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4 Reasons Education Will Enhance Your Career

7/21/2020

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Many people believe their education leaves as soon as they leave school, but this is far from the truth. Everyone continues to learn throughout their lives, whether through meeting new people or having new experiences. It is not just beneficial for your personal life, either. Seeking more education will also enhance your career, and here are four reasons to think about looking for more education whenever you get the chance. 

You Will Gain More Knowledge 

It seems obvious that more education brings more knowledge, but rather than feel like someone who is over-educated for a specific role, you can use the experience and knowledge you gain from additional education and training to use to your advantage in the workplace. 

By studying different aspects of the industry and receiving an MS in Engg Management, among other options, you can have a more precise idea of how things are done and even how you could improve them. 

You Can Refine Existing Skills 

Further education is not all about getting new knowledge. You can also use it to refine existing skills to make the most of your career. This could be extra training for new technologies or a refresher course that keeps you up to date on advancements in systems or processes. 

It can also help you improve your soft skills’ such as communication or teamwork, which can be useful if you prove yourself capable as someone who could take on a senior role in the future, 

You Can Show Your Strong Work Ethic

It is not easy to follow an educational path while still at work, and you’ll find it is remarkably different from school and university. In these scenarios, you had all the time to dedicate to your education, but it is not the same when trying to balance work and education. 

However, the mere fact you’re seeking ways to improve your career prospects will demonstrate a strong work ethic that will impress your manager and other senior staff members. They want to see employees improving their skills and knowledge. It proves you are willing to learn, which is also something that will appeal to supervisors as it shows that they can train you to undertake more responsibilities in the company at some point. 

You Will Increase Your Confidence 

Any time you learn something new, your confidence grows. You feel more competent and able to complete your work the way your managers expect, and you might even exceed their expectations. 

This puts you in a superb position for success. Often, people hold themselves back because they feel they don’t have the skills to succeed. However, by seeking ways to obtain these skills, you feel ready to take on more responsibility, and instead of panicking that you will do something wrong, you will take on each task with confidence. 

Always Be Learning

No one should ever stop learning. If you want to cement yourself as someone that your company needs, you can help demonstrate your value by taking it upon yourself to obtain more qualifications and a broader understanding of your role and industry.   

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How to Get Into The Water Business When You Have No Experience

7/18/2020

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Getting a job in any sector can be really difficult, especially if you do not have enough experience. For those looking for a career in the water sector, it can be intimidating to try and get the perfect job without any connections, road maps or blueprints wherein the steps it takes to get there. Everyone could use a leg up, or at least a nudge in the right direction. Thankfully, we have provided some tips on how to break into that field.

Know Your Strengths And Things That Bring You Joy

The water industry is very big and there are many avenues to pursue like being an engineer, a traffic control advisor, a backhoe operator, a treatment plant operator, a scientist or a plumber. There are so many ways you can make an impact in this industry. With all those options, it can be tough to pick the right path with accuracy. The water sector has many positions that match your passion, but you first need to know what your passions are and what brings you joy. These factors are very important to know when getting into the water industry as it will give you more direction. Direction helps you reach your goals, and that is key.

Building A Relationships Is Key

If you have found a company, business or plant you want to work for, get your name and face out there. Take a little initiative and request to take a plant tour, volunteer or intern. When taking jobs as you are starting out, remember that no job is too big or too small and they may not pay well. Remember why you are doing this and that will get you through. Doing these things can  get your foot in the door, exposing you to the key players in the industry. Establishing meaningful relationships is the key to working your way up the ladder.

Remember That It Takes Time So Be Patient

Once you get your foot in the door, remember that your career is something that may not snap right into place immediately. You have to be patient and work hard in order to be noticed for a promotion. Instead of challenges, you should view those speed bumps positive learning experiences. It is imperative to keep this mindset.

Apply What You Learn

You should always be learning and there are tons of opportunities in which you can learn. Whether you are learning on the job or in the classroom, it would be of benefit to you if you got an education on the industry. There are some positions that require you to have some sort of degree or certification. For example, if you wanted to learn how to use a chemical pump, like those shown here: https://gpi.net/product-category/pumps/chemical-pumps/, you might need to learn how it works.

Work At The Level Above You

Even if you are just an associate or worker a part of a company or business, you should work at the level above you because if you can go above and beyond than what you were hired for, you could easily show management that you are capable of doing more.
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Get the Best Out of Your Employees Right Now

7/17/2020

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As a business owner, it is essential that you do as much as you can to make the most of your employees and get the best out of them. This means you need to come up with techniques that you can use in order to get your employees working hard and being as productive as possible so that the business benefits long-term. This is so important moving forward, and there are a lot of things that will help with this. 

You have to make sure you make the right decisions as a business moving forward, and this is something that you need to work on as much as possible. Try to make sure you think about what you can do to get the best out of workers, and try to use this in order to come up with factors that are going to make a massive difference to your business moving forward.​
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Better Communication

Being able to communicate better within the business is one of the most important things you can do. There are a lot of factors that you are going to need to account for, and it is important that you try to make sure you communicate as well as you can right now. This is essential when it comes to trying to get the best out of your employees. They need to know exactly what you want from them, and it is imperative to communicate as well as you can.

Integrate Them into the Business

Integrating them into the business is the best way of making sure they are as productive and efficient as possible. If you are looking to improve the efficiency of your warehouse business you need to make sure that new employees are familiar with the warehouse and know what to expect from it. But, more than this, you also have to focus on promoting onboarding to help familiarise your employees with the way the company works, and get them used to using all the services that the company has to offer - this is essential. 

Team Bonding

Team bonding is one of the best things you can do as a modern business, and it’s a great way of being able to improve the direction the team is headed in, as well as allowing you to come up with ideas that are going to help you achieve this. Helping your employees bond with one another is a great way of improving the strength of the team as one unit, and this is something that you need to do in order to get the best out of the employees you have, and work on taking this to the next level right now. 

Make sure you understand the different things you can do in order to help you make the most of this as a business owner. There are a lot of things that you are going to need to keep in mind as much as possible, and it is important to make sure you get this right. Do as much as possible to take things forward, and there are a lot of elements that play a role in this right now. 
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Tips To Improve Relationships With Your Employees

7/16/2020

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Building relationships with your employees is important because not only does it help to know what’s going on in your business, it helps improve happiness levels. If an employee feels like they’re being valued and treated well, they’re likely to stay a lot longer in the organization. Here are some tips to improve relationships with your employees.
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Set Up Regular Employee Meetings

Regular 1-2-1 meetings can be very important when it comes to business because they can help iron out any concerns or feeling that your staff might have. It’s not something you would be aware of unless you gave them the secure, to be honest, and that’s what these regular catchups should be used for. Get your managers or supervisors to set these up where possible and ensure everyone is getting the opportunity to have these regular talks with their superiors. It can be very handy for helping build work relationships and to make it more of a healthier environment for all involved. If you’ve not yet put it in place, start now and ensure it’s put in place by using your human resources department.

Sort Out Communication Problems

Communication issues can be apparent in a lot of companies, and it’s essential to sort these out sooner rather than later. Otherwise, what can happen is that it festers and gets worse, especially if it’s between colleagues and departments. This can easily be sorted out by improving work processes and the way your staff communicate with each other. It might be that you need management platforms or software that can allow for more effective communication between one staff member or department to another. 

Hire The Right Ones

When it comes to hiring and firing, it’s important to always pick the right, to begin with. With employee onboarding, you’re going to waste valuable time by picking those staff members who aren’t necessarily right for the role. Perhaps you didn’t have much choice in who you picked, and so it’s important to try and be careful when it comes to the recruitment process. If there’s no one right in that first round, then start over again. It’s better to find someone well suited for the role than someone who is the best of a bad bunch.

Show Respect & Value

Employees can sense when they’re being respected or not, and that’s something that you always want to be doing. Showing value and respect is important, without it, your staff are going to leave or have very little commitment to you as an employee. Find ways that you can build that trust and value. It could be through regular incentives and rewards, or it might be finding those opportunities to recognize the progress staff members are making. Give them the platform they need to grow in their role and within the business.

Improving the relationship between you and your employees is important for the future of the business. The stronger your core team are, the better your company will be for it.

Use these tips to improve those relationships!

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5 Creative Ways To Fund Your New StartUp

7/13/2020

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Escaping the rat race and becoming your own boss is a dream most people have at some point or another. But it takes guts and determination to hunker down and bring that dream to fruition. Whether you are delving into the world of retail, developing new software as a service company, or going into the construction industry, at some point in your journey, you will be looking at having to find a way to fund your new venture.
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Bank loans

Sure, you can go down the traditional bank loan route, for this, you will need to show proof that your new company can generate an income and allow you to pay back the funds you have borrowed at an agreed repayment rate. However, this option isn't available or even suitable for everyone looking to start up a new company.

Self-fund

Self-funding is a risky but acceptable way of starting your new career path. While it is true that some companies can start and operate on a shoestring budget, others need serious investment to allow them to get up and running. If you are looking to self-fund your new company, it may be worth getting our personal finances in order and looking to save up a nest egg to fall back on.

High-interest savings accounts, cashing in any investments or even looking at trading on the stock market to increase your portfolio and grow our savings pot. Companies such as MT4​ can help you get started, but don't forget, all investments come with the risk that you could lose all your money. However, with the right advice, trading on the stock market could be a great way to boost our funds and allow you to self-fund your new startup. Alternatively, when not looking at virtual currency such as Bitcoin. The digital currency has been gaining traction for a long time now, and there are many opportunities for you to make money via the right investment.

Angel investment

An angel investor is someone who is looking for the next big thing to invest in. They know what they are looking for and are willing to help out new companies who spark their interest. Did you know angel investors funded many of today's big tech companies?

By taking money from an angel investor, you will almost always be required to give them equity in your company, and this will vary from company to company and the angel investor.

Competitions

Keep your eye out for contests run by different organizations that will offer monetary prizes or even business financing to the winner. The award solely depends on the specific organization running the contest. Still, chances are, for the opportunity to win, you will have to meet particular criteria, potentially pay an entry fee and have to wow a panel of judges.

Crowdfunding

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There are many different crowdfunding sites online that offer you different options for how you can raise money for your small company. This option is perfect for those supplying a product. Crowdfunding will allow you to raise funds to manufacture the product with the help of strangers who donate to your crowd fundraiser.
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How To Get Into The Oil Business When You Have No Experience

7/13/2020

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When it comes to starting a business, the oil industry is a pretty good one to get into. People have been mining oil since 1859, and it is a product that people all over the world use for domestic, commercial, and industrial purposes. If you want something that is pretty much guaranteed to bring you an income if done correctly, it something to consider. Here, we look at how to get into the oil business when you have no experience.
 
Before we go into how to do it, it is important to bear in mind that once up and running, the money will (hopefully) come rolling in, but it is demanding to get into, particularly if initial capital and/or time is an issue.​
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Decide where to invest 
There are lots of avenues into the oil and gas industry, from drilling and mining the products from your own wells to owning and running your own filling station. You can also look at less obvious routes in, such as spillage cleaning operations, transport, or parts. Of course, the amount of capital that you have available to invest plays a significant role in this. Your previous experience, expertise, and location are all factors as well.
 
Before you commit to anything, consider what your motives are for choosing to go into this field and assess your areas of strengths and weaknesses.
 
Create a business plan
Every business needs a plan, as you need clear goals to work towards. However, if you are going to require the help of investors to get your business operational, it is particularly important.
 
Your plan should list out all of the resources that you have to hand and need to raise, as well as all of your liabilities and expenses. The plan should incorporate all projected costs, not forgetting things such as permits and licenses, salaries, insurance, and legal support from a specialist firm such as bopprelawfirm.com.

Find your investors 
As we mentioned at the beginning, in terms of the initial investment needed, an oil company is up there as one of the more expensive choices, so it is essential that you have enough money, or have the investors ready to step in before you start going any further.

 
In the oil industry, angel investors and private equity investment are common, as well as loans and grants from the banks. Create a solid business plan and see what options are available to you.
 
Put your team together
The oil industry is one business where you simply cannot do it single-handed. You have to have a productive, supportive team working behind you for it even to resemble anything of success, so make sure that you put together a team that gels and works well. Think about how many people you will need to hire to keep the company operational, as well as building an experienced managerial team to take over the day to day running of the business, especially if you lack experience.
 
It may take more than a little bit of effort to get into the oil business, but it can be a profitable industry. If you have the skills, the financial resources, and a good team behind you, you may well see your hard work and investment pay off. 
 

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9 Ways to Improve the Efficiency of Your Warehouse Business

7/10/2020

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​In 2018, globally, the logistics market value reached a whopping US$4,730 billion. Statistics show that it will continue to grow by 4.9% by the next four years. However, some logistic companies have witnessed declines in their productivity. In some bench-marking surveys, measurement of key metrics such as the number of processed orders has been fairly constant, while sales processes are also declining. To prevent this reduction, here are the top 9 ways to increase the productivity of your warehouse business.
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  • ​Routine auditing
To lower costs and meet customers' satisfaction, warehouse business managers need to take some measurements and analysis of the current processes. Doing proper auditing will allow you to know whether your business operations are efficient or not. Using systematic approaches, auditors can examine the warehouse operations quantitatively and qualitatively. When an operational audit is well done, it can enable managers to measure warehouse productivity and also identify market trends. By collecting data and making the necessary comparisons, you may be able to develop a plan of action geared towards improving productivity. Some logistics companies choose to hire independent auditors to ensure that the auditing process is fair and independent.
  • Utilize cubic space efficiently
Studies have shown that in many facilities, occupancy varies around 25–35% of the cost/order. To optimize your warehouse assets, you need to make good use of each available cubic space. Carefully observe the facility by looking up to see if there's extra space. Lack of efficiency in using storage space can lead to an increase in costs since you are likely to build an extra warehouse that's unnecessary. Generally, 40–50% of the storage space in your facility is used to pick, pack, and ship goods. To boost utilization of your cubic space, consider using racking, multi-level order-picking methods, and powered conveyors. Additionally, you may want to check whether the cube space in your picking slot can be reconfigured to allow the storage of more products.
  • Make sure sufficient products are available for pickers
A picker's productivity can be affected when a product is not available in sufficient quantities at a time they need it. Use replenishment concepts that work efficiently such that a picker will always have more products to pick. Some warehouse companies use management strategies that support mini-max. However, the real problem with catalog management concepts is that sometimes the picking-ticket may assume that a product is available; meanwhile, it's not.
  • Use barcode technology
Barcodes are machine-readable parallel bars or concentric circles, varying in width, spacing, or height, used to encode information. Logistics managers can use barcodes to track their products and orders. They can also employ barcode technology to reduce paperwork, increase processing speed, perform verification, and gain visibility. This can be applied to shipping and receiving.
  • Outsource tasks or hire machines
When you are in charge of a warehouse facility, you need knowledgeable employees to keep the business running productively. If you're too busy to do the hiring yourself, then you can outsource to a trusted recruitment agency. For example, DSC can get you a qualified container unloader hire to help prevent business interruptions. In the same vein, getting the right machines will go a long way to keep productivity on an all-time high. The idea of hiring warehouse machines may sound great, especially if you don't have the resources to buy brand-new replacements. You can also hire trucks and trailers from fleet companies to pick up your goods when your organizational fleet is out of service. The logistics industry is very broad. You don't need to have all the machines before you can increase efficiency. Look out for skillful third parties and outsource some operations to them.
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  • Hire good frontline managers
Good managers understand the need for project execution, and they should have the requisite skills to do so. A manager's ability to effectively handle all aspects of your business operations is a big plus for enhancing productivity. Boosting the morale of your workers and ensuring customers' orders fulfillment are some responsibilities that an effective frontline manager can carry. They understand the needs of your customers, vendors, and suppliers, and deliver to meet those expectations.
  • Optimize your supply chain
Another way to increase your efficiency is to make adjustments to your supply chain in order to improve how you schedule your purchase orders. Develop a guideline for your vendor compliance policy, purchase terms and conditions, item specifications, and product labeling. Include quality to your products and add value to your services through the supply chain and to the vendors. The aim is to reduce the labor required to rework mistakes.
  • Avoid procrastination
As the saying goes, "Procrastination is the thief of time and enemy of success." When shipments are ready, do not procrastinate to receive them. Since suppliers often deal with different companies, you will have to draw your shipment calendar to know when to expect some goods. So, take the time to unbox the items and repackage them accordingly. Be committed to this responsibility and avoid unnecessary delays since that can negatively affect your productivity. Also, when you keep postponing your shipments, they will accumulate to a large amount, and you may not be able to sort goods properly.​
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  • Practice lean warehouse operation
Over the last couple of years, warehousing practices have changed significantly. Gone are the days when warehousing was mainly interpreted as the storage of goods. The logistics industry has evolved into a global marketplace involving inventory management as well as shipping and receiving. A lean warehouse operation opens up a forum for savings. You can reduce the handling times of container and truck loading, increase reliability, share information, and adapt to changing trends in the customer specification landscape. In short, a lean practice can bring drastic changes to your warehouse operation mindset. When you are able to improve your picking and packing procedures, you will waste little time checking the inventories. Your stock replenishment concepts will be concise, and sale opportunities will be effectively utilized.
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To ramp up productivity in your warehouse business, entrepreneurs need to focus on key aspects of their business operations. The tips mentioned in this article are just a few ways to go about it.  

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Bringing Your Business Up-To-Date

7/9/2020

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If you want to ensure your business is ahead of the times, here are some steps to consider...

Refine Your Social Media Strategy
Social media is a highly effective and cost-efficient way for businesses to connect with customers and build a brand; in return for your time and creativity.  

The importance of branding and storytelling will be fundamental to ensure prospective users have something to connect with and appeal to. Social media will also support an SEO strategy and is normally the backbone of what makes one successful, so planning social media right is crucial for the success of your brand and generating traffic. Branding is all about finding a way to ensure customers connect with your brand on a deeper level.  

You have to create informative and relevant content at a rate and in a manner that does not become annoying to your followers.

Photos are a great way to connect with your audience; visual messages tell a story and are far more interesting than reading lots of writing.  For example, to begin your campaign, post branded (watermarked) visuals of what your brand stands for alongside relevant quotes.
  
Share relevant content to your brand. For example, if you run a dating agency, you may want to consider things like YouTube videos featuring humorous and branded viral videos about dating, inspirational content and quotes about dating and networking, dating tips featuring your brand/TV host and so on.  A dating agency would be looking to post a wide variety of content to reinforce the brand message/mission of creating a one-stop-shop for meeting the right people in your own time, whether that be meeting potential dates or potential networking with professionals of interest. You can also build the story around the meeting venues on the site/app and tie in all these establishments into part of the experience.  

The key to effective social media is that all content must tie together and work in synergy.  You cannot just have a Facebook page and a website; all of your social media channels must connect, allowing your followers to cross the bridges between them. 

In our modern digital world, social media can create ‘foot traffic’ using the web. Support any relevant local events; posting on their page will target your immediate audience.  (It is best to ask event organisers/page admins for permission to post first, in terms of ‘online etiquette’.) 

Social media only works if you are social; slow or non-existent responses are unforgivable to the modern consumer.  If they share your page/post, they expect a ‘like’ or comment in return (just like face-to-face interaction.)

Look at social media as another way to have a conversation, and it will be used far more effectively.  Any business owner can and should use social media; it’s free and easy once you have a strategy in place.  However, an additional budget should always be spent on boosted posts, ad words, and making your profiles more visible to engaged followers, and to ultimately turn them into customers/users. 

Where do your customers ‘hang out?’

Your social media attack needs to be as concentrated and as powerful as it can be. Don’t waste time in communities where either no one is talking about the service you provide. That means understanding two things: your customers and where they are in the social media landscape.

Once you find the communities, you need to study them; scope them out and identify the leaders, their openness to ‘newbies’, how they communicate, the type of content that is passed around, their rules for engagement, etc. You need to become experts so that you know how to interact and don’t end up stepping on people’s toes or burning bridges before getting started. Every community operates differently so you need to get to know each and tailor your content accordingly.

Faxing Over IP
Sending a fax might not be cool anymore, or a process your company does any more because they favour email, video conferencing software, and social media instead of the ‘old school’ fax machine used throughout the 1980s and 90s, but faxing over IP is proving to be highly beneficial to businesses of all ages and sizes and across various niches. 

The problems with traditional faxing included the time it took to compose and send a fax, the hassle of installing a second phone line and the cost that came with it and the amount of paper kicking around the office. By faxing over IP, however, you remove all of those problems without even having to buy a new machine. You send online faxes by connecting your existing systems through software from specialist FoIP providers and before long your desktop PC or laptop that you use for word processing, spreadsheets, designing, and whatever else you might use them for each day; is also a fax machine allowing you to send documents quickly and easily just like an email attachment and without the need for any paper, ink or second phone lines. 

The paperwork problem is solved because you don’t need to print off the faxes, instead, you can just save them on your computer and this helps you to make your office and company as a whole more ‘green’, protecting the environment. The second phone line is also unnecessary because FoIP, which stands for fax over internet protocol, works by using the existing internet connection, you simply connect the new online fax system to the internet, send the fax, it gets converted into an attachment on the way and delivered to the other office quickly, easily and securely. 

Hiring A Marketing Company
When it comes to marketing your business, the first decision you have to make is whether to use the services of a marketing agency or to handle this part of your business in-house. In this section, we will take a look at the reasons why you should consider hiring one of the available marketing companies if you want your business to thrive. 

There is only one place to begin, and this is with the fact that you will benefit from expert assistance. This is extremely valuable, as marketing professionals have the knowledge to help you with everything from web design to effective Trip Advisor listings to social media marketing. If you were to handle all of this in-house, it would be extremely time-consuming, and it is unlikely that you would be able to achieve the same exceptional results. Instead, you can focus on the core of your business and doing what you do best while the marketing company guarantees your online presence is a dominant one and that you are reaping the rewards as a result. 

Also, when it comes to marketing businesses, you get a lot more than just marketing expertise. You will benefit from the likes of web design professionals, social media experts, expert content writers and search engine optimization professionals. You will also have access to the latest tools and technology to ensure marketing performance and efficiency is enhanced. You can also keep up to date with the latest marketing trends without spending your own time learning about new resources, and it is easy to scale up your marketing efforts when you are ready.

Buying Telephone Numbers For Your Business
DID, direct inward dialing, is a service that provides blocks of telephone numbers for calling into a business’s private branch exchange (PBX) system. In essence, it permits an external caller to connect directly to an inside extension of your office without requiring the help of an operator or an attendant. Keeping that in mind, read on to discover the top five benefits you can gain from a DID service…

  • Save Money – First and foremost, if you use a regular PBX service you will have to pay for an operator. However, by going for a DID service you reduce dependency on attendants, and you also lower business expenditure, as you no longer require the use of a switchboard operator. 
  • Efficiency – DID gives you the ability to assign personal numbers to every one of your employees. As a result, your company’s phone service will be much more efficient. You will shorten hold time, as telephone traffic can be split up and managed effectively. 
  • Increased Customer Service – You can offer a much better level of service to your customers, as they feel as though they are calling an individual rather than a company, and this is a lot more personal. The service is also much more efficient, as these calls go through a lot quicker. There is nothing a customer hates more than having to go through various people to get to their end destination – not to mention a standard PBX service costs them more money when calling you because they are on the phone for longer.
  • Personal Office Atmosphere – You will not only notice benefits in relation to your phone service, but the atmosphere in your office, on the whole, will change. It will feel much more personal and your employees will feel valued, as you have granted all departments and/or individuals the status of a dedicated line. 
  • Flexibility – Aside from the points that have been mentioned, DID also provides unprecedented flexibility. These systems can be completely customized, allowing you to choose from varying lengths of anything up to eight digits. ​
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Market Your Business - Seven Ways To Improve Your Digital Marketing

7/7/2020

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Marketing your business is an essential part of the growth and success that it can achieve. Many companies are looking at how they can further improve their digital marketing due to the fact that so many of us are online nowadays, and it can be more effective than traditional marketing is. There are certainly ways that you can help improve your business when it comes to digital marketing, so here are seven ways that might help. 
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Make Your Website User Friendly
Making your website user friendly is important because it acts as the face of your business when it comes to the online world. It sets the impression of your company to anyone who happens to come onto your site, whether it’s an existing customer or a potential lead. For that reason, you need to have a website that is functioning properly and that works for the targeted user in mind. With your business, it’s important to know who your audience is because that’s going to influence the decisions you make when it comes to functionality. You might want to think about the type of font you’re using and the amount of visual content you have on your website too. Not only that, but it’s important to consider the technology side of the website and how well it functions.

How quickly does your website load up? Is it less than five seconds, or does it take longer? This can all have an influence over how long your audience will stay on the site and when they’ll choose to click off it. 

Look At Your SEO
With companies like NetSearch Digital Marketing, there’s so much that can be covered when it comes to improving it. From your website’s SEO to the potential lead generation, you can create for your business. Search engine optimization is one area of the online world that is forever changing. As more people go online and the challenge to stay relevant gets even more competitive, it’s important to look at what you could do to help rank your website, and it’s pages higher on the search engines like Google. 

SEO is hard to manage in-house and is why many businesses will choose to outsource it to other companies. There are certain things you can do in terms of basic SEO like fixing broken links and ensuring your images are condensed to help with page loading speed. Anything that’s more complex than that might need professionals, and it’s something you can either outsource or hire internally. It depends on your budget and how much time is required to do the role. 


Use Social Media To Your Advantage
Social media has many benefits, and it’s something that’s only growing more and more. It’s important that you are taking advantage of social media and using it for your business. Your business should be on at least one platform, and you should be actively engaged on that platform on a daily basis. With so many tweets, posts and statuses going up every second, it can be very easy to fade into the background. It’s important to stay relevant and being on social media can help with that. You also want to think about connecting all your social media and online platforms like your website together so that you have some cross-promotion going on too. 

Find the platforms that work well for your business and not simply because it’s something that’s been recommended. You need to find the platforms that work best for your niche!


Listen To Your Customers
Your customers are an important part of your business, and it’s essential to always keep them in mind when it comes to digital marketing. What are your customers saying about your product or service? You want lots of evidence that you’ve got happy customers, and so customer reviews can certainly be a great help to add to your website and to show off to potential leads and anyone who might be looking at your business as a potential customer in the future. Be proud of those customers you’ve impressed, and if you’re showcasing their comments and feedback, they’re going to enjoy the spotlight too!

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It’s important to engage with your customers whenever you can, and the more you can interact with them, the more their loyalty improves towards you. Word of mouth advertising is the best form of advertising, and it can be achieved when you make an impression on a customer. So much so, that they want to talk about you to their friends, family and colleagues. That’s the sort of recognition you want to achieve.  Always listen to your customers and what they have to say about your business. After all, they’re the ones that are using your product or service and therefore know what they’re talking about. 


Assess The Data
A benefit that comes from the online world is that you have so much more data available at your fingertips and the majority of it is free! Whether it’s assessing the data that comes from your website or your social media handles, it can all be helpful to understand more about your customers. For your website data, knowing your reader’s demographic and interests can help make better-informed decisions on your choice of content and future campaigns. Knowing what they enjoy engaging with and what they don’t, will allow you to make fewer mistakes in the future.

For your social media handles, there’s a lot of free information that they provide, and this can be useful when it comes to your online advertising. Utilise these platforms and what’s available.


Use Online Advertising
Online advertising can be very useful for your digital marketing, but it requires you to understand your target audience as much as possible. If you can define it further, you’ve got more chance of gaining more leads and having more success in sales too. Make sure you’ve done the data analysis, so you know exactly what type of audience you need to be hitting with these paid advertising opportunities. The more you can define it, the more successful they’re likely to be.

Look at what online advertising you’ve done before and what might have been missing. Online advertising is a much more affordable way of advertising your business, and so you can afford to make a few mistakes here and there as you learn the ropes. You also want to think about where you’re advertising and on what platforms it’s going to be the most successful. Trial and error until you find what works best for your business.


Focus On Quality Of Content
And finally, always remember that the quality of your content is always important. Whether it’s the visual content on your website, a blog you have on your site or the content you put on your social media handles, it’s important to make it good quality. If not, you aren’t going to get the best engagement from it. Focus on that quality all the time and never sacrifice it!

If you’re posting consistently, this will also help improve your digital marketing efforts. Consider what your audience wants to see when it comes to content, and having a blog area on your website can definitely improve the engagement rate. 

Digital marketing is forever changing, and it’s important for every business to stay relevant. Use these tips to help improve your company’s efforts when it comes to this new form of marketing. Post high-quality content, improve from the data you have available and listen to your customers.

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Achieving Ultimate Employee Satisfaction In The Workplace in 2020 and Beyond

7/6/2020

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Achieving satisfaction amongst your employees in the workplace requires a special approach that you’re going to need to keep up in the long term. Employee satisfaction impacts everything, from your client happiness to your employee turnover. If your team is not satisfied, clients will know about it. If your team is not satisfied you will need to spend more time and money interviewing, hiring, and training new team members. It makes sense to keep your team happy once you have them. 

Here are a few ways you can work towards ultimate employee satisfaction this year and beyond. 

  • Be More Flexible
Being more flexible is key. This year has thrown many challenges at every single one of us, so if we’ve learned anything, it’s that being flexible is key. Many businesses have been forced to operate on a more flexible basis, when many didn’t think it was possible before. Now that this has been debunked, your business should work on ways to give your employees a more flexible lifestyle. Can they choose their own hours? Can they work from home when they need to? 

  • Promote Good Health 
Good health means that your team will be happier and take fewer sick days. Promoting good health will impact physical and mental health and will always be good for your business. You can promote good health by coming up with schemes, such as a cycle to work scheme. You could even offer bonuses, such as gym memberships. Certain companies in Europe offer more time off to employees who use their gym memberships regularly. 

  • Stop Wasting Time
If you’re still wasting time with meetings, you’re likely annoying your team. Finding ways to reduce wasted time is key, and avoiding pointless meetings can help. Try collaboration software instead, and only have a meeting if you truly need one. 

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  • Give Them More Incentives And Benefits 
Your team deserves more than the bare minimum. Give them more incentives and benefits to keep them happily working for you. Could you buy their lunch once a week? Keep a stock of great, healthy snacks to hand? Paying them on time is something you should be doing anyway, but you can make it even more effective with services like Cloudpay. Finding ways to make their lives easier and more enjoyable at work is key. You could even build a relax/gaming area for when they need some time away from their desks. 

  • Improve Social Connection
Don’t discourage your team from communicating with one another. This isn't school! Instead, improve social connection by encouraging catch ups and sharing ideas. Arrange days out and bonding activities, too. 

  • Invest In Team Building
Team building can also be effective. You could try laugh yoga and other workshops designed to get everybody bonding and enjoying themselves. 

  • Look After The Work Environment
Don’t make your staff take care of housekeeping issues. Hire cleaners to look after the work environment and keep it healthy. Your staff should clean up after themselves, of course, but it shouldn’t be down to them to deep clean the carpets and surfaces.

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