How To Improve Your Business Operations

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article|Business operations|How To Improve Your Business OperationsEffective business operations are key to the short and long-term success of any institution. That is why this article is here to shed some light on what you can do, as a business owner and entrepreneur, in order to improve these operations in the first place.

First and foremost, you will need to set certain goals and follow through with them. What are you working towards as an organization? In addition to this, make sure that you always hire the best possible employees, use automated software programs, talk to business consultants, and, of course, remain transparent.

Set goals and follow them

One of the most important things that you could do is to set business goals and follow through with them. What do you hope to achieve in both the short and long term? How much profit do you want to make? These are the types of questions that you should be asking yourself, but make sure that you are also very realistic about them.

Hire the best possible employees

Yet another consideration to keep in mind that will help improve your business operations is the type of employees that you will be hiring. At the end of the day, work gets done as a result of the numerous people that work for that company.

That is why you need to hire individuals that are not only knowledgeable in their field, but also fit well into the larger company culture. Is everyone able to effectively work together in a team, for instance?

Use automated software programs

With advancements in technology, there are now also a number of different automated operations that you can adopt in your organization. For instance, certain tasks that would take a few hours to complete now only require a few minutes thanks to these automated programs. One such example could be HR programs that help organize and file employee information, and so on.

Talking to a consultant

There are business consultants available for a reason, and they can always help you work through any struggles that you might be facing throughout your company’s lifespan. There may be moments where you feel overwhelmed, and you simply don’t know what the next step to take is.

It is exactly during these moments that you should seek the advice from a well- established small business coach.

Remain transparent

As a company, if you want people to trust you, you will need to remain transparent. No matter what stage of the operation this is at, keep in mind that if you are making any promises or large-scale statements about your products, you must also be able to deliver on those.

Keep in mind that improving business operations is always a process, and it takes awhile until you might notice the results that you are hoping for. Still, that is exactly why perseverance is key to any business venture. Above this, don’t forget to be strategic about the course of your operations on a daily basis. When you notice that something is not working out, as you initially planned, never underestimate just how much of an impact changing directions can make.

Is Your E-Commerce Provider Living Up to Its Promises?

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article|E-commerce|Is Your E-Commerce Provider Living Up to Its Promises?There are numerous factors which can be attributed to the success of an online business venture. Hard work, dedication, a clear-cut vision, and insightful marketing campaigns are only a handful of metrics to take into account. However, the driving force behind many projects stems directly from a cutting-edge and efficient e-commerce platform. There is no doubt that such platforms have evolved in leaps and bounds over the years and many now boast a user-friendly appeal that would have been nearly impossible to enjoy in the past. Still, there are times when a business will need to reevaluate its current provider in order to determine if any changes are warranted. Let’s look at this statement in greater detail.

Taking Normalcy for Granted

The core functions of an e-commerce solution will often take place behind the scenes. This also allows them to be taken for granted over time. Secure payment systems, inherent website functionality and mobile-responsive designs are a handful of traits which can be associated with a worthwhile service provider. However, we must also look at the concept of agility.

How easy is it to perform upgrades? Will the third-party solution be able to grow with the business or might certain features be sacrificed in the event that changes need to be made? These situations can represent critical setbacks if not taken seriously and unfortunately, many entrepreneurs fail to realise their importance until the damage as already been done. In other words, the notion of “business as usual” is by no means relevant in terms of an e-commerce solution. Adaptation is key to long-term success and there are many instances when a legacy provider no longer fits the bill. So, what steps should be taken in order to best determine the appropriate third-party service?

When the Time is Right for Migration

One of the main factors which will often influence the final decision involves software as a service (Saas). While platforms such as Magento are indeed impressive in regards to their developmental tools, the fact of the matter is that they might not be able to offer the hands-on edge which could be required by enterprise-level merchants. No one should need to be a coding expert before making pertinent changes to their website. After all, the experience of the end user is the top priority and any downtime will negatively impact the so-called “bottom line”.

The good news is that there are several alternatives to Magento Enterprise and many of these have learned to espouse a bespoke sense of intuitive agility. Thus, changes can be made when the time is right and the portal in question will not suffer from any debilitating downtime. It is just as important to mention that management and similar stakeholders have to adopt the correct mentality. They must be able to admit that there is a problem before objectively examining the issue. This is the best way to determine the root cause and ultimately, to discover if an outdated e-commerce platform is due for an upgrade.

Two Simple Ways to Make Your Small Business Look Professional

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Launching a Small Business|Two Simple Ways to Make Your Small Business Look ProfessionalIf you’re on track to launch your own small business, it can be tempting to dive straight in and announce yourself to the world before you’ve got all the bells and whistles that go with a legitimate company. While that go-getter energy might mean you hit the ground running, you might miss your chance to nail that all important first impression. If those early months are as busy as you hope they’ll be, you may never get around to making sure your business looks as slick outwardly as you know you are. The two simple tips will help you avoid looking unprofessional.

Get Yourself a Proper Email Address

Even if your business is totally legit, asking your clients to contact you via a Gmail or Yahoo address signals to them that at worst, you don’t care about their privacy or security of their data, and at best, that you are not a professional outfit. It doesn’t cost much these days to secure a business email account, especially when you consider that this small fee will pay off in terms of customer trust. Email hosting for small businesses is a good option if you want a professional email address on a platform you are accustomed to. Depending on which web hosting service you use for your website, you may be able to select an add-on to obtain a business email that corresponds to your domain name. Whichever route you go, move on from that Hotmail address before you start communicating with customers!

StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Launching a Small Business|Two Simple Ways to Make Your Small Business Look ProfessionalCreate A Professional Website

These days a website is non-negotiable if you want people to take your business seriously. Yes, some companies only have Facebook pages, but bear in mind that not everybody uses Facebook—Millennials, for example, certainly use it less than their parents. Younger people these days prefer other apps like Whatsapp and Snapchat, so if you’re hoping to market your product to younger generation, you’d be crazy to limit yourself to Facebook, or any social media platform. And don’t worry about making it super modern – a simple, clean website that accurately describes your business is more than enough to start off with. As long as your webpage informs your audience of who you are, what you offer and where to find you, it will be adequate to announce to the world that you are open for business and are here to stay. You don’t have to be a tech nerd to make a website these days. Sites like Squarespace can do a lot of the work for you, allowing you to spend your precious time on your business. Whatever you do, make sure you don’t launch your website until it is complete! Pages that say ‘under construction’ are a really bad look, as they undermine the impression you’re trying to create of a stable going concern. Once your company finds its feet, you may want a more elaborate website, at which point you could look into getting a custom built website to suit your requirements. Hiring a professional web builder can be costly; don’t take that step until you calculate that the outlay will pay off in terms of sales.

Whether you’re on the brink of your launch, or just getting set up as a business, make sure you announce yourself properly by taking into account these tips.

Huge Mistakes To Avoid When Relocating Your Office

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Office Relocation|Huge Mistakes To Avoid When Relocating Your OfficeAs a successful business, you will experience many exciting times during your growth and expansion. Part of this is bound to include an office move or two. Relocating your office, while a fun experience, is also a logistical nightmare. Whether you’re moving halfway around the world or just down the road, the process is complicated, which can lead to mistakes being made. To save yourself any unnecessary stress or expense, here are five huge mistakes to avoid.

1. Skipping The Planning Phase

The relocation of your business is not an experience to be taken lightly. Due to its complex nature, you must have a precise plan in place well before moving day. Leaving all of the work until the very last minute will only cause unnecessary stress and could lead to further mistakes being made. It might also result in unexpected costs. For this reason, you should write a checklist of every task that needs completing for the move and use this to implement a moving timeline.

2. Forgetting About Your Technology

All businesses rely on technology in one way or another. When this technology isn’t running effectively, therefore, it can cause huge problems within your company. This is why it’s so important that you have managed IT services. With a team of experts by your side, you can ease the transition of your equipment from one location to the other, eliminating downtime and other problems. Those experts can also help you to plan a new office layout suitable for your IT.

3. Doing It All Yourself

With an undertaking as huge as an office move, it’s not just IT that you need help with. There’s also cleaning, decluttering, packing, and so much more. As a busy entrepreneur, you don’t have the time to handle all of these tasks alone. This is why you should begin delegating them to others. You can give some of the work to your team, but other tasks you should leave to the experts. You may want to hire a moving company, for example, and a project manager too.

4. Having No Budget Restrictions

Failing to budget a relocation is not a good idea. After all, moving isn’t cheap. There are many costs that you’ll need to cover, and this is sure to leave a dent in your finances. Without a concrete budget, you may get carried away and spend more than you can actually afford to. This will put your entire business at risk. To avoid that, you must plan for every expense that you might face. You should also add a cash cushion to your budget to cover any unexpected costs.

5. Attempting To Move Everything

Never use moving offices as an excuse to buy new stuff. This will make the process more expensive than it needs to be. If you did have to make a few upgrades, however, now would be the best time. Just make sure that you have any new technology or furniture delivered to the new location. This saves you the time and money it would take to move your current equipment. You should also take the time to declutter the office before you start packing up.

Relocating can definitely be stressful, but avoiding the mistakes above will make the process much easier.

How To Choose The Right Records Management System For The Organization

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Records Management|How To Choose The Right Records Management System For The OrganizationAs the volume of records and information continues to grow as organisations mature, it becomes increasingly important and challenging for enterprises to manage their recordkeeping responsibilities effectively. Choosing an effective records management system is an important and crucial step in this process.

With many different records management solutions available in the market with their own set of features and capabilities, it can be difficult and daunting to choose the right one for your business. To assist with your decision making process, we have provided some tips that will help you select the right records management solution for your business. First we’ll cover off what a records management system is.

What does a records management system do?

The primary objective of a records management system is to provide a single, comprehensive solution that aids in tracking, locating, maintaining and disposing of organisational records, whether they are paper-based or in electronic form. Nowadays, records management systems are available as cloud-based or on-premises.

Micro Focus Content Manager is the most readily used records management software worldwide that helps organisations solve the complexity of records management. This system is ideal for heavily regulated organizations and industries.

How is a records management system classified?

Generally, records management software falls into two main categories; records management software or an enterprise content management (ECM) system which is less records focused and more of a content management system, as its name denotes. A records management system (RMS) will have greater functionality relating to the classification, retention and disposal of information.

How is an RMS different from ECM?

A RMS is designed to enable the various facets of enterprise records management. This software includes record tracking, automated retention, disposition of records and access control for physical as well as electronic formats.

ECM systems are built to assist organizations with capturing, storing, managing, delivering and preserving its files and content. A complimentary information management strategy will assist organisations in managing their unstructured information.

An electronic RMS simplifies the management of records throughout their lifecycle. A records management application assists with the automatic implementation of organization-wide and consistent records policies, which simplify compliance with state, industry and federal regulations.

Another basic difference between an ECM and RMS is their capacity to enable retention of records and disposition procedures. In this respect, an RMS system takes the top position.

Characteristics to look for in a records management system

There are a number of important characteristics to look for when choosing a records management system, including a system that:

  • Is intuitive and user friendly
  • Automatically captures and classifies records
  • Won’t change the way your teams works and will capture records regardless of their location
  • Manages content across repositories
  • Can manage physical, digital and hybrid records
  • Captures email and social media records
  • Offers a high level of security
  • Provides an audit trail
  • Is compliance with federal and state based standards and policies

Conclusion

A comprehensive, high performance records management system is a crucial component in the lifecycle of organizational information. At a high level, this system governs the way business information is developed, stored, distributed, tracked and protected.
Before you search for the right software solution for your business, it is important to understand your own business requirements with respect to records management. Having this understanding will equip you well as you begin to assess your RMS options.