When customers call for help or information, does your system make them feel like welcome guests or annoying pests? From the first contact, whether by web or voice, the systems you have in place should be helping you capture and keep clients.
Of course you and your staff are courteous. But if you don't know that the same customer called a week ago, and what the call was about, a cheerful voice and frequent apologies will not erase the fact that you didn't care enough to make a note. Is a client celebrating a business anniversary? A greeting card takes seconds to send and can pay dividends for years to come.
Ah, but how to capture all that important information, and be able to find it in seconds? That's where your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system pays for itself over and over. And, you don't have to spend a fortune either.
CRM has been around for years and many very effective software packages have been brought to the market. But just as "one-size-fits-all" never does, so a straight off-the-shelf package is not going to suit everyone. Full custom development is a huge investment, but there is a middle ground.
COTS can be your answer: Customised off-the-shelf brings the best of both worlds to your business with a system that will collect, store, report, and help you analyze the details of your customer relationships that matter to you. You will have the features needed to manage your business your way, and still have the benefits of off-the-shelf economy.
Starting with the base of a fully functional application, the integrator will tweak the system to meet your specific requirements. Snap-shot views help you see what's in your pipeline of sales, reports help you understand how well your sales staff are doing, and client records help you collect and organise information on every contact your customers have with the company. Score card reporting allows you to visit or call customers with full confidence and preparation.
Knowledge is power, and the data collected by a well-designed and implemented customised off-the-shelf CRM system can put that power in your hands. The payoff will be a more efficient process and happier, more loyal customers.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Project Management Headaches? Here's How to Get Relief
Have you ever tried to manage a number of projects, keeping track of resources, budgets, and milestones, and communicating essential information to everyone involved? It can make you feel like the juggler spinning plates, dashing from one to the next, trying to keep them all going at the same time. Inevitably, a plate comes crashing down.
As a small business, the project management tools available to you have been either hard to use or non-existent. Microsoft Project can be used for general planning, but unless you have a full-time expert on staff, MS Project is just too difficult to use. Large companies may make the investment to establish and maintain a project management office; it is simply not practical for most small to medium sized businesses.
That leaves spreadsheets for planning and tracking, and the challenge of rolling multiple spreadsheets into one summary to give management a useful overview of progress. For a one-time view it can work, but updating and maintaining data integrity of all the individual project spreadsheets creates more headaches than it solves.
So what is a growing, successful small business to do? You need a dashboard view for high level oversight, but you also need to be able to drill down and see up-to-date information on what is happening with each individual project. You need to communicate quickly, accurately, and completely with everyone involved, and be sure that they have information they need. Staying within time and budget limits requires the ability to manage change orders to avoid "scope creep". You need to view and distribute reports. And when a project is complete, you need to collect and analyze the all-important best practices that result.
All that functionality does not have to translate into higher system cost. In my experience, many tools over complicate the process. Adding complex features to software does not always translate into benefits, so don't assume that high-end will mean high quality results for your business. The ease of use is at least as important a factor in choosing your project management software as is the price. An expensive, complex program will only work as well as the people who have to use it every day. I've found that products such as BrightWork and CopperProject are wonderful at adhering to the KISS principle.
When you are ready to choose a project management solution, be sure you consider the less complex and lower cost options as part of your selection process. You and your budget may be pleasantly surprised!
As a small business, the project management tools available to you have been either hard to use or non-existent. Microsoft Project can be used for general planning, but unless you have a full-time expert on staff, MS Project is just too difficult to use. Large companies may make the investment to establish and maintain a project management office; it is simply not practical for most small to medium sized businesses.
That leaves spreadsheets for planning and tracking, and the challenge of rolling multiple spreadsheets into one summary to give management a useful overview of progress. For a one-time view it can work, but updating and maintaining data integrity of all the individual project spreadsheets creates more headaches than it solves.
So what is a growing, successful small business to do? You need a dashboard view for high level oversight, but you also need to be able to drill down and see up-to-date information on what is happening with each individual project. You need to communicate quickly, accurately, and completely with everyone involved, and be sure that they have information they need. Staying within time and budget limits requires the ability to manage change orders to avoid "scope creep". You need to view and distribute reports. And when a project is complete, you need to collect and analyze the all-important best practices that result.
All that functionality does not have to translate into higher system cost. In my experience, many tools over complicate the process. Adding complex features to software does not always translate into benefits, so don't assume that high-end will mean high quality results for your business. The ease of use is at least as important a factor in choosing your project management software as is the price. An expensive, complex program will only work as well as the people who have to use it every day. I've found that products such as BrightWork and CopperProject are wonderful at adhering to the KISS principle.
When you are ready to choose a project management solution, be sure you consider the less complex and lower cost options as part of your selection process. You and your budget may be pleasantly surprised!
Wouldn't it be nice to know you know what you know?
If your head is spinning from that title, here's another way of saying the same thing. Your business has accumulated a vast amount of data that can be of value to you now and as your business grows. But if all that data is not in a form that you can easily retrieve and analyse, it is of little use. You may actually be sitting on a treasure trove of information that could improve your customer service and your profit, but how to get hold of the treasure?
Knowledge Management can bring order to this chaos and help you find the nuggets buried in your data stores. Many small businesses simply do not realise that they have been building an unstructured collection of valuable data. Applying knowledge management tools can organize and mine this storehouse, and also make it possible for the information to be shared across the organization.
Too often, customer billing information is in one file, purchasing history is in another and client contact information in another. Project information including the skills needed, who worked on what, how long they took, and how much it cost compared to the revenue, all that is somewhere else. Imagine how valuable it would be to look down into your data stores and discover connections and relationships you might not have noticed before. What could that mean to building and enhancing customer relationships? To your company's strategic planning? What might you change if you discovered patterns of buying that you had not seen before?
In many ways, knowledge management is a living thing. As humans, we are constantly renewing ourselves. We recognise changing conditions, draw on our memories of what has served us well in the past to deal with change, visualise alternative outcomes, and make decisions about how we will proceed. We carry our database on our shoulders and make connections and see relationships that change continually as we gather new data from our experiences. That's very much like what a knowledge management system can do for a business.
In today's increasingly high-speed, competitive environment, businesses cannot afford to waste resources or miss opportunities. I've found that a frequent benefit of knowledge management is an increase in internal collaboration and sharing of best practices. As a company, you already know more than you think you know. And now you know that knowing is not enough; you have to be able to share knowledge and eliminate duplication.
Know what I mean?
Knowledge Management can bring order to this chaos and help you find the nuggets buried in your data stores. Many small businesses simply do not realise that they have been building an unstructured collection of valuable data. Applying knowledge management tools can organize and mine this storehouse, and also make it possible for the information to be shared across the organization.
Too often, customer billing information is in one file, purchasing history is in another and client contact information in another. Project information including the skills needed, who worked on what, how long they took, and how much it cost compared to the revenue, all that is somewhere else. Imagine how valuable it would be to look down into your data stores and discover connections and relationships you might not have noticed before. What could that mean to building and enhancing customer relationships? To your company's strategic planning? What might you change if you discovered patterns of buying that you had not seen before?
In many ways, knowledge management is a living thing. As humans, we are constantly renewing ourselves. We recognise changing conditions, draw on our memories of what has served us well in the past to deal with change, visualise alternative outcomes, and make decisions about how we will proceed. We carry our database on our shoulders and make connections and see relationships that change continually as we gather new data from our experiences. That's very much like what a knowledge management system can do for a business.
In today's increasingly high-speed, competitive environment, businesses cannot afford to waste resources or miss opportunities. I've found that a frequent benefit of knowledge management is an increase in internal collaboration and sharing of best practices. As a company, you already know more than you think you know. And now you know that knowing is not enough; you have to be able to share knowledge and eliminate duplication.
Know what I mean?
Network Security - Seal IT with a KISS
You know by now that I believe in keeping things as simple as possible when it comes to information technology. It is very easy to dive into a subject and feel that you are drowning in the details of do's and don'ts. Network security is a good example of a topic that has many levels of detail, threats on all sides, and a bewildering array of options for protecting your company's network. Even the descriptive words are frightening: hack, worm, phish, spoof, denial of service attack, malicious code, spam, Trojan horse. And when you learn that 90% of businesses and government reported a security breach in 2002, and 80% reported a resulting financial loss, the whole issue can seem overwhelming.
Where to begin? The first thing to do is not to rush in and throw money at the problem and hope you get it right. Putting in a $199 firewall router by itself won't solve anything; if it is not configured, you may as well put in a lock and leave the key in the door. You need a plan.
Take the time to create a coherent and comprehensive approach to network security. This will help you identify where you are in terms of security, what threats hold the greatest risks for your business, and what you should do in response. Your integrator should be able to help you with this task. It will also help you avoid focusing on something that may sound terrifying while overlooking something else that is a more realistic threat to your specific situation. Think KISS – Keep It Simple Security.
So how do you create that important approach? There are plenty of resources available in articles and sites to help you understand the potential threats, the areas you need to consider, and how to select the best protective measures for you. You might start with Microsoft's small business Security Guidance Centre; scroll down and click on the "Quiz" to see a good overview of security concerns and issues for small companies. Another resource is this chapter from the book, Executive Guide to Information Security: The Threats, Challenges, and Solutions. And this article reviews 10 major threats to network security and how to prevent damage to your system.
Network security does not have to be complex. It does need to be the simplest appropriate system for your situation. Start with covering the basics and build on that solid ground. Then as your company's security needs grow, your KISS system will grow with it.
Where to begin? The first thing to do is not to rush in and throw money at the problem and hope you get it right. Putting in a $199 firewall router by itself won't solve anything; if it is not configured, you may as well put in a lock and leave the key in the door. You need a plan.
Take the time to create a coherent and comprehensive approach to network security. This will help you identify where you are in terms of security, what threats hold the greatest risks for your business, and what you should do in response. Your integrator should be able to help you with this task. It will also help you avoid focusing on something that may sound terrifying while overlooking something else that is a more realistic threat to your specific situation. Think KISS – Keep It Simple Security.
So how do you create that important approach? There are plenty of resources available in articles and sites to help you understand the potential threats, the areas you need to consider, and how to select the best protective measures for you. You might start with Microsoft's small business Security Guidance Centre; scroll down and click on the "Quiz" to see a good overview of security concerns and issues for small companies. Another resource is this chapter from the book, Executive Guide to Information Security: The Threats, Challenges, and Solutions. And this article reviews 10 major threats to network security and how to prevent damage to your system.
Network security does not have to be complex. It does need to be the simplest appropriate system for your situation. Start with covering the basics and build on that solid ground. Then as your company's security needs grow, your KISS system will grow with it.
Choosing an ISP, with Emphasis on SERVICE!
Have you noticed that the more choices you have, the harder it is to decide between things that look and sound similar? If you aren’t already an expert, how can you choose? When buying a digital camera, how do you choose the right combination of mega pixels, optical zoom, digital zoom, wide angle, memory cards, batteries, and so on? You want a checklist that would say “Here’s what to look for.”
I can’t help you with the camera, but I can make the task of choosing your Internet Service Provider (ISP) a little less daunting. First of all, let’s be sure we’re talking about he same thing. An ISP is a company that provides access to the Internet for a fee. An ISP might provide dial-up service, cable, DSL, or other types of Internet access. For a business, having cable, DSL, or another high-speed connection is essential, but it is just the start. To make the best use of technology today, you will want to be able to provide appropriate access to your network to employees and customers.
How do you know whether an ISP has what your business needs? These are some of the key questions to ask:
I can’t help you with the camera, but I can make the task of choosing your Internet Service Provider (ISP) a little less daunting. First of all, let’s be sure we’re talking about he same thing. An ISP is a company that provides access to the Internet for a fee. An ISP might provide dial-up service, cable, DSL, or other types of Internet access. For a business, having cable, DSL, or another high-speed connection is essential, but it is just the start. To make the best use of technology today, you will want to be able to provide appropriate access to your network to employees and customers.
How do you know whether an ISP has what your business needs? These are some of the key questions to ask:
- Does the ISP offer permanently managed VPN (Virtual Private Network) links between offices or outworkers to the main office? A VPN allows for multiple locations to have a secure permanent connection over the internet. It also allows key employees to gain full access to all network services – in effect, enabling to them to work as if they were sitting in the office, no matter where they actually are.Does the ISP offer link services in every location you want to be in? If you do not have access to your ISP wherever you are, then it is not going to provide value to your business.
- Will the ISP deliver and install your communications service to your locations? If you have several offices, or remote locations, they all need to be connected to your ISP to take full advantage of high-speed connectivity.
- Does the ISP offer QoS (Quality of Service) so that services such as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) can perform well? VoIP is a new sort of phone service. It allows you to call and communicate with friends, colleagues and others, whether those people are also using VoIP, or whether they are using a conventional telephone service. VoIP lets you place voice calls using your broadband service as the medium that carries your voice, instead of using the 'Plain Old Telephone Service (or POTS) to do it. In order for VoIP to work well, though, the network has to have the capacity to guarantee that data will flow without delay. QoS is the ability to provide different priority to different applications, users, or data flows, or to guarantee a certain level of performance. QoS guarantees are important if the network capacity is limited, for example in cellular data communication, especially for real-time applications, such as voice over IP (VoIP), since these are delay sensitive.
- Are anti-spam filters available? The fastest network can grind to a crawl when overloaded with spam (junk email.) You want an ISP that includes anti-spam filtering in its services. You should be able to “blacklist” senders that you never want to receive messages from, and likewise “whitelist” senders that you always want to allow through.
Dashboards are Not Just for Cars
Remember the first time you slid behind the steering wheel of a car, gripped the wheel, and saw the instruments on the dashboard? It was exciting to feel that you could be in control of that powerful machine. All the dials and gauges spread out before you told you how fast you were going and how well the car was functioning. You had all the information you needed to go wherever you liked, whenever you wanted.
I can’t promise that thrill each time you look at your business dashboard, but you will find it gives you the same sort of up-to-the-minute readout on how well you are doing on your business journey.
A business dashboard presents visual displays of data pulled from different business systems, and tells you at a glance how things are going. A dashboard can provide real-time intelligence that includes your key performance indicators (KPIs), and can generate ad hoc reports to support decision-making. The display might include red-yellow-green lights, graphics such as bar charts and gauges, summaries, and drill-downs, all to provide consolidated information.
A well-designed dashboard is customizable and usually role-driven, so that the dashboard displayed on the company president’s screen will be different from that of the CFO or the middle manager. The good news is that the source data for a dashboard is probably already sitting in your system right now. With a bit of planning and design work, the information living down in your digital records can be given visible form and made to work for you in new ways.
Employees benefit from having the information they need to do their job right at their fingertips, and dashboards generally allow for customization to the individual’s likes and interests. For the CFO, accounts receivable aging status can be displayed in a bar chart, but the same data could appear as a pie chart for the CEO. The Sales Manager can see the comparison of monthly goals to actual performance, and then drill down to each salesperson’s individual performance. And for the Project Manager who has customized his desktop with widgets for weather and surf conditions, it’s a simple matter to add KPI information to tell him which tasks are on, ahead, or behind schedule and which are running over budget.
In your car you have spread before you all the vital information to get from where you are to where you are going. Fuel remaining, speed, distance traveled, engine function, warning lights, perhaps even compass direction as well as time and distance to destination. On your computer screen, the digital dashboard does the same for your business.
Gentlemen, start your engines!
I can’t promise that thrill each time you look at your business dashboard, but you will find it gives you the same sort of up-to-the-minute readout on how well you are doing on your business journey.
A business dashboard presents visual displays of data pulled from different business systems, and tells you at a glance how things are going. A dashboard can provide real-time intelligence that includes your key performance indicators (KPIs), and can generate ad hoc reports to support decision-making. The display might include red-yellow-green lights, graphics such as bar charts and gauges, summaries, and drill-downs, all to provide consolidated information.
A well-designed dashboard is customizable and usually role-driven, so that the dashboard displayed on the company president’s screen will be different from that of the CFO or the middle manager. The good news is that the source data for a dashboard is probably already sitting in your system right now. With a bit of planning and design work, the information living down in your digital records can be given visible form and made to work for you in new ways.
Employees benefit from having the information they need to do their job right at their fingertips, and dashboards generally allow for customization to the individual’s likes and interests. For the CFO, accounts receivable aging status can be displayed in a bar chart, but the same data could appear as a pie chart for the CEO. The Sales Manager can see the comparison of monthly goals to actual performance, and then drill down to each salesperson’s individual performance. And for the Project Manager who has customized his desktop with widgets for weather and surf conditions, it’s a simple matter to add KPI information to tell him which tasks are on, ahead, or behind schedule and which are running over budget.
In your car you have spread before you all the vital information to get from where you are to where you are going. Fuel remaining, speed, distance traveled, engine function, warning lights, perhaps even compass direction as well as time and distance to destination. On your computer screen, the digital dashboard does the same for your business.
Gentlemen, start your engines!
What's All the Fuss over VoIP?
Sometimes that thing that sounds too good to be true turns out to really be true. VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) has turned into one of those techno-promises that has proven its potential, especially as a cost saver for business.
The concept is simple – plug your phone into the Internet, and talk to the world as if it were all next door. And the reality is almost as easy: VoIP service converts your voice to a digital signal, and that can be sent over the Internet. On the other end, it comes out as your voice in a signal that the receiver can process – cell phone, wired phone, whatever. VoIP does require a broadband (high-speed Internet) connection for your computer, but these days you need that just to conduct business effectively anyway.
Since the service starts with your computer, your desktop computer can actually make calls directly from your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system. Now, while you talk to a customer you can also be reviewing their information on your computer, entering orders, checking schedules, or even writing a confirmation of your phone conversation. Sure, you could do that before, but what was that phone call costing you?
As simple as the VoIP concept is, the main attraction has always been the potential cost savings. Installing a traditional wired phone system for your office with multiple stations could be an enormous investment. But a VoIP PBX system with up to 16 extensions costs under $2,000. And if that got your attention, how about calling from Sydney to Perth for just 10c? Period. Now your mobile phone can become an extension of your PBX, and a call to a mobile can cost only 20c/minute, regardless of the carrier.
During the early days of VoIP there were stories of dropped calls, just as there were with the early cell phones. But the technology has advanced rapidly, and these days VoIP is highly reliable. You do need to understand how the system works and what services are available, because there will be differences from your old style wired phone system. But that brings us to another advantage of a computer-based VoIP phone system - one service provider can install and support everything for you. That provider will be able to advise you about the best service choice for your business.
So give VoIP a look and a listen. With the cost savings and increased efficiency, I think you will soon be saying, “Now we’re talking!”
The concept is simple – plug your phone into the Internet, and talk to the world as if it were all next door. And the reality is almost as easy: VoIP service converts your voice to a digital signal, and that can be sent over the Internet. On the other end, it comes out as your voice in a signal that the receiver can process – cell phone, wired phone, whatever. VoIP does require a broadband (high-speed Internet) connection for your computer, but these days you need that just to conduct business effectively anyway.
Since the service starts with your computer, your desktop computer can actually make calls directly from your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system. Now, while you talk to a customer you can also be reviewing their information on your computer, entering orders, checking schedules, or even writing a confirmation of your phone conversation. Sure, you could do that before, but what was that phone call costing you?
As simple as the VoIP concept is, the main attraction has always been the potential cost savings. Installing a traditional wired phone system for your office with multiple stations could be an enormous investment. But a VoIP PBX system with up to 16 extensions costs under $2,000. And if that got your attention, how about calling from Sydney to Perth for just 10c? Period. Now your mobile phone can become an extension of your PBX, and a call to a mobile can cost only 20c/minute, regardless of the carrier.
During the early days of VoIP there were stories of dropped calls, just as there were with the early cell phones. But the technology has advanced rapidly, and these days VoIP is highly reliable. You do need to understand how the system works and what services are available, because there will be differences from your old style wired phone system. But that brings us to another advantage of a computer-based VoIP phone system - one service provider can install and support everything for you. That provider will be able to advise you about the best service choice for your business.
So give VoIP a look and a listen. With the cost savings and increased efficiency, I think you will soon be saying, “Now we’re talking!”
Why Won't My Listing Show Up on the Google?
That's the question many businesses ask. You spend money to design a great, effective website, and you sprinkle the content with what you think are sure-fire keywords. You know enough about search engines to realise that they "look" for not only keywords but also frequent updates to content and activity when calculating your search engine ranking. Each of the major engines – Google, Yahoo, Ask, and others – has a closely guarded system for ranking web sites.
So you have a great site. You want to see your listing there on the search results page. You start trying your keywords in a search and scan down the page of results – your listing isn't there! You go to the next page, then the next…and somewhere down the line you finally find your company.
If you have a product or service that is not unique in the world, this has probably happened to you. Try searching on "computer repair" – in Google I got 17,200,000 possible results! Narrow it a bit more to "computer repair service" and now we have 2,200,000 results. Try again with "computer repair service Sydney" and it's down to 166,000. But that's still a massive number, and if you're not on the first couple of pages of results, chances are people won't scroll long enough to find you.
Why do some companies always seem to be at or near the top of the list? The answer is simple: They pay to be there. That's right, you can buy your way to the top of the page. Look again at your search results, and notice that the very first few results have a slightly different background colour and, in small print, "sponsored results."
But unlike traditional advertising, where you put an ad in a magazine and hope your potential customer sees it, advertising on search result pages is very much targeted. All of the search engines have such programs; you choose your engine and then plan your advertising campaign around it. Google's AdWords is one that has been around for several years and has features that not only help you get business but also help you tweak your ads for best effect.
Here's how it works. You create an ad that Google displays above or beside regular search results, based on the keywords you choose to be associated with. For instance, if you have that computer repair service, you might want your ad to appear when people search for "PC repair" or "computer parts" or even "memory chips."
What's different from traditional advertising is that you don't pay Google to run your ad. You pay them when someone actually clicks on your link, at so much per click. How much? That's also up to you. You "bid" on keywords. If you bid more than other people then your ad will appear nearer the top. In addition to your bid, Google considers how effective your ad is, based on how many people click through, when choosing how high on the list to display your ad.
The major advantage of using AdWords is that, if someone uses your keywords in a Google search, you know they are looking for what you are advertising. You've hit your target. Google also has great tools that help you refine your ads to be better targeted. Using their reporting capabilities, you can even tell you which buttons are being clicked.
AdWords can be a cost-effective part of you marketing. To get started, visit our web site and let us help you.
So you have a great site. You want to see your listing there on the search results page. You start trying your keywords in a search and scan down the page of results – your listing isn't there! You go to the next page, then the next…and somewhere down the line you finally find your company.
If you have a product or service that is not unique in the world, this has probably happened to you. Try searching on "computer repair" – in Google I got 17,200,000 possible results! Narrow it a bit more to "computer repair service" and now we have 2,200,000 results. Try again with "computer repair service Sydney" and it's down to 166,000. But that's still a massive number, and if you're not on the first couple of pages of results, chances are people won't scroll long enough to find you.
Why do some companies always seem to be at or near the top of the list? The answer is simple: They pay to be there. That's right, you can buy your way to the top of the page. Look again at your search results, and notice that the very first few results have a slightly different background colour and, in small print, "sponsored results."
But unlike traditional advertising, where you put an ad in a magazine and hope your potential customer sees it, advertising on search result pages is very much targeted. All of the search engines have such programs; you choose your engine and then plan your advertising campaign around it. Google's AdWords is one that has been around for several years and has features that not only help you get business but also help you tweak your ads for best effect.
Here's how it works. You create an ad that Google displays above or beside regular search results, based on the keywords you choose to be associated with. For instance, if you have that computer repair service, you might want your ad to appear when people search for "PC repair" or "computer parts" or even "memory chips."
What's different from traditional advertising is that you don't pay Google to run your ad. You pay them when someone actually clicks on your link, at so much per click. How much? That's also up to you. You "bid" on keywords. If you bid more than other people then your ad will appear nearer the top. In addition to your bid, Google considers how effective your ad is, based on how many people click through, when choosing how high on the list to display your ad.
The major advantage of using AdWords is that, if someone uses your keywords in a Google search, you know they are looking for what you are advertising. You've hit your target. Google also has great tools that help you refine your ads to be better targeted. Using their reporting capabilities, you can even tell you which buttons are being clicked.
AdWords can be a cost-effective part of you marketing. To get started, visit our web site and let us help you.
Use the Other CRM to Create Future Success
What is the single biggest cost for most businesses? Correct – people. Salaries, taxes, and benefits are a major expense, so managing the hiring and retention of good employees is critical to an organisation's success. In the information age, when knowledge has become the product of value, managing your company's talent resources is as critical as managing cash flow or making investment decisions.
The other CRM – Candidate Relationship Management – is an outgrowth of traditional Human Resource (HR) activities. In the past HR departments have concentrated on making policy, hiring and troubleshooting staffing issues, and managing the risks of being an employer. That's no longer enough. The best managed organisations are reaching out ahead of need to create a system that identifies candidates and builds an optimal workforce for the business. And it's working. Companies that invest in talent management are showing higher performance than their competitors, because it is the people who are the creators of value.
CRM systems are designed to help improve recruiting, development, and retention of employees who have the skills and aptitudes to meet a company's needs, both now and in the future. If your company always seems to be scrambling to find good people to hire, consider adding a CRM system to help expand the pool of qualified, pre-screened candidates before you need them.
There's a good article that includes techniques for building your talent management process here: http://tinyurl.com/2kl72n. CRM tools don't have to be elaborate and expensive to be effective, and there are options for small firms with salaried as well as hourly employees. The key is not size or complexity, but how well you are able to build a knowledge base of good candidates. If you have employees, you owe it to your organization to build a business-enhancing CRM system.
The other CRM – Candidate Relationship Management – is an outgrowth of traditional Human Resource (HR) activities. In the past HR departments have concentrated on making policy, hiring and troubleshooting staffing issues, and managing the risks of being an employer. That's no longer enough. The best managed organisations are reaching out ahead of need to create a system that identifies candidates and builds an optimal workforce for the business. And it's working. Companies that invest in talent management are showing higher performance than their competitors, because it is the people who are the creators of value.
CRM systems are designed to help improve recruiting, development, and retention of employees who have the skills and aptitudes to meet a company's needs, both now and in the future. If your company always seems to be scrambling to find good people to hire, consider adding a CRM system to help expand the pool of qualified, pre-screened candidates before you need them.
There's a good article that includes techniques for building your talent management process here: http://tinyurl.com/2kl72n. CRM tools don't have to be elaborate and expensive to be effective, and there are options for small firms with salaried as well as hourly employees. The key is not size or complexity, but how well you are able to build a knowledge base of good candidates. If you have employees, you owe it to your organization to build a business-enhancing CRM system.
Work Side by Side, Continents Apart
Collaboration is one of the hot topics in business today, and Microsoft is getting in on that Groove. Three years ago, Microsoft acquired Groove Networks, a software company based in Massachusetts specializing in productivity software that allows multiple users to work collaboratively on computer files simultaneously. Now Microsoft is bringing the brilliance of Groove into Messenger and other MS offerings.
Imagine MSN Messenger on steroids and you have Office Groove. With this tool, you can chat online with a colleague or several team members about a project you are all working on. In the same workspace you can share files, exchange information, and collaborate dynamically no matter where in the world any of you are.
This is a compelling model for a small business as it is relatively inexpensive to set up. There is no need for elaborate networks as all Groove workspaces, tools, and information are stored right on your computer. This means that you and your team can work productively anywhere you’ve got your laptop. And since collaboration is only useful if everyone is on the same page, automatic synchronisation keeps you and your team members up to date.
Office Groove has five core elements: (from MS Groove FAQs http://tinyurl.com/2rjwpm)
Imagine MSN Messenger on steroids and you have Office Groove. With this tool, you can chat online with a colleague or several team members about a project you are all working on. In the same workspace you can share files, exchange information, and collaborate dynamically no matter where in the world any of you are.
This is a compelling model for a small business as it is relatively inexpensive to set up. There is no need for elaborate networks as all Groove workspaces, tools, and information are stored right on your computer. This means that you and your team can work productively anywhere you’ve got your laptop. And since collaboration is only useful if everyone is on the same page, automatic synchronisation keeps you and your team members up to date.
Office Groove has five core elements: (from MS Groove FAQs http://tinyurl.com/2rjwpm)
- Workspaces. Containers created by information workers to share information and work together on team projects.
- Tools. Applications added to workspaces by team members for the purposes of sharing and working together on information, both structured (for example, forms) and unstructured (for example, files).
- Presence and Communications. Built-in presence awareness, chat and messaging.
- Alerts. Text and audible notifications that inform workers of key events and work activity.
- Launchbar. A single starting point for users to monitor all Office Groove 2007 elements including workspaces, contacts, presence, and alerts, and to execute basic functions such as creating new workspaces and communicating with or inviting users.
Kick it up a notch by combining Groove with other technologies such as Sharepoint, and you have an environment where:
- A team of people (either intra- or extra-corporation) can easily share file and other pertinent subject information.
- Participants can easily see if other team members are available online
- People can work side by side (virtually) on document/spreadsheet/presentation creation.
- You can coordinate teamwork with shared calendars, alerts and notifications.
- Teams create, capture, and share community knowledge
- You can broadcast information with blogs and Really Simple Syndication (RSS)
- And more!
Collaboration without boundaries is here, today. How much can your business improve with Groove?
In Sydney or San Francisco, You're Connected
It used to be that people would ask each other, "How are you?" These days, the question is just as likely to be "Where are you?" For both business and pleasure, people today are highly mobile. But they are also highly busy, so being out of touch is not an option whether the trip is all the way to Geneva or just down the road to a grocery store.
Technology has not only kept up, it frequently leaps ahead of our mobile society's wants and needs. The development of laptop computers was a response to the need for portability. Built-in WiFi was a response to the need for those laptops to connect to the Internet. Now, building 3G ("third generation") modems into laptops means that users can access high-speed data services outside the range of their ISP by relying on the 3G wide area cellular telephone networks. With increased bandwidth and transfer rates, 3G allows for high-speed data exchange to handle Web-based applications, audio, and video files.
All that transmitting and receiving of data can add a feature that no one wants – security issues. Technology has an answer for that, too, of course: the Virtual Private Network (VPN). Imagine that you are sitting at your desk in an office, connected to the company's network through a little blue cable plugged in to your laptop. Imagine then that you pick up your laptop and take it home…with the cable still attached, still connecting you to the company's secure network. That's your VPN. Instead of a cable, though, you connect through the Internet to the company's private network just as if you were still at your desk. Except that you are sitting at home or on the beach or in a café.
The benefits to you are obvious – you can work anywhere and collaborate with colleagues just as if you were in the same building. For the company, there are many benefits:
Technology has not only kept up, it frequently leaps ahead of our mobile society's wants and needs. The development of laptop computers was a response to the need for portability. Built-in WiFi was a response to the need for those laptops to connect to the Internet. Now, building 3G ("third generation") modems into laptops means that users can access high-speed data services outside the range of their ISP by relying on the 3G wide area cellular telephone networks. With increased bandwidth and transfer rates, 3G allows for high-speed data exchange to handle Web-based applications, audio, and video files.
All that transmitting and receiving of data can add a feature that no one wants – security issues. Technology has an answer for that, too, of course: the Virtual Private Network (VPN). Imagine that you are sitting at your desk in an office, connected to the company's network through a little blue cable plugged in to your laptop. Imagine then that you pick up your laptop and take it home…with the cable still attached, still connecting you to the company's secure network. That's your VPN. Instead of a cable, though, you connect through the Internet to the company's private network just as if you were still at your desk. Except that you are sitting at home or on the beach or in a café.
The benefits to you are obvious – you can work anywhere and collaborate with colleagues just as if you were in the same building. For the company, there are many benefits:
- Global networking opportunities are increased.
- Travel costs are cut or eliminated for remote users.
- Travel time and commuting stress are reduced
- Productivity improves along with employee satisfaction
- Overall operating costs are reduced
- VPNs are secure so confidential data can be shared safely
A few years ago, a small hand-held device became the badge of importance that marked executives and in-the-know technophiles. Now, less than 10 years since its debut, hundreds of millions of people seem to have a BlackBerry as a permanent attachment. It's no wonder, either. The BlackBerry includes a major improvement over the PDAs that went before. Instead of having to manually sync a PDA to your computer, the BlackBerry syncs itself continually over the Internet and cell phone network. So besides your phone calls, a BlackBerry brings email, calendar updates, and documents to the hand-held device.
Mobile computing options are expanding every year. Whether you prefer a hand-held BlackBerry type of phone/PDA, or a lightweight laptop with a G3 modem and a VPN, we can help you communicate and do business anywhere you go in today's connected world. So…where are you?
The Handheld Revolution
There you are in a hotel two or three time zones from home, feet up and cool beverage in hand. You've finished your meetings for the day and now it's time to open the laptop, check on email, review your next presentation, and get ready for tomorrow. Except the hotel's Internet connection is down so your laptop isn't talking to anyone, at least for the time being. Not a problem. You have your hand-held, perhaps a BlackBerry or maybe a Treo, and you're still in business.
Mobile computing has improved exponentially in the last few years to the point that, today, you can make phone calls, receive and send emails and instant messages, take pictures, update your calendar, browse the Internet, download and review documents, and play music, all from that one small device. There are models that have WiFi capability, 3G technology, and video recording ability. With some, you can even figure out where you are with GPS capabilities.
With older handheld devices, when you were away from home base and your PDA's synching cradle, you had to depend on email or a phone call to let you know about a schedule change. No more. The newer handhelds have push technology that doesn't wait for you to ask "What's new?" Changes to your calendar, tasks, and email in Outlook take only seconds to automatically synch to your BlackBerry, Windows Mobile or mobile phone calendar.
Sometimes what you need is a quick look at a document or spreadsheet. No problem now for the newer handhelds. With small screen readers much better than they used to be, you can receive Acrobat, Excel and Word documents on your phone and read them easily. This capability becomes even more powerful coupled with the latest version of MOSS (Microsoft’s Office SharePoint Server) intranet software. Now, handheld users can see mobile versions of their KPI data, those all-important measures of performance.
Imagine you are at a client's office an hour away from your office. How much would it be worth to know that the prospect you've been trying to get in to see for months can see you today if you can be there in two hours? That's when you can quickly see the value of making a full-featured handheld part of your every day business outfit.
With these new mobile computing options there is no longer any question about whether we can be connected anytime, anywhere . Should we always be connected? Ah, that is a topic for another day.
Mobile computing has improved exponentially in the last few years to the point that, today, you can make phone calls, receive and send emails and instant messages, take pictures, update your calendar, browse the Internet, download and review documents, and play music, all from that one small device. There are models that have WiFi capability, 3G technology, and video recording ability. With some, you can even figure out where you are with GPS capabilities.
With older handheld devices, when you were away from home base and your PDA's synching cradle, you had to depend on email or a phone call to let you know about a schedule change. No more. The newer handhelds have push technology that doesn't wait for you to ask "What's new?" Changes to your calendar, tasks, and email in Outlook take only seconds to automatically synch to your BlackBerry, Windows Mobile or mobile phone calendar.
Sometimes what you need is a quick look at a document or spreadsheet. No problem now for the newer handhelds. With small screen readers much better than they used to be, you can receive Acrobat, Excel and Word documents on your phone and read them easily. This capability becomes even more powerful coupled with the latest version of MOSS (Microsoft’s Office SharePoint Server) intranet software. Now, handheld users can see mobile versions of their KPI data, those all-important measures of performance.
Imagine you are at a client's office an hour away from your office. How much would it be worth to know that the prospect you've been trying to get in to see for months can see you today if you can be there in two hours? That's when you can quickly see the value of making a full-featured handheld part of your every day business outfit.
With these new mobile computing options there is no longer any question about whether we can be connected anytime, anywhere . Should we always be connected? Ah, that is a topic for another day.
Where Did I Put That File?
Two weeks ago, a team member wrote a terrific report. You read it and then filed it, but did you put it in the client's folder on the G: drive, or in the solutions folder on the E: drive? Last month a colleague sent you an email about an innovative solution that she a read about in an online article. Since then you've received more than 80 emails a day; what are the chances you can find that one easily? And just this morning your best client called with a problem you know you could solve easily if you could only figure out what folder that report was in and where you filed that email.
Sound frustratingly familiar? The problem has never been filing information - it's always been finding it later when you need it. It used to be that storing information in shared folders required rigorous application of rules as to where everything went. But of course, the more people who added content to the folders, the more likely it became that something would not be filed where it "belonged." In the massive virtual filing cabinets we keep these days, data may be safe and secure but it's not always easy to locate.
Until now. Both Google Search Appliance and Microsoft SharePoint Server for Search offer a way to dip into your deep stores of data and come out with just what you're looking for, no matter where it may be hiding. Companies have been working on developing enterprise search tools for several years, and these two are good examples of the power of positive searching to get just the results you need, when you need them. These wonderful tools allow you to search for files in a whole host of areas, and the "hits" you get back are usually what you are looking. Best of all, it doesn't matter where they are!
One company had more than 300,000 documents in various repositories including wikis, blogs, websites, CRM systems, eRooms, PDFs, and MS Word documents. This company also had to balance access to information with maintaining the security of sensitive company information. By installing an enterprise search solution, and adding some customization, the company opened up a new world of information retrieval. Now, both their employees and offshore workers are able to do their jobs much more effectively.
The capabilities of these search tools to pull together useful, timely information are truly impressive. If you ever find yourself wondering, "Where did I put that…?" you should take a look at the new generation of search tools.
Sound frustratingly familiar? The problem has never been filing information - it's always been finding it later when you need it. It used to be that storing information in shared folders required rigorous application of rules as to where everything went. But of course, the more people who added content to the folders, the more likely it became that something would not be filed where it "belonged." In the massive virtual filing cabinets we keep these days, data may be safe and secure but it's not always easy to locate.
Until now. Both Google Search Appliance and Microsoft SharePoint Server for Search offer a way to dip into your deep stores of data and come out with just what you're looking for, no matter where it may be hiding. Companies have been working on developing enterprise search tools for several years, and these two are good examples of the power of positive searching to get just the results you need, when you need them. These wonderful tools allow you to search for files in a whole host of areas, and the "hits" you get back are usually what you are looking. Best of all, it doesn't matter where they are!
One company had more than 300,000 documents in various repositories including wikis, blogs, websites, CRM systems, eRooms, PDFs, and MS Word documents. This company also had to balance access to information with maintaining the security of sensitive company information. By installing an enterprise search solution, and adding some customization, the company opened up a new world of information retrieval. Now, both their employees and offshore workers are able to do their jobs much more effectively.
The capabilities of these search tools to pull together useful, timely information are truly impressive. If you ever find yourself wondering, "Where did I put that…?" you should take a look at the new generation of search tools.
Backup or Break Up – Data Loss Could be Bad News For Your Business
I just saw a very disturbing statistic: 93% of companies that suffer a significant data loss are out of business within five years. That's from the U.S., but data loss doesn't care about national boundaries. Small to medium sized businesses are especially vulnerable if there is no in-house IT staff, which is often the case. Whether from a hardware failure, natural disaster, virus, or just plain human error, the risk of losing data is a business crisis waiting to happen for companies that do not manage the backup process well.
Though most businesses have some backup plan, there is often a gap between plan and reality. When backing up is not someone's primary responsibility, it's too easy to let that slide in favor of some other pressing task. But even when people have good solid backups they do not always take that extra step and test the backups. Have you ever tried to restore files from a damaged tape? Or perhaps from a tape that is taken offsite for safety (good idea) but not available when it's needed (bad idea.) And even backups to other media are only as reliable as the people and the media they depend on.
The thing is, there just is no excuse anymore for not backing up all your data regularly. With on line backup services you can delegate this important function to a company that thinks of nothing but securing, storing, and restoring your data. You can schedule online backups to run automatically to the provider's server, with no interruption to your business.
The data is secured by encryption both during the backup and while stored. And if you need to restore a file, it's generally available in minutes. What if you have staff scattered around the globe, each with a PC full of important data? There are systems for that, too, so that your data can be safeguarded wherever it happens to be. A PC with an Internet connection can also recover those files when needed. And, of course, your data is automatically stored offsite for added protection.
There is a variety of service levels for online backup, so even a small company with a limited budget can find a cost effective solution. Whatever the cost, it is sure to be a bargain compared to recreating lost data. It's some of the least expensive business insurance you can buy. Get started today!
Though most businesses have some backup plan, there is often a gap between plan and reality. When backing up is not someone's primary responsibility, it's too easy to let that slide in favor of some other pressing task. But even when people have good solid backups they do not always take that extra step and test the backups. Have you ever tried to restore files from a damaged tape? Or perhaps from a tape that is taken offsite for safety (good idea) but not available when it's needed (bad idea.) And even backups to other media are only as reliable as the people and the media they depend on.
The thing is, there just is no excuse anymore for not backing up all your data regularly. With on line backup services you can delegate this important function to a company that thinks of nothing but securing, storing, and restoring your data. You can schedule online backups to run automatically to the provider's server, with no interruption to your business.
The data is secured by encryption both during the backup and while stored. And if you need to restore a file, it's generally available in minutes. What if you have staff scattered around the globe, each with a PC full of important data? There are systems for that, too, so that your data can be safeguarded wherever it happens to be. A PC with an Internet connection can also recover those files when needed. And, of course, your data is automatically stored offsite for added protection.
There is a variety of service levels for online backup, so even a small company with a limited budget can find a cost effective solution. Whatever the cost, it is sure to be a bargain compared to recreating lost data. It's some of the least expensive business insurance you can buy. Get started today!
Is Your Marketing Message Getting Through?
You know what it's like…you open your email in the morning and see dozens of unread emails, maybe more. Now put yourself in your client's place. After dealing with the urgent emails, which messages do you think will be opened and read?
The answer is, the emails that deliver a valuable message - in an easy-to-read and pleasing form - are the ones that will be read and remembered. The challenge for you as a business owner is making sure your message is one of them. Not only do you need a message that works, you need an email marketing system that creates professional-looking emails, helps you manage contact email lists, and measure results. Above all, you want confidence that your messages will be delivered, and you want to be able to collect information from your market.
Sound like a full time job? It can be, but there's another option for the small business owner. Let someone else do it! Instead of spending hours and dollars trying to do it yourself, consider one of the companies that is set up specifically to handle email marketing. Companies like Constant Contact and Vertical Response can help you manage this important part of your marketing program.
The advantage to your business is two-fold. First, these email marketing companies have systems that let you run campaigns, include surveys, and stay in touch with clients and prospects alike. Whether you send a regular newsletter or need a special promotion, they are pros at marketing and might even have some new ideas you can use. Second, and just as important, the time and money you save can be spent where they will do the most good in building your bottom line.
Email marketing is here to stay. If you're going to reach out to your market, doesn't it make sense to get the most for your investment?
The answer is, the emails that deliver a valuable message - in an easy-to-read and pleasing form - are the ones that will be read and remembered. The challenge for you as a business owner is making sure your message is one of them. Not only do you need a message that works, you need an email marketing system that creates professional-looking emails, helps you manage contact email lists, and measure results. Above all, you want confidence that your messages will be delivered, and you want to be able to collect information from your market.
Sound like a full time job? It can be, but there's another option for the small business owner. Let someone else do it! Instead of spending hours and dollars trying to do it yourself, consider one of the companies that is set up specifically to handle email marketing. Companies like Constant Contact and Vertical Response can help you manage this important part of your marketing program.
The advantage to your business is two-fold. First, these email marketing companies have systems that let you run campaigns, include surveys, and stay in touch with clients and prospects alike. Whether you send a regular newsletter or need a special promotion, they are pros at marketing and might even have some new ideas you can use. Second, and just as important, the time and money you save can be spent where they will do the most good in building your bottom line.
Email marketing is here to stay. If you're going to reach out to your market, doesn't it make sense to get the most for your investment?
Bring Them Down To Size – Manage Small Business IT with Big Network Techniques
Have you ever felt that your IT systems were running you instead of the other way around? If you've lost data with failed backups, had your email system hold your emails hostage, been unable to get your system to generate invoices…then you know the risks of not managing your small business IT system.
Frustrating? Absolutely. Just the way it is? Absolutely not!
Savvy small business owners know that they can learn a lot from how large scale networks are managed. Large organisations implement systems that reduce downtime, protect data, and generate cost benefits. These companies don't have any secret solutions – they just plan for and actually make changes that keep their IT systems up to date and running smoothly.
Your small business can also benefit from a plan that:
Frustrating? Absolutely. Just the way it is? Absolutely not!
Savvy small business owners know that they can learn a lot from how large scale networks are managed. Large organisations implement systems that reduce downtime, protect data, and generate cost benefits. These companies don't have any secret solutions – they just plan for and actually make changes that keep their IT systems up to date and running smoothly.
Your small business can also benefit from a plan that:
- Identifies and implements the best applications for your needs;
- Controls changes to your network and tracks the related costs;
- Completely documents the IT processes and procedures;
- Tracks your IT assets and manages the financing for your benefit; and
- Includes a well designed disaster recovery and business continuity plan.
So, What's Your Plan?
Which plan is that? The one for how all your IT applications work together to help your business succeed. The plan that goes right along with your business plan as one of the important living documents that you read and update every year. The one that details what your business needs to accomplish your mission, whether it's building hotels or building brands through innovative marketing programs. That plan that identifies what IT resources you have, what they do, and how you know they are effective, current, and secure.
If you're mumbling something like, "I know, I'm going to do that one of these days, but I've been busy, and you know how it is." Yes, we do know. After the first rush of getting a business launched, you focus on making it grow. As you need new IT solutions, you buy the software that seems best for the particular task. Only later do you find out that there is no way to export data from one system to another. You upgrade the operating system and then learn that some of your important applications won't run anymore. It happens all the time, and small businesses pay the price in slowed growth and unnecessary cost.
Last week we talked about how small businesses can learn from how large corporations handle their systems. You don't have to have millions of clients and billions of dollars to get the best combination of IT resources; all you need is some solid planning before you start spending. That's what large organizations do; they invest in planning before they spend the first dollar.
A solid IT plan starts with defining all your needs and then identifying the best solutions to meet them. It includes planning for hardware, operating system, and software version upgrades including system security. An important part of planning that is sometimes overlooked is setting the policies that define how the system will be used, and when components will or will not be replaced.
Take for example if you have 10 staff and 5 PCs. Your plan should include a statement regarding how the internet will be controlled, and a policy preventing employees from downloading too much of the wrong thing. Not only could you have a security risk with all those downloads, but you might be blowing your budget on broadband costs, running up $1,000's of unnecessary cost. One method is to remove control of firewall software from the end user and buy a robust router. This centralises control and lets you manage the network. Or consider this: The average total cost of ownership for a PC out of warranty and more than 3 years old is around $600 per year, and even more with lesser known brands. But a new PC with a 3-year warranty is around $1,100. Do the math and you'll find a saving of more than 33% over a 3-year period. It pays to turnover your network hardware when the warranties run out.
Your plan documents all of this so you have a blueprint for growth, doesn't it?. Yes, you can probably do this yourself - if you have the expertise to compare the technical options and understand the complexities of putting together software from different vendors to create the unique package that will serve you best. Or, you can do what larger companies have learned is the easier and more cost-effective way; choose an experienced professional IT implementer to guide you through the maze of possibilities.
So, what's your plan?
If you're mumbling something like, "I know, I'm going to do that one of these days, but I've been busy, and you know how it is." Yes, we do know. After the first rush of getting a business launched, you focus on making it grow. As you need new IT solutions, you buy the software that seems best for the particular task. Only later do you find out that there is no way to export data from one system to another. You upgrade the operating system and then learn that some of your important applications won't run anymore. It happens all the time, and small businesses pay the price in slowed growth and unnecessary cost.
Last week we talked about how small businesses can learn from how large corporations handle their systems. You don't have to have millions of clients and billions of dollars to get the best combination of IT resources; all you need is some solid planning before you start spending. That's what large organizations do; they invest in planning before they spend the first dollar.
A solid IT plan starts with defining all your needs and then identifying the best solutions to meet them. It includes planning for hardware, operating system, and software version upgrades including system security. An important part of planning that is sometimes overlooked is setting the policies that define how the system will be used, and when components will or will not be replaced.
Take for example if you have 10 staff and 5 PCs. Your plan should include a statement regarding how the internet will be controlled, and a policy preventing employees from downloading too much of the wrong thing. Not only could you have a security risk with all those downloads, but you might be blowing your budget on broadband costs, running up $1,000's of unnecessary cost. One method is to remove control of firewall software from the end user and buy a robust router. This centralises control and lets you manage the network. Or consider this: The average total cost of ownership for a PC out of warranty and more than 3 years old is around $600 per year, and even more with lesser known brands. But a new PC with a 3-year warranty is around $1,100. Do the math and you'll find a saving of more than 33% over a 3-year period. It pays to turnover your network hardware when the warranties run out.
Your plan documents all of this so you have a blueprint for growth, doesn't it?. Yes, you can probably do this yourself - if you have the expertise to compare the technical options and understand the complexities of putting together software from different vendors to create the unique package that will serve you best. Or, you can do what larger companies have learned is the easier and more cost-effective way; choose an experienced professional IT implementer to guide you through the maze of possibilities.
So, what's your plan?
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