rates are significantly lower. This could signal an issue with the user experience (UX). You can use data analysis to pinpoint the steps in the buyer’s journey where your numbers start to fall off. Tools such as Google Analytics will tell you which pages on your website people are spending the most time on. Others such as Hotjar will point out how visitors are interacting with those pages.

Make the Customer Journey Easier at All Times

It’s important for every company to focus on cutting costs, improving efficiency, and maximizing revenue. However, since customers (not money) drive business, the real transformation needs to start in customer experience (CX). This warrants that digital transformation takes place beyond marketing campaigns or web/app technology.

The best way to measure and improve CX is by creating a better internal structure that allows the business to personalize interactions. In a study by PTC, C-suite executives agreed that the greatest benefit to digital transformation was improving the customer journey. The report found that providing employees with the right information and tools was the best way to do this.

A good starting point is using data tools to create complex, data-driven customer journey maps. The entire organization can have the tools they need for better decision-making simply by monitoring the audience’s behavior. AI-powered algorithms can take these data points and transform them into actionable journey maps that show what needs to be done to keep customers engaged, retarget them, and close the deal.

Track Both Qualitative and Quantitative Data

To truly unlock the power of data, it is important to understand the difference between qualitative and quantitative.

• Quantitative data is usually affixed to a numbering system. These are common metrics that businesses track, like revenue per quarter or the number of leads generated per channel.
• Qualitative is a bit more difficult to organize since it is based on variables instead of specific numbers. This requires more advanced technology to categorize, especially for metrics like customer sentiment.

These two data types need to be used together to truly boost digital transformation. This goes beyond just stating that quantitative data is measurable in numbers while qualitative data is based on characteristics.

For example, if you’re conducting marketing research for the launch of a new product, your team should be collecting and analyzing both types of data from consumers in order to deliver a product that has market fit. You need to use automation as well as AI technologies, such as natural language processing and predictive analytics. This lets you combine hard data (quantitative) and uncategorized data (qualitative) for accurate insights.

Separate the Transformation Strategy from the Data

The quickest way to make organization-wide positive changes is to make data accessible for strategizing and decisions.

According to a McKinsey study, companies that successfully implemented digitalization derived the greatest benefits by providing employees with better tools. Complement this by making information accessible across all departments and creating digital programs to assist customers and employees.

Source: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/unlocking-success-in-digital-transformations

McKinsey also found that the greatest barrier to transformation was a lack of leadership and direction through the transformation process. Robust data sources and top-of-the-line analysis programs are useless unless your entire team knows how and when to use them.

To make the transition more seamless, you can start with specific types of transformation. For most organizations, there are four key approaches:

• Business Processes: Applying technology for system support, such as inventory management or automation.
• Model Transformation: Incorporating technology to improve an aspect of the industry, such as digitization.
• Analytics: Centralized performance monitoring of all initiatives, especially digital, with end-to-end observability.
• Organizational Transformation: Integrating new systems to support the internal workings of a company, such as collaboration tools and data-sharing technology.

No matter which approaches your business goes with, you need to support every new strategy or system with data. Then monitor the results of these changes to see what is making a positive or negative difference.

It’s Your Turn to Boost Your Company’s Digital Transformation

There is so much potential that companies of any size can unlock if they have the data to do it.

Data analytics, processing, and organizational tools are critical pieces to the puzzle of digital transformation. Leaders must understand how to interpret the data they collect before, during, and after the digital transformation process to ensure continued success. Good luck!

The post How to Boost Digital Transformation Using Data appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Preachers are special in another way. They don’t suffer from glossophobia: the fear of public speaking. Some 25% of the population claim to suffer from that particular malady. It used to be said that people feared public speaking more than anything else. It certainly makes just about all the top 10 lists.

That tracks with another undeniable fact: Most people who attempt to do sales are terrible at it. Sales is really hard and most people are as averse to doing it as they are to public speaking. Sales are often 1 to 1 speaking and sometimes 1 to many. It is more demanding than a sermon because the salesperson has to speak extemporaneously. They have to adjust to the situation and respond to the moment. That is a big ask for most people.

While sermons are seldom interrupted, bible class teachers have to respond to questions and comments that can take them far afield from their notes. Even sermons are not altogether static. A preacher has to know when their preparation just isn’t working. They have to be prepared to abandon their notes and move in a different direction. It is a part of reading the room and understanding when you are not connecting. The purpose of the sermon isn’t to get through your notes. It is to communicate something important to the people who took the time to listen. The ability to read the room is a critical part of delivering a good sermon. Here are a few others that will help your public speaking whether or not it is inside a church building:

Include Emotional Hooks

A hook is something that compels the listener whether or not they want to be compelled. Some things like emotional hooks supersede our will. We react autonomically to certain stimuli. Before applying emotional hooks, study a good guide to giving a sermon to learn the basics like,

• Choosing the right topic
• How to study and practice
• How to leverage your content beyond the initial sermon

After that, you will need to learn the power of emotion, playing off people’s feelings and mood, while also strategically deploying shocks or hooks such as jokes. Laughter is autonomic. Even if you are sad, a funny joke will make you laugh despite yourself. Preachers take control of the room just by making them respond with laughter. They are being conditioned to respond to what the speaker is saying.

Stories carry emotional weight which is why so many preachers use stories. Some are personal. Some are from the morning news. We respond emotionally to stories. This is another way preachers compel the response they want when they want it. Pretty soon, the audience is leaning forward waiting for the next moment they are compelled to respond. You can feel it when that happens. From there, you can deliver your message and know it is being received. The audience literally can’t help but receive it.

Offer the Unexpected

Don’t try to walk someone else’s path. Some of the best advice you will ever get is to be cool with being different. This will serve you well in the field of public speaking. As a preacher, you can get people to keep coming to meetings out of inertia. But that should not be the goal. You can always tell when an audience is there just to be there as opposed to being there to be challenged and improved.

If you want to teach nothing from your sermon, just keep saying the same things you always have. We only learn things when we hear something different that challenges us to consider new information. You have to offer the unexpected piece of information that makes the audience stop and think about what you just said.

Again, it is an autonomic response that has nothing to do with will. If you say that 1 and 1 is 2, no one will listen because they already expect you to say that. But if you said that 1 and 1 is 3, everyone would stop, evaluate, and remember how wrong you were. They can’t help but respond to it. The same thing happens when you give them true, but unexpected information. You have to challenge their expectations. Challenge does not mean offend. You can challenge without being offensive. Use your quirky uniqueness to your advantage. Say what they don’t expect to hear and they will hear you whether they want to or not.

Give Away the Takeaway

Whether you speak for 10 minutes or an hour, you want the hearer to take away an important message. Figure out what that message is and give it to them up front, directly, and repeatedly. Don’t make them wonder what you are on about. Give away the takeaway to ensure that your audience actually has something they can hang on to and remember.

When you are first starting out, you will do well to make the takeaway some of the first words out of your mouth. Tell them why you are talking to them right up front and reiterate it after every major point. Do that so that each point you make has a clear connection to what they are supposed to remember.

You will need to make an appeal to someone at some point in your life. That appeal might take a few minutes. Much of public speaking is just making an appeal and pleading your case to the people in the room. If you were able to convince someone to marry you, then you already have the basics of speaking. Find the emotional hook that compels a response. Don’t try to be like everyone else. Be that tickle in the back of one’s head that challenges expectations. And be very clear about your message. Don’t leave the important things ambiguous. Whether for an audience of 1 or an audience of 1,000, these tips will get you to the finish line. And your audience will gladly come along for the ride.

The post How to Make a Speech that People Will Listen To appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

A study into COVID-19 and workplace burnout from TollFreeForwarding.com has found that 37% of people feel their work productivity has declined since the pandemic began. Mental health is being negatively affected, with frustration, anxiety, and stress being the most common health symptoms experienced.

Employee burnout is a key factor in the loss of morale, communication, and productivity in business, so employers must take steps to reduce both the causes and symptoms of burnout.

Here are some of the best steps that businesses can take to avoid employee burnout and ensure communications remain effective while working remotely.

1. Establish Communicative Guidelines for Remote Working

Everyone works in different ways. Some prefer to plan out every aspect of their day and put tasks into a calendar, while others prefer handwritten notes. Some like to leave a consistent email chain, while some will pop over to their colleague’s desk to work out any issues. In an office, this doesn’t pose too much of an issue for work. When working remotely, however, it’s a different story.

When remote working, ensure that the entire team is on the same page to minimize disruptions. Establish clear guidelines when it comes to how your team communicates. Are you using Teams, Hangouts, or Zoom? Should you only schedule meetings at certain times of the day? Do you have specific channels for each team? What should be an email versus a chat message? What justifies a video call? Decide this early on and make it clear to everyone.

2. Provide the Right Equipment

Seventeen percent of those surveyed lack the tools they require to do their job from home. That’s almost a fifth of staff who cannot work productively. It’s the responsibility of each company to provide the correct equipment for staff who are working remotely. You should draw up an inventory of the equipment everyone needs and ensure it is all in good working order. This applies to obvious things like computers and screens, but you should also consider cameras, webcams, mics, and headsets depending on your business.

You should also speak to staff about their work setup – do they have enough space to work effectively? Do they have an ergonomic office chair? While effective working spaces come down to the individual’s circumstances, businesses should do as much as possible to help set staff up with a productive working space.

3. Recreate the Office Environment

For those experiencing remote working for the first time, many find they are missing the office environment. Thirty-eight percent of respondents in the survey said that they’ve developed a new appreciation for the office and the camaraderie it brings.

Face-to-face interaction is key for a positive working environment. It can be difficult to capture the essence of an office when staff aren’t able to interact in person. Businesses should take steps to recreate a social environment wherever possible. Staff will get used to seeing each other over video calls for meetings, but it’s the day-to-day chat element that’s often missing.

One way to get around this is by creating dedicated video chats for breakouts and socializing. If your canteen is a friendly spot, a lunchtime video call that staff can join is a great way to bring people together. If you’re the kind of co-workers who go for a drink at the end of the week, try recreating this over video chat. Spending time with colleagues and not focusing on work conversations is a must to keep a sense of togetherness.

4. Be Over Supportive

The survey also highlights a clear need for employee support. Thirty-seven percent state they don’t think their organization is doing enough to support them through the current crisis. Thirty-two percent want an increase in communication levels across the business, along with dedicated mental health support, https://livingwellnessmedicalcenter.com/klonopin-clonazepam/.

Regular 1:1 meetings and reviews are a must when working remotely as they allow you to check in with staff and see whether they require more support. Consider each individual’s personal and home circumstances, too. Those who live alone or have been personally affected by the pandemic, for example, may require more communicative support from the business.

5. Avoid Micromanaging

Finally, ensure you don’t become a micromanager. If you’re a business that has adapted to remote working for the first time, it can be difficult not knowing what staff are doing day-to-day. However, if this causes you to constantly check on staff and monitor their work, this will undoubtedly lead to lower morale. While staff should know you’re there and available for communication, they shouldn’t feel like you’re monitoring them or don’t trust that they’re getting the job done.

Employees who feel trusted when working remotely will have higher morale and better productivity than those who feel micromanaged. So, place trust in your staff – you hired them for a reason.

Remote working remains a positive thing for employees, offering the flexibility needed to achieve work-life balance. It’s important to ensure morale remains high in situations when employees don’t have the option of face-to-face contact. Ensure your business is providing staff with the equipment they need to work successfully, create clear guidelines for communication, offer support without micromanaging, and take steps to replicate the social nature of the office environment. You’ll soon see remote business communications flourish.

The post 5 Strategies to Improve Remote Working Communications appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Remote management puts a lot of responsibility and challenges on managers and employees alike. Running a team of professionals virtually can be tricky, especially if it’s your first time to do so. 

Common Challenges of Remote Management

Managing a remote team comes with its own difficulties. If you’re still struggling to find the right approach, let’s discuss the common challenges you face to determine the right way to overcome them. 

Distractions at home

In the office, employees get to work productively because of the distraction-free environment. It’s challenging for first-time remote employees to maintain their own time table, keep their discipline, and avoid the distractions present in their home, especially if they have kids. What used to be their safe space became stressful, making it hard to separate work and home responsibilities. 

Solution: If possible, offer to cover the cost of a coworking space once or twice a month. 

No face-to-face communication

One of the major work-from-home challenges for companies is holding productive meetings and being aligned due to the lack of in-person communication. Miscommunication or partial communication can create many problems and slow down task or project progress. 

Solution: Instruct employees to document and relay critical information to the respective people, keeping in mind the message’s urgency and importance. 

Lack of access to information from coworkers

Reaching out to coworkers online is more complicated than when you’re working in an office. Even simple questions can make employees feel awkward. 

Solution: Establish a culture where you encourage collaboration and open communication. Be a role model and show employees that they can reach out to you for any concerns, no matter the size. 

Social isolation

Working from home can make employees feel as if they’re working on their own. There are no water cooler conversations, lunch gatherings, or after-work socials. The lack of human interaction may cause workers to suffer from loneliness, affecting their work performance. 

Solution: Require your team to open their cameras during department meetings to create that team atmosphere. You can also hold virtual engagement activities to boost their morale. 

Tips for a Successful Remote Management

Here are some remote management best practices for a successful and smooth-sailing remote set-up to keep your employees productive and happy. 

Avoid micromanaging.

One of the best things you can do as a manager to boost your team’s productivity is to avoid getting too involved in their work. You hired them for their experience, skills, and competence, so show them you trust them with their role by not micromanaging. 

Maintain open communication.

Open and transparent communication is crucial for telecommuting organizations. You should establish clear expectations for the tasks and projects, work performance, business goals, and other important discussions. 

You can use communication tools to streamline your exchanges. For instance, email should be used to properly document tasks, while a chat tool should be used for immediate concerns and other discussions. 

Provide encouragement and emotional support.

Team leaders or managers should lend an ear to the team’s problems, struggles, and anxieties. You have to show empathy and understand where they’re coming from, especially those who faced an abrupt shift to telecommuting or were personally affected by the crisis. 

Do remote team engagement activities.

Just because you work remotely doesn’t mean you can’t bond together. You can still help everyone get together through various activities. Some suggestions include after-work drinks over a video call or dedicating a chat group for mundane discussions like TV shows or movies. 

Remote Management Best Practices: How to Improve Employee Productivity

It’s the organization and managers’ job to ensure that the employees feel involved, valued, and connected even when you don’t get to meet face-to-face. To help you remember the points above and address the difficulties and create a productive remote team, check out the infographic below.

Full infographic available here.

The post Remote Management Best Practices (Infographic) appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Greater possibility for expansion

You may currently think that your business is in a good place and operates in enough locations, but there can always be potential for expansion. You might think that in your country your company has plenty of room to grow, but considering the competition you might find yourself up against, you’ll always be able to look abroad to find countries where the competition is potentially less stiff to get a hold on a greater market share. However, in order to really seize these opportunities, you’ll need to have a robust translation service available to you.

When moving into another country, if your operations don’t assimilate to the language of your host nation, you’re almost doomed from the start. People will automatically drift away since you won’t look like you’re making an effort, and that will make it difficult to build up a base of both customers and employees from which you can expand your company. By comparison, a good translation service may endear you to the locals, helping you to build up more loyal customers, establish something of a base and then expand from there. With professional language translation, expansion to foreign countries will feel just the same as expanding into another part of your home nation.

Strengthen your online presence

Many companies have become more reliant on using the internet as a source of business, especially when more people are working from home and ordering their goods online. When you’re working online, there’s nothing limiting you to getting business from your home country. Although shipping times are better with domestic companies, ordering from companies around the world means that you can hunt for the best possible prices. Customers are starting to realize this, and these are customers that could be tempted into your company’s ecosystem.

As a business owner, this means that the days of only catering to one country are over. By failing to provide language options for multiple countries, you’re missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime, with potentially millions of prospective customers completely going over your head. Professional language translation services can help you convert your monolingual website into one that allows people from all over the world to look into your company and find the best deal they can. Opening up your website to people that might not speak the same language is always a good idea, and by failing to do so, you miss out on potentially thousands of sales every single day.

Document translation

When you’re going through business dealings with people from around the world, you can often receive and need to sign documents in other languages. Whilst in all likelihood you’ll never experience a business partner that acts in a malicious or inappropriate manner, it’s always good to be prepared. By signing a contract that you don’t properly understand the repercussions of, you could end up in breach of contract and in a situation which leaves you vulnerable to legal action. Whilst the other uses of translation listed here are based around limits on your prospective growth, this is a case of needing to guard against a fundamentally damaging action in the future.

One of the best ways of resolving this issue is by using professional language translation. Professional translation means you can properly understand the terms and specifics of any documents that you might need to sign, giving you the peace of mind that you need to do business in countries abroad without worrying about the potential for impending legal battles. Furthermore, this will really help with expansion since you can build internationally, with contracts from suppliers and producers, without worrying.

Ultimately, professional language translation can help you at all levels of your business. If you’re a growing and developing business, you’ll need translation for reassurance of your legal standing and to boost your company internationally. If you’re a business with aspirations for high levels of growth, using professional language translation services is a must that will put you in good stead not just nationally, but on an international level. Staying domestic can cost you, so use translation to help take you to the next level.

This business improvement article is shared by language professional Jaz Margate from Translationservicesmy.com.

The post 3 Benefits of Professional Language Translation for Your Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

80% of shoppers are more likely to buy from a company that offers personalized experiences and marketers see an average 20% increase in sales when they deliver more personalized experiences. 

This means your business could make more money and provide a better customer experience by simply altering their strategy marginally.

Unfortunately, most companies are not taking advantage of the crazy amount of data that is now accessible to them.

When creating a personalized experience for your customers, email marketing is a good place to start. It is affordable, easy, and effective.

There is no benefit in spending time and energy creating an email list if you do not create relationships with your subscribers. 

Personalizing emails can help increase open rates and conversions, but this goes far beyond simply adding their first name to the body of the email.

So, what else can you do?

#1 Time Triggers

If you use an email marketing software like ConvertKit, you could set your emails to be delivered at a particular time, which means you could start your email with a simple ‘Good Morning’ or ‘Good Evening’ depending on when it is being sent out. This is a really simple way to add a personal touch to your email and let your subscribers know this is not a piece of text you have simply copy-pasted and sent out.

#2 Automated Behavioral Trigger Emails

Triggered emails are when a customer takes a certain action that prompts an email response. For example, Amazon uses it when you look for a particular product on their online store. 

Sooner than you can second guess the money leaving your bank account, Amazon sends you a list of options they think might interest you. 

This is a great way to capture a potential sale before they change their mind. 

It is not just Amazon that uses behaviorally triggered emails though. You can trigger emails when a subscriber unsubscribes from your email list or if someone is looking for an item that is out of stock. The possibilities are endless.

#3 Event-triggered Emails

This is a trick that works particularly well for clothing companies because there is not a single holiday or season out there that does not have a particular type of clothing to go with it. If Easter, Christmas, the Super Bowl, football season, or Thanksgiving is coming up- recognize that within your email.

This is bound to get more interest than a generic email that is not event focused. 

#4 Ask for the Right Data From the Get-Go

Names are an overused way of personalizing your emails. Frankly, most customers would not care if you addressed them by their first name within the email or not. 

So, instead of simply collecting your customer’s name through your opt-in form, try collecting even more important data.

This could be their birthday (remember what I said about event-triggered emails?), the country they are located in, or even their city if you are a more localized business.

Down the line, you could use this information to send them more personalized emails that they will engage with.

#5 Personalized Landing Pages

There is no point in creating an awesome personalized email if the landing page you are sending your customers to is generic.

The landing page above pulled information from the customer’s email preferences to auto-fill the form and even mention her name in the headline. This impresses customers and makes the buying process easier as well.

#6 Social Media Action Triggers

If someone has followed the company Facebook page or Twitter account, it would be a good idea to send them a follow-up email like this one:

Hey John,

Our team here at company name noticed that you took the time to like our Facebook page. That is awesome and we are so happy you are enjoying our company’s product/services.

You know what? Just to say thanks, here is a 10% discount on your next purchase.

Thanks again!

Simple as that! The customer is going to be more likely to engage with your company again in the future, and you have a potential sale coming your way.

#7 Mention Their Plan and How Many Days They Have Left

If your company provides a digital service, you could send your customers a follow-up email alerting them of your premium package with a potentially discounted rate (for a limited period of time).

This works really well for online learning platforms that provide limited period trials. So, for example, if you are a language learning service like Duolingo or Preply, you could offer a 10-day trial of your services and email your customers when they are nearing the end of the trial.

The above examples prove that personalization gets customers interested and is worth the investment.

With personalized emails delivering 6x higher transaction rates, investing in a better email marketing strategy could do your business more good than some of the more expensive marketing options out there.

The post 7 Email Personalization Techniques That Work Better Than Changing a Name appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Fast forward to April and May of this year; schools closed down, businesses shut their doors, the death toll began to rise, and most of American society came to a standstill. Our very way of life was threatened by something as simple as a virus, leaving in its wake economic, societal, and political devastation.

Most importantly, the COVID-19 epidemic has changed how we interact with one another. The need to social distance has taught us one very important lesson: how badly we need one another. In the wake of these changes, web conferencing platforms have become the new bars, conference rooms, libraries, and gathering places, which begs the question, “will web conferencing become the new norm?”

How COVID Has Changed The Way We Communicate

COVID-19 is what’s known as a coronavirus. The crown shape of the virus (corona means “crown”) allows the virus to latch onto healthy cells. Once it’s made its way in, it hijacks the cell’s ability to reproduce; copying itself over and over again, filling the host body with more viral cells. 

This is how a virus replicates and causes the disease that damages the body. COVID-19 in particular can be spread via respiratory droplets, which means that even the very act of talking or breathing can potentially expose someone to the virus. These respiratory droplets can also be spread by coughing or sneezing, and the virus can live on hard surfaces for days. 

The way COVID-19 spreads is why social distancing measures are effective. This means talking in person is less of an option, and there needs to be a replacement. Cue web conferencing tools. Without these tools, we might have no way to communicate with loved ones, clients, and employees during these difficult times.

Web Conferencing Tools Have Flourished

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, web conferencing tools have flourished. Now, not only are businesses and individuals in need of a secure and reliable communication method, but schools, government agencies, and universities are too.

Safer, Easier, More Accessible

Web conferencing services offer a safer, simpler, and more accessible way to communicate over long distances or with several people simultaneously. If you tried to use a landline to host 500 callers, it likely wouldn’t work; and, even if it did, your phone bill would likely bankrupt your business. 

Online conferencing tools can host hundreds or even thousands of callers. There are both video and audio-only options available, so you can host video conference calls, webinars, and so much more from anywhere in the world. Accessing the call is simple with a dial-in number or web link.

Many conferencing tools offer extra features as well, such as screen sharing capabilities, call recording, and more. It’s likely that we’ll see a lot more businesses utilizing these services in the future to better connect remotely and streamline meetings.

Meetings are a Drag, After All

If we’re being honest, very few people actually enjoy going to meetings, but meeting from the comfort of your own home can make it seem a little less painful. Virtual meetings can yield the same (or greater) results as an in-person meeting while still maintaining social distancing rules. Not to mention, you won’t have to be stuffed inside of a conference room that doesn’t have any air conditioning! 

The Post-COVID World

It’s not easy to imagine what a post-COVID world will look like. The uncertainty of the situation has only grown as death tolls rise and fall and America’s cases continue to rise. What is clear is that we can’t go back to the way things were. If COVID shows us anything, it’s that we need other people. Communication and relationships are so very important to the human experience, and when we’re lacking in them, the effects are catastrophic. 

Perhaps the problem is that we didn’t communicate enough or effectively before. We didn’t say I love you as much, or I appreciate you, or great job, and we didn’t value our employees, clients, or co-workers as we should.

There’s a good chance that the post-COVID world will include web conferencing as a principle means of communication for businesses. With so many options available and the benefits of meeting virtually in plain view, it’s easy to see why businesses would adopt this practice instead of traditional meetings. 

The post Will Web Conferencing Be The New Norm? appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Using strategic sourcing best practices, you can set the stage for successful contract negotiations and purchases by identifying the supplier who can best meet your needs at the beginning of the procurement lifecycle. Here’s what you need to know:

1) Review Your Processes First, Then Choose a Software Tool

The worst thing you can do when choosing a new software tool for your business is to choose the tool before seeing if it will fit your current processes. If it doesn’t fit, you’ll end up changing your business processes in order to make the tool work. It’s much easier to review your business processes first, assess your needs, and then choose the strategic sourcing tool that best fits those needs. You might still have to change your processes a little, but there’s much less potential for upheaval as everyone in the company scrambles to change their workflow processes all at once.

Your procurement leaders need a strategy in order to implement procurement automation. Many processes in procurement can be automated, and by doing so, you can reduce human error, eliminate redundancies, improve workflow efficiency, and generate the data your procurement leaders need in order to make better business decisions. As procurement goes increasingly digital, be prepared to keep pace.

2) Prioritize Collaboration with Suppliers

Vendors and suppliers need something from you as much as you need something from them. By fostering two-way communication with suppliers and vendors, you can help meet their organizational needs and they can help meet yours. This will increase supplier engagement, enhance expectations, and build value. By keeping the relationships with your suppliers healthy and basing them on trust, mutual benefit, collaboration, and mutual problem-solving, you can build lasting relationships with  suppliers who will make the most difference in boosting your reputation, keeping your costs manageable, and minimizing your risks.

3) Keep Supply Chain Management Policies and Processes Up-to-Date

Go over your supply chain management and procurement policies regularly, and update them as needed. Processes should be as transparent as possible, and policies should make sense. Compliance is easier to win when policies are sensible, clear, and realistic. 

Procurement and supply chain management policies should also incorporate risk-mitigation strategies and procedures. For example, digital contract management tools and policies can mitigate much of the risk associated with contract management, since it makes contracts and their terms easy to reference, keep track of, and keep up-to-date. It’s vital to make sure both parties meet their contractual obligations, or you could be leaving money on the table. 

4) Focus on Total Cost of Ownership

When it comes to sourcing new equipment, you can’t just focus on the purchase price. You also have to consider how much it costs to maintain and operate that equipment — the total cost of ownership. It’s the same as if you were to buy a new car, where the costs of insurance, maintenance, repairs, gas, and taxes can make a car unaffordable even if the purchase price isn’t that high. Consider your costs over the entire lifecycle of procuring, consuming, and even eventually disposing of the service, products, or equipment you’re considering procuring. 

5) Do Your Homework on Suppliers

To strategically choose the best vendors for your company, you need to be willing to do your research on potential suppliers when the procurement process begins and continue to keep tabs on them throughout your relationship. Look into a vendor’s experience and history before you begin a relationship with them. Monitor supplier performance and measure performance objectives, and make sure you have a forum for communication and problem-solving available at all times.

Strategic sourcing best practices can do so much to improve your vendor relationships, mitigate procurement-related risks, strengthen your reputation, and help you meet your business goals. Make strategic sourcing a priority for your organization, so that you can make the most of your supplier relationships, to everyone’s benefit.

The post Up Your Procurement Game with These 5 Strategic Sourcing Best Practices appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

While all of these cancellations pose challenges for businesses, the mass digitization of our everyday lives presents an opportunity. Online events, such as webinars, virtual conferences, and online classes open the door to promoting businesses and driving sales. 

Hosting online events such as webinars have several benefits. Fully Managed VPS Hosting relatively works at low cost to produce and are simple to organize, especially compared to a physical event, and people can attend from anywhere in the world.

While these facts are encouraging, there are also challenges inherent to an online event to keep in mind. Typically, up to 50% of your registrants won’t show up to your event, and when people do log in, you will need to hold their attention. If you’re considering an online event, you’ll need to plan carefully to get the most out of it.

Here are a few tips on how to make your first online event a success:

How to plan your online event

The first and most critical step in any online event is to choose a topic that will attract and engage people. Make your life easier by choosing a topic you know a lot about. Start by asking yourself the following questions in order to choose the subject matter or theme: 

1. What pain points do your customers have that you could solve? 
2. What benefit would you like people to derive from attending? 
3. What next steps do you want attendees to take afterward? 

Once you’ve decided on your topic, it’s time to decide on the event’s format.

The format will depend on your subject and desired outcomes. Most online events fall into one of these categories (or a combination of them): 

• Presentation: A presenter delivers a web lecture to attendees. 
• Panel discussion: Two or more presenters discuss a specific topic and take questions from the audience.
• Breakout rooms: Attendees split up into groups for a discussion or activity and then come back together. 

I’ve found that audience participation is more engaging than a simple presentation. Therefore, consider incorporating a breakout session or Q&A as at least part of your event. 

Once you have settled on your desired format, you can choose the appropriate video conferencing software for hosting your event, and then select a day and time. Research has shown that Wednesdays and Thursdays are the best days to host an online event with 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. being the best time slots.

How to attract attendees

Once you’ve chosen your topic, format, and timing, it’s time to promote your event. A majority of your registrations will likely come from a signup form on your website, email campaigns, and social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook. 

Start by creating an opt-in page, also known as a registration page, on your website where people will sign up for the event. Your registration page should have the following elements:

• A sign up form for registration.
• A brief description of the event.
• Learning objectives.
• Brief bios of the speakers.

Also, consider offering a freebie as an incentive for people to sign up. Your bonuses should be relevant to your industry and the subject of the event. This can include e-books, access to free content, or a free consultation.

Once people have signed up, you will want to remind them of that fact. One challenge with online events is that people sign up for an event and then forget about it. You can tackle this problem by using an email sequence like the one below to remind your registrants to attend. 

• First email: A welcome email to say thank you for signing up. 
• Second email: A reminder one week before the event. 
• Third email: Another reminder the day before the event. 
• Final email: A final reminder an hour before the event begins. 

Reminders build excitement as well as making sure people don’t forget they signed up. I recommend using an email tracking tool to monitor your open and response rates. 

What to do the day of your event

You might be nervous before hosting your first online event. That’s normal! But if you’ve done your homework and prepared as thoroughly as possible, you’ll be fine. Remember to dress smartly, face the camera directly, smile, and speak confidently. 

Start by introducing yourself and your business, and briefly tell your story. Deliver the content you promised, leaving time for audience questions or a break-out session. It’s a good idea to offer an extra incentive for people to stay until the end, such as a door prize. Finally, end the event with a strong call-to-action such as a link to a squeeze page, invitation to sign up for your mailing list, or request to follow you on social media. 

The key to a successful virtual event lies in engaging with the audience. Aim to inform, inspire, and entertain. Most importantly, deliver the valuable content you promised. And always make time for audience participation when possible. 

What to do after the event

Your work as a virtual event organizer doesn’t end when the event does. Following up with your attendees is essential. Immediately after the event is your window of opportunity to engage new leads, sell your product or service, and build a relationship. 

Send a “thank you” email to all attendees within 24 hours. Not only is this good manners, but it is also an opportunity to gauge their interest in your business. Offering a special discount at this stage can sweeten the deal and drive conversions. 

You should also email those who registered but did not attend. Send a link to a recording of the presentation or a slide deck so that they don’t miss out. 

You can also use the follow-up phase to generate feedback, which will help you evaluate how well your event was received and what you could improve for next time. 

The COVID-19 crisis has forced mass event cancellations, but businesses can take advantage of the opportunity presented by online events. Don’t despair if your events have been canceled and your marketing activities curtailed. Make the shift online, and you’ll reap the rewards. 

The post A Guide to Hosting Your First Online Event appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

1. Don’t Be A Complainer Or Be Critical Towards Others

If you want to make friends and influence people, it’s important to be seen as a positive person, which you’re not going to do if you’re seen as a complainer or critical of others. If you do have a disagreement with someone, it’s important to try to seek common ground and resolve it as smoothly as possible. Follow Tadam black stock for more business updates.

2. Give Lots Of Praise

Giving praise is a great way to ensure that you’re well-liked, and it’s a great way to build rapport with almost anyone. Make sure that you recognize the achievements of others. Not only can this be a great way to make people feel good, but it also can be a good way to start off a conversation.

3. Always Make Sure That You Remember People’s Names

We all forget the names of people we just met at times, but not remembering someone’s name makes for a much less than ideal first impression. Remembering people’s names the first time helps to foster a stronger interpersonal connection.

4. Be Charming

Being charming comes naturally to some people, but it’s a skill that you can learn to a certain extent as well. In general, it’s important to be seen by others as a positive person, and this will not only make it easier to network but improve other areas of your life as well.

5. Have A Genuine Interest In What Other People Have To Say

In order to connect with other people, it’s important to be interested in what they have to say about their interests, careers, and other aspects of their lives. However, people are often able to sense when someone is simply pretending to be interested. Therefore, you should actually try to get interested in the things that people who you’re trying to connect with have to say.

6. Try To Find People You Have Something In Common With

In order to connect well with others and network, it’s important to make sure that you’re connecting with people who you have something in common with. Not only will this help you to connect with people, but it can also help to foster long-term connections. This can help you to network effectively for your business.

7. Stay Well-Rested

Being well-rested can make you more alert during the day, which can help you with things like remembering names, listening to others effectively, and being better at networking overall. One of the most important parts of getting a good sleep is choosing the right mattress.

8. Allow People To Feel Like They Arrived At The Correct Conclusions

Even if you played a strong role in the conclusions that people came to, allow them to feel like they arrived at the conclusion themselves. This will make people much more likely to enjoy spending time with you, which will make it easier for you to make strong connections with others.

The post How to Influence People in Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Over the last two decades, the VoIP industry has matured greatly. Today, VoIP service providers offer businesses unmatched agility.

As engineers improve on voice services technology, entrepreneurs continue to reap ever-increasing benefits. As a business owner, VoIP technology enables you to operate like a corporate giant – without paying giant corporate rates.

Reimagining Business Communications

Because VoIP technology does not rely on a fixed phone line, they give companies the ability to support remote teams around the clock and around the world. Employees can use VoIP services to fulfill their roles using any capable and compatible device.

Typically, VoIP vendors provide apps that allow companies to set up extensions wherever they’re needed. VoIP apps enable remote workers to access essential functions via their mobile devices, allowing them to do more, whether they’re in their home office or out courting clients.

As more enterprises embrace the remote workforce business model, VoIP technology will become an essential tool for remaining competitive.

Shortly, VoIP teleworker companies will use artificial intelligence to perform heuristic scanning that eliminates poor call quality. Resultantly, small business owners can expect that every call routed through their VoIP phone system will sound crystal clear and professional, even when workers are in the field.

The Best Is Yet to Come

Already, technology firms are building the infrastructure for the 5G mobile network. The technology promises to deliver speeds ten times faster than the current 4G standard. A faster network will result in markedly improved call quality.

The new 5G standard promises to empower the remote workforce with more flexibility than ever before. The increased speed will mitigate issues such as echoes, jitter and packet loss. Also, remote workers will have the ability to transfer large files or participate in video conferences, whether they’re in their office or the field.

Today, VoIP service providers make it easier than ever to equip your remote workforce with powerful communications tools. In a matter of days, you can have your entire remote team up, running and ready to do business.

Your Tools, Your Way

VoIP telephony gives you the freedom to make administrative changes on the fly. With a few clicks, you can reconfigure your network to manage resources efficiently. Furthermore, you can seamlessly upscale as your business grows.

It also enables you to pick and choose the tools needed to manage your company’s communications. Most importantly, VoIP technology enables you to unify messaging platforms, such as voice services, video and texting.

Technology enables you to do marvelous things. You can, for example, deploy voice and chatbots to handle common customer inquiries, leaving customer service representatives free to handle complex issues. A combination of the right technologies will enable you to boost your customer service resolution rate and reduce the time that CSRs spend on mundane, repetitive tasks.

Analysts forecast that VoIP technology will soon send landlines the way of Ma Bell. By taking advantage of this cost-effective service, you can future-proof your business with enterprise-grade communications.

The post How Your Business Can Leverage VoIP to Grow appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

As painful as meetings can be, however, you can’t clear your calendar entirely without losing track of important projects (and hurting a few feelings along the way). Rather than lock yourself in your office and communicate via email, cut down your meeting responsibilities and reclaim your calendar by following these tips:

1. Automate Scheduling

Workflow automation tools can help you skip the hassle of setting up and organizing meetings, which is half the battle. A good scheduling tool will automatically find the time and place that works best for everyone so you don’t have to refresh your inbox to make sure everyone got the memo. You can also use workflow automation tools to deliver important documentation, like agendas and minutes, to cut down on post-meeting hassles and get back to work. 

2. Get Picky With Your Presence

Just because you could participate in every meeting doesn’t mean you should. Before you accept an invitation, think about whether this meeting truly requires your presence. If you need to know the information but don’t need to weigh in on the discussion, ask to receive the minutes or send an employee to represent you. In some cases, you may be able to attend the first part of the meeting and make a graceful exit after the relevant parts are over.

3. Set a Hard Attendance Limit

Just as Jeff Bezos follows his famous two-pizza rule, you can keep meetings short and relevant by setting a cap on how many people can attend. Excessive guest lists don’t just waste the time of the people who don’t need to be there — they also waste the time of the biggest stakeholders as outside voices provide unnecessary input and extend the conversation. Invite fewer people to the meetings you organize, and be selective about whether you attend the crowded meetings of others.

4. Cut Meeting Times in Half

Do you really need to spend a whole hour kicking off that project or discussing the postmortem of a recent initiative? Maybe you do, but you can probably achieve the same outcome in half the time if you get right to the heart of the matter. Shorter meetings encourage people to arrive on time, and they get moving quickly. Try halving some of your regular meetings to evaluate whether you get different results.

5. Replace PowerPoint with Paper

Death by PowerPoint is a real phenomenon that kills the brain cells of professionals everywhere. The longer a presenter talks, the less you care about what the slides say. Ditch PowerPoint presentations in favor of paper handouts. Give everyone a chance to read the information at the beginning of the meeting, then host a conversation with your newly informed audience. This will allow people to absorb much more than they would by watching you drone with a clicker in hand.

6. Require an Agenda in Advance

Don’t attend a meeting if the person organizing it can’t clearly articulate the purpose of the meeting. Every meeting should begin with a question and end with an answer. Before you attend anything, ask the organizer to send the meeting agenda. Not only does this allow you to judge the necessity of your presence, but it also ensures that others at the meeting will arrive ready to discuss the issue.

7. Watch the Clock

Start your meetings on time every time, regardless of who is — or isn’t — present. Some companies tacitly encourage employees to waste time by allowing meetings to start late. This disrespects the people who made punctuality a priority and often leads to meetings going past their scheduled end time. Keep your meetings within the promised timeframe on both sides to earn attendees’ respect and accomplish your objectives faster.

8. Implement a No-Meeting Day

What would happen if no one met at all for one day every week? Would the walls of your company come crumbling down? Find out for yourself by banning formal meetings on specific days. If people enjoy the change and productivity remains high, see if you can stretch your meeting ban to two days. 

9. Try Speed Meetings

For those times when you need to meet but don’t need to solve every problem simultaneously, try speed meetings. Schedule five- or 10-minute gatherings with only the essential personnel to talk about pertinent information and come up with action items for each party. These meetings should only include two or three people. Put a few speed meetings in the same hour to knock out easy conversations.

When you have more efficient meetings, something magical happens. Requests in your inbox begin to dwindle as your meetings accomplish more in less time. One day, you may look at your calendar and shudder in horror as you remember how much unnecessary time you used to spend in conference rooms.  

The post 9 Ways to Cut Down Your Meeting Calendar appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

No longer ancillary, remote workers are now key players on teams around the world. But employees who work remotely may be at risk of feeling isolated or less engaged with the company than those who are in the office every day. Read on for tips to make remote workers feel like part of the team.

Come Together Right Now

In an era when employee engagement is at low levels, it’s important to keep employees — especially those not getting as much face time — involved. Here are a few ways to keep them in the loop:

1. Enable feedback and listen

When it comes to managing a remote team, effective communication might be the most important thing to get right — and also one of the most challenging. Sure, there’s no shortage of communication channels to choose from. Between email, texting, video conferencing, and team-based tools like Slack, it’s easy for you to reach your employees — and for them to reach each other.

But a suite of communication tools doesn’t necessarily mean you have effective communication. As a leader, you must intentionally build a feedback culture. Depending on your setup, you might go days, weeks, or months without seeing your remote employees. That means you don’t have body language or casual chats to gauge their happiness or level of engagement.

Schedule regular one-on-ones with each remote worker. Try not to push back or schedule over these — they’re a priority! Ask employees about the challenges they’re facing in their role and what you can do to support them. If you have a lot of remote workers or entirely distributed teams, you might also need to train managers to give and solicit feedback. Consider providing a special training session specifically for remote employees.

2. Create a virtual water cooler

As more employees go remote, we need to reimagine the social landscape at work. These days, luckily, most people are familiar with online social interaction (seven in 10 American adults are on Facebook).

Opening a line for two-way feedback is a great first step when it comes to virtual communication. But don’t stop there. Your remote workers should feel just as plugged in to the company as your on-site employees. Positive relationships are crucial to keeping your people happy, healthy, and motivated.

Encourage social interaction among employees. Be sure to make small talk with your remote workers: What’s new with their family? Are they looking forward to any trips this year? Start group meetings with an ice breaker from time to time so teams can really get to know each other.

You might also consider a communication platform that enables social interaction like Workplace by Facebook or Jive. This will give remote employees a virtual “home base” to check for company communications, as well as non-work-related discussions.

Do, however, be selective about the communication channels you set up for your remote teams. Too many incoming channels can be overwhelming for remote employees, and they can have an adverse effect on productivity and satisfaction. Pick a few, each with a specific purpose and goal in mind, and commit to them.

3. Celebrate great work

We all want to feel like our hard work is valued. In fact, 79% of people reported that recognition makes them work harder. However, your remote employees’ outstanding work is more likely to fly under the radar, leaving them feeling underappreciated. Be sure to acknowledge their performance and let them know how much you value what they do every day.

Better yet, empower employees to recognize each other in the same way. Many digital employee communication tools have features that gamify engagement and provide ways for employees to give props to each other.

Fostering a culture of appreciation isn’t difficult: those who feel appreciated are more likely to express appreciation to others. Publicly celebrate employees when they do an exceptional job on a project, and make sure it’s visible to remote workers, too. If you and other company leaders plant the seed of sharing appreciation, it will grow quickly throughout your organization.

4. Offer inclusive benefits

Speaking of showing appreciation, does your benefits package cater to remote employees? If you’re a traditional brick-and-mortar company that’s gradually increased its amount of remote work, it might be time to update your benefits and perks.

First, make sure the big-ticket items are on point: Your health insurance plan’s provider network should cover all your employees’ locations (with bonus points for providing telehealth options), https://neurofitnessfoundation.org/ambien-zolpidem/. Then, ask yourself if there are perks available to on-site employees that remote workers don’t have access to. Things like free coffee and catered lunches might seem small, but they can make a significant impact on employee engagement. Your remote employees miss out on all of this.

If you have a wellness program, make sure it’s set up so remote workers have an equal opportunity to participate. For example, if you offer employees a gym membership, the option should include gyms where each employee is located.

You could also consider a fun alternative to the standard gym membership. Workout apps like Gixo provide the dual benefits of encouraging wellness and fostering engagement. A virtual fitness program enables all your employees — remote or not — to participate together through live classes they can take from home or the office, encouraging each other to hit their workout goals.

5. Get employees together

Technology is extremely valuable in keeping remote workers engaged, but there’s nothing like face-to-face interaction to build a strong team. If possible, you should plan regular opportunities for your employees to get together in person.

Many companies with remote employees have an annual retreat. Depending on your company size, bringing everyone in to your HQ can be expensive, but it’s worth it. Your employees will appreciate the chance to put faces to the names of the people they work with on a daily basis.

This event could include any regular or mandatory trainings your employees need; you could also plan it around continuing education, like a conference. Alternately, you could just plan a fun team-building event that has nothing to do with your work. Whatever you decide, be sure to build in plenty of free time for networking. Encourage employees to mingle with new faces by assigning groups, tables, or teams.

Teams of the Future

With better technology and more communication tools than ever before, the increase in remote workers is a trend that’s unlikely to slow down any time soon. Are your company’s engagement practices up to snuff? By fostering open communication, celebrating the wins, and offering inclusive benefits, you’ll ensure your remote workers feel as much a part of your organization as the in-office employees.

The post 5 Ways to Make Remote Workers Feel Like Part of the Team appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Its initial purpose was to serve as a workaround to the costs associated with long-distance and international calls.

Although it was still in its very new, experimental stages in the seventies, many felt it was the start of something new, different, innovative, and, at the time, extremely futuristic.

And it was. Heck, it still is, as some people refer to it as one of the 20th-century breakthrough technologies.

Its popularity is on the rise and as it grows more people want to know which are the 5 Best VoIP Apps for iOS and Android devices.

What Is VoIP?

Even with some type of voip systems being around for nearly fifty-years, not everyone is familiar with the term, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), nevertheless, people are using it, they just know it.

Not realizing the association business voip services have with a variety of apps used today, it is often recognized by another name.

If you are an avid Internet user, then chances are, you are among those already using sms solutions for small business.

Whenever you use an app or the internet to make a phone call or text from your computer or mobile device and are not required to use your actual phone number, then you are using, commercial voip phone lines.

A category of hardware and software, VoIP, is similar to that of a phone system.

It takes the audio and analog signals, we make and hear during phone calls, and turns them into small packets of digital data.

As phones traditionally use telephone wires to transmit the audio, VoIP transfers the packets of data, using the Internet, instead.

Why Use VoIP?

There are many benefits to using VoIP, instead of the conventional phone system we grew up with, as it gives people a lot more options.

There are a variety of ways we choose to communicate with one another, and one popular method is the sending of texts or SMS messages.

Over the last decade, the number of text messages sent has increased 7,000%, and in 2018, over 560 Billion text messages were transmitted every month.

That is equivalent to eighty SMS messages being sent out by every person on earth.

It is clear, we are texting with each other at skyrocketing rates, which cannot be done as regularly from a landline phone, or without the right equipment, and phone services are not always dependable.

VoIP offers both, businesses and individuals the option to go beyond making calls and provides the ability to text whenever and wherever there is an Internet connection, either through WiFi or by using data.

It enables you to chat for longer and to feel more secure in knowing your messages are being sent, instantly, as expected.

Additional benefits of using VoIP, include,

Portability: Using any broadband connection, VoIP offers the comfort and convenience that comes with portability. As long as you have an internet connection, you can make phone calls, send texts, and SMS messages, from anywhere in the world.

Multi-Functional: Not only does VoIP offer you the ability to make calls and send messages, to stay in contact with people while on the go, but you can also choose to use it for video conferencing and business meetings.

Flexibility: Companies and individuals can still make regular phone calls with a VoIP system. You are also able to assign VoIP phone numbers to those who travel often. Ultimately, it gives you the flexibility you want when communicating with others, without limitations.

The most significant VoIP benefit is the amount of savings that can come by using it across your devices.

As VoIP turns your Internet connection into a system where you can place free or low-cost phone calls, texts, and SMS messages, it can end up saving you and your company a lot of money.

Due to VoIP already using your internet, you do not need to pay the additional costs that come with having a landline system.

Just imagine the number of dollars you can save from switching your mobile device or employee smartphones, from using a phone system to a VoIP one, instead.

Who Uses VoIP?

Just about everyone.

It is a growing industry, and a recent report forecasts that the number of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) subscribers will increase to approximately $204.8 billion by 2020.

More and more businesses and individuals choose to use VoIP as a way to communicate with colleagues, team members, employees, employers, clients, family, and friends.

As communication is a major contributing factor to the success of every relationship and business, choosing the best app for interacting with others is more important now, than ever before.

As a business, if you decide to use a phone system to communicate internally and with clients at your company, it is essential to consider the recent rise of remote workers, which may make you want to rethink using VoIP.

In 2018, a Gallup study found, 43% of U.S. employees work at least some of the time remotely, and this number continues to grow each day.

As an individual, the website, Flipsy, calculated how your smartphone services can have a significant impact on your financial future.

Based on current unlimited plans, you can expect to spend around $80 per month, which is a grand total of $57,600 over sixty years.

Before making your next call, from your Apple or Android device, first, learn which VoIP apps are the best, to ensure you choose the one that will reduce costs and meet your communication needs.

List Of The 5 Best VoIP Apps for iOS and Android

As the VoIP industry grows, so does the number of Apps for it, but that does not mean all are equal, in quality or the services they provide.

It all depends on you.

1. Nextiva – iOS and Android App

Nextiva is a VoIP App that lets you and your business stay connected to your customers, employees, and partners, directly from your variety of devices, the best part is that they also offer full user’s security.

No matter where your employees are, whether they are in the office or traveling for a work conference, with Nextiva, you can offer a seamless communication experience to clients.

They are able to do what they typically do on their computers, using their mobile phones and tablets, with the Nextiva App.

Offering businesses the ability to efficiently manage unified communications, the Nextiva App, provides features that let you take your business world, around the world, without creating disruptions.

With the Nextiva App, you will never be out-of-the-loop, again.

Its features allow you to use video, voice, screen sharing, video conferencing, chat rooms, cloud sync, instant messaging, and many other useful services.

You can choose to use the VoIP App with one device or create an account to manage your communications across multiple devices, like your tablet, desktop, laptop, and smartphones.

The Nextiva App is currently available for iOS and Android platforms.

2. Viber – iOS and Android App

Viber is a VoIP App much like other online Messenger apps and chat-like boxes, as it lets you make international calls, send text messages, and create group chats.

Express yourself with the GIFs and stickers the Viber Messenger App includes, to add a different element to your conversations.

The App allows you to fully sync it to multiple devices to see all of your old and on-going messages and previous phone calls.

Keeping you organized.

You can also sync contacts from your address book to stay connected with all your friends and family members.

The Viber Messenger App is currently available for iOS and Android platforms.

3. Skype – iOS and Android App

Skype is a VoIP App that specializes in providing video chat and voice calls for Skype-to-Skype users, on multiple devices.

Depending on your purpose, businesses and individuals can choose to communicate between computers, tablets, mobile devices, Xbox One console, smartwatches, and Alexa, by using an Internet connection.

Skype provides instant messaging services where users can share, upload, and download text, files, clips, videos, audio, and images.

It offers a version of its App for Businesses through the use of the software by Microsoft, its parent company, Office 365.

The Skype App is currently available for iOS and Android platforms.

4. Talkatone – iOS and Android App

Talkatone is a VoIP App, which allows you to call via your smartphone and other devices.

You can also text others, as both use WiFi or a data connection without using cell minutes.

You can choose to eliminate the costs associated with having a landline phone and can make inexpensive international calls, as Talkatone can be your home and mobile communication provider.

The App is great for those who often experience poor phone reception or visit places that do.

However, if the internet service works well, you are still able to make calls, as well as, send and receive text messages, for that is all it requires.

The Talkatone App is currently available for iOS and Android platforms.

5. Nimbuzz Messenger App – iOS and Android App

Nimbuzz Messenger is a VoIP App that is relatively new to Google Play, for Android users and is only available on the App Store for iOS devices.

It can be used to make calls, chat rooms, private chats, video calls, and to share files across all of your devices.

Connect your address book contacts to communicate with those you have established relationships with already.

Nimbuzz Messenger also offers sticker packs, chat buddies, and the sharing of music files.

The Nimbuzz Messenger App is currently available for iOS and Android platforms.

Choosing to use VoIP Apps on your iOS or Android devices, is a smart choice as it allows you to easily communicate at work and home, with friends and family members, without high costs or conversation breakdowns.

Whether you are a business or individual, you must choose the best VoIP App for your phone and for you.

The post 5 Best VoIP Apps for iOS and Android appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

These answers are provided by Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. YEC has also launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.

1. Productivity Roll-up

We use a simple, scrum-inspired email that rolls up through every level of the organization. This email should be the last thing done by team members at the end of their day and have three distinct parts: 1) what they accomplished, 2) any roadblocks they hit and 3) any questions they have. This should be sent to managers from all direct reports and then trickle up through the team. – Nick Eubanks, From The Future

The post 10 Ways to Effectively Track the Productivity of Remote Workers appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Cash flow is the lifeblood of small businesses, so it’s critical that small business finance leaders gain visibility into corporate spend of their banking account. Luckily the rise of the cloud has unlocked this opportunity, offering enterprise technologies at a lower cost and easier deployment. However, this has also ushered in a proliferation of apps that finance leaders must sift through and choose wisely to ensure ROI is effectively delivered and needs are met. Ultimately, small business IT and financial professionals need to collaborate closely to choose the right ERP Managed Services that will answer a company’s specific financial management needs. To perform a quick scan of the market, you require searching for specific symbols or trendminer review via a unique search engine present on the platform. The platform will automatically rank the historical information based on a proprietary ranking system.

What Is a Stock Ticker?

As anyone who has ever watched a financial network or checked out a market web site knows, security prices, particularly those of stocks, are frequently on the move. A Stock Ticker Table is a report of the price of certain securities, updated continuously throughout the trading session by the various stock market exchanges. Simply pop over to these guys for the most trusted tradeline providers with 5 star reviews across the board anywhere online.

A “tick” is any change in the price of the security, whether that movement is up or down. A stock ticker automatically displays these ticks, along with other relevant information, like trading volume, that investors and traders use to stay informed about current market conditions and the interest in that particular security.

Unfortunately, this isn’t as easy as it seems. A 2017 Forrester study sponsored by SAP Concur on travel, expense and invoice technology found:

• 61 percent of firms believe IT is focused on user experience, and less on spend reductions.
• Conversely, 64 percent of firms say finance is focused more on reducing spending, and less on usability and employee experiences.

By collaborating, finance and IT leaders can choose user-friendly tools that also drive cost savings. Here are a few tips to improve finance and IT collaboration:

• Develop a unified strategy. This should satisfy the needs of both small business IT and finance managers. According to Forrester, 75 percent of companies with a unified finance and IT strategy report much higher levels of satisfaction with travel, expense and invoice management tools than those without a unified strategy. The two leaders should compare their respective goals and identify how they can integrate to benefit business objectives.
• Educate one another. Finance professionals aren’t always aware of the IT technology selection process, while IT employees often lack insight into finance teams’ specific technological needs. By setting aside time to educate one other on their respective workflows, finance and IT personnel can better understand department priorities and collaborate on the best-fit products that address specific needs. For example, IT leaders can recommend better tools to help finance leaders manage employee spend in real time if they have a greater understanding of the unique financial challenges involved.
• Audit current spend management methods together. Finance and IT leaders have valuable yet unique perspectives when selecting technology to benefit a business’s bottom line. In addition to educating one another on finance and IT priorities, an important step toward a closer relationship is collectively auditing current processes and technologies to consider whether they should be updated or replaced. Small business IT and finance leads should also schedule routine check-ins to share feedback on current technologies and pinpoint areas for improvement.
• Consider cloud solutions that integrate. Cloud accounting provides small businesses with flexible and scalable solutions that seamlessly grow alongside businesses. But the value of the cloud does not stop there–companies can choose apps that harness APIs and integrate with each other so data can flow seamlessly between corporate tools. This can automate certain processes and help teams gain valuable insights. Finance and IT should consider expense and invoice solutions that integrate with an ecosystem of third-party apps to unlock greater value with their spend data.

By employing these best practices, small business finance and IT leaders can work better together and identify cloud technologies that provide greater visibility into corporate spend to empower business strategies, reduce costs and poise small businesses for growth.

Authored by

Christal Bemont, SVP & GM of the Small, Midsized and Nationals business unit, is passionately committed to the idea that Concur shouldd “be the best company to do business with, and that everything we do should be about simplicity.” She started her career early, helping her mother with several small business ventures, and this experience still informs her approach. She has held both sales and leadership positions since she joined Concur in 2004. Christal serves her community through supporting and volunteering at organizations such as the Anderson Animal Shelter, the local women’s shelter and Feed My Starving Children.

The post How Greater Finance and IT Collaboration Can Help Grow Your Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Here’s why it’s not relevant for your small business today.

I was at an event recently, and the owner of a karate studio asked one of the expert panelists, how he could use blockchain in his business. I use Digital Asset Management that it’s a cybersecurity company that offers a high-security custodian technology.

The “expert” said, well if you had a community of karate enthusiasts, you could use blockchain for the community database. Something like this, the expert explained.

WRONG.

For a small businesses, such as this owner of a karate studio, he doesn’t need blockchain, all he needs is a simple database to keep track of members, hold discussions or etc. SQL or any number of other databases that have been around for years.

Companies such as Salesforce, Netsuite, Zoho, Infusionsoft, Hubspot, SAP, Intuit and Microsoft make all the tools you need to run a great business. With all the other supporting services such as Asana, Monday, and others, you have a full suite of tools and services to help you manage a growing business.

Indeed VERY big companies who want to enhance security, or sound cool, might consider blockchain – banks, Amazon, Walmart, GE and very BIG companies with massive datasets. But for the rest of us, we small business owners we don’t need to think twice about blockchain. For more legal advice talk to a blockchain lawyer and avoid misunderstandings that you don’t need.

• Focus on making a great product.
• Focus on serving your customers.
• Focus on generating awareness for the problem you solve.
• Focus on better marketing and advertising.
• Focus on treating your employees/staff/team well.
• Focus on making a difference in other peoples lives.

Blockchain is nice, it’s cute, it’s the new buzzword, but you don’t need to worry about it for your small business.

The post Blockchain Is The New Hype Machine Small Businesses Should Ignore appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

But, there’s such a thing as over-segmentation. Too much segmentation can actually hurt your marketing efforts instead of boosting it.

But, how much segmentation is too much?

 Fortunately, you don’t have to make a wild guess if you’re doing too much. There are signs that show that you’re over-segmenting. Here are the markers that your segmentation is off-key and tips on how to resolve these over-segmentation problems.

1. You have more than 7 personas. 

The rule on how many personas you should have is not set on rock but more than 7 is a bit too much for most companies. If you’re just a start-up, start with one persona and escalate from there.

The number of your buyer personas depends on how diverse your products are. Buyer personas should be between one to five, with three as the most ideal. This number allows you to adequately serve the personal preferences of each group. 

2. Some of those personas are overlapping.

This problem coincides with problem number one. Having more than 7 personas suggest that some of your personas have overlapping characteristics. Not only does this divert you from focusing on better campaigns, it wastes your time and effort too.

Check your personas and merge the groups that have overlapping characteristics. You don’t have to microsegment every data you have about your potential clients. You just need to find a common ground and build your segment from there. Each segment should significantly differ from each other.

3. You’re relying too much on software. 

Even if AI is replacing most of the marketing tasks, there is no substitute for human intuition. At the other side of your marketing ploys are human beings, not machines. So you shouldn’t allow all of technology to dictate how you segment. A software can only give answers, but they don’t know how to ask questions.

Each segment you have is a group of people with similar characteristics, not just some unit with collective data. Instead of gathering everything you can by using software, ask about how you can better serve your segments with the current data you already have. Combine email marketing automation software with your insight to have meaningful and effective segments. 

4. You’re ending up with false leads. 

The best indicator that you have the right quantity and quality of segments is the growth of conversions. If you keep ending up with false leads, one reason might be over-segmentation.

The quality of your segments is more important than its quantity. Even if you only have three segments, if it leads to high-quality leads, then you’re doing a great job. The purpose of segmentation is to increase your conversions in the least possible amount of time, money, and effort.

Some of your segments may not be doing their job. Run tests and analyze which segments are flunking. Then, be ruthless in removing these segments. 

5. You are spending more hours on segmentation than in campaigns. 

Segmentation shouldn’t eat up much of your marketing hours. If you do, well, there’s a high chance that you’re overcomplicating segmentation. Instead of aiming for the perfect segments, focus on creating useful content.

If you have three segments to work with, go ahead and shoot your marketing efforts. Then, you can tweak your segments based on the results. Focusing too much on segmentation will only slow down your progress.

6. You continuously add segments to your list. 

You may be tempted to add more segments as your list grows. But passively adding up segments is not a smart marketing move. It will only add up to your tasks without producing positive results.

Instead, revisit your old segments and assess them. Are the variables still relevant? Can you merge some of the segments? Manage your list based on the results of your campaigns. Let your segments evolve to stay relevant, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to increase its number. 

Bottom Line:

Marketers need to be careful about over-segmentation. As the adage goes, too much of everything is a bad thing. Yes, even the good stuff. Find the ideal number of segments and build from there. If you already have too much, then it’s time to cut off futile segments.

Take note though, that hyper-personalization is different from over-segmentation. Hyper-personalization can lift your marketing efforts, while over-segmentation does the opposite.

Author Bio:

Kimberly Maceda is a Content Writer for ActiveTrail. She writes for some top online marketing sites and blogging advice on email marketing and marketing automation. Activetrail is a leading provider of professional-grade email marketing and automation software for growing businesses.

This article is published in partnership with Activetrail.

The post 6 Signs You’re Over-Segmenting Your Marketing Automation Campaigns appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

How to fix bad cell phone reception in buildings

Cell phone signal boosters are ideal if you have reliable signal outside your building, but poor signal inside. This is also true in your home, if you are not getting a good signal outside of your home, a booster likely will not help well in your home. Boosters help get signal through walls and building materials that block the signal. The optus store nambour provides specialist communication services for your personal and business needs.

Working from home on the internet

It’s not just frustrating to have bad cellular reception indoors when you are working from home, it can be detrimental to your work. In 2017 3.7 million people worked from home in the United States. With those numbers expecting to grow, cell phone signal inside homes will become more important to more people.

Although broadband coverage counteracts some of the need for strong in-home cellular signal, for many people taking work phone calls on their cell phones, poor signal can affect work performance. The best way to improve your service is to use these wireless telecommunications systems. however, if you have a phone, it’s always important to keep it protected with https://matchinggear.com/couple-phone-cases these couple phone cases and keep matching with your partner.

People who drive and cell signal is critical for their jobs face the same problems, particularly those who drive in rural areas or areas with poor signal. Dropped calls from poor cell signal also effect:

• People who live in rural areas
• Dead spots in a commute
• RV owners or truck drivers
• Uber of Lyft drivers

The cost of dropped calls

The telecommunications industry refers to the dropped-call rate (DCR) as the fraction of phone calls which were cut off before the speaking parties finish their conversation due to technical reasons related to all calls made.

While this can happen for numerous reasons depending on geographical location, carrier and coverage areas, the problem is the source of loss of revenue for some businesses. Each dropped call wastes someone’s time, can frustrate customers and can mean loss of business. For rural areas, dropped calls can affect tourism, travel and mean a less safe environment when traveling, this is one of the main reason why a lot of people having been using wireless telecommunications services instead of the regular service. 

How signal boosters can help

While signal boosters are limited to boosting the signal that exist in their coverage range, they are helpful for dead spots in urban communities or in a highly dense area with materials blocking signal. (buildings, walls, etc.)

If you don’t have a good signal outside, your only option is a femtocell. Femtocells only work if you have internet connectivity. Another option for improving cell phone signal is to use wifi calling. Many modern smartphones have this functionality built into the phone settings. When using wifi calling, the call is happening over the wifi signal and cell phone carrier coverage is not necessary.

This article published in partnership with Repeater Store

The post How To Know If You Need A Cell Phone Signal Booster On Your Couple Phone Cases appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

For businesses with limited budgets, resources, or employees, cloud-based software can often fill in the gaps and allow smaller operations to perform with enterprise efficiency. That’s why the majority of small businesses have transitioned from storing their customer data in Excel spreadsheets to managing their entire sales cycle with an online CRM system.

Working with a user-friendly, multichannel CRM tool, businesses of any size and industry can perform their daily sales, marketing, and support tasks with a speed and efficiency that no spreadsheet or post-it-note strategy can rival.

But small businesses can grow, quickly. At least, that’s the goal, right? Maybe you want to add a new product or service to your offerings or expand your sales or marketing team. How do you manage a more complex sales cycle, keep track of new accounts, and, most importantly, ensure that your CRM is working just the way you need it to?

When operations kick into high gear, some smaller businesses turn to outside consultants, analysts, or marketing agencies to help them better understand their growing customer base and improve their processes—if they can afford it. Others work overtime to internally fine-tune their workflows, better interpret customer sentiment, and predict the likelihood of hitting sales targets in order to fix their weakest links.

But contrary to either of these options, the right technology can—yet again—fill in the gaps.

Similar to the advancement that comes when a business transitions their sales management from spreadsheets to online CRM, a new level of productivity occurs for those who incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into their daily workflow.

This technology that was once hard to imagine is now more accessible and easier to use than you might think. Although a new frontier, there are already well-established software companies offering AI as a game-changing sales tool for small and medium-sized businesses—allowing them to sell faster, smarter, and better.

As a leader in the multichannel CRM space, Zoho understands the nuances of sales force automation and how our users operate at their peak when using a sales tool updated with AI and machine learning.

With the introduction of Zia and Zia Voice last year, all Enterprise edition CRM users can now work with an artificial-intelligence powered, 24-hour sales assistant.

Instead of replacing your workforce, as opponents of AI would claim, Zia allows each of your team members to operate more quickly and with more accuracy, noticeably improving every one of your customer-facing activities—at no extra cost.

Zia is designed to work and learn right along with you. As you log more data into your CRM, Zia will home in on processes and activities that you carry out often, to spot patterns and suggest improvements.

Notably, this AI tool comes with lead/deal prediction abilities, anomaly detection, workflow advice, and it even gets to know your customers.

With Zia Voice, the first conversational AI for CRM, you can talk to your personaI digital assistant. Use the “Ask Zia” chat box on your desktop, or call her directly on your phone, to request to add, view, or change any information in your CRM. Ask her to pull up a report, set a task or reminder, or dictate what’s on your calendar for the week. Small business owners wear many hats, and when you have to juggle multiple tasks at once, being able to communicate in real time with a smart CRM can help you get it all done.

By understanding which leads are likely to convert and which deals are quicker to close, Zia helps your sales team balance their time and effort on the accounts that need the most attention. Zia can even forecast how each activity will affect your overall sales revenue, whether or not you’ll meet your targets, and where your team might be underperforming.

And while she’s working hard behind the scenes creating these predictions and reports, Zia will also be automating the repetitive, manual tasks that would otherwise take up much of your time. Why send the same email and update the same fields, day in and day out, when Zia can alert you to create a workflow instead? You may even find her suggesting a macro you didn’t know existed.

With the assistance of Zia, you can tap into your customer preferences faster than before. By using calculations from SalesSignals, Zia will let you know which day and times are best for contacting a specific lead or customer. Create follow-up reminders based on her suggestions, and cut down on time wasted on missed calls and lost opportunities.

Zia can further improve your relationship-building efforts by alerting you to customer sentiment in emails and social media posts. Knowing, at a glance, whether the customer is happy or frustrated will help you quickly craft the best response.

Using an AI tool, in combination with your familiar CRM, your business will save time and money by eliminating the need for third-party consultants to streamline common processes. Your sales will become more efficient, your marketing more targeted, and your customer support less repetitive and more customer-focused. Upgrade your business with a more intelligent CRM.

Author

Sarah serves as a product marketing manager for the SMB segment of the Zoho suite of applications. She creates content that reflects the needs of small business owners and connects with customers over the benefits of using cloud-based software. With 30+ applications built on the same platform, Zoho provides companies of any size the tools they need to successfully run their business.

The post How AI is Transforming Small Businesses and a Look at Zoho AI appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

What’s one thing to know when shifting your business to the cloud, and why is this important?

These answers are provided by Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. YEC has also launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.

1. Test Your Custom Functionalities First 

All servers are different and can sometimes recognize custom code differently. If you have any custom functionalities on your current site, be sure to test them on the new server prior to making the transfer and going live. Testing is important, not only to ensure that the custom functionalities work but also to make sure nothing else broke along the way. – Duran Inci, Optimum7

The post 12 Things Every Business Owner Should Know Before Shifting to the Cloud appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Nearly 1 in 5 US businesses have gone the paperless route. How can you do the same? In this article, we offer 7 tips that will help make your business completely paper-free.

1. Use a Project Management Tool

Company projects often require the coordination of multiple people working from multiple departments with each department having their own timeline and resources to get things done. Monitoring progress on paper can work, but it is inefficient. You have to print and distribute copies to every person involved, and if project information changes, you need to edit your document and print out additional copies. All of this costs time, energy, and resources

Instead of relying on paper to keep track of your projects, your business can leverage cloud-based project management apps such as Basecamp, Asana, and Trello for the same purposes and more. Project management apps enable you to run a project online with no team member limit.

Here are some of the things you can do with a project management app:

• Assign a specific task to a team member or group of people complete with instructions.
• Provide updates on the task in real time, reducing the need to hold meetings and print reports.
• Create a calendar of their own timelines which can be viewed by members from other departments which helps keep everyone involved on the same page.
• Prioritize specific tasks and set deadlines for every part of a project. This lets members identify which tasks to work on first and how much time they have so that projects can move according to schedule.

With project management applications, you can reduce paper use while improving your project’s efficiency.

2. Adopt Electronic Payroll

Nearly half of small businesses pay an average of $850 per year to fix payroll issues, such as missed payments or tax penalties. Reduce the likelihood of errors and go paperless at the same time by using a reliable payroll software.

Instead of tracking employee hours worked, computing salary, and filing taxes manually, payroll software lets you to automate these tasks while reducing paper use and eliminating human error. In addition, the software can also pay employees via direct deposit, saving your accounting department the hassle of making a trip to the bank every pay day or having to print checks.

Your employees stand to benefit as well. Many electronic payroll software have employee self service features. Employees can log in to access their payroll data online using any device. They can view their personal details, direct deposit information, tax deductions, and pay stubs. This gives employees more privacy and security over their personal details and compensation information.

3. Switch to Google Business Suite

Google offers amazing cloud-based apps that can help you significantly reduce paper consumption, including the following:

• Google Mail & Chat – Use for online communication with employees and customers. No need to print and send memos.
• Google Documents – Scrap paper use by collaborating, storing, and managing files electronically.
• Google Sheets – Save more paper by using Google’s spreadsheet functions for database management, charts, scheduling, audits, and feedback forms.

A personal Google account is free, but most businesses will want to get a G Suite business account, and the pricing starts at $5 per user. Included in the cost is a business email account (e.g. JaneDoe@ABCCompany.com).

Google Suite, which is used by 3 million businesses, enables your employees to access data anywhere with an Internet connection. With G suite, you don’t have to pay for licenses, as you would have to if you used word processing software and email clients. In addition, all of your data are saved on the cloud so you don’t have to worry about backing up your system

4. Digitize Receipts & Invoices

Another way to purge paper from your business is by going digital with receipts and invoices. You can start by offering customers the options to get receipts in digital format. Square’s Point of Sale, for example, allows you to send receipts online or via text. This gives your customer the advantage of saving the transaction record for future reference instead of throwing it in the trash.

While you’re at it, ask your suppliers to issue digital receipts/invoices as well. They can send their invoice to you via email. You can create a dedicated email account for this purpose or store electronic invoices in your accounting software program.

5. Store Data in the Cloud

Research reveals that companies spend around $25,000 to fill file cabinets with documents and another $2,000 annually to maintain and safeguard that information. Your business can do away with such expenses while going paperfree by switching to cloud storage. Cloud-based platforms like Dropbox and Google offer massive storage capabilities with an option to organize your files into separate folders.

Best of all, these cloud-based platforms are free up to a certain storage limit. For instance, Dropbox offers 2GB of free storage per user, which is usually enough for text files and images. You can even earn more space by referring friends, family, and coworkers.

6. Invest in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software

A CRM is powerful software with a broad set of applications that can reduce your company’s reliance on paper to store internal and external documents. 

Popular CRMs in the market offer the following features:

• Storage of customer data and customer interaction
• Storage and management of employee details
• Management of leads
• Assignment of tasks
• Management of vendor and affiliate data
• Project and task management
• Storage of company documents such as contracts and invoices

In addition, you can use your CRM with other apps discussed in this article. For example, you can save the links of Google Documents and Google Sheets on your CRM. You can also attach digital receipts for storage and easier tracking to projects within your CRM. With your data stored online, all you need is an Internet connection, and you can access it anytime from anywhere.

7. Move Your Marketing Strategy Online 

You don’t need to print mountains of paper to reach your customers. According to Harvard Business Review research, online and email marketing are cheaper but just as effective as direct mail marketing campaigns.

Direct mail campaigns can cost as much as $10 per customer when you factor in design and printing costs. In contrast, you can set a daily budget as low as $5 when you advertise on Facebook, and the average cost each time a user clicks on your ad on Google is just $0.58. Several popular email marketing platforms, such as MailChimp, are completely free for a basic account. Plus, both Facebook and Google offer remarketing campaigns where your ads are shown only to users who have previously visited your site. This is a powerful feature that no print ad can offer.

Conclusion

Going paperless is healthy for both the environment and your business. You save trees by eliminating paper consumption. Furthermore, investing in online software and applications such as G suite, CRM, and email marketing keeps your business competitive while driving down operating costs. There’s a lot of incentive for you to take the paperless route now.

The post 7 Ways to Make Your Business Completely Paper-Free appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Using an email marketing platform will greatly improve your results, as well. However, more and more organizations are adding Salesforce to their email marketing assets to win far more conversions than with just a single platform.

Using Salesforce to Improve Your Email Marketing Platform’s Results

Email marketing platforms, such as GetResponse, will still be in charge of automating the next email message in a chain, but you can use Forms integrated  to send much more customized emails based on where they are in the sales funnel, information you have about them and actions they’ve taken such as purchase history.

The combination of these platforms will also give your marketing and sales team a far more comprehensive view of how your leads behave. This, too, will make it easier to improve everything from your actual emails to the offers you use to nurture these leads. If you have no experience in marketing then you can contact Conversant Media for professional assistance.

2 Ways to Use Field Change Triggers During Your Email Campaigns

Fortunately, this is actually very easy to do when you use Salesforce. Any time a change is made to a value field on the lead or contact form, you can use automation to begin an email nurturing process that targets recipients based on these changes.

Here are two examples to show you how easy this can be.

1. Bringing Cold Leads Back to Life

Often, a lead will give you every indication that they are on their way to converting and then – all of a sudden – fall off the face of the earth.

Reviving these cold leads is difficult when all you have is your traditional email marketing platform, but when you combine it with Salesforce, you can easily reroute these recipients right back to a “Nurture” status. Then, use the Field Changed trigger to begin nurturing them anew.

Just be sure you give these leads some breathing room before sending them the first email in this new sequence. For example, if they went cold on you right after a trial service offer, give them five days before sending out the email.

Also, that new message should be educational in nature. Even after waiting five days, it is too soon to try again for the conversion if a lead has been unresponsive.

What happens if the lead still is not opening the email?

Do not cut your losses quite yet. Give them about 10 days and then send an email that will reconfirm your mindshare and position as a thought leader. Again, it should be educational, so something about industry trends would be the perfect choice.

You may still not get the conversion, but by reestablishing yourself with the recipient, you will be top-of-mind when they do decide to purchase.

Now, for those leads who do click, send them a nurturing email for a webinar or some other offer that requires a substantial investment of their time. A deeper commitment will bring them closer to converting.

 2. Load an Upsell Campaign for Qualified Customers

Upsells are vital to increasing profitability over time. With Salesforce, you can establish a threshold for when a subscriber becomes a “Power User.” When that happens, an email goes out to your marketing team to let them know about this opportunity.

An upsell email is then sent to this recipient with all the relevant details about this new offer. An account manager is also notified to follow up with this user in the near future over the phone if they do not place an upgraded order.

Getting the Most Out of Your Email Campaigns Is Easy with Salesforce

These are just two examples of how you can use Salesforce as a force multiplier to improve your email marketing campaign. While a high-quality email automation platform is still as important as ever, Salesforce can increase your ROI further by helping you better target your recipients with less work.

The post How Email Marketing Platforms Combine with Salesforce to Boost Sales appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Their press release reads, “Today Zoho unveiled Cliq, chat software that blends instant messaging with video, audio, and group conferencing to create a unified communications system for organizations of any size. Available immediately in native, web and mobile versions, Cliq integrates with Zoho and third-party applications to bring relevant data from those applications into the Cliq window, providing chat participants contextual information about the topic being discussed.

“More companies around the world are turning to chat for real-time, internal collaboration,” said Sridhar Vembu, CEO of Zoho Corp. “But sometimes text isn’t enough, and chat software must also be able to handle voice and video communications as well as the documents, images, and other data related to the work at hand. Cliq supports this kind of dynamic, company-wide collaboration. And it provides a degree of future-proofing thanks to its unprecedented extensibility and strong developer community.”

The post Zoho Enables Real Time Messaging with Cliq appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

True work culture stems from four pillars of wisdom that can only be achieved by good leadership. In effect work culture starts from the highest levels of management whose goals can only be envisioned through simple terms “setting a good example”.

4 pillars of wisdom the influence work culture from good leadership

• Practical vision
• Inspiration
• Motivation
• Implementation

In an effort to reach one’s goals, a clear practical path leading to effective implementation is imperative in helping employees understand what is expected of them. Defining business vision helps employees focus without resorting to unnecessary practices or wasted performances.

Inspiration is the mark of true leadership where a positive attitude and an authoritarian directorship tempered with humility is a perfect dose to cultivate work culture. Being emotive and relating to employees needs with a caring attitude instigates an equal measure of respect admiration and cooperation. Todd McKinnon CEO of Okta once echoed such values where he explained how work leaders set the tone for true work culture. Executive leaders need to work as a team themselves where transparency sets a perfect example to the workforce.

6 main influences of work culture

While the ethos of work culture has been widely studied by academics worldwide, one particular breakthrough by professors Edward Deci and Richard Ryan from the University of Rochester rightly pinpointed what drives work culture and what hurts it. The professors defined six points that influence work Culture.

• Play
• Purpose,
• Potential
• Emotional pressure
• Economic pressure
• Inertia

While the first three motives impacted a healthy work culture, the latter three points had a negative impact. Play, purpose and potential defines an employee within whom the ideals of work culture has been rightly embedded because it proves passion and love for work. It proves that the employee is driven by a sense of purpose and does so because of the desire to be recognized for potential. This is the perfect mantra for a healthy work culture driven business.

The latter three motives do not just prove the failure of an employee but an organization’s inaptitude to produce a healthy atmosphere that drives an employee to be productive.

Motivating an employee through emotive psychology

How do you motivate an employee? Is it always incentives that do the trick as most believe? Unfortunately NO!! While incentives are a common feature of any good business, it is cultivating a sense of responsibility to the productivity and welfare of the business that is all important. An employee walking that extra mile just because he wants to is the ideal mentality to achieve that reflects true work culture.

Tapping into the psyche of an employee and understanding human temperament on an individual basis is extremely important in achieving perfect coordination between a team. It helps in cultivating camaraderie, mutual respect and responsibility. It creates a clear sense of focus and understanding of the levels of authority without animosity or enmity. That is perfect work culture.

Work Culture should be harvested not demanded

When implanting the tools of work culture amongst employees, one must never adopt a demanding attitude. Work culture as mentioned earlier can never be demanded. It has to be sown, cultivated and harvested through cooperation and passion. You may get your employees to work extra time but that isn’t work culture. Productivity isn’t measured by quantity but quality. Targets can be achieved in a shorter time span through quality work. Helping an employee understand personal growth and a sense of achievement is a path shared by the company envisioning its own success. This greatly contributes to a high level of work culture in any organization.

Work culture thrives from diversity, not unilateral thought

It is a huge misconception on the part of many that work culture is the result of a unilateral thought process. A team thinking on the same wavelength producing the same ideas breeds monotony and limits creativity. A team consisting of people with diverse thinking produces a myriad of ideas healthy for implentation of new projects and initiating innovative methods of work that benefits client and company alike. Moreover diversity of thought produces healthy criticism and elimination of weak points in any brand building or marketing project.

A perfect example of work culture, its ideals and its cultivation within a workforce is the organizational principles followed by the award winning healthy snack delivery service Snack Nation. It is widely representative of how an organization needs to be run in respect to employee motivation and work culture.

It can rightly be concluded that work culture depends on the perfect coordination of leadership and workforce. It is not coerced nor is it demanded but rather it is impacted by a positive psychology of all concerned thereby instigating an atmosphere that rightly describes “WORK CULTURE”!!

The post Cultivating Work Culture through Emotive Motivation and Leadership appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

1. Appear.in 

In our business, we’ve experimented with a number of video meeting services like Slack and Skype but have found that appear.in is the most dead-simple app on the market. It’s blazing fast, requires no login and even no registration for a truly one-click quick meeting setup. The best part? It’s free. – Corey Eulas, Factorial Digital 

2. Google Hangouts 

At Lawyaw, we use Google Hangouts whenever possible for our video meetings and initial employee interviews (if remote). We find that people are generally familiar with Google Hangouts and it has been very reliable for us, doesn’t require installing a lot of different software, and most importantly, it’s free. Using practical, easy-to-use tools helps us focus on building our own products. – Tucker Cottingham, Lawyaw

3. GoToMeeting 

Since our team is 100 percent remote, it is important for us to take full advantage of communication tools. GoToMeeting is a great option when it comes to video meetings. It features desktop or app sharing, advanced scheduling options, up to six high-definition video feeds and clear audio.

– Dave Nevogt, Hubstaff.com 

4. Meeting Owl

Owl Labs just launched Meeting Owl, and it has been a fantastic experience. No more tech issues and dropped calls. And all remote participants can collaborate interactively and feel like they are part of — as opposed to looking into — the meeting. Most importantly, it’s easy to set up, and just works. – Erik Bullen, MageMail 

5. Slack 

Slack has a fantastic built-in video chat functionality. They released it fairly recently. If your company uses Slack religiously, it’s very practical and painless. – Ben Lang, Spoke 

6. Skype 

My preference is Skype. Whether you are in town or working remotely, this user-friendly service is reliable, an easy download (if one does not already have it) and even easier to use. – Abhilash Patel, Abhilash.co 

7. WhatsApp 

By using WhatsApp as a suggested video conferencing tool, you are immediately creating an avenue for people to continue the conversation via instant message. If you are not previously connected to the person via WhatsApp, by hosting that first video meeting, you are opening an avenue to maintain an informal, instant communication with that person after the call is done. – Diego Orjuela, Cables & Sensors 

8. Zoom 

Zoom is my favorite video meeting platform. It’s easy for multiple people to join the video, allows you to create personalized links for your meeting space, and has great picture and sound quality. – Leila Lewis, Be Inspired PR 

The post 8 User-Friendly Video Platforms Entrepreneurs Would Recommend for Meetings appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

The Benefits of a Virtual Team

More and more companies are embracing the virtual worker concept and allowing employees to work from home. Just take a list at the top 100 companies in 2017 that are offering remote jobs. Businesses like Amazon, UnitedHealth Group, Hilton Worldwide, Xerox, Dell, and Intuit understand the benefits, and need, of offering remote work as an option to recruit and maintain the best possible employees.

Some of the overwhelming benefits of having a virtual team include:

• Increased worker productivity: the removal of distractions like impromptu meetings and loud co-workers, remote employees, and their manager’s report a definite increase in overall productivity.
• Lowers stress and boosts morale: 82 percent of remote workers report lower stress levels according to a survey by PGI. In addition, the survey also reported that 80 percent of workers had a higher morale and 69 percent reported lower absenteeism.
• It reduces employee turnover: According to a study published by Stanford University, job attrition rates fell by over 50 percent for a China-based firm with 16,000 employees.
• It satisfies millennial workers who demand flexible benefits and work styles: 68 percent of millennials surveyed by AfterCollege say that the option to work remotely increases their interest in an employer.

Each of these benefits is not only a boost to the overall operation of a business but also has a significant impact on a company’s bottom line. So let’s take a look at what managers need to know about effectively building a virtual team.

Two Keys to Building a Collaborative and Productive Virtual Team

According to an article by Alvernia University, there are two keys to building a more collaborative and productive virtual team that managers and leaders need to know: Structure and Communication.

Having an outlined team structure, especially for larger teams, is essential for ensuring team productivity and collaboration. Harvard Business Review recommends using a flexible, fluid team structure of multiple tiers that include a core (strategy and development), operational level (ongoing day-to-day workers) and outer network (temporary or part-time workers with specialized expertise). Having this type of defined structure brings together team members who need to collaborate for specific purposes.

In addition to developing a team structure, companies are strongly encouraged to have a written telecommuting policy. This allows employees to understand expectations on how they will work.

The second key to building a strong virtual team is communication. However, it is not just about ensuring that you have proper methods in place for facilitating communication, but that you are continually encouraging communication between virtual team members. Non-work communication can buy phentermine pakistan lead to building trust which leads to success. Therefore, managers and leaders should highly encourage both work and non-work communication through team building activities and interactions when in the office and other outside activities.

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Collaboration and Communication Tools for Virtual Teams

Tools play an integral part in ensuring that your team can collaborate effectively and remain productive, regardless of where they are located. Here’s a roundup of some of our favorite tools that assist virtual teams.

Communication Tools

To ease communication between virtual employees, companies can turn to tools like Slack or Skype. These real-time tools allow for individual or group conversations and the sharing of files. Skype also allows for the use of video and screen sharing so that team members can see one another and specific details they are discussing.

Project Management

There is an extensive list of online project management tools that businesses can use to organize their business projects. Two of our favorites include Asana and Teamwork.

File Sharing

Using an efficient file sharing tool not only allows team members quick access to the documents they need but the ability to collaborate by leaving comments and notes. Two great tools to consider are Dropbox and Google Drive.

By taking the right steps to implement the proper tools and best strategies, business leaders and managers can take advantage of a remote workforce to increase their business operations and bottom line. For those looking to improve their skill level and knowledge of today’s business functions and processes, consider pursuing an online MBA through an institution like Alvernia University.

The post How Leaders Can Build a More Collaborative and Productive Virtual Team appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Salesforce recently announced an upgrade to its Service Cloud platform.

One of the enhancements to Service Cloud is speed to get up and running. With just a few clicks you can ensure your customer service team can connect to Twitter, Facebook and other channels to offer support wherever your customer wants.

By simply dragging and dropping, with the Lightning App Builder, companies can extend functionality by simply dragging-and-dropping one of the new service Lightning Components into Service Cloud.

Of course being able to respond to customer needs outside the office is essential as well. According to the press release, Service Cloud Mobile app for iOS and Android empowers agents to provide personalized customer service from anywhere. With the new native mobile app,  employees can triage, manage and resolve cases while in meetings or on-the-go. Push notifications help keep agents up to date on the status of their cases, making it easier for them to provide customers with fast, responsive service.

Salesforce is enabling business owners to better serve their customers across all channels and enabling customers to have a better experience with the business.

The post Salesforce Upgrade Its Customer Service Platform. Faster Setup Time. appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

We’ll have more about Garner Foods coming up on SmartHustle.com

Amongst other initiatives, Microsoft will continue its focus on artificial intelligence to make day to day work even faster and smarter for professionals.

Microsoft announced the launch of Windows 365 which brings together Office 365, Windows 10 and enterprise security. See the full announcement here.

Furthermore, Microsoft is strengthening its focus on leveraging partners to implement technology solutions and Microsoft spoke quite a bit about Azure – its cloud platform.

Watch my interview with Garner Food, makers of hot sauce and other sauces,  here or below. See how they’re using technology to grow their business, be more productive and be more secure.

Watch my interview with Microsoft GM Catherine Boeger about how Windows 365 brings together, in one place, Microsoft’s offerings for business.

The post How A Hot Sauce Company Is Using Windows 365 for a Modern Workplace appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

But we live in modern times now, and the spreadsheet, while it still has its place, is slowly becoming passé for many functions.

If you’re still relying on spreadsheets to organize data, manage finances, and keep on top of customer contacts, try these better solutions instead.

1. Invest in Accounting Software

Business schools still teach accounting using spreadsheets, and while understanding formulas may be necessary for MBA students, it’s not required for you as a busy entrepreneur. Spreadsheets become unwieldy after a certain point, and they can’t do even half of what good accounting software can.

For example, platforms like QuickBooks let you invoice clients and receive payments, sync your bank account info with your accounting system, and generate reports without spending hours in a spreadsheet.

2. Manage Customer Data

Staying on top of who your customers are, what they’re buying, and your communications with them requires more than a spreadsheet. In days gone by, you’d simply have contact details in a spreadsheet, but today, customer relationship management platforms like Insightly let you do so much more than that.

Need to find an email to a client? It’s right there in your contact file. Want to assign a follow-up call to your sales rep? Some CRM platforms have project management features baked in. Thanks to today’s CRM technology, we’ve moved away from passive customer contact to more active and integrative software, and that’s good news for all.

3. Create a Better Content Calendar

As blogging and social media have taken a more important role in marketing campaigns, we’ve seen a move toward using content calendars to organize efforts across different media. Spreadsheets have come in handy, though they require a lot of legwork to set up and manage.

A better way to get visibility into the calendar view of your content and social media is content calendar software. Brands like CoSchedule have developed sophisticated platforms that integrate with tools like WordPress and social media, and that give you the big picture view of the types of content you have scheduled.

4. Manage Projects Smarter

If you work with a team and use a spreadsheet to stay on top of assignments, you know that doing so usually requires more energy than it’s worth. You’ve got multiple people accessing the spreadsheet, and sometimes people can delete the wrong entries or not see notes they need to complete a project.

Project management platforms like Asana let you assign tasks to team member, communicate on projects, share files, and set deadlines. Nothing slips through the cracks!

We must give props to spreadsheets. After all, they lay the foundation for the technology that followed. But when there is a better solution, why not use it? Today’s software industry is chock full of innovative solutions that can make your life and your work much, much easier.

The post 4 Innovative Ways to Organize Data (NOT Using Spreadsheets!) appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

If you use a time tracking service then this is absolutely possible. At the same time, you can also more effectively schedule tasks and make invoicing and payroll run more smoothly. But, with so many options, which services should you look into? Here are ten suggested service to get you started.

1. Due

Known for it’s intuitive dashboard and professionally designed invoice templates, Due.com also comes equipped with a powerful tool that’s perfect for freelancers and small business owners. The tool keeps track of every minute that you and your team spend on a task. The timer also comes in the form of a pop out widget so that you’re free to browse around other sites and work on other tasks.

Due.com is a free signup site, and also integrates with third party sites like PayPal, QuickBooks, and Basecamp.

2. Toggl

Toggl is lauded for being one of the simplest time tracking tools available. How easy? Just signup, click start on the clock, and hit stop once you’ve completed your task. Toggl records the session time and then allows you to describe the assignments. You can use this information to create reports for your clients when it’s time to invoice them for your services.

Toggl integrates with Basecamp, Asana, Freshbooks, and Zapier. The basic plan is free, but there are also paid plans at either $9 or $49 per month.

3. Harvest

Harvest is a popular time tracking app for freelancers and small business owners since 2006 thanks to having top notch reporting options. For example, a project manager can open up the dashboard and easily review the status of a user, client, project, budget, or subtasks. When you switch to “Day” view, you can add daily sessions and begin the clock and even sends automatic reminders to team members to submit timesheets.

Harvest integrates with Basecamp, Trello, Asana, Quickbooks, and Xero. Flexible monthly plans start at a free basic option to $99 per month.

4. Timely

Unlike most other time tracking services, Timely focuses more in being a weekly planner. This means that you fill out your daily or weekly schedule first and then use the timer to record the time spent on a various projects. Timely doesn’t record start and stop times, instead it records the length of a session and the date that it was recorded.

Timely integrates with calendars like iCloud, Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo and offers either a free plan or more robust option for $14/month.

5. Paymo

Paymo is more than just a time tracking tool. It’s also a solid project management app that allows business owners to manage their teams, create invoices, and review reports like timesheets. As for the time tracking app, it’s an easy-to-use timer where you simply create a project, task, notes, and then hit the start button. Paymo also comes with an automatic time tracking app that will run in the background of your computer and monitors your activity.

The Paymo app can be used on mobile devices or desktops. There’s a free version, but for access to all of the features you’ll have to select either the $4.95 or $9.95 monthly option.

6. TimeCamp

TimeCamp was specifically designed to assist teams with time tracking. That’s pretty much it. However, this easy-to-use tool comes packed with features ranging from one-click/automatic tracking, reporting tools, to-do-lists, and timesheet approval. It also integrates with Podio, Basecamp, Trello, Asana, Wunderlist, and QuickBooks.

There is a free option, but most business owners will have to select either Basic ($6) or Pro ($9) monthly options.

7. Paydirt

Paydirt is another service that provides online invoicing, business reports, and team management tools. But, the Paydirt time tracking feature is one of the more unique options available. It automatically determines the client you’re working for and then starts tracking the hours you’re putting in automatically. There’s also a one-click time tracking feature, the opportunity to start a timer if you already started, and works on any web page or mobile app.

Starter plans begin at $8 per month and go up to $149 for agencies.

8. Bill4Time

This service actually lets you select your industry, such as Legal, Accounting, Architects, Freelancers, or just small business owners in general, so that the company can determine how to assist you better. Overall, Bill4Time comes with one-click timers, one screen batch time entry, and the ability to sync appointments so that you simplify your billing.

Pricing varies depending on your industry, but the average price is $15/month.

9. Timesheets

With this cloud-based service you can view the real-time totals on your employee’s timecard. This includes hourly and project timesheets, as well as mileage and expenses so that you can quickly identify billable and unbillable hours. There’s also a GPS tracker if you really want to keep tabs on your team. It also integrates with Quickbooks so that you can quickly invoice clients.

The monthly price is based on how many employees you have. If you’re working solo, Timesheets is free. But, if you have 20 users, for example, you’ll be charged $90 per month.

10. Deputy

With Deputy you can quickly and easily verify employee timesheets with reliable time-tracking software. The software is extremely user friendly and easy to learn, both for employees and HR staff. Breaks are even trackable with an easy toggle option.

Like many other services, pricing varies depending on the amount of users you have. The starting price is $4.50 per user per month. If you are a small team, though, Deputy does offer a free option where you can approve 100 timesheets. This option comes with less features, but it provides you an opportunity to test out the platform. 

The post 10 Time Tracking Services for Small-Business Owners appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Keep up with your customers.

More and more small businesses are utilizing customer relationship management systems to play out their interactions with customers. CRM allows you to keep your customers’ contact information in one place, as well as information on the products they’ve purchased, any feedback they’ve offered, and materials you’ve discussed with them.

When you keep track of this, it makes delivering exceptional customer service easier. It also makes offering targeted marketing materials based on your customer’s preferences and habits feasible. There are many traits of successful business owners, and one key trait is being customer centric.

Boost your “find-ability.”

If customers are looking to book a private jet or find a great place to eat on an upcoming vacation, technology will help them find your business.  Promote your business on local online directories to improve the chances of it being found online. Learn how to utilize your website to grow your business– build it with your customers in mind. You can utilize social media to consistently promote your business. Pay-per-click advertising is a cost-effective avenue for generating new leads. Essentially, technology allows you to make your business easier to find.

Manage your finances.

Keeping an eye on your cash flow and income is a vital part of managing a successful small business.  This process can easily turn into a major time suck if you fail to let he right technology help you. Track your experiences and account balances so you can get a handle on your money. This will allow you to be better equipped to make smart financial decisions and free up your time to focus on bigger issues like growing your business.

Cut costs.

There are a lot of actions you can take to ensure maximum profits. If your business pays to use conferences lines or has teleconferencing expenses to pay for, technology can help you cut those costs through using services like Skype and FreeConferenceCall.com.  If your business has team members like service personnel or sales staff who routinely work outside of the office, you can benefit by equipping staff with Web access phones to save time and money.

Printing is expensive and a waste of a valuable natural resource, too. Cut down on printing costs through using a duplex printer that prints on both sides of the page.  This cuts your paper usage in half, saving you from buying as much paper.

Technology is constantly evolving, but one thing that remains constant is the way it supports business growth. Learn to embrace and implement technology and your business can stay more organized, extend its reach and boost its bottom line tenfold.

How has your business experienced great success in thanks to technology?

The post 4 Ways Technology Can Improve Your Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Are you setting them up for success? With these four tips and tools, you can improve workflows and make your team more productive.

1. Take the Project Management Out of Email

Project management is a huge time suck. You have to break down large jobs into small tasks and then dole them out to the respective team members. That’s not the hard part. What’s more difficult is tracking deadlines, who’s finished what, and the progress completed.

There are several free tools to manage projects for IT teams in small businesses.

One great platform is Trello. Trello is a project management app accessible on both the computer and on mobile devices. No matter where your team members are, they can access updates about specific projects, see deadlines, find the tasks assigned specifically to them, and get moving. Under each project you can use lists to track each team member’s progression, and assign individual tasks to the person responsible.

Asana is another project management tool ideal for team members. This tool has its own mobile app so team members can log in anywhere, anytime. There is a small learning curve, which shouldn’t be a hindrance for your IT team. Once you get your projects up and running, it’s easy to use.

2. Collaborate Virtually

These days, there’s no reason IT teams need to come together in a conference room to hash out projects that need completing. Save your team hours on drive times by collaborating virtually.

GoToMeeting is a great collaboration tool for bringing geographically diverse teams together online. Send each team member the login link and when you expect them to be on screen, and away you go. You can share your screen, connect on video for a face-to-face feel, or even mute teams if they need to keep working while listening to your message.

Skype is another great tool for connecting virtually. This offers the same features (albeit a little less robust) as GoToMeeting, without the price tag.

3. Share the Big Picture

IT teams tend to focus on problem solving. It’s rare they’re in the trenches with the overall strategy of the business, and that could be a lost opportunity. By looping them in via your customer relationship management (CRM) tool, you can show the importance of their work in keeping the customers happy and dollars flowing into the business.

Insightly is commonly used by small businesses to manage customer concerns with IT departments. Customer relationships teams connect directly with the people in the IT department who can resolve issues with checking out online, problems with the website, or other IT related difficulties. The IT department can see the conversation and have full insight into what the customer needs fixed. This saves hours eliminating the middleman and getting customers’ needs resolved quickly.

4. Allow Virtual Work

Today’s workforce should be less centered on when and where the person is working but whether the employee is getting the job done. This is especially true in the world of IT.

Most IT jobs can be done virtually, which means you can offer your team a tremendous perk by allowing them to work anywhere. Still, as a business, you want to track what’s happening and how many hours your team is spending on IT tasks.

Toggl is a free tool that can help you see the breakdown in hours for your IT team. Using this tool can help you get deeper insight into your IT member’s day than if he was in your office working. It tracks time spent on specific tasks so you can see exactly what’s draining his hours and assess where he could be better utilized in the company.

Time Savings Starts With Tools

Technology today continues to advance in a way that allows you to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time getting work done. By using these tools in your business, you set your team up to be more productive and more effective without working overtime.

The post 4 Time-Saving Tricks to Manage IT Teams appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

By leveraging cloud UC, employees can be kept in the loop no matter their location or device they choose through advanced features of some of the best systems. This winter, businesses can ensure productivity with the following cloud UC advantages:

No Reliance on Equipment

While employees may not necessarily want to answer the phone while skiing down a mountain or gathered around a warm fireplace with family, they can still be accessible should there be a dire emergency at the office. All employee business communications can be accessed easily no matter the location through cloud-based UC systems, where the entire platform is available on desk phones, PCs, smartphones and tablets. A system that is operated 100 percent in the cloud has the unique ability to store all individual user profile information in the cloud, including their designated phone number, extension, contacts, voicemail and speed dials, eliminating any reliance on equipment on-site, and empowering businesses with true mobility. This means that all calls, messages, emails, chats, voicemail, presence and even video conferences can be hosted, scheduled or started from virtually any device and from any location an employee travels to. Additionally, mobile access to UC features like soft phones, empower employees to make and receive calls on their mobile device using their business number to remain professional.

Seamless Communication & Collaboration
With winter creating an influx of employees traveling, working remotely or home sick, collaborative mobility tools are essential for businesses to function at their highest levels. The most sophisticated video conferencing solutions allow employees to securely connect and collaborate with colleagues, customers and partners from anywhere in the world at a second’s notice. For example, start a video conference on an iMac in the office, pick it up on a smartphone while on the plane headed towards a vacation destination and share the recording with the team once settled at a hotel. The best platforms allow users to host online meetings, HD video conferences and audio conferences for as many as 100 people, enabling employees to jointly review and edit files, share screens, run webinars and interact seamlessly, all with end-to-end encryption for full security.

With a cloud UC system in place, business owners don’t have to worry about how the next big ice storm will impact productivity because employees can take their desk wherever they go. To work more efficiently and effectively, employees can take advantage of company-wide chat to send a brief message and provide a quick and easy method for others to response. There are plenty of chat apps on the market to choose from, but it’s important that the platform chosen meets all of the organization’s needs and works across all platforms, anything less is sub-standard. In addition, some UC systems can also integrate with existing productivity apps like Google apps, Skype, Microsoft Office365 or Salesforce, which further allows for unification across departments, no matter which device being used.

 Prevent Security Threats
This winter and beyond, it is imperative that mission-critical communications are safeguarded. The best cloud UC systems are designed to store critical data in a place that is secure, monitored and backed-up 24/7 X 365. Ensuring the highest level of security, a 100 percent cloud-based UC system prevents any information or data to be stored on local servers or phones on-site where they can be vulnerable to security threats. Having a good managed security service means that databases are also stored on secure servers in a protected cloud infrastructure. When moving a business’s infrastructure to the cloud, the chosen service provider should be able to provide a written guarantee called a service level agreement (SLA) that details its reliability. Having all business apps – not just some – supported and secured reduces the amount of time it would take for a business to recover from a potential security threat, as well as the amount of time essential and confidential data is exposed to any risk.

Businesses that make the move from traditional phone systems to cloud-based UC systems can rest at ease while the workforce is on the move, as they will be better equipped to overcome lower attendance and barriers to productivity – not only this winter, but throughout the year.

The post Using Technology to Keep Employees Connected and Productive through the Winter appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Sometimes there’s so much to do, and so many hats to wear that I’ve found myself wishing for more hours in the day. So how can we get the most work done without losing your bearings? Easy. By stocking an arsenal of reliable productivity tools.

Here’s a few.

Todoist: one tool to rule them all

Why use ten tools when one integrates them all? Todoist carries over 10+ integrations across different platforms. This lets you manage tasks and projects anywhere, anytime inside a single app. Online or offline.

Asana: keep all of your tasks in one place

Our team loves to keep their to-do lists in a single place. Having a holistic overview of all the things you need to do (personal and professional) is one of the best ways we’ve found to our manage time. Keep those lists is Asana. It works great for teams and individuals. It also has amazing integrations that help you improve your workflow.

SaneBox: keep a sane mind

Achieving “inbox zero” might seem hardcore, because not a lot of people have the tenacity to follow through. Because staying organized requires focus and dedication, especially if you’re subscribed to tons of newsletters like me. (I have a serious case of FOMO.) SaneBox, like the name suggests, keeps your mind sane by cleaning your inbox and snoozing emails for later.

Feedly: find the best content

Reading and browsing for inspiration are some of my favorite things to do. Whether it’s on Pocket or my Twitter feed. The downside? Finding great content can be difficult if you don’t have an enterprise content management system. That’s why Feedly is my go-to source. It allows me to carefully curate lists based on my interests—making the process of discovering, reading, and monitoring content a simple task in my daily routine.

Hootsuite: monitor your brand

Monitoring your brand is a big part of managing how people perceive your company. Need help with that? Enter Hootsuite. This tool lets you view several social media streams at the same time. From mentions, to direct messages, to scheduled tweets—Making it awesome for a social media team, customer success departments, and support channels.

My favorite feature? Bulk uploads. Being able to upload tweets for several different purposes is very helpful. Mostly because we can take care of that task at the beginning of the week and not worry about it until the next. Saving a lot of time.

Next steps:

Let’s be honest, multitasking is innate to our career as digital marketers. Tools can help. Your challenge? Setting goals, getting organized, and making these tools work for you.

The post 5 Tools To Help You Get the Most Work Done appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

1. I interviewed a large number of experts. Most large summits are about three weeks long. This allows you to interview a large number of people, which obviously increases the reach of the overall audience. I ended up with 17 interviews and released a different interview each day from June 1-17.
2. I shared the summit everywhere, every day. I blasted social media for three weeks before the summit and the entire month in which I ran the summit. The result? Other people started sharing it, too, and there was big buzz around it.
3. I made my current list opt-in. My goal was to grow my subscriber base but I also wanted to let my current subscribers in on the goodness, without annoying those who may not want a daily email for 17 days straight. I sent a simple announcement to my current list with an easy one-click opt-in. I continued this for three weeks leading up to the summit.
4. I provided templates to all the interviewees. Every expert I interviewed had one job- show up to my interview prepared and share their knowledge. I did everything else for them. I sent them templates to email their own list, as well as graphics and suggested posts for various social media.
5. I provided a direct link to schedule the interview with me. This was really key for efficiency and my own sanity! I set up times for interviews each week in Time Trade and included the link to schedule with my invitation. Only two of the 17 people emailed me wanting more info before scheduling.
6. I kept my emails succinct. This was a hard one because there was so much I wanted to share, but I made each email to the experts as short as possible and gave very clear instructions or requests.
7. I had something to sell after the summit was over. After providing a ton of great content and interacting with you regularly, people are ready to buy. And since I didn’t provide anything related to my specific expertise during the summit, I offered an online workshop the following month.

1. I didn’t ask (or care) about the size of anyone’s list. This goes against everything anyone will tell you about using summits as a success strategy. Most business coaches will tell you not to waste time with anyone who has list of less than x (typically 5,000). However, I knew some experts who would provide killer value but they had just started up their list building. I decided to focus on providing value and variety, rather than going after list size. The result was that I received multiple compliments on the content and excitement leading into the summit about the various topics.
2. I didn’t sell the summit videos. This was more a personal choice but selling the videos would have created more legal hassle and I decided for my first round, everything would be free.
3. I didn’t remove access to the videos within 48-72 hours. People need urgency to act. This is definitely true, but people are also busy. I hate when I miss something simply because I’ve had two busy days so I decided to leave all videos up for an entire month. And it absolutely increased the total views.
4. I didn’t require my experts to do any promotion if they didn’t want to. This is another big no-no, but I realized that people hate the “send a minimum of five notices to your email list” type requirement and it makes them say NO. However, they are happy to share when it’s something of value and they see themselves as part of something bigger.
5. I provided all the experts with a summary at the end. After the end of the month, I put together an email with all the stats on views, website visits, attendees subscribed, testimonials, etc. I received multiple replies thanking me for the information and this increased follow up later on with some of the experts.

The post Grow Your Email List. How A Psychologist Did It In One Month. appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

As flexible as this model is, there are still some challenges. The biggest one? Keeping teams on the same page when they lack daily face-to-face interaction. Here are a few tips, tricks, and tools to keep remote teams productively organized and working efficiently.

Project Management

Step number one to getting your team more organized is to get yourself more organized.

If your project management is taking place in your (and your team’s) inbox, you’re in trouble. Emails can easily get accidentally deleted, buried, and ignored. No matter how organized your inbox might feel, your team’s email might not be as well put together. It’s easy for a task to get lost in the shuffle and ignored.

When you have multiple people working on pieces of a project, you’re juggling due dates and assignments. When you need to bring someone new into the mix, you have to start from scratch explaining all of the project details. This takes time and you risk forgetting important details, which could lead to communication breakdown.

To speed things along while at the same time keeping everyone on track with what’s happening, you need a project management tool.

Basecamp is one of the first web-based project management tools. It has seen several iterations over its existence, evolving each time to meet today’s remote work styles. In it, you can set up several different projects, assign tasks to other users (even if they don’t have their own Basecamp account), assign due dates, track conversations, upload files and more. It keeps everything for the project central in one place so you remain organized and efficient.

Basecamp comes with a price tag. The more projects you have, the more expensive it gets. Many small businesses prefer to use one of the free, but very robust, project management tools available.

Trello is perhaps the most simple of the free ones, yet also the most powerful. This drag-and-drop tool lets you create boards for projects, cards for tasks and lists to keep it all organized. It takes a little bit of creativity to set it up for your specific work project, but once you’re going, it’s easy to track who is doing what and when items are due.

Communication Software

Another way to take communication out of the inbox and into a more organized location is with communication software.

Slack is one of the most popular choices for communicating via text with large groups of people. This free chat tool incorporates popular social media communication tools into an internal company communication tool. For example, you can use the @ sign to comment to a specific person. Or, you can use hashtags to organize your conversations. It’s fast to learn and easy to use.

Customer Relationship Management

When was the last time you reached out to your customer? Who was the last point-of-contact with your customer from your company? Do you have a lot of leads sitting in the pipeline waiting to be nurtured without anyone from your company taking charge and reaching out?

A customer relationship management (CRM) tool tracks all of this and more.

If you have remote sales teams, a CRM is invaluable. It lets hungry salesmen know when there’s a hot lead ready to buy. It also ensures a smooth experience for your customer, which helps brand your business as one that’s put together, organized and on the ball.

Beyond sales teams, a CRM can help other departments do their jobs better. For example, marketing departments often times tap into a CRM to do customer research and come up with new campaigns. By having a CRM in place, remote teams don’t have to wait on someone else to respond to an email. Instead, the information they need is at their disposal.

Insightly is one of the most robust small business CRMs. In it, you can pull quick reports to send to other departments, see at a glance who has connected with hot leads and how long it’s been since someone reached out to a customer, review notes about each customer and more. It also has built-in project management tools, which can simplify communication between customer information and tasks.  It keeps every client relationship organized so everyone, regardless of distance, can know what’s happening and how they can better serve your customers.

Video Meeting Software

Even in the constantly connected world we live in and the wealth of communication tools available, distance can lead to disconnect. It’s times like these that it’s beneficial to suit up and sit “face-to-face” for meetings.

There are several video meeting tools to facilitate the reconnection.

If you’re meeting with a small group of people, a quick video call on Skype can suffice. Skype is free and allows you to share your screen and/or share your webcam.

For larger teams, you might want a more robust meeting point online. GoToMeeting is a popular choice because it too has quite a few capabilities. For example, you can share presentations, cameras, allow participants to raise their hand to speak, encourage conversation in the chat box without worry of people talking over each other. GoToMeeting was built for remote teams, while Skype was originally built for more basic face-to-face connections.

Either tool will work. The goal is to get your eyes peering into the eyes of your team so you can reestablish that connection and rekindle the fire in everyone’s belly, even from afar.

Setting Your Team Up for Success

It’s not easy to manage a team of people across a wide distance. Set yourself up for success with a project management tool and CRM. Then, keep the connection strong by using video meeting software to shorten the distance and maintain that face-to-face interaction. Doing this will keep your team engaged and focused, helping you see bigger results from your remote workers.

The post All Around The World: Keeping Remote Teams Organized appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Let’s give Microsoft credit. It is NO longer the company of 10 or 20 years go, launching, software installed on a PC – those days are over. Seeing Satya Nadella on stage at Microsoft’s press conference, launching Microsoft Teams, was big. Hear a snip of his presentation here.

Microsoft Teams is yet another successful push by Microsoft to provide frictionless services for enhanced collaboration and communication, on the Office 365 platform. I use Asana, Zapier and many other tools. But the ONE thing that Microsoft continues to provide is a comprehensive suite of products that offer some of the best collaboration and communication solutions available.

Furthermore, Microsoft offers support, constant improvements, security and an ecosystem of supporting partners.

There’s been so much press comparing Microsoft Teams to Slack and I get it. But think about this. Slack and other companies are a premium model. For those who don’t want to pay, and want free, they’re going to go to Slack or some other free version. But for those companies who want a premium offering, they’re going to want to consider Microsoft. It’s all about investing in your business as well. Comparing “free” to a great fee based product is not “apples to apples”.

For companies who are standardized on Microsoft, Microsoft Teams will be highly compelling. For companies who are not using a Microsoft product, Microsoft Teams might give them a reason to do so.

What’s also nice about Microsoft Teams, like with other Microsoft products, is that it’s open to bringing in and sharing data from other sources – including Asana and Zapier and many others.

From Microsoft’s press release:

• Chat for today’s teams. Microsoft Teams provides persistent, threaded chat to keep everyone engaged and informed. Team conversations are visible to the entire team by default, and the experience also offers private chat capabilities. A library of emojis, GIFs, custom stickers and memes gives people a fun way to express personality within their digital workspace.
• A hub for teamwork. Microsoft Teams brings together the full breadth and depth of Office 365. People can start voice and video meetings, as well as work with Microsoft Office documents, directly within the Microsoft Teams experience. The Microsoft Graph enables intelligence to help with information relevance, discovery and sharing. Microsoft Teams is also built on Office 365 Groups, the cross-application membership service that makes it easy for people to move naturally from one collaboration tool to another, preserve their sense of context and share with others.
• Customizable for each team. Because every team is unique, Microsoft Teams offers the ability for teams to customize the experience to meet their specific needs. Team members can create channels to organize conversations by topic. They can customize channels with a feature called Tabs, which provide quick access to frequently used documents and applications. Tabs can be created for Office 365 services like OneNote, SharePoint and Planner, or third-party solutions, such as Zendesk and Asana coming soon. Microsoft Teams supports the same Connector model as Exchange to bring notifications and updates from third-party services, such as Twitter or GitHub available Wednesday, directly into the experience. In addition, it supports the Microsoft Bot Framework to bring intelligent first- and third-party services into the team environment, including sharepoint permissions management. The preview of the Microsoft Teams Developer Preview, also announced today, gives developers the opportunity to start building integrations with Microsoft Teams right away.
• Security that teams trust. As part of Office 365, Microsoft Teams offers the global scale and advanced security and compliance capabilities provided by the Microsoft Cloud. Data is encrypted at all times and covered by a transparent operational model with no standing access to customer data. Multifactor authentication provides enhanced identity protection to help ensure data stays safe within the team. In addition, Microsoft Teams will support key compliance and data protection standards, such as the data processing terms with European Union Model Clauses, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act business associate agreement (HIPAA BAA), ISO 27001, ISO 27018, and SSAE 16 SOC 1 and 2 report.

The post Microsoft Teams: How Microsoft Is Changing and Evolving Business Collaboration & Communication appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

My dentist is amazing however, when I want to make or change appointments I have to call his office. Why? Why can’t I do it all online? There are MANY great online scheduling services available and Microsoft recently released one of its own – Microsoft Bookings.

Integrated into Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Bookings helps small business owners ensure they’re customers can book appointments with them – 24/7. Not just book the appointment but also change and update it.

Each new customer that schedules an appointment with you is added to the customer contact of Microsoft Bookings as well.

If you work with customers, who need to schedule appointments with you – enable them to manage their own online bookings.

The post Microsoft Bookings – Enable Customers To Make and Amend Their Appointments Online appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

GoDaddy recently announced the availability of enhanced security for its email integration with Microsoft Office 365 through a partnership with Proofpoint.

While your email is often secure when it’s on the server of your email provider, it’s often not secure when in transit and sent “in the clear”.

Encrypting your email such as with a solution that GoDaddy’s introducing means your email is secure end to end.

There are many encryption methods, including Marc Cuban’s Cyber Dust app.

While this level of email security might not be for every business, it’s something you should at least consider.

The post Email Encryption: Is It Time To Upgrade Your Communication? New GoDaddy Offering appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Ever been to a small conference room, a huddle room, and you and 4 other people are trying to be seen by the tiny camera on a computer or another device. Lifesize feels your pain and has developed the Lifesize Icon 450.

It’s a small camera, that automatically adjusts as people enter and leave the room. Combined with the LifeSize telephone system it’s a small and nimble system to ensure small “huddles” of people can all communicate in your next video conference call.

The post Conference Room Video Camera Self Adjusts and Moves. Great For Small Huddles appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

What’s one tip for making the most of your freelance tech talent?

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.

The post 13 Ways to Make the Most of Your Freelancers appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Slack has the BRAIN SHARE of collaboration amongst so many. Other tools include Jive and of course Google Apps and Microsoft’s Office 365.

You can get the full details about Facebook Workplace here.

Facebook Workplace appears to be quite robust. Integrating Live Video, Chat, Search and an overall News Feed – it’s a way for teams to keep in touch and updated.

I like that Facebook offers it free for 3 months – plenty of time for every company to try out.

At only $3 a month per user – it’s pretty darn cheap.

The post Facebook Workplace: Now Collaborate With Your CoWorkers Using Facebook appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

What is your favorite tool for user testing your company website and why?

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.

The post 12 Tools for Effectively User Testing Your Website appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Often times with doing video conferences with a group it’s a hassle. People can’t hear (or see) and there are wires strung here and there. Skype and Logitech have teamed up to create the Logitech Smart Dock which is an appliance integrating audio and video.

What’s also nice about the Smart Dock is that it can swivel so everyone around the room can be seen and heard.

There’s no need to have all meeting participants bring their laptops the next time you have a meeting.

From the press release, “With Logitech SmartDock, people can start meetings on time with one-touch join, then instantly project to the display in the room and share to remote participants via their Skype for Business clients on a smartphone or laptop. The Skype Room System also includes the ability to place or join an audio-only call. Now with the new Skype for Business meeting experience, users can leave their laptops behind, walk into a SmartDock-equipped conference room, and work together as if they were in the same room.”

The post Get Rid of The Wires and Hassle: Use Skype Better with New Logitech SmartDock appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Increasingly I find myself clicking “unsubscribe” to email newsletters. I don’t want to unsubscribe from them – but so few have an option to “update my preferences”. Constant Contact, Infusionsoft, Mail Chimp all have options to “update preferences”. However, there are some providers, such as Vertical Response, that only have one option for the read “un-subscribe”.

Often times people want to update their email address, but if you only give the option to “unsubscribe” you’re not just annoying them – you’re hurting yourself. Most people will just unsubscribe.

Of course having only one option, “unsubscribe” is not just the only problem, here are a few more things you can do to make your email newsletter a winning success:

1. Have a great subject line
2. Tell a story and have great content
3. Have a simple, but good design
4. Ensure it’s easily readable on smart phones

Now go fix that “unsubscribe” problem.

The post The One Problem Your Email Newsletter Has and How To Solve It. appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Cloud-based software allows everyone on your team to have real-time access to in-progress work. Plus, there’s no expensive IT maintenance required, so you can save money while also increasing productivity. Win-win for everyone.

Project Management

Having a solid project management platform is critical to the success of your team, whether you’re all working locally from the same office, or you’re spread out all over the globe. No matter your industry, there are lots of moving parts to coordinate. Project management software that integrates with your CRM keeps things simplified. Quickly and easily manage clients, projects, to-do lists and calendars from a central location – accessible from anywhere there’s an Internet connection.

Live Video Chat

Sometimes, business will call for live video chats with a small group of people. With tools like Google Hangouts, Blab, and Skype, there’s a way to host video conferences with small groups of people for free. Blab works great if you need multiple hosts with mostly viewers.  Skype is popular, but not an ideal choice if you want to record the call for later viewing. If your team is all over the world, chances are you won’t find a time that works well for everyone to attend live, so you’ll want the option to view the chats later.

Editorial Calendar

When you’ve got a team of people working, it only makes sense to use an editorial calendar. CoSchedule offers a robust calendar that teams can work on together, ensuring everyone remains on the same page. As an added bonus, it features a WordPress plugin so you can keep your editorial calendar right inside your company blog. You can automatically schedule your posts to go out to Facebook and Twitter, too.

Social Media Management

While CoSchedule can help with social media management to a degree, it can be a hassle to load all of your other social content in the platform if you’re working from your WordPress blog. Tools like Buffer and Hootsuite allow for multiple team members to access your social accounts, schedule posts, and more.

Buffer includes the ability to schedule Pinterest posts, a nice bonus for businesses that need to maintain an active presence on that network.

File Sharing

If you need to quickly and easily share files among coworkers, there are many options – Dropbox and Google Drive are simple and effective. OneDrive, Microsoft’s answer to their competition, is another good solution.

OneDrive is the better answer for small teams who also need cloud-based access to Microsoft Office, because an Office 365 subscription includes the ability to share with other users. Each user on the shared account gets their own 1 TB OneDrive space, plus 60 free Skype minutes a month.

No matter which of these platforms you choose to use, you can download them to your computer and mobile phone so files and folders can be shared directly from your hard drive or mobile device. And, if you have multiple team members who need access, you can control what is shared with whom in just a few clicks.

Screen Sharing

Skype is great if you want to share a screen with a small group, but when more than one person needs control, it’s not ideal. That’s where ScreenHero comes in. Share a single screen, but allow multiple people to work on the document together – each with their own cursor. With the voice chat feature, it’s like working in the same room together.

With the variety of cloud-based tools available today, there’s no reason your remote team can’t operate as a cohesive unit regardless of distance. When there’s something that needs to be done, you’ll be able to find the tool you need to accomplish it.

The post 6 Tools for Unified Teams appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

As I travel cross the country, I’m amazed at the number of business owners who are still relatively new to the power of using content and “social media” to engage with their customers. Part of this rise is fostered and enabled by CRM companies integrating social dynamics into their platform.

Today Nimble announces a slew of new and updated integrations (Office 366 and Google Apps) into its software. In addition it’s enriching it’s social connections and business contact information.

You can use Nimble to not only keep in touch with your customers and other contacts but also build and save profiles based on a variety of business information – such as industry size and location.

The power of CRM is a) everyone in your company can get the same snapshot of one customer b) everyone on your team can better collaborate about customers (or others)  c) you can glean public insights on each contact in your database d) you can segment customers and better market to them.

The post CRM Plus Social Plus Business Information Is A Winning Combination: Nimble Upgrades appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Free #webinar on Smart #Tech upgrades with @LenovoSMB on 9/20!
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This free webinar will bring together a group of tech expert panelist that will discuss the importance of keeping your technology updated, the benefits of cloud computing and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and factors that should drive your business technology choices. Here are the webinar details:

Smart Tech Upgrades to Drive Productivity, Performance, and Profitability

Tuesday, September 20^th

1:00 – 2:00 PM EDT

[btn link=”https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/235047375450782209″ color=”red” size=”size-l” target=”_blank”]Sign Up HERE[/btn]

This is a FREE webinar, so I hope you will join me, as I will be participating on the panel. I will be joined by Eric Knopf, co-founder of Webconnex, and TJ McCue, who consults on content strategy and produces web content for technology companies. The webinar will include lively discussion, best practices, and thought-provoking questions and answers and is great for anyone in business who uses technology and wants to be more productive, improve performance and be more profitable!

Secure your spot by registering today. I hope to see you Tuesday, September 20^th!

The post Webinar: Smart Tech Upgrades to Drive Productivity, Performance, and Profitability appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Determining which are your best leads — in other words, those most likely to turn into customers — can help you increase your conversion rate and boost sales. Also, putting more focus on your most likely prospects in your pipeline will save you time (because you won’t be chasing dead-end leads). But how can you figure out which are the best leads?

First, Categorize Leads

Did you realize that 73% of new B2B leads aren’t ready to make a purchase? That doesn’t mean they’re not worth pursuing, but you will want to handle them differently than you would a lead who’s ready to buy.

Create “buckets” for your contacts. These buckets might include:

• People you’ve met in person
• People who downloaded an ebook
• Social media contacts

You could also categorize them by how they ended up in your lead funnel, such as “downloaded our 10 Reasons to Invest in Financial Software ebook,” which you’ve targeted at a particular audience.

Next, Score Those Leads

This part is fun, and a bit like a game. You can assign points to each lead to give it a score. The higher the score, the better the lead. You can give points for things like:

• Job title
• Location
• Interactions with your brand (downloaded whitepaper, attended webinar)

Also take away points for any negative actions that a lead takes, like unsubscribing from your email list.

Decide on Nurturing Techniques

Even if a lead ranks high on your scoring matrix, she might not be ready to buy from you right now, so it’s imperative that you invest the time and energy in nurturing her appropriately. If you can further break down your bucket of high-scoring leads into where they are on the buyer’s journey, you can give what each lead needs at the particular stage she’s in.

For example, if a lead is in the Consideration stage, she’s past needing to be informed about your general category of product. Now she’s comparing you to the competition. Make it easy for her. This is the ideal time to send her a free graphic that puts you (in a favorable light without being promotional) against the other top players in your space. Remember: you want to communicate that you’re trying to help her on her buying journey, not push her into a decision, so focus on being informative, not salesy.

Leverage that CRM

Your CRM platform can be hugely helpful in nurturing your best leads…but only if you maximize your use of it. Take copious notes about your leads’ activities, and tag each contact with that lead scoring information. You can even more a contact from one category or stage of the buying cycle to the next so you can easily view everyone who’s at the same stage.

These days, we have so much data at our fingertips, that chasing bad leads is nearly obsolete. Instead, put your efforts toward ensuring that those ideal leads grow to love and trust you, and eventually become customers.

The post Using CRM To Nurture Your Best Leads into Sales appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

This webinar is part of Comcast Business’s “Connections to Growth” series – “a year-long series designed to help you transform your business and drive growth in your company.” Each week the Connections to Growth website is updated with new blog posts on business topics like leadership, culture, training and technology. The series also features special live webinars like the one I’m telling you about today. Here are the important details:

Topic: Building, Growing and Keeping Your Team

Date: Tuesday, August 2^nd

Time: 12-1 PM CDT

SIGN UP FOR THE COMCAST BUSINESS WEBINAR HERE

This is a FREE webinar, so I hope you can join me! I will be participating on the panel, along with Julie Wilson (the Executive Director of the Institute for the Future of Learning) and Gene Marks (founder of the Mars Group.) During the webinar we will discuss what it takes to build a great team, including training the team, retaining your best team members, and creating a team that helps you with your current and future needs as a business.

The webinar will include lively discussion, best practices, and thought-provoking questions and answers. Secure your spot by registering today. After registering, you’ll get a confirmation email with the information you need to join the webinar.

This Comcast Business webinar is perfect for small business owners who want to cultivate a team that will make their business strong and successful! See you on Tuesday, August 2^nd.

The post Comcast Business Webinar on August 2 – How to Build a Strong Team appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

As a small business owner you can use EMAIL in a powerful way to engage and bring a deep personalized connection to your customers and potential customers.

While you can do many of this on your own, you can also hire someone to help you do it.

Email is not dead – it’s a powerful way to connect and reach someone right in their email box.

The post Email Personalization Works: Hilton Garden Inn “Welcomes Ramon” via Email appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Even, Facebook, the leader in “social communication” agrees that email, for business to business communication is still so important.

Facebook recently signed up to use Microsoft Office 365 for its corporate communications as reported by the WSJ.

Of course Facebook’s own internal social workspace service, Facebook at Work competes with tools such as Slack, Skype and other more collaborative tools and services.

If you have people telling you that you can DITCH email and that you don’t need it anymore, in favor of some online post it board they’re wrong. Being able to directly email someone a message – not in a shared message board – is still an important way to community.

Collaborative tools like Jive, Slack and others are great for group collaboration, tracking projects and discussing projects. But when you need to email your boss, or email an attachment to a client – email is best.

The post Collaboration Tools are Important But Email Is Still Essential: Faceboook Agrees appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Why You Need Video

You should be using video to get more customers, but what makes it different from other marketing approaches? Customers get more information in a shorter amount of time by viewing one well-made video. Videos give your customers an impression of you and your business. It’s more personal than an email or blog post. Video is used in marketing in many ways today. Short videos posted to Vine and Instagram are short and easily shared. Tutorials and vlogs on your website or YouTube are a bit longer and more informative. Whether you film it yourself or hire a professional, video is one marketing tool you need.

DIY Video

Small businesses often take the DIY approach to save money where possible. Apps such as Vine and Instagram make it possible to create short videos. They’re free and simple to use. You can make new videos quickly, edit clips, and reach all your followers instantly. This option is excellent for things like contests, previewing new products, and even speaking directly to your followers, such as Q&A videos. Doing it yourself isn’t without pitfalls, however. While apps make it seem easy, they can’t make a poorly shot video look good. Take a few steps to make your DIY videos look their best.

Storyboard. Use paper or software to plot out each scene for your video and the dialogue or narrative that goes with it. Come up with a few versions, then narrow it down to the best one.

Lighting. Poorly lit videos look awful. Make sure you have at least one bright light source. Whether it’s sunlight through a window or a floor lamp aimed at your product, be sure the thing you’re filming is brightly lit.

Script. Stumbling over your words makes you sound like a novice and increases editing time. It helps to practice speaking a few times before shooting, even if it’s only a few second clip for social media. The script is even more important when filming a longer video, such as a tutorial for YouTube.

Sound. Tiny smartphone microphones aren’t the best at capturing clear sound in your film production. Be sure there is silence when you’re filming (unless background noise is intentional). Try using the earbuds with mic that came with your phone for clarity. You can also purchase a microphone that plugs into the 3.5 mm jack on your phone or a clip-on mic.

Stability. Don’t make your customers nauseous with shaky video. Invest in a tripod before shooting videos for your business. Choose a full size tripod or a little Gorillapod^® depending on what and where you’ll be filming. Some lower end tripods can droop or slowly move while filming, so look out for that while testing it out.

Image licensing. Avoid getting sued by only using commercially licensed images and video clips. You’ll either need to purchase a license, get permission from the creator, or use Creative Commons (CC) images. Be aware “free to use” and CC works are not always commercially licensed. Read the fine print to be sure you’re allowed to use the image.

Professional Video

Even if you’re able to film a decent video yourself, you may not realize just how labor intensive video editing is. It can be a lengthy and complex process to get to the final, polished version of your video. While you may be capable of doing the editing yourself, it may make more sense as a business owner to pay a professional to spend hours creating a great video for you while you focus on other responsibilities.

Hiring professionals to create your video will ensure a polished final product. The obvious difference in quality gives the impression that your business is trustworthy. When it comes to video ads, tutorials, help videos for your product, and any video featured prominently on your website you’ll want to consider investing in a professional to create your videos. The impact it has on your customers is invaluable.

The post Video Production Tips for Small Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

No business wants to have to break the news to their customers that their personal information has been compromised due to a security breach. Use these tips for top-notch security to ensure your business never has to make that painful announcement.

Keep Passwords Strong and Difficult to Guess

Strong passwords are the first line of defense. If you’re worried about being able to remember passwords, create a naming convention. Start a word that’s easy to remember, and spell it with a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters. Then, attach something, either at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end, that reminds you what the account is for. For example, you could use FAC for Facebook, GMA for Gmail, etc. Avoid using things easy to guess, like pet names and birthdates.

For a Star Wars fan, “skyw4!kerFAC” would make a strong Facebook password that’s easy to remember.

A naming convention should make your passwords easy to remember (or work out), so you won’t need to write them down. Don’t use the same password for everything – that makes it really easy for hackers to take over accounts and wreak more havoc.

Use Secure Servers

Host your website on a secure server. You may have to pay extra for security certificates, but that HTTPS will help you. In 2014, Google announced secure sites will get a small ranking boost. If your business takes online payments of any kind, SSL is highly critical.

Keep Firewalls and Antivirus Running

Make sure you have firewalls and antivirus software on all computers in your network, and any others remote workers may be using, to keep data on your local machines safe. These should always be running since your computer is “always on” the Internet, and these should always be kept up to date. Run scans on a regular basis to remove viruses and other malware hackers could use to access your data.

Check Permissions on All Applications You Use

Keep employees in line with the right permissions on everything you use. This way, only the people who need access to sensitive information have it. Don’t share files with more people than you have to. While your employees are likely trustworthy, you never know when a disgruntled employee may leak private information online.

Back up Data on Physical Drives

Always have copies of data on physical drives – whether they are external hard drives, CD/DVD-ROM, or flash drives. Even if the data isn’t breached, there’s always a possibility the hard drive will fail – as all of them eventually do. This way, you’ll be able to load your data onto a new machine and keep working.

Consider a Cybercrime Insurance Policy

If your business deals with a lot of risky information, or you just want extra peace of mind, you could invest in a cybercrime insurance policy. These policies can be quite pricey, depending on the level of coverage you want. However, they will help recoup some of the costs in the event there is a data breach. This can also assist with regaining customer trust after a data breach.

No plan is ever 100% fool-proof to protect your business data, but implementing these strategies can go a long way toward prevention. It’s also a good idea to only collect data your business needs, and to use a privacy policy so employees can follow best practices. Security is one of those things that is much better to be proactive, rather than reactive.

The post Is Your CRM Data Safe From Hackers? appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

With so many businesses using Office 365, it is important for business owners to understand all aspects of the service to get the best result.  Here are 10 ways Office 365 can help business streamline their operations and meet their projected goals.

Coediting documents

Within Office 365, users can simultaneously coedit documents via SharePoint, with a sharepoint migration system. SharePoint functions as an intranet site where an organization’s important information and files can be stored in a single, secure location. Users can share links to files with other members of the company and view any changes being made in real time. Additionally, with a sharepoint dashboard individuals can restore previous versions of documents and compare these versions throughout the editing process.

I’ve asked Jamison West, President and Founder of Arterian to share how you can get more out of Office 365. Arterian is a technology solutions provider, specialized in cloud solutions.

Essentially, Office 365 users have access to an archived collaboration platform that avoids the communication silos likely to occur when employees are forced to email documents across the office.

OneDrive for Business and sharing documents

OneDrive for Business enables users to store, access, and share documents on any device with an available internet connection. The feature is integrated within the whole of Office 365, so when a user makes changes to a file, the changes are saved across all applications and devices. Administrators can set access and editing permissions that reflect the structure of the organization and ensure the business adheres to any compliance standards for which it may be responsible.

OneDrive for business also permits organizations to securely share documents with clients, vendors, and partners outside of the company, specifying whether a guest can view, or view and edit, the shared document.

SharePoint Calendars

Businesses can centrally host information regarding company deadlines and events using the SharePoint calendar. This feature mirrors an office’s whiteboard or paper calendar that would be displayed in a communal area. Anyone within the organization is able to view the calendar, which makes it easier to keep track of important dates on a company-wide scale. Like Outlook, SharePoint calendar allows users to schedule single or recurring events. Users can easily add their SharePoint calendars to their Outlook and can overlay Outlook calendars with SharePoint calendars to allow them to see all of their events at once.

SharePoint Notebook

SharePoint teams can create Notebooks specific to their roles within the organization. Shared notebooks can be used to brainstorm projects, aggregate materials and files, record and distribute meeting minutes, and list tasks to be completed. Like the coediting document feature, users can set access and editing permissions, restore older versions of the notes, and coedit pages as if they were in the same room.

This centralized notetaking enables employees and departments to easily collaborate and share information in one place.

Planner

Planner acts as a virtual project manager.

The application is displayed on an easy-to-use interface where teams can cooperate, share documents, assign tasks, and coordinate projects. Assigned tasks are represented by “Cards” and each card can include specified due dates, attached files, and corresponding conversations and categories. The Planner “Hub” records and displays the progress of individuals and teams using real-time data analytics.

Delve

Delve is a feature of Office 365 that develops a collective display of documents most relevant to users at a specific day and time. The application consolidates data from across the Office 365 platform and uses this information to predict the what resources a user needs and when. Delve allows users to readily access the most popular documents being edited within the organization, as well as develops a home page of relevant information specific to the individual’s role and needs.

If an employee has a client meeting scheduled in their Outlook calendar, Delve will pull any associated documents onto the user’s home page before it begins.

Power BI

Microsoft’s Power BI is a cloud-hosted business analytics service that compiles all of a company’s data into single interface and displays this information on live dashboards that can be tailored to the visual needs of the business. The feature creates insightful visuals using combo and funnel charts, fill and tree maps, gages, and additional data representations that empower organizations to make more informed business decisions.

Power BI works with a variety of storage options, whether the data is hosted on premises, in the cloud, or a combination of both. The feature can be used on almost any device, and its live dashboards can be shared both within and outside the company. Visuals can also be embedded within a company’s blog or website to enhance the presentation and appeal of the organization’s content.

Skype for Business meeting capabilities

Office 365’s Skype for Business can be a valuable asset for any business looking to improve its communication and collaboration capabilities. The application supports instant messaging, voice calling, and video chat on any internet-capable device. Users can continue to communicate uninterrupted while coediting documents, sharing screens, hosting presentations, switching devices, and more.

Skype for Business supports seamless communication throughout all of the Office 365 applications and across a variety of devices.

Easy conference calling

Hosting conference calls is simple using Office 365’s Skype for Business. Users can check the availability status of the people they want to contact, select participants, and begin a conference call all within the application’s user-friendly interface. If another person needs to be added to the call, users can simply drag the person’s name from their contact list directly into the meeting. The application is suitable for both small and large businesses. Users can hold conference calls with up to 250 people and can broadcast a meeting for up to 10,000 participants at once.

Single sign on across several services

Office 365 uses a software component developed by Microsoft that provides users with single sign-on access to numerous online applications during the duration of a session. This feature eliminates the needs for a user to enter their credentials for every application. Single sign-on includes the Box, Citrix, Citrix GoToMeeting, SalesForce, Google Apps, Office 365, and more. Once a member is logged in, they can easily switch between any application until their online session expires.

Correctly understanding these unique features found in Office 365 tools will enable a seamless workflow. However, business owners should take the time to properly assess their employees and company’s needs to determine which Office 365 tools are the best fit.

The post 10 Ways Microsoft Office 365 Can Help Streamline Your Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

I’ve used Canva for several months. It’s a powerful design tool to create images/designs for your blog, social media and more.

Google Docs has been offering presentations for some time, Prezi just launched Prezi for business and now Canva enables design creation as well. Of course Microsoft Sway is an online presentation tool as well.

So, is it time to consider using a lighter and online tool to create your next presentation?

I’ve used Microsoft Power Point for years, it’s feature rich, compatible with most every computer and is a staple of just about every presenter.

However, if you want something light (and often free) and that’s built online – something other than Microsoft Power Point might b e good for you.

For me, I’m so used to Microsoft Power Point and like it’s outline and text based format, versus, a more visual and graphic format that some of the other tools have.

I’ll continue to use Microsoft Power Point – but hey – maybe one of the other tools could work for you.

The post Canva Presentations Launches. Is It Time To Ditch Microsoft PowerPoint? appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

The Reasons Behind the Deal

The purchase of LinkedIn was the first acquisition for Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. In an email, he explained the move, saying:

“With the new growth in our Office commercial and Dynamics businesses, this deal is key to our bold ambition to reinvent productivity and business processes. Think about it: How people find jobs, build skills, sell, market, and get work done and ultimately find success requires a connected professional world. It requires a vibrant network that brings together a professional’s information in LinkedIn’s public network with the information in Office 365 and Dynamics.”

Others say that Microsoft sees LinkedIn as a way to access a professional network of over 433 million members, and if they can leverage that platform then they can drive usage for their many business apps and programs. Some say that this is part of a broader shift that has been taking place for a while but had gone relatively unnoticed by consumers – a shift away from PC software to online services for business owners.

The Future of LinkedIn and Microsoft

Although LinkedIn will operate as “a full independent entity within Microsoft” we are sure to see integrations in the months and years to come. However, experts say that these integrations will likely roll out slowly, for fear of alienating LinkedIn users.

Many of the possible integrations were outlined in a presentation to investors. This includes:

• Gathering data to create complete professional profiles, which you can call up using Microsoft products like Outlook or Cortana.
• Creating a more intelligent newsfeed so professionals can stay connected with what is happening in their network, industry, and profession – and integrating the LinkedIn newsfeed with Office 365.
• Connecting the LinkedIn Sales Navigator with Microsoft’s Dynamics CRM to improve social selling.
• Providing insights about your employees and team members to better understand their capability and productivity.
• Integrating LinkedIn Learning (Lynda.com) with Office to provide educational experiences and on-demand courses.

What The Microsoft LinkedIn Deal Means for Businesses

First and foremost, the acquisition demonstrates Microsoft’s shift away from the consumer market and toward business customers. It reaffirms that Microsoft is putting businesses first in product creation, so we should see even more online and cloud-based services that improve productivity, efficiency, and connection.

While those who don’t like Microsoft products may find the acquisition annoying, many experts say that the move will be good for businesses. For example, Lee Odden, the CEO of TopRank, says,

“I think the combination of Microsoft, especially Office 365 and Dynamics, with LinkedIn’s network will create opportunities for companies and marketers on several levels. Empowering individuals with customized news, learning and access to relevant professionals, to increased advertising options and sales through Dynamics CRM and LinkedIn Sales Navigator, are a great start.”

The Wall Street Journal echoes this sentiment, saying, “We now work by toggling between our productivity software and our social networks. But why should the two be separate?”

When announcing the acquisition, the presentation to investors pointed out that Microsoft and LinkedIn share a common mission of empowering people and organizations. If the acquisition plays out correctly, it should create several products, services and features that empower small businesses and improve business operations.

The post What the Microsoft LinkedIn Deal Means for Businesses appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Smart Hustle Conference – A Must-Attend Event

Ramon Ray recently announced the 11^th Annual Smart Hustle Small Business Conference, a day-long event specifically for small business owners and entrepreneurs. On October 20, 2016, over 400 will gather to learn from some of the smartest small business minds of our time, including Peter Shankman, Joe Connolly, Gene Marks and more. The Smart Hustle Conference will feature lessons, seminars, and an exhibit of the latest small business products and services. Early bird pricing is available until August 20, so click to learn more about the event and buy your ticket.

Click to read 11^th Annual Smart Hustle Small Business Conference Launches October 20^th – NYC

B2B Marketing Mistakes

We often cover marketing from a general perspective, but if you’re a B2B business, you’ll want to check out this article that is just for you. Mobile marketing is hot right now, but it’s only effective if you do it correctly. The article covers the seven top mobile marketing mistakes that B2B businesses make – and how you can avoid them.

Click to read 7 B2B Mobile Marketing Mistakes that Chase Away Buyers

Digital Tools for Small Business

Let’s be honest – there are way too many digital tools available for the average small business owner to sort through. However, choosing the right digital tools is important to the success of your business. This article is meant to help by offering a three-step system for evaluating, choosing, and implementing digital tools (such as CRM social media managers, project management systems, etc.). If you want to cut right to the chase, Ramon also offers up his five favorite digital tools for communication and connection.

Click to read How to Choose the Right Digital Tools for Your Small Business

The Conversations You Need to Have Before You Start a Business

Starting a business is a decision that will impact the whole family, and we’ve all heard stories of families who have been torn apart, unable to withstand those hard start-up years. To ensure your family makes it through the hard times, there are several conversations you must have upfront. This article covers the three most important discussions to have before you dive into entrepreneurship.

Click to read 3 Important Family Discussions to Have Before Starting a Business

At Smart Hustle, we like to cover a range of topics including marketing, technology, lifestyle, sales, operations, finance and more. If you like staying up-to-date on these topics, then I know you will also love what we have planned for the Smart Hustle Conference! Get more information by clicking that link above, and for other information and inspiration, check out SmartHustle.com.

The post Smart Hustle Recap: Smart Hustle Conference, Digital Tools for Small Business & More appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Capturing video and computer images is pretty easy to do, but doing it with full featured software is even easier – enter Snagit 13. Some of the new features include:

• New design for the capture tool, including an innovative panoramic scrolling capture that lets users capture images tall or wide
• Updated editor that increases user efficiency in the tool, as well as a new crop and text tool
• New animated GIF functionality, allowing users to create a GIF from a video recording
• Improved image stability, which improves performance when dealing with images with 10 or more items on the canvas
• New callout shapes, magnifying tool and updated stamps, providing more personalization to anything a user snags
• New webcam feature, with the ability to toggle between webcam and screen video when recording
• Redesigned video capabilities, allowing users to capture and create videos without being a video pro

If you often capture images and want to do it better – Snagit 13 looks pretty compelling!

The post Screen Capture Gets Easier With Snagit 13 appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

While you’re out there getting things done, your staff might be anywhere, working from home, traveling, at a conference, or meeting customers across town. Most businesses are far more mobile than ever.

One great thing about Insightly is that you can take your CRM wherever you—and your tablet or phone—need to be. Snagging first place in GetApp’s ranking of the top CRM solutions for Q1 2016, the Insightly mobile app lets you to take your info, insights, contacts and calendars with you no matter where you’re headed.

Never Miss a Beat with Instant Sync

Keep up to date while out and about with the Insightly app’s ability to instantly sync your changes, updates and more to your home (Web) CRM. Manage your team’s day-to-day agenda by scheduling events, and adding or assigning tasks, in Insightly calendar.

You can also add comments to any notes you take while away from “home,” such as voice recordings, pictures from your device or camera, or just plain old text. With information that instantly syncs, you can be sure all users are working off the latest information.

Real-time information means your whole staff is apprised, even if the customer forgets something and calls back immediately. The next rep can pick up right where the last call left off, and the customer won’t waste time repeating the story to multiple CSRs.

Dynamic Contact, Lead and Customer Management

Stay on the pulse of what’s happening with your customers day-to-day with mobile contact management. The Insightly mobile app lets you scan business cards to create contacts and leads, set direct relationships between records by “linking” them and see opportunity values for each customer or prospect. Make a call from within your app and a note is automatically attached to the contact, creating a call log.

No more fumbling around for a contact’s cell number because you forgot to punch his digits in and his business card is back at the office. No more forgetting which customer that new lead is connected to and why it’s even relevant to your business. No more hearing, “You guys just called me about this an hour ago,” from the other end of that now awkward touch base call. You’ve got all the contact management essentials with you, accessible and updateable at a moment’s notice.

Sales and customer satisfaction often hang on how fast you respond. Fast, reliable answers are an important element in a competitive market. Instead of stuck-in-traffic excuses, your customers hear, “How can I help you?” Access builds the trust you need to nurture relationships and keep the interest of your customers.

Everything You Need at your Fingertips

Available for tablets and phones, the Insightly app supports Android and iOS users alike, so there’s no reason you can’t be a step ahead. App users have access to project management and event scheduling, notification setting and social network integration, as well as the ever-useful power to search your CRM for the right info right when you need it. The Insightly mobile app also comes in five different languages, in case something other than English floats your boat.

Let’s face it—you are busy. And staying connected and organized is hard if you don’t have the right tools to make it happen. The right CRM for you will be available whenever and wherever you are. It’s just that simple.

The post This Mobile CRM Keeps You Connected On-The-Go! appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

The Quest of an Unlikely Entrepreneur

This first interview tells the inspirational story of Fred Magnanimi, the owner of the jewelry company Luca + Danni. As we learn in the audio, Fred went on a quest to save the family business after his brother died from cancer – even though Fred had previously sworn off the family business and took a career in investment banking. In addition to inspiration, you’ll learn some tips and strategies for how you can transform a business that uses dated methods into one that is capitalizing on the latest trends and technology.

Click to read Reinventing the Family Business to Find Success in a New Era

The Importance of Online Reviews

In our next interview, we take a trip to SXSW 2016 where Ramon learned about a new company that can help small businesses manage their online reviews. ReviewTrackers is a software platform that gathers customer reviews from all the major review websites into one dashboard, where you can monitor what people are saying, respond to comments, track analytics, and encourage more reviews. Founder Chris Campbell also shares two tips for managing customer reviews that every small business owner needs to hear.

Click to read Why ReviewTrackers Says Asking for Customer Review Is Critical

Building the Best Small Business Team

In our final interview, Ramon has a chat with Erin Walter of Nuphoriq, a Chicago-based marketing company that focuses exclusively on catering companies. As Erin explains, Nuphoriq is a company that was first and foremost built around its team, and after years in business, Erin still attributes the success of the company to her team. In the audio interview, Erin explains why having a great team is essential, and from her experience, we extrapolate 3 team-building tips for small business owners.

Click to read 3 Team-Building Tips to Create an Active and Innovative Team

This selection of recently published Smart Hustle interviews demonstrates how we can lean on other small business owners for both inspiration and information. To join forces with other small business owners around the country, make sure to join the Smart Hustle Community and subscribe to the newsletter to stay informed about the latest Smart Hustle interviews and articles.

The post Smart Hustle Recap: 3 Informational and Inspirational Smart Hustle Interviews appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Small Business Week Events

Small Business Week is an initiative of the SBA so they are running a special series of Small Business Week events which includes live events (with live streaming online) and webinars to educate small business owners. However, many other companies are joining in on the fun with their own events, including contests, promotions, training, and dedicated content. This article covers all the main events so you can participate.

Click to read Small Business Week 2016 Events.

The Importance of Follow-Up

In this interview with SCOTTeVEST founder Scott Jordan, he tells us about what he says is the “one reason for my success” – following up on every opportunity that comes his way. He explains how follow-up is important in nearly every aspect of your business, whether it is customer and advertising inquiries or daily business operations. The informative audio interview is bolstered with a list of Scott’s top 6 tips for successful follow-up.

Click to read Follow-Up: The Most Powerful Tool for Your Small Business Success.

New Tool to Generate PR Buzz

As it stands right now, the PR process is pretty messy. Businesses want media coverage, but reporters often feel ‘spammed’ by PR teams who fill up their inboxes with pitches. At SXSW 2016, Ramon learned about a new tool called Babbler that is aimed at improving the process. Babbler works like a social media site and helps to connect business marketers with right reporters who are looking to cover stories on that topic. The result – reporters get content they need to make great stories, and businesses get the media coverage they are looking for.

Click to read How Babbler Can Help You Generate Buzz about Your Business.

It’s Time to Grow Your Business

In this video interview, Ramon gets the opportunity to chat with Amanda Holmes, CEO of the business growth company Chet Holmes International. The video full of tips on how to take your business to the next level. In the article, we’ve also pulled out some of Amanda’s tips as the must-follow rules for business growth. This article is sure to put you on the path to success.

Click to read 5 Rules of Business Growth from CEO of Chet Holmes International.

What Small Business Week events will you be participating in? Which interview are you going to check out first?  Let us know in the comments and check out SmartHustle.com for help on your other small business questions.

The post Smart Hustle Recap: Small Business Week Events + 3 Amazing Interviews appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Smart Hustle Small Business Community Launched

Smart Hustle is proud to serve the small business community by providing informational articles and inspiring stories. Earlier this year, we conducted a survey to find out what other things our readers would like to see, and an overwhelming majority relayed their interest in more community activities. This week, Smart Hustle answered the call by launching a small business community on Facebook. Everyone is invited to join this group, where you can ask questions, give advice, discuss small business topics, participate in live video chats, and even win prizes!

Click here to join Smart Hustle’s Small Business Community

Peter Shankman Joins Smart Hustle

Peter Shankman is the epitome of a smart hustler. As a successful entrepreneur, Peter created HARO (Help a Reporter Out), a service that helps journalists connect with small business owners (who can then benefit from free marketing). He is also an author, speaker, consultant, and an entrepreneurial investor whose projects include SCOTTeVEST.  This week, Smart Hustle announced that Peter will be joining the Smart Hustle team as an advisor and contributing expert. Stay tuned for great things – Peter Shankman and Smart Hustle will be an unbeatable team!

Click to read Celebrity Author & Entrepreneur Peter Shankman Joins Smart Hustle Magazine as Contributing Editor & Advisor

The Little Steps that Lead to Success

Have you ever given up on a dream because you were intimidated by the journey you would have to take to reach that dream? It’s true: our biggest goals are the hardest to reach, taking countless days, months and even years of our blood, sweat, and tears. That shouldn’t stop you, though. In this interview with Chris Capehart, you’ll learn about his new book that breaks down the ‘proverbial mile’ to your goal into smaller, achievable steps. As Chris explains, if you focus on the small steps instead of the long journey, you can reach any goal you have.

Click to read Pursuing Your Dreams One Small Step at a Time – An Interview with Chris Capehart

Team Collaboration with Intraboom

Today’s technology has made it easier than ever to collaborate with your small business team members. The problem is that there are so many collaboration tools to choose from that it can be difficult to know which will work best for your business. In this article (and video interview) we learn about a new collaboration tool called Intraboom which offers features such as messaging, calendars, file sharing, a main dashboard and more.

Click to read SXSW 2016 Interview: How Intraboom Is Changing the Way Teams Communicate

As I mentioned, it was a very busy week for the Smart Hustle team! In addition to the articles and announcements listed here, there were several other articles and interviews, including what you need to know before starting a business, how to create a positive work environment, Kevin O’Leary’s 3 rules for giving a perfect business pitch, and so much more! Check out the Smart Hustle website to catch up on these and other stories.

The post Smart Hustle Recap: Small Business Community Launched, Peter Shankman Joins the Team & More! appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Facebook Messenger used to be just a tool to “chat” back and forth. For many it’s replaced email, Skype chat and other forms of rapid-fire communication. For businesses – it could be a powerful support tool.

For many it’s replaced email, Skype chat and other forms of rapid-fire communication. For businesses – it could be a powerful support tool.

Facebook Messenger is quickly evolving into a tool, a service, to provide enhanced customer support to the over a billion active users on Facebook who might want to interact with your company.

Techcrunch has a great overview of Messenger’s evolution here.

Some of the highlights:

• Get your vanity business name – NOW. A Facebook vanity business name is JUST as important as a traditional domain name.
• Educate yourself in HOW to use Messenger for business and not just chatting with your nieces or a colleague
• Facebook has tools enabling your customers to quickly open a Facebook Messenger chat session

Customer support will never change – serve your customers. The METHODS of customer support is changing with the rise of digital support tools.

This truly is “The Age of the Customer“, as penned by Jim Blasingame in his latest book.

The post 5 Ways Facebook Messenger Customer Support Can Help Your Business appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

While I’m happy that Slack has raised more money and indeed Slack is a great tool, you still have to check “something” – that something being your Slack threads.

My beef is NOT with Slack or any of the other great communication tools on the market.

My beef is that people think they can REDUCE their communication clutter by shifting to a new tool.

That’s not the case.

Here’s what I’ve found is the best way to reduce information overload and have a SANE inbox.

• Rob Hatch of Owner Magazine shared in a talk at Social Media Tulsa that he a) gets rid of social notifications so he’s not distracted b) plans his day and c) as thoughts come into his head he writes them down so we won’t forget.
• Asana is my tool of choice for organizing teams around projects and tasks. Using it enables you to not forget what needs to be done and ensure you know who is doing it. It’s also a great tool to keep track of the conversations around projects – like Slack does.
• My inbox is carefully managed. Like Seth Godin, I have  zero email policy. Meaning before I go to bed at night, there’s no emails (or at least not more than 10 or so) in my inbox. I saw someone’s inbox yesterday and they have THOUSANDS of emails. Ouch. I also use filters. My email newsletters automatically go to one folder, for example.
• Last, I have a little yellow sticky note I use to keep track of a few key points that might come to my mind or that I need to remember from a phone call.

How do you organize your day?

The post You Don’t Need Slack To Be Productive. You Need Discipline. appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.

1. Slack

We switched over from Skype to Slack, and it’s worked wonders for our team. You can divide the conversations into specific channels with their own members and use the “@” function to notify multiple members at once. It keeps our communication organized, and having the app on our phones makes it easy to communicate from wherever.

– Micah Johnson, GoFanbase, Inc.

2. iDoneThis

iDoneThis is a tool our team has used for years because of its simplicity and accountability. iDoneThis will send you and your team an evening email reminder to ask what you did that day. The team replies, and the next day everyone gets a digest with what everyone on the team got done. It’s very simple, and allows remote employees to celebrate and stay on top of team successes.

– Brett Farmiloe, Marketing Auditors

3. Sococo and Slack

Our team uses a combination of Slack for chat, and Sococo, which is a virtual office. It has offices, conference rooms, chat, video and screen sharing. The combination of these has drastically improved our remote team’s communication and productivity while supporting Revel’s culture. These encourage information sharing and keep everyone in the loop without too much noise.

– Kayla Wagner Faires, Revel Interactive

4. Wrike

Most of our team works remotely in various parts of the country or around the world. Wrike is awesome because it lets us collaborate on projects without having to email progress updates; it has real time notifications. It centralizes the information so employees can start working instead of trying to figure out what’s been done since they worked on the project. It has sped up our development process a lot. There are great business communications solutions offered in the industry.

– Peter Daisyme, Hosting

5. Trello

We have found Trello to be a helpful platform. We can communicate easily through the site in an organized fashion. It keeps track of what’s being worked on, who’s working on what, and where something is in a process. It also allows for checklists that keep you updatedon how much work, percentage wise, you have done.

– Stanley Meytin, True Film Production

6. Screenhero

Screenhero is an incredible tool that promotes effective collaboration remotely. The technology enables you to hold conference calls and screen-shares, but also goes a step beyond by allowing team members to actually control one another’s screens as needed. It’s a very powerful piece of software, and we have started to use it daily to collaborate across multiple time zones.

– Doreen Bloch, Poshly Inc.

7. Asana

We have all our projects organized in Asana, and use it to communicate on projects every day since we’re a virtual team. My team loves the massive checklists in Asana, and we use the thread for each task to chat and give feedback if we need to. We’ve tried a lot of systems, and this is the one that has worked best for us and allowed us to cancel three other tools. Asana does it all!

– Natalie MacNeil, She Takes on the World

8. Salesforce

Salesforce allows me to watch what each employee does on a daily basis. It tracks each representative’s activity, sales, steps, etc. I am always checking in on this to make sure I am up to speed on everyone’s progress.

– Jayna Cooke, EVENTup

9. Teamwork

In dealing with clients and team members remotely, using a cloud solution like Teamwork is essential. Owning a web development company, it’s important to have privacy with your team members with the versatility of including and excluding the client when necessary on communications, files, etc. In testing all of the solutions out there when trying to find the best software, we chose Teamwork.

– Vinny Galiano, Galiano Brands

10. DoneDone

Although DoneDone is the most effective for development and software teams, it really can be used for company-wide communication and collaboration through one central hub. This platform easily detects issues in process, no matter what department you are a part of, and helps teams come together to solve said problem. DoneDone is extremely easy to use and team members adapt to it quickly.

– Miles Jennings, Recruiter.com

11. 15Five

The beauty of 15Five is its directness and simplicity. Employees answer questions ranging from what is and isn’t working to where they need help. The opportunity to answer specialized questions on a weekly basis keeps teams agile. You’ll find that sometimes you’ll receive a greater level of honesty or thought when your team is able to respond outside of the typical meeting or stand-up environments.

– Zach Robbins, Leadnomics

12. Projectplace

If you’ve used a platform like Trello and want to step it up a little, then you’ll like Projectplace. Just like Trello, it uses the Kanban method of project management (with Kanban boards). You get tools like Task Management, Project Overviews, Issue Management, etc., and it’s all visual so you won’t feel too overwhelmed.

– Cody McLain, SupportNinja

13. Confluence

There is no better way to collaborate with a remote team than with an internal wiki. With Confluence, you can upload files, document business processes, interlink pages, as well as tag specific team members to projects and comments where they need to address an issue. You can also set up email notifications for yourself and your team so that everyone is aware of new updates made to pages in the wiki.

– Brian David Crane, Caller Smart Inc.

14. Whatsapp

Most of my team is spread out around the world. The best way to check up on them is through whatsapp. It’s really awesome to know when someone you contact has seen your messages. Whatsapp does just that, and with over a billion users, calls can be made instantly anywhere. Even Facebook’s messenger (acquirer of whatsapp) adopted the message received feature. Pro tip: When it’s urgent, I use both.

– Robert De Los Santos, Sky High Party Rentals

The post 14 New Ways to Check in With Your Remote Team appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.

1. Box

Box is a UK-based file sharing service that has both personal and business options. It offers unlimited storage on business accounts and it integrates with Microsoft Office 365. It’s simple to use, secure and affordable.

– Jonathan Long, Market Domination Media

2. Google Drive

We use Google Drive for file sharing among our team and also clients. It is free till 15 GB for each user and get 100 GB is only $2 a month. We can share any type of file and also create Google office files and share. It comes with apps for desktops and smartphones that we can download and synch from there. It maintains the versions. Also, many people have Google accounts, so we can share easily.

– Piyush Jain, SIMpalm

3. BitTorrent Sync

BitTorrent Sync is the best file sharing solution we’ve used by a mile. For most use cases, it is completely free no matter how many users you have via a torrent. It has higher security because it never gets stored in the “cloud.” It’s also fast, especially within a local network, precisely because it goes directly between the users rather than uploading and then downloading on other cloud services.

– James Simpson, GoldFire Studios

4. Slack

People think of Slack as a chat, but it’s a lot more than that. It’s a perfect solution for a remote-working and mobile-friendly team to search, share and store files that need to be ready at a moment’s notice.

– Brennan White, Cortex

5. Copy

Copy is a great service that I’ve used over the past couple of years. It works basically the same as Dropbox, but you get a few more bells and whistles while spending around half the yearly price as most other services like it.

– John Rampton, Due

6. A Shared Server

All of our computers are connected and have a shared folder via Wi-Fi. This method is very low-cost and secure.

– Andrew Namminga, Andesign

7. Hightail

We have a unique Hightail upload link that makes it easy for employees and clients to send bulk files all at once, without dealing with multiple emails. Since our business heavily relies on receiving photo and video content from clients, Hightail has made our lives much easier.

– Micah Johnson, GoFanbase, Inc.

8. Dropbox

I find Dropbox relatively inexpensive for what you get, and with the new functionality of being able to comment on files, it makes my life much easier. If I were to pick a negative, it would be purchasing more storage for your account, which can get pricey for multiple users.

– Jayna Cooke, EVENTup

9. WeTransfer

I love Google Drive for many things, but for sharing it doesn’t always work right. Wetransfer.com is my go-to solution for quick, free and painless sharing for anything up to 2 GB. You don’t even need an account to send anything, and I’ve used it at least 200 times over the years.

– Josh Sprague, Orange Mud

10. OwnCloud

The available SaaS file–sharing services aren’t always a great fit: they have limited features, aren’t easily customized and security is a coin toss. OwnCloud is a self-hosted file–sharing and collaboration solution with great encryption. It’s hosted on your own servers, in a data center or in the cloud. The major benefit is that your IT department has full control over where and how data is stored.

– Vik Patel, Future Hosting

11. Chatter

If you’re already a Salesforce customer then you may be familiar with Chatter, what we describe as our internal social network. We communicate in department groups and often share relevant information — such as training material or marketing collateral — by posting it directly to the group. Chatter shows a PDF preview of uploaded files and allows people to like, comment and download a copy.

– David Ciccarelli, Voices.com

12. MediaFire

If you have a lot of files to share but not a huge budget, MediaFire is a great choice for you and your company. There is no limit on storage space and the interface is extremely easy to work with and show to your teams. There is no limit on how many users can dial in to this tool, and it is a great space for team members to communicate, share files, bounce ideas back and forth and more.

– Miles Jennings, Recruiter.com

13. Streamfile

With Streamfile, you can send and share files up to 300 MB for free. No registration is required, and your files are encrypted. You also get 1 GB of bandwidth each month, and premium accounts are available starting at only $79 per month.

– Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance

14. Seafile and OwnCloud

Seafile and OwnCloud have seen some some good success, are actively supported and offer community editions that are free. They also have paid versions that are reasonable and low-cost compared to more mainstream big tech companies.

– Kevin Conner, Vast Bridges

The post 14 File Sharing Tools Perfect for Growing Teams appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Starting this month, in New York State, doctor’s writing patient prescriptions must do so electronically. Sure, there are downsides to using electronic prescriptions – but my guess is that it will only evolve and get better, as reported by the New York Times.

It’s “forced upgrades” like that that doctors and small business owners can see as opportunities to upgrade their overall business operations and make things better. The only thing is that people won’t get a personal consultation with their doctors, that can be very dangerous for people who may have other complications that they might not now about until they see a doctor, like a revision cleft lip.

Here at Doctor to You consult with the best doctors now.

Upgrading technology enables you to

• Offer better services to your customers
• Improve your collaboration and communication
• Boost productivity

No one wants to be forced to do anything, but sometimes, a forced change is good for us and if we trust the process (as Marcus Lemonis talks about in CNBC The Profit) it might do us good.

The post Electronic Prescriptions: Some Doctors Are Angry. But They Should See The Opportunities. appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.

1. Calendly

We’ve had great success using Calendly. You include your link with available meeting times in an email, and the client schedules their own appointment from there. It eliminates the back and forth of trying to find a time that works for everyone and is super easy to use.

– Micah Johnson, GoFanbase, Inc.

2. ScheduleOnce

Since using ScheduleOnce’s MeetMe for scheduling meetings with clients, there’s been a vast improvement in organization and a reduction in the back-and-forth emails that normally ensue when trying to set up an appointment. It’s easy to use, reduces admin effort and removes headaches.

– Thomas Smale, FE International

3. x.ai

Amy, the virtual artificial assistant from x.ai, is really sophisticated and has handled a number of my complicated scheduling requests without fail. Most of the time, the other side has no idea that they are interacting with a computer-generated program.

– Reza Chowdhury, AlleyWatch

4. Google Apps

Google Calendars is tried and true for a reason. It syncs with nearly every phone, computer and email account, allowing me to have constant access to my calendar and add appointments wherever I am. While there are other options out there, this is easy to use and virtually everywhere.

– Matt Doyle, Excel Builders

5. Mixmax

Mixmax is a Gmail integration app that has a feature that really takes the hassle out of scheduling meetings. You just add calendar spots to your email and the person you send it to just clicks on the time that works for them and it’s booked. There is no back and forth. It easily saves me hours every week.

– Thomas Cullen, LaunchPad Lab

6. Pick.co

Scheduling should be an easy task but tends to have the most complicated solutions catering to it. Most of them often miss the point: getting the appointment set quickly. Pick.co makes it so easy to set your preferred times and connect with your existing calendar. Then you’re good to share your calendar link with the world.

– Rahul Varshneya, Arkenea LLC

7. Sunrise

Sunrise is a great calendar app. The way it handles invites and meeting dates/times is beyond what others do. It’s a fusion between Google Calendar and Doodle. In addition, the mobile app is wonderfully executed as well. It’s a real time-saver.

– George Morris, The FRAMEWORK

8. Front Desk

Front Desk is the most reliable, simple and flexible solution that I’ve used for scheduling within my team, company and clients. The software adapts to my company’s unique workflow and does not force us to schedule in ways that we are not used to. The entire team adapted to Front Desk immediately, and it makes communication flow easily and successfully.

– Miles Jennings, Recruiter.com

9. Assistant.to

We all hate the back and forth that happens when trying to set up a meeting. Assistant.to is a lifesaver in that department, and its integration with Gmail is nothing short of beautiful. With just a couple clicks you can send your availability, which stays up-to-date in real time. Then, people can select their time and book. It’s automatically added to both calendars. Done!

– Christie Kerner, Launch MiE

10. Keeping It Old School

I prefer the old school method of having a secretary or personal assistant to take over once a connection has been made. This way makes us different compared to everyone else using online apps and provides a personal touch when scheduling that brings us back to the days when folks would connect much more in person.

– Engelo Rumora, Ohio Cashflow

The post 10 Apps That Take the Stress Out of Scheduling Appointments appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.

1. Intro.JS

If you like open source, Intro.js is perhaps the most flexible and cheapest option on the market. While there are many tools that allow you to create onboarding tours for your customers, they are either limited by functionality or flexibility. Conversely, as an all-encompassing tool, intro.js is incredibly easy to set up, 100 percent free forever and also allows you to retain your brand identity.

– Pratham Mittal, VenturePact

2. Google for Work

We’ve since left more robust applications, like Confluence and Basecamp, behind. And although we still use JIRA for project management functionality, we’ve found that a simple collection of organized documents is much more intuitive for our new hires than a fully featured Wiki site with lots of unnecessary text, interface clutter, and ancillary application integrations.

– Blair Thomas, First American Merchant

3. Screencast-O-Matic

We have recently started using this online tool to video record every single process. So far it has worked like a charm and instead of spending 2-3 weeks answering questions about the particular role, we now get every new hire to spend 2-3 days watching all of the videos and asking any questions during that time. It also serves as a great reminder when we forget a particular process.

– Engelo Rumora, Ohio Cashflow

4. Trello

While there are many specific tools available, we’re a huge fan of creating Trello cards for all new hires to ensure everything is completed. It’s a simple, yet powerfully effective way to streamline onboarding.

– Nick Genty, Iconic Solutions

5. Zoom

While several programs are necessary to keep my agency team running smoothly, for face-to-face onboarding chats, Zoom streamlines video conferencing and cross-platform chat into one platform so it’s easier for me to connect with my new clients and employees.

– Nicole Munoz, Start Ranking Now

6. Zenefits

We switched to Zenefits in October, and it has streamlined our hiring process and nearly eliminated paperwork. One of our new employees said using Zenefits was the easiest onboarding he’s had yet. New hires often spend their first day filling out paperwork. With Zenefits, we email everything to them beforehand. Because it’s connected to our payroll company, you only have to input information once.

– Joshua Dorkin, BiggerPockets

7. Streak

I just recently stumbled upon Streak.com, but I am already hooked on its possibilities. Streak lives entirely within Gmail which works perfectly for our company (90 percent of our onboarding process is done through email). The system is extremely flexible, so whether you are onboarding clients or doing blog outreach, you can manage the process easily.

– Mark Daoust, Quiet Light Brokerage, Inc.

8. Asana

We use Asana for project and task management throughout our company. For onboarding, we have a “template” project which contains all tasks that a new hire should take on in their first week, ranging from reviewing our annual plan to getting a key to the office. We add to and edit the template based each new hires experience, so the onboarding process gets better over time.

– Bhavin Parikh, Magoosh Inc

9. Basecamp

Basecamp is an old guard at this point in the SaaS project management space. Yet its flexibility and simplicity make it an excellent tool for streamlining an on-boarding process. There is a template feature that lets us build out new projects and assign roles to key people then track progress. It’s also great for managing documents during this process.

– Lane Campbell, Creately

10. Slack

With our team spread all over the world, the most important part of the onboarding process is feeling like they are part of the team. With the ability to create a watercooler-like experience on the mobile or desktop app, Slack helps new employees immediately be looped in on all our team communications. Rookies can ask questions, understand our culture, and have access to important documents.

– Matt Wilson, Under30Experiences

11. LegalZoom

One of the most critical aspects on on boarding new employees is making absolutely certain that you put in place basic legal agreements. I recommend a subscription to LegalZoom.com as a cost-effective alternative to hiring an expensive attorney. LegalZoom offers access to all the legal forms you’ll need to onboard, including employee agreements, non-disclosures, stock options, and non-competes.

– Obinna Ekezie, Wakanow.com

12. Flowdock

Flowdock is both a team chat app and a stream of activity across other services such as GitHub, UserVoice, etc. The first thing we do during onboarding is bring them into Flowdock so they can meet the rest of the team and get some context on what has been happening within the company in recent days, weeks or months.

– James Simpson, GoldFire Studios

13. Confluence

As a small business begins to scale, it is essential to have standard operating procedures (SOPs) during onboarding — whether that’s for new employees or clients. We use Confluence to document all of our SOPs. Using a combination of written instructions, images and videos it has significantly streamlined a number of our processes and also allows us to make continuous improvements at all stages.

– Thomas Smale, FE International

The post 13 Best Tools for Streamlining Your Company’s Onboarding Process appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Intel Small Business Advantage Features

To learn more about Intel Small Business Advantage, I recently interviewed Chad Constant, Director of Business Client Marketing at Intel Corporation. With over 17 years’ experience working at Intel, Chad is particularly excited about this latest offering for small business owners.

According to Chad, Intel Small Business Advantage has been developed to help small businesses better connect with their employees while better understanding the security and health of their computers and devices. It includes:

• A built-in chat feature for inter-office communications.
• File sharing and screen sharing to assist with employee collaboration.
• An array of security features including data backup, a PC health center and a software monitor.

As you can see, some of these features will help you boost the productivity of your business by simplifying collaboration and communication through a single platform. Other features will boost your business security. For example, there is a feature that allows you to turn off the USB access ports throughout the business, and a central backup system that will protect your files if something happens to an employee’s computer or device.

An added benefit is that Intel Small Business Advantage is designed to work on any device that you are carrying. It is mobile compatible, so you can download the companion apps for Android, Apple and Google devices to access the system.

Want to learn more about Intel Small Business Advantage? Grab a cup of coffee and sit back while listening to my short 8-minute interview where Chad Constant explains more about the new software.

Many small business owners love the technological solutions that are available today, but they are sick of having to go to different applications for all their main business functions, like chatting, file sharing, and data security. If you are looking for a simple solution that just sits on your desktop and helps you run your business more productively, Intel Small Business Advantage may be the solution for you.

The post Intel Small Business Advantage: A One-Stop Solution to Boost Productivity and Security (Interview with Intel’s Chad Constant) appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

How to Get Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Small busineses can fork over a lot of dough for marketing, but arguably the most effective type of marketing is free: word-of-mouth marketing. This article is based on an interview with Olga Kay, owner of a business that makes fun socks for millennials, called MooshWalks. Olga has successfully engaged her loyal customers and social media followers to do the marketing for her company. This article combines advice from that interview plus extra tips so you too can activate word-of-mouth marketing for your business.

Click to read Simple Ways to Get your Customers to Do Your Marketing for You.

Just in Time for Filing: Tax Tips for Small Business Owners

Small business tax filing is not something that most of us look forward to – but once again, we find ourselves nearing the deadline for 2015 tax filing. If you are still gathering your documents, you will appreciate these small business tax tips from Candace Klein of Dealstruck.

Click to read 5 Solid Tax Tips for Filing as a Small Business.

Become a Better Manager Today

When you start a small business, you inevitably throw yourself into the role of ‘manager,’ whether you are leading a small team of employees or working with freelancers online. How the manager handles employees and work situations can greatly impact the success of the business operations – and no matter how good you are, we could all stand to improve our managerial skills. This article shares advice from Michael Riley of Vayner Media – ten tips that will help you successfully lead a team of workers.

Click to read 10 Tips for Becoming a Better Manager.

Marketing, managing, tax filing – what is on your small business to-do list this week?

The post Smart Hustle Recap: Word-of-Mouth Marketing, Tax Tips & How to Become a Better Manager appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Small Business Owners Can Capitalize on Freelance Workers

Freelance workers currently make up 34 percent of the United States workforce. Is your small business capitalizing on this group of skilled workers yet? If you said no, you probably aren’t sure what freelance workers offer your company and how to find them. This article will clear up all of your questions.

The article includes an interview with Constantine Anastasakis, the Senior Director of Business Development at Fiverr. Constantine is sharing more about how Fiverr works and how you can use freelance workers to push your own small business ahead. This is a trend every small business owner should be embracing! Learn how to do so by reading this helpful article.

Click to read Fiverr Interview: How to Use Freelancers as Your Competitive Advantage.

Boosting Your Small Biz Security

Hackers do not discriminate – your small business is just as vulnerable as your larger competitors (and perhaps even more so). Security breaches cost money ($3.79 million total in 2015) and they can also cost your customers’ trust. Fortunately, boosting your small business security does not have to be costly or complex. This article covers 6 of the best ways that you can secure and protect your small business.

Click to read 6 Easy Ways to Secure Your Business and Find Peace of Mind.

Calming Down Angry Customers

No matter how focused on customer service your business is, an angry customer will eventually fall through the cracks and you have to know how to successfully deal with them. When someone is yelling at you, it is easy to become frustrated and yell back, but this only makes the matter worse. So how should you deal with angry customers? This article is full of tips on what you can do when things heat up to turn the negative experience around and turn that angry customer into a loyal supporter of your business.

Click to read How to Calm Down Infuriated Customers to Your Advantage.

So what’s on your mind this week – building a remote team of workers, boosting your business security, or dealing with angry customers? Get help with the articles above, and check out the Smart Hustle homepage to read the latest stories.

The post Smart Hustle Recap: Capitalizing on Freelance Workers, Boosting Biz Security & Calming Angry Customers appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

The study was a survey of 3,210 small and medium sized businesses with between 10 and 999 employees from 11 countries around the world. The survey asked respondents about their companies’ usage of digital technology and how it impacts the business.

Many survey sites lure with the promise that you can make a lot of money on their websites. They sometimes speak of several hundred euros a day, which you can easily generate on the side. But does that really correspond to reality? The answer is: mostly not . Nevertheless, paid surveys can be interesting for some people, especially to make a little money on the Internet without knowledge or previous knowledge. In addition to completing surveys, more and more sites are offering other methods of making money – for example, by watching advertisements or testing video games. It can be even more attractive to test products for which companies are willing to pay significantly higher amounts than for filling out a survey. Product tests are therefore usually much more profitable than online surveys, which is why we also offer you this service on our website. Go through produkttester to know more about the Earning money with surveys (online).

Among the findings, arguably the most important was the link between digital technology usage and growth. One third of all SMBs (and 45 percent of SMBs with between 500-999 employees) say they are “well under way in applying technology to connect people, devices and businesses” – and these companies also saw revenue growth of ten percent or more in the last year. The most popular digital technology in use is collaborative software (used by at least 50.6 percent of SMBs) followed by CRM (38 percent) and business analytics software (37 percent).

Other findings include:

• Over 39 percent of SMBs agree that “active participation in the digital economy will be essential to our company’s survival in the next three to five years.”
• Varying by region, between 52.5 and 60.2 of SMBs say that digital technology helps them streamline operations and improve productivity.
• Despite depending on digital technology, between 35 and 45 percent of SMBs are concerned that their company relies too much on data to make business decisions.Visit testerheld.de to know more.

Overall, the study shows that small and medium sized businesses are embracing digital technology and reaping the benefits in terms of business growth. If your business hasn’t made the switch yet, 2016 is the perfect year to hop aboard this important trend. If you’re not sure where to start, you can begin by exploring this list of the top 50 digital technology tools for small business owners.

The post New Survey Finds Digital Technology Usage Linked to Small Business Growth appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

SmallBizTechnology has a long history of promoting technology use among small business owners. In the years since our launch, we’ve covered small biz tech tools for just about every aspect of businesses, and we love to spread the message that leveraging technology can help you pull ahead of the competition.

Okay, you read the news everyday and follow how things are going on around the world. You go on holiday and see some beautiful hotels in other countries. But, most likely you haven’t experienced other parts of the world like Digital Nomads do. As the experience of living somewhere is very different than taking a vacation in the same place.

Luckily, all that changes when you become a digital nomad blog. You travel to any part of the world to feel how living in other countries feels like. Once you do that, you either confirm some of the many things you may have heard about a country and its people, or totally realise that all that you heard (or maybe most) are rarely true. You are given the opportunity to learn a lot of languages and live with a lot of people that will reshape how you see the world. Indeed, the Digital Nomad Lifestyle really opens your eyes to a bigger world outside the places that you already know.

Yes, we Digital Nomads work, and often work hard, sometimes harder than in an office job. But on our days off we don’t have to visit every birthday party, mow the loan, clean our houses and fix the long waiting tasks. We go and climb mountains, volcanoes, see one of the world wonders. We go and explore new cities, in my case I go and look for abandoned houses to explore. There’s a whole new world in front of your doorstep, a world which needs to be explored.

In this week’s Smart Hustle Recap we have an amazing article covering the top 50 small biz tech tools available – no more searching and wasting time trying to find out what works, this list has taken the guess work out of the equation so you can dive right into the technology that will help grow your business. Our other stories feature creative marketing ideas and tips for using market segmentation to grow your business. Check out our top Smart Hustle stories below.

50 Small Biz Tech Tools

Stop wasting time on dead ends – this list provides the ultimate small biz tech tools that have proven effective for small business owners like you. The list is broken down into:

• Productivity Tools
• Collaboration Tools
• Project and Task Management Tools
• CRM & Email Marketing Tools
• Financial Tools
• Website Design Tools
• Social Media Sharing & Management Tools
• Webinar Tools
• Video Creation & Sharing Tools
• Travel Tools
• Hiring & Outsourced Help Tools

Just choose the area you most need help with to learn about the best tools that will help you reach your goals.

Is there a ‘Right’ Kind of Marketing?

Our next story will have you rethinking the type of marketing you think is ‘right’ for your business. Each business may rely on its own type of marketing, but sometimes when you expand beyond your comfort zone you can achieve bigger results. This article has three examples from the Business Circle solutions that will jumpstart new ideas on how you can market your small business.

Market Segmentation Can Help You Grow Your Business

Segmenting your market involves looking at all the different types of customers you serve and trying to find other ways to reach them and drum up extra business. This article will give you tips on developing a strategy so you can understand your market segments and use that information to grow your business.

So which article will you explore first this week? Get more information via the links above, and for other current stories visit Smart Hustle here.

The post Smart Hustle Recap: 50 Small Biz Tech Tools & Other Hot Stories appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

However, if more than half of small business owners are currently using freelancers, we could also flip the statistic and examine it from the other end – almost half of small business owners are not using freelancers. Some of the likely reasons include that they may not know where to find freelancers, how the small business-freelancer relationship works, or what the benefits are to their company.

We need to clear up this confusion right away because embracing the freelance trend can give your small business a competitive advantage.

On that note, I want to point you in the direction of my latest Smart Hustle interview with Constantine Anastasakis, the head of business development at Fiverr. Fiverr is an online platform that connects business owners who need specific tasks completed with talented freelancers who can do the work for a reasonable fee.

In this interview, we will clear up pretty much all the questions you have about using freelancers in general and the Fiverr platform specifically. The interview includes:

• What is Fiverr?
• How do you use the platform?
• How does the Fiverr platform make the small business-freelance relationship safer?
• How are small businesses using freelancers, including a fictitious example of how “Becky’s Bake Shop” could use freelancers to grow her business.
• Tips for ensuring your freelance transactions go smoothly.
• The benefits that using freelancers and independent contractors bring to small business owners.

Small businesses who embrace the freelance trend can get ahead because they can get more accomplished, develop a remote team of experts, and focus on their most important tasks – all without having to hire additional employees. There are several signs that this on-demand economy is the future of the American workforce. Don’t fall behind on the freelance trend – get informed and get ahead by listening to my interview here.

The post New Fiverr Interview Shows Small Businesses How to Capitalize on the Freelance Trend appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Turning Your Hobby into a Business

They say you need to be passionate about your business to make it successful, but does this mean you can take something you enjoy as a hobby and turn it into a business idea? For the dreamers out there, we have a story of inspiration that proves you can. In this feature story, you’ll learn about Cassy Saba from Cassy Saba Jewelry. A bead kit she received at the age of 12 gave her the push to become a childhood entrepreneur and as a young adult she’s still hustling to make her dreams come true today. This story will provide inspiration to childhood dreams and smart hustling small business owners alike.

Click to read Cassy Saba Jewelry & the Journey from Childhood Hobby to Successful Business.

Who Is the On-Demand Economy – and Will the Government Step In?

Although the full time job is still the norm, a new group of workers called the on-demand economy or the gig economy is redefining how you can make a weekly paycheck. These workers are classified as independent contractors and you likely have experience with them in your small business – whether you have called an Uber driver to get a ride or have hired a freelancer to help you with small business tasks. A new Intuit survey is shedding light on who this group of workers is – but the on-demand economy is also catching the eye of the government, who is considering whether or not to reclassify independent contractors. Learn about this top small business news story here.

Click to read The On-Demand Economy & the Changing Face of the American Workforce.

Get Outsourcing Help in this Outsourcing 101 Guide

Outsourcing can help small business owners and solo entrepreneurs find the team of workers they need to execute small tasks and push the business forward – without the need to hire full-time staff. If you need help leveraging the power of outsourced work, check out this Outsourcing 101 guide that looks at four strategies that can make outsourcing work for your small business.

Click to read Outsourcing 101: Find the Right Partners to Help Build a Business.

There you have it, the top Smart Hustle articles from the week of February 7-13. Stay informed by clicking to read one of the articles above, or check out the homepage to read other recent stories.

The post Smart Hustle Recap: Outsourcing 101, the Changing American Workforce + Taking Your Business from Hobby to Reality appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

What I’m referring to is the on-demand economy, which is also called the gig economy. This is a general term for the growing group of independent contractors who work ‘gigs’ instead of regular full-time jobs. The on-demand economy includes freelancers and consultants who contract out their work as well as workers who do service-based gigs like drive for Uber or make money by renting out their home with sites like Airbnb.

The on-demand economy touches many of us in the small business realm. I’m sure some of you reading this are on-demand workers yourselves, while others may have hired on-demand workers for anything from getting a ride to getting help on your business website.

A recent Smart Hustle article explores what we know about the on-demand economy today. It includes:

• Statistics from a recent Intuit survey which looks at this part of the American workforce including who they are, how they like their work and what challenges they face.
• Government initiatives to learn more about this group in terms of labor laws and classifications.

In terms of government interest, the article points out that the U.S. government is questioning whether these workers should be classified as ‘independent contractors’ or not. I see many sides of this:

• Independent contractors are important for our economy.
• Yes, some companies might be abusing or misusing the classification.
• However, independent contractors often WANT to be contractors because of the freedom it gives them.
• Either way, the government should be VERY careful about reclassification.

The article gave me a lot to think about in terms of the on-demand economy and the ever-changing American workforce. I urge you to check out the article – then come back and let me know your opinions in the comments.

Click to read The On-Demand Workforce & the Changing Face of the American Workforce.

The post The American Workforce Is Changing – Will the Government Step In? appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Asana

A long time player in the cloud-based project management space, Asana is a favorite of many because of the robust capabilities it packs into a simple-to-use package. The suite stands out from other solutions because of the robust reporting features which enable users to visualize project progress with charts and graphs. Asana also lets you create custom search views so you can instantly filter projects, tasks, and other action items with a click of the mouse.

Asana supports up to 15 users and includes numerous collaboration and project management functions within the software. Their premium plan costs around $9/month per user and offers a few extra features such as privacy controls, guest user support, and the ability to export your data. You can also expand the functionality by integrating Asana into a variety of other productivity tools.

Trello

The best way to describe Trello is that it’s the digital equivalent of sticky notes on a whiteboard (commonly used in the Kanban project management method). Getting started is fairly simple. Users simply create a board for each project. Within the board, users can create categories and cards for each task. Each card has its own comment section, descriptions, file attachments, and other custom information fields. For small teams and businesses just starting out, the free Trello plan should be sufficient. As your company grows, the Business Plus plan provides fine-grained user permission controls and support for apps to expand the functionality.

Mavenlink

Unlike most other project management suites which focus solely on team collaboration and project management, Mavenlink provides a more comprehensive solution which integrates into all components of your business. The solution is ideal for long-term projects which require extensive planning. Mavenlink uses Gantt Charts so you can easily spot dependencies and potential bottlenecks.

In addition to being a project management solution, Mavenlink also helps to simplify your accounting processes. Built in accounting capabilities enable you to generate invoices, view and approve billable time, view your margins, and manage your budgets. The starter Mavenlink version costs $19/month for five users. If you want invoicing and other financial management functions, you’ll need to pay at least $29/month per user.

Smartsheet

If you’re looking to manage your projects using an Excel style solution, Smartsheet is the tool for you. The solution enables users to quickly enter project action items line by line on a spreadsheet. For each project, you can group tasks and assign them to different team members. Overall it’s a straightforward project management solution; the biggest selling point is that the learning curve is kept to a minimum without sacrificing functionality.

Smartsheet integrates with a variety of other tools such as Google Apps, box, Dropbox, DocuSign, and Evernote so you can make the solution fit the way you work. The starter Smartsheet tier starts at $10/month and supports one admin user and unlimited collaborators. This means you can create sheets (projects) and invite as many colleagues, guests, and other parties as needed. It also includes Android and iOS mobile apps so your teams can access their project information at their desk or on the go.

There are plenty of project management suites available for businesses of all sizes and budgets. Assess your needs and then choose a tool that offers the capabilities that will benefit your business.

The post Do More in 2016 With These Project Management Suites appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

This is true if you’re planning a new business or product, or improvements to existing businesses or products. If your website plays any role in customer acquisition or sales, understanding the elements and design of competitors’ websites can be critical. Here are some fundamentals.

1. Finding the competition. I assume you have a good idea who your competitors are, but if you don’t – or you want to broaden your vision – use this Google search: “related:www.mybizURLhere.com.” It will return a list of sites that Google believes have a purpose similar to yours. See if you’ve missed anyone.
2. Architecture and infrastructure. Once you have a feel for who’s out there, what platforms are they using? Wappalyzer is a free Chrome and Firefox extension that will identify the software that is powering any website. The better you understand how the websites of your competitors operate, the better positioned you are to create something that’s superior.
3. Graphics and user experience design. Every site has a “look and feel” and this can separate the winners from the losers. Sometimes it’s the most critical element of a site or a product. Recently, 888Ladies published a post that takes readers through their entire process of developing a new circus-themed game. They knew that they had to create something entirely unique and brought virtually their entire team on board for the development process – including measuring up the competition.

A key finding for them was the fact that competitors were not yet using 3D animation, so achieving that became a design goal early on. It’s obvious how important killer graphics and an intuitive user interface is to a gaming company, but frankly those elements are just as important to any business that has a presence on the Internet.

In ecommerce, we have all probably abandoned a purchase because the checkout process was too cumbersome or confusing. Work hard to identify those kinds of weaknesses in your competition. These analyses take the human touch. Have people thoroughly explore and test competitors’ websites and note their strengths and weaknesses. And unless you’re going for a “retro” feel, be sure your graphics are in line with today’s style standards.

4. Traffic sources. When user acquisition is important to the success of your business, you need to know where your competitors are getting their Internet traffic. SimilarWeb and Alexa both offer limited free traffic analytics and more in-depth information with a paid subscription. These traffic-source websites are most useful when a small business is trying to compete with a big business. Smaller sites often don’t generate enough data to register on these services.
5. Social media audience. Use Twitonomy to gather insights about your competitors’ social media, specifically Twitter, audience. See what hashtags are getting results. With a paid subscription here you can download a list of your competitor’s Twitter followers. If you felt it was appropriate, you could then Tweet an offer to them.
6. Google alerts. Set up Google alerts for all of your major competitors. These are almost like a spy plane roving the Internet. You can have reports automatically emailed to you on whatever frequency you desire. You’ll be able to keep a close watch on them and find out when anything significant occurs with their business and it gets mentioned online.
7. Sales outlets. If you make a product that is sold in stores, knowing the outlets where your competitors merchandise is sold is critical. Explore all of your competitors websites and look for pages like “Where to find our widgets” and put all of those locations into a spreadsheet or customer relationship management system. When you have that information, explore those websites trying to find the name of the person who would be the buyer. Begin a relationship with that person.
8. Keywords. You certainly want to spend some time using Google’s keyword tool in Adwords. Also check out Übersuggest. However, very often your competitors will have their important keywords identified in the code of their webpages. In your browser, find out how to “view source” and then search for this phrase:

• meta name=”keywords”

Following this will be a list of keywords that were deemed important, at least when the web page was originally put together. See if you think they apply to your business and if so, would they be worth securing with Adword bids.

You can see from this list that some of this is using tools to “spy” on your competition, but in virtually every case, human analysis is even more important. Use the tools to dig deeply, but then take some time to determine what is most important and act on those items first.

The post 8 Ways to use competitive research to get an advantage appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.