Category: Business/Entrepreneurship

How to Get the Most from a Recruitment Company

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Depending on the type of business you’re running, a key to success is recruiting the right talent mix. Recruitment companies can valuable tools in these instances. It’s important to understand how to get the most out of your partnerships with them. The following contributed post is therefore entitled, How to Get the Most from a Recruitment Company.

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When you need to find the best talent but don’t have time to sift through 100s of average applications to find “The One”, you should definitely consider hiring a recruitment company. Recruiters spend all their time matchmaking talented executives with their ideal roles. This means that while you have to start from scratch every time, they already have a great talent pool to choose from.

However, when you hire a recruitment company, you can’t just pick the first one you happen to stumble across. You need to look for certain qualities that suggest that you will work well together, and though a brilliant executive recruiting portfolio is a good place to start, it’s not the be all and end all of partnerships. You have to put some work in too.

Knowing Who You Are as a Business

When you are working on your branding, you are most concerned with how your customers see you. But when you are looking for new talent, you also need to think about how your company reputation will be seen on the job market.

Communicating your company ethos to your recruiter is vital as they will be able to use this information to refine the candidates they present. It’s important to remember that when candidates approach recruiters, they are also looking for something specific. By showing off your company’s personality, you are much more likely to attract someone who will fit in.

Employees aren’t just looking for a steady paycheck anymore, they want a healthy culture and greater prospects too. When you are looking for new talent, don’t forget that the interview goes two ways. They will be looking for the qualities they want too.

Knowing What You Are Looking For

Writing a job description is much more than a list of responsibilities, it should also clarify the type of person you are looking for and how they will fit in with the rest of the team. It’s at this point that you really need to be certain about what you want. The job description is also a good chance to put across a bit of your company’s personality so please don’t hide behind buzzwords!

Though you might be determined to get an experienced candidate in, the reality is that most people who use recruiters are looking for roles that will challenge them and build their skill sets. This is important to remember because it’s pretty rare for someone to make a sideways move. Instead of looking for experience, you should be looking for potential.

Look for the Best in Every Applicant

When you have a list of requirements, it’s pretty easy to work through applications and simply discard those that don’t immediately tick every box. Instead of doing this, you should give every applicant a fair chance to show you their best – and this goes for the interview too.

Recruiters are bound to send you a few curve balls now and then so take the time to see how these applicants might fit in. You never know when you might hire the person who makes a real difference to your company.

The Benefits Of Starting On The First Rung Of Any Business Ladder

Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Career Discussions. Arguably the most critical aspect of your experience in the business world or any career is your start. There are advantages to breaking in on the ground level versus ascending right away. The following contributed post is entitled, The Benefits Of Starting On The First Rung Of Any Business Ladder.

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When it comes to starting in any career, most of us are loathe to start at the bottom. It’s no wonder when you consider that such jobs tend to involve long hours for little pay. Not to mention that, if you have your eyes on the prize, low-rung jobs may not be anything like the positions you imagine yourself in. Instead, then, we ignore those starting jobs and reach for the skies.

The trouble is that, while vision is crucial, it’s not always the best way to get a job. Often, aiming for high positions when entering an industry will set you back. There’s no way, after all, that you’ll be able to stand out against someone who’s worked their way up. Even if you do manage to get a high role from the off, you may find everything a struggle. You won’t know what you’re doing, after all, and that will be plain to everyone around you.

While reaching high is essential, then, you could see the following benefits by sucking it up and starting at the bottom.

It’s the easiest way into any industry

Breaking into a new industry is never easy. Even qualifications aren’t a sure bet into a decent job anymore. Now, employers love to see experience. And, that’s not something you’ll have if you’re starting. As such, you may find that you don’t even get interviews when applying for those higher roles. By comparison, the first rungs of most ladders are entry positions. They don’t require experience or even qualifications in many cases. Yet, they could provide your resume with the boost you need to get to the top.

You’ll be able to learn from the bottom up

When you gain a high position, it’s always beneficial to know every area of the business you’re in. All the better for running things smoothly and keeping on top. The trouble is that there’s no way you can do this if you enter at the top. You’ll have no clue about those bottom rungs you bypassed, and that can be problematic. By comparison, starting at the bottom and working your way up is a sure way to success when you reach the top. Consider professionals like Anton Kalafati of B Side Construction, who managed to work his way to up to be a majority owner in a leading company. His beginnings as an on-call repairman are part of the reason why he’s able to keep things afloat. Follow in his footsteps by accepting that lower position and learning everything you can from the bottom up.

A sure way to earn respect

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It’s no surprise that, if you enter a field from the top, you’re going to struggle to gain respect. Employee engagement is near enough impossible when you’re attempting to manage a team who know more than you do. That’s a fact. If, however, you’ve worked in their positions before, you’re pretty much guaranteed more respect. You’ll undoubtedly be able to manage everyone better as a result.

5 Ways To Make A Fleet of Vehicles More Affordable

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. For those who get into it, the trucking industry can be very lucrative if run the correctly. A major component is managing your fleet so that it runs as efficiently as possible. The following contributed post is entitled, 5 Ways To Make A Fleet of Vehicles More Affordable.

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Owning and maintaining a fleet of vehicles can be very expensive. If you’re looking to trim costs for your company, here are five ways in which you can make owning a fleet more affordable.

Weigh up the costs of leasing vs buying

There are two ways to acquire a fleet of vehicles – lease them or buy them. Both options can have their financial perks which are worth considering.

Leasing involves paying a monthly fee to effectively rent out the vehicle. This saves on initial costs. Whilst maintenance is still your responsibility, leased vehicles tend to be brand new and so are generally more reliable, saving you money in repairs.

Buying vehicles could be more expensive initially, but it can be cheaper in the long run. That said, the most affordable vehicles to buy are likely to be used vehicles, which may require more frequent repairs.

In either case, always buy through an official vehicle dealer. By shopping around and negotiating you may be able to lower costs.

Shop around for fleet insurance deals

Insuring every vehicle in your fleet can also be a big cost. Fleet insurance can save you a lot of money compared to insuring each vehicle individually. Make sure to shop around thoroughly to find the best deal at comparison sites such as this one.

You should also consider some of the factors that affect fleet insurance such as the quality of your drivers, the quality of your vehicles and your claim history. Adding surveillance cameras to all your vehicles could also save you huge amounts (this provides insurers with footage of any accident that occurs and can make drivers take more care behind the wheel).

Track your vehicle’s running costs

It could also be a good idea to track the running costs of each vehicle. When it comes to fuel, consider getting your drivers to log their fuel or to use a card as found at this website. This could help to ensure that drivers aren’t spending too much on fuel.

As for vehicle maintenance, keep a record of this too so that you know how much you’re spending in repairs on each vehicle. Try to shop around to beat repair quotes (just make sure to read reviews of repair centres so that you know you’re likely to get good quality service).

Tracking these expenses could be useful simply for tax purposes as they’re likely to be tax deductible. Make sure that you’re deducting all the expenses that you’re entitled to.

Prioritise energy efficiency

Encouraging energy-efficiency is important for saving you money on fuel. This should start by choosing the right type of vehicle – ideally you want something with a high MPG. Modern vehicles tend to be greener than older ones, so factor this in when choosing a vehicle.

Taking steps to encourage energy-efficient driving can also make an impact too. This could include rewarding drivers that drive more smoothly and conserve more fuel. This guide offers just a few incentives that could help you to encourage drivers to watch their fuel consumption. You may also be able to recommend routes to save time and fuel. Be careful however of laying down too many rules regarding how to drive and this may negatively affect the morale of your drivers.

Know when to replace vehicles to save costs

It’s important to know when to replace vehicles too so that you can save costs. Many companies overextend the life cycle of their vehicles to the point that parts start deteriorating. This results in more frequent repairs and more costs.

By keeping a record of repair expenses for each vehicle you can tell when a vehicle is starting to cost too much in maintenance – at this stage it’s best to cut your losses and buy a new vehicle.

Seasonal Business and Your Company: Things You Can’t Afford To Forget

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Seasonal businesses are in a class all their own. They have their own unique considerations and rules to think about if you’re getting involved in one. The following contributed post is thus entitled, Seasonal Business and Your Company: Things You Can’t Afford To Forget.

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Everyone in business knows that success levels tend to fluctuate with the seasons. Of course, to make the most out of this as possible it’s crucial that you know what to expect at the different times of the year. Luckily, that is something you can find out by reading the post below.

Spring

For many businesses, spring can be partially busy. After all, it’s past the winter lull brought on by Christmas the New Year and trade should be steadily picking back up again. Of course, there is the end of the tax year to think about as well, which can make the month of April particularly challenging.

Although it’s worth noting that if you get your accounts up to date for all months apart from this beforehand, you can save yourself the April tax rush and make it much easier on everyone too.

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Additionally, spring is the right time of year to start thinking about any possible issues you may encounter some summer. That means not only getting in an air conditioning contractor to service your current units, but also get extra ones installed if you are expecting it to be a hot year.

Additionally, taking some time to check who is off when during the summer vacation is a smart move, as then you can start filling any absences early to be sure that things keep on running as usual.

Summer

For some business, especially hospitality ones, and retail that focus on vacation items, simmer is their busiest time. This means that while many companies are slowing down for the summer vacation, they need to keep their focus on fulfilling orders and keeping things ticking over.

Additionally, any business whose busiest time is Christmas will need to begin thinking about new lines around this time. After all, they will have to be developed and produced ready for the beginning of December, so the sooner that you start, the better.

Autumn

Autumn tends to be reasonably constant for most business news whether they are B2B or retail. In fact, you can often expect a short lull once the kids have gone back to school in September. However, due to all the celebrations in autumn such as Halloween and harvest festival, many businesses can expect custom to rise this season steadily.

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Of course, that means that your business needs to keep up, so be sure that you have the staff and resources to cover any increased demand!

Winter

Depending on the type of business you have, winter can be your most hectic, or slowest time. Companies that sell to other companies tend to slow down around Christmas because of the break that most people take.

Although those in or supplying the hospitality industry will still be busy. To that end it’s important to know your business well, so you are able to predict if you will need to increase or reduce resources and staff.

Additionally, if you are in a location where weather can cause issues with deliveries and people getting into work, then it’s pretty crucial that you come up with a plan B For when the snow starts to fall. Otherwise, even if it’s your burst time customer wise, you may not have anyone to work which can be devastating to your business!

A Guide To Overcoming Business Relocation Concerns

Two key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Relocating a business is a big deal and in some instances a major undertaking. If you’re careful and map out the steps, it can help make the transition more seamless. The following contributed post discusses this and is entitled, A Guide To Overcoming Business Relocation Concerns.

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When a business first moves into new premises, there is an inevitable period of mild chaos during the adjustment phase. It takes a while to ensure everything is up and running as it should be, with plenty of hiccups and discombobulation along the way. By the time you and your staff have settled into the new location, you’ve likely promised one another that you won’t ever undertake a move again – it’s too stressful, too disruptive, too complicated.

However, time passes. Your business continues to flourish; you continue to innovate; your staff continue to work at their very best – and your business grows as a result. Yet even as you embrace this new phase of your business, the memory of how troublesome your last move was remains; and besides, your premises – that once felt so alien and unusual – now feel like home, and there’s no pressing need to move.

Until… there is

As your business continues to grow, there will inevitably be a moment when you cannot avoid acknowledging the reality of the situation: if your business’ growth is to continue – which, of course, you very much want to happen – you’re going to need more space. Perhaps you need to hire more staff, or want to start to use a different type of machinery, or your existing location is proving restrictive – whatever the reason, it’s clear that you need to move on.

Yet the memories linger

For many entrepreneurs, the moment they realize they can forestall the inevitable no longer is unwelcome – especially if they have previously relocated a business, and know first-hand how very stressful and all-consuming the process will be.

There’s no denying the reality that moving can be crucial, but there’s also no denying that it’s entirely natural to feel a creeping sense of trepidation when contemplating moving your business to new premises. In fact, it could be argued that not feeling a sense of alarm is problematic, and could lead to a sense of over-confidence. Acknowledging the simple reality that moving a business is akin to moving house, only roughly one thousand times more complicated, isn’t weakness: it’s necessary.

Overcoming the hesitation

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The realization that a business needs to move can often be simply the first in a sequence of events: the realization, the decision to move, the process of looking for new properties, and then the move itself. A simple, linear progression that occurs in a timely manner.

However, it’s entirely natural if you – like many of your fellow business owners – do not see the realization that you need to move as a fait accompli. Instead, you may hesitate, perhaps even wonder if your judgment is sound, and if moving really is necessary.

It’s important to remember two things at this point of the process: first and foremost, no one is starting a clock. If you need to take time to prepare both the business and yourself for a move, then that’s okay; there’s absolutely no rush. However, the second point you need to keep in mind is that there’s a reason you realized your business needed to move; acknowledge this as fact, and then work on coming to terms with the process rather than seeking to convince yourself that relocation is unnecessary.

How long should you give yourself to accept that moving is an inevitability and move on to the next stage? That depends entirely on your situation. If your business is managing just fine as it is, then there’s no immediate need to push yourself into starting to look for new premises. However, if your business is beginning to show signs of struggling under a lack of capacity – perhaps you’re having to miss out on lucrative contracts, or can’t hire the staff you need to meet demand – then the situation is more time pressured. It’s still important to let yourself come to terms with the need to move, but try to avoid letting yourself put the matter on the back burner.

Addressing the practicalities

When you’re ready to begin planning the move, it’s important to first reflect on your previous experience of relocating a business – even before you begin browsing for new premises.

The reason past reflections should come first is simple: prevention. By learning from the mistakes that you may have made during the last move, you can address these and put plans in place to ensure the same issues do not reoccur. Perhaps you previously struggled to get your machinery up and running; this time around, you’ll want to contact rigging contractors to ensure all goes smoothly this time; or maybe you struggled to establish the right layout for your office, a problem that can be overcome by working with office fit-out specialists who can create a custom plan that will suit your business perfectly from day one in your new location. Whatever issues you experienced the last time you moved, understanding these problems and then seeking solutions is the best way to avoid a rerun of past unpleasant events.

Anticipating new issues

It is incredibly important to learn from the mistakes of your last business move, but it’s also essential to ensure you don’t rely too much on the past. You have to think about the new problems you may experience, and especially those that could not have occurred the last time you moved; maybe you’ve introduced a new service since you last moved, are using a new piece of equipment, or simply have far more members of staff.

Given the above, it’s helpful to list the ways your business has changed since its last move, and then brainstorm the problems you may experience as a result of these new developments. By doing so, you create a complete picture; a blend of past and present that can help to prevent problems occurring as you step into your business’ future.

In conclusion

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It’s entirely natural to be nervous about the idea of relocating your business, but the key to overcoming these anxieties is proper planning. By examining your past experiences, and then including considerations related to recent changes, you can create a roadmap that forms the blueprint for a swift, smooth relocation process. From there, you can begin to look for premises, think about notifying the right people and companies, and start working on the practical side of the move itself.

Office Technology that Will Improve Your Staff Productivity

Three of the key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. A key to running any business/organization today is having the proper technology in place. Doing so will have improve your staffs productivity and your overall efficiency. The following contributed post discusses this and is entitled, Office Technology that Will Improve Your Staff Productivity.

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If you would like to stay competitive in your marketplace without having to invest a lot of money in new processes and procedures, you can rely on technology to help you improve the productivity of your staff while making their life in the office easier. Companies are looking for new ways of providing more value to their customers at a lower cost, and some smaller IT improvements can do just that. Find out more below.

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Customer Chat

It is important that you answer customers’ queries as soon as possible. Today’s consumers’ attention span is much shorter than the previous generation’s and they are looking for immediate answers. You can find a system that will gather all the feedback and pop up on one of your employees’ computers, so they don’t have to stay logged into various systems and get distracted just to provide excellent customer service.

Shared Calendar

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If collaboration is something that is necessary in your business, you will need to allow your staff to work on projects together and collaborate. You can create a virtual workplace where they can share and update projects. While a Google Suite system might do the job in the beginning, you might want to talk to an expert at inc-systems.com/services/managed-it-services/ to find out whether or not your business could benefit from a custom calendar and a CMS system.

Cloud Computing

It is crucial that you encourage the use of cloud computing. You will not only be able to automatically back up your files and take notes, share insights, update your team on the go, but also share information with your customers faster. You will have to install advanced security, though, so you can prevent the accidental disclosure of sensitive information.

Social Media Tools for Scheduling

If you are involved in digital marketing, you might have a member of staff updating your social media accounts and posts regularly. If they have other jobs as well, they will find managing everything very challenging. Instead of giving them half an hour a day, every day, you can allocate a few hours every month when they can schedule the jobs ahead. You can use an advanced scheduling and posting service and a social media calendar to make the most out of your reach and engagement.

Digital Learning Platform and Knowledge Base

It is also important that you empower your staff and help them become more efficient. This is why improving your office technology is necessary. If you have a knowledge base available for staff, they will find the answers without having to speak to a manager, and deal with customer queries faster and more professionally. You might also deliver your regular training or updates using your internal systems accessible any time, so they can complete the tasks when they are not compromising customer service or their own productivity.

Upgrading your office IT system can help you manage the different tasks in your company and improve your staff productivity at the same time.

Online Improvements For Hotels

Three of the key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. The internet has changed the game in terms business and commerce. The Hospitality Industry is no different, and hotels that aren’t properly marketing online stand to lose business. The following contributed post is entitled, Online Improvements For Hotels.

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The Internet is a very useful tool for businesses to communicate with their target market. Almost everyone has access to the Internet these days, and people use it to compare prices and make travel arrangements. Hotels can get a lot of business from their website. However, if your business isn’t employing the correct hotel web marketing techniques, then few visitors will end up converting into customers.

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There is a lot of competition in the hotel industry, so it’s important to do everything you can to attract the right customers. The best hotel website design won’t only attract lots of people to your site, but it will also encourage them to spend longer on there, and potentially make a booking. If someone finds your website online and it’s of poor quality or looks amateurish, then they will often click off and visit somewhere else. If your website takes too long to load, isn’t organized correctly or is difficult to navigate, then people will look elsewhere, as no one wants this sort of hassle. After all, the Internet is all about convenience.

Effective hotel marketing will give your hotel the right image. All hotels, even small bed and breakfasts need to have a professional website that shows off their brand well. When it comes to getting people to visit your site, there are a few different options. Since most people will find websites using a search engine, hotels will benefit from using SEO strategies. SEO or Search Engine Optimization is the process of making your site more attractive to search engines. When done properly your site will appear higher up in the results listings and stand a greater chance of getting clicked on. The best hotel website will also load quickly, contain lots of useful information and be very easy to navigate.

Is Your Hotel Suffering From A Lack Of Repeat Business?
Repeat business is imperative in the hotel sector, and while you may deliver a fantastic stay to your guests, this doesn’t mean they are automatically going to book again. Therefore, if you are suffering from a lack of repeat business, read on for some advice on hotel marketing online that can help to rectify this problem.

The first thing you need to do is get to the bottom of why customers are only booking one stay at your hotel and then not returning. Nine times out of ten this is because you are failing to follow up on their experience to build a loyal connection with your customers. You need to build an authentic relationship if you are to generate the loyalty that encourages customers to come back to your hotel again and again.

This is where hotel Internet marketing comes in. There are three keys aspects of hotel marketing that can help to ensure you benefit from repeat business – social media marketing, your online booking system, and email marketing. How easy is to for customers to book again? What appointment booking software do you use? Do you provide discounts for loyal customers online? Is their information remembered?

Email marketing is imperative for keeping your customers up to date with your hotel and everything that is going on. One of the best ways to increase your chances of repeat business is to offer voucher codes and special offers via email to your customers.

Aside from this, social media provides the perfect platform for customer engagement, as it allows your customers to get as close to your brand as possible. You need to post regularly on your social media accounts, and you need to ensure you are communicating with your customers, rather than merely posting a string of in-your-face advertising messages.

How Business Intelligence Can Help You Improve Your Digital Marketing

Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. Marketing is arguably the lifeblood of any business operation which itself is a potential cost. Today it’s important to understand how best use the digital marketing tools available. The following contributed post is thus entitled, How Business Intelligence Can Help You Improve Your Digital Marketing.

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If you are running a business online, you might want to reduce your admin costs as much as possible and start making informed decisions based on intelligence gathered using advanced tools. There are plenty of ways you can improve your marketing campaign and optimize your results, but using intelligent data is the most cost-effective and simplest method. It will give you an edge over the competition and help you understand where you need to make improvements.

Market Research

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You can gather market intelligence to make your marketing decisions better and based on data. From understanding the main players and the customer preferences to predicted growth and a SWOT analysis, there are plenty of things you will need to create a plan that will help you improve your strategy and talk directly to your target market. If you don’t know your audience, you will not be able to stay competitive and stand out with your offers. You need to conduct market research before launching a marketing campaign to stop shooting in the dark and start focusing on the results.

Customer Behavior

It is crucial that you understand the buyers’ preferences and their journey. No matter if you are entering a new market or are trying to keep an eye on the changes, you will need to get to know your ideal client. Find the market segment that is the most likely to buy from you and engage with your brand. You don’t want to waste your marketing budget on people who are not really interested; stop focusing on the tire kickers and find the prospects who already see the value in what you have to offer.

Market Trends

If you want to win the game of digital marketing, you will need to make sure that you keep an eye on market trends, There are plenty of free reports you can get your hands on, or choose to conduct your own research online for free. You need to gather information and analyze it using a Smart Room tailored to your industry and your company’s needs. If you are not able to get a snapshot of the market trends, you might make the wrong market penetration decisions.

Conversion Tracking

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Some people say that digital marketing is data driven today, and argue that we are losing our soft skills due to technology. However, the two aspects of research and strategy can work hand in hand. You can gather data and create messages that resonate with your audience and create an emotional connection between them and your brand. After all, knowing your facts is crucial, but engaging with your target market will improve your conversions.

Competitor Analysis

Knowing your competition can give you an advantage of creating a strategy that will build on your strengths and eliminate your weaknesses. You will have to map your market position and strategy, find out your exact share in the niche, and find the right strategy to stand out. If you know what your competitors’ main marketing messages are, you will be able to create your own unique brand identity that will impress the right type of potential clients.

AB Testing

It is important that you track the results of your digital marketing, so you can make improvements and get a better result. No matter if you are setting up your first landing page or lead capture post, or are engaged in email marketing, you will need to use AB testing to find out which messages your potential clients are responding to. You can set up variants or headlines, call-to-action, or even images and pick the winner to improve your marketing.

Marketing Cost Analysis and ROI

When you first invest in digital marketing, you will not know whether or not you will see results and if your campaigns will be worth the investment. There are plenty of ways you can measure the conversion rates and the cost per acquisition in your marketing. If you are getting an order worth a hundred dollars and your ads only cost you 25, it is something that you should carry on doing. That is why measuring the return on investment in your marketing using business intelligence can help you improve your profitability.

If you want to make the most out of your digital marketing, don’t forget to turn to advanced business intelligence tools to help you make better decisions. Improve your digital marketing and make the most out of your data analysis skills to see better results and conversions.

Reducing Accidents in Your Workplace

Two of of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Depending upon the type of company you’re running, you want to think about employee safety and minimize accidents. Accidents can not only disrupt productivity, but they can also increase the likelihood of lawsuits. The following contributed post is entitled, Reducing Accidents in Your Workplace.

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Workplace accidents can be costly in many different ways. As an employer, you could find yourself facing legal action if a member of your team, a customer or a visitor is injured in your workplace. You could lose money as productivity drops during any confusion or repairs. You could find yourself working without a valuable member of your team, and you could find that your reputation suffers, that you are no longer able to keep or attract the best staff and that your customers start to ask questions about what goes on in your company. Especially if the accidents begin to add up.

Of course, accidents happen. We all have the occasional trip, or we make a mistake during a loss of concentration. Machinery and equipment fail us, human error can never entirely be eradicated, and unfortunately, things don’t always go quite to plan. There will still be accidents in the workplace, just as there are on roads and in homes. But, as an employer, finding ways to reduce accidents in your workplace can increase profits, lower staff turnover, improve your reputation and the consistency of the service and products that you offer and give staff morale a big boost. It’s undoubtedly worth committing some time to look at ways to reduce the accidents in your workplace, even if there aren’t that many in the first place.

Assess Your Workplace and Staff

Some accidents can be avoided just by taking the time to look at what is going on. You should complete regular risk assessments, to help you to spot any potential risks and find ways to reduce them.

It’s also worth assessing your staff. You might want to consider drug testing services, as a sober team is always going to be less accident-prone and less of a risk to others. But, even without measures like this, it’s good to have regular staff appraisals, where you speak with your team one on one. Use this time not just to assess their performance, but also to ask them if there is anything that they need extra help with, or if there is anything that you could be doing to make their job easier and safer. As the boss sat up in the office, it’s not always easy to know what’s needed.

Does your staff also work in other locations? When you are considering how to reduce workplace accidents, it’s also smart to think about any other working environments. Perhaps you have field staff who are working on-location or are out on the road for long hours. They might be out of sight, but you can’t forget about the possibility of a fatal truck accident or a safety incident during the delivery of goods. It’s essential to consider how to keep them safe even if you don’t have eyes on them at all times. This might include things such as tracking drivers, ensuring they are well-trained, and maintaining vehicles.

Keep Maintenance up to Date

Most businesses use some kind of equipment. It might be heavy machinery, it might be vehicles, or it might just be fridges to store stock. Whatever you use, when it goes wrong or isn’t able to work at its best, it becomes more likely to cause an accident. Keep maintenance up to date, schedule yearly services, and act at the first sign of trouble.

Keep the Workspace Clean

Whether you work in an office, a shop or a factory, a dirty and messy workspace can cause trips, slips, banged heads, falls and many other accidents. Make sure all staff and customer areas are kept clean, and that your employees follow a clean as you go policy. Give them the tools that they need, such as cleaning supplies and wet floor signs, to do this efficiently.

Employee Engagement Ideas For Remote Teams

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and two focuses are Business/Entrepreneurship and Career Discussions. A great perk for many employees is being able to work remotely. Working remotely gives a lot of flexibility and can add to productivity. There’s a downside to it too, and management must consider how to get the most of teams of employees working remotely. The following contributed post is therefore entitled, Employee Engagement Ideas For Remote Teams.

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Ensuring your employees are engaged is not always an easy task, yet it can become even more difficult when dealing with remote teams. Nonetheless, the following employment engagement ideas from Unum should give you a helping hand…

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Frequent Communication

When dealing with a remote team you should never take the ‘no news is good news’ stance. This is likely to lead to disengagement, as the team members may feel you don’t value them enough to tell them what’s going on. It is definitely a case of the more communication, the better.

Embrace Instant Messaging

A lot of managers believe it is more efficient for them to be the only point of contact. However, you risk alienating the team in question, and this is extremely damaging. Why? Well, information won’t flow effectively and work relationships won’t develop. Instead, promote healthy communication via the use of internal instant messaging.

Consider Various Communication Tools

When engaging with a remote team you need to make sure you use the right tool in relation to the message you are giving. If you merely need to rely on a simple message, an email will suffice. However, when something is more elaborate, or complex, or requires brainstorming, it will be more effective to use an advanced video tool. You can easily find these on the Internet, and some are even free to download. However, managed solutions come highly recommend, as they will be developed to suit your business.

Better Scheduling

Why should those on the other side of the world always have to take a conference call whilst they should be sound asleep? A lot of businesses schedule in relation to what is convenient for their home office. However, if you consider your remote teams and schedule for their benefit in some instances, you show that they are just as important and this keeps them engaged.

Give An Explanation

This is a simple yet effective engagement idea for remote teams. Often, everyone in the home office will know what is going on and consequently their reason for performing a particular task. However, remote teams may be asked to do something and they have no clue why. This may interrupt their current workflow and thus cause irritation. Moreover, it may lead them to feel disengaged because they are working on something without purpose. Therefore, all you need to do is explain why.

Create Personal Connections

It doesn’t hurt to ask someone how he or she is and what is going on in their life. A lot of managers neglect to do this because they feel they are wasting time. However, creating a human connection is time well spent. If you can’t spare five minutes of your time to get to know an employee, no matter where they are located, they won’t feel valued. Instead, they will feel overlooked.

So there you have it, six easy yet highly effective employee engagement ideas for your remote teams. As soon as these practices are implemented you will immediately notice a difference. Start today by making a personal connection when you next communicate with someone in a remote team.