Archive for Technology
The Business Case for Building a Flexible Work Culture- Series Part I
Posted by: | CommentsWhy do organizations offer flexibility? Business - Business- Business. Successful accomplishment of business strategy is the primary reason for building a flexible work culture.
The majority of our employees require flexibility at some point in their careers. Research increasingly points to flexibility as one of the most important career considerations of staff, emerging leaders and even our seasoned leaders. If we do not offer this flexibility in our organizations we will lose productivity in our top talent pool and we may lose this top talent completely to our competitors. In addition to flexibility as a requirement for top talent, consider the possibility that flexibility can actually improve your organizational results.
There are many definitions of flexibility. For the purposes of this discussion we are talking about any type of flexibility that allows team members to depart from the standard schedule of an early morning start time to an early evening departure, with all hours served as face time, either at a client/customer site or at the office location. There are many articles and books written regarding the types of flexible work arrangements available. This posting will not focus on the mechanics of the arrangements but the business case behind them.
Mavenlink Offers a Solution for Consultant and Client Workflows
Posted by: | CommentsThis is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Mavenlink. All opinions are 100% mine.
I work as a consultant for a variety of clients, and I’ve worked with consultants during my life in Corporate America. As such, I’m familiar with the challenges that businesses and consultants face when it comes to communicating effectively to ensure workflows move seamlessly, so when I was asked to check out the Comprehensive Technology Platform that Mavenlink offers to help Consultants and Clients to work together more effectively, I was intrigued.
Mavenlink offers features for businesses, consultants, service firms and non-profits. Consultants can manage marketing, proposals, negotiations, contracts, invoicing, and more. Even better, Mavenlink’s technology offers a collaborative workspace feature that enhances both communications and productivity between consultants and clients.
I spent some time reviewing the Mavenlink platform and website. I was happy to see that customers can get a Free Trial on all Plans and no credit card is required. That means you can give it a try without the risk of investing in a tool that doesn’t give you the results you need.
Learn something new everyday
Posted by: | CommentsThere is a cliche that says you should learn something new every day; well, I’m not convinced that’s actually possible, but every once in while something new-to-you comes along. If you keep your antenna active, you’ll pick up on some really cool stuff. Now whether everything will help you in your business…who knows. I came across something new yesterday when I read my weekly email alert from SocialMediaToday.com’s blog - they call themselves “…The Web’s Best Thinkers on Social Media and Web 2.0….” There are great posts at Social Media Today that often hold helpful and useful information that even I, a home-based business person, can use.
Yesterday one of the highlighted articles was, “If you create online content, Google’s SideWiki just changed your world, and I got intrigued. The article, by Mack Collier, used Seth Godin’s blog as an example of those bloggers who do not allow comments to be made on their posts. Oh, you can “favorite” Godin’s posts on various social media like Digg or Facebook, but you can’t leave a comment. Collier demonstrated that Google’s newest application, SideWiki, can change that. This interesting application lets you open a skinny column on the side of any web page you’re currently looking at and leave a comment – and read the comments of others. This looked pretty fascinating to me, so I installed it. It’s simple and easy and free of any cost. I’ve already utilized it twice since adding it yesterday.
Wait a Minute Mr. Postman…
Posted by: | CommentsPostage is one of those necessary expenses that most of us don’t think deserves a second thought. The cost of postage is fixed, and it’s really not that inconvenient to have to run to the Post Office or UPS store to get a package out the door on time, right? Well, not exactly. Most business owners would be surprised to find out how much money they waste “rounding up” by placing to many stamps on outgoing mail- many waste thousands of dollars a year by not calculating postage exactly. Using a postage meter not only helps you save big on costs, it can also help you become more efficient- you’ll be able to get packages out the door without the added trips to shipment centers. A postage meter, or a digital mail system, is a great tool for businesses that rely on mailed correspondences, or that ship products to customers directly. Here’s a quick guide to choosing and using a postage meter:
Should you consider a POS system?
Posted by: | CommentsMost people are probably familiar with retail POS systems- you know, those touch-screens servers use at restaurants to input order information, or the scanning system used by the checker at the grocery store. Using a POS system is a great way to track sales and manage resources. For example, gyms can use POS to schedule training appointments and classes, allowing customers to pay in advance or online. Should you consider a POS system? Here’s a quick outline of the benefits, costs, and offerings available:
