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A Guide to Being a Great Manager in Manufacturing

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StrategyDriven Management and Leadership Article | A Guide to Being a Great Manager in ManufacturingBeing a manager is not an easy job, especially in manufacturing, where there are lots of moving parts that you need to be aware of. To make sure that your manufacturing operations can run smoothly and that your business can reach success, here are some top tips to ensure that you can expertly manage your processes and your employees.

Get the Right Supplies

The basis of any successful manufacturing company is its supply chain’s effectiveness and the quality of the materials that it uses, and it is up to you as a manager to ensure that you can find and buy the right supplies for your business. For instance, at GF Laser, their precision metal laser cutting services can allow you to get the metal that you need for any project that you are working on, including sheet metal. This will ensure that all of your engineering needs are met no matter your company’s requirements.

Hire and Train the Right Staff

However, a large part of being a manager is having employees to manage, and a large part of your responsibilities is being able to hire the right staff members for your business. You should then hone your recruitment drives, spruce up your interview questions, and ensure that you use the correct HR software to enable you to find the best team for your company. You also need to prioritize these employees’ training by sending them on external schemes and ensuring that every person knows how to use the equipment in your factory.

Focus on Safety

As a manager, it is your job to keep both your employees and your clients safe. Then, you should create a health and safety policy and make sure that this is enforced within the workplace, check that your employees have been properly trained before they get onto the factory floor, and ensure that equipment is regularly maintained and checked for any damage it might have sustained. Health and safety is also particularly important in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, with there being an increase in awareness of infectious diseases in the workplace.

Create High-Quality Goods

Although you might believe that it is your job as a manager to make sure that you deliver goods quickly, it is even more important to create high-quality goods for your clientele. This means that you should focus on improving your manufacturing processes and increasing their precision. You can do this by encouraging your employees to work to a high standard, investing in the right equipment, and by constantly collecting ad analyzing data, and conducting quality checks throughout the working day.

Constantly Innovate

Manufacturing firms need to innovate if they are going to stay successful in the future, and a lot of this innovation falls to the manager of the firm. Then, you should constantly research and find the money to invest in new gadgets and equipment and manufacturing intelligence software that can help your operations go smoothly. You should also consider developing the products and services you offer, finding better ways to meet your client’s needs, and wants.

How To Choose The Perfect Outsourced Media Service Provider For Your Business

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | How To Choose The Perfect Outsourced Media Service Provider For Your BusinessRunning a business comes with many pressing responsibilities, and if firms are not careful, they can get buried under them all before long.

It’s also a difficult economic landscape out there, as businesses find themselves short on time and options both. That’s why it’s important to work the right way, with strong B2B relationships and effective outsourcing strategies. That way, your company can devote its attention elsewhere, focusing on the core processes that jettison you forward into a prosperous future.

For example, a media service provider can have an enormous positive influence over your operations. But how do you choose the right one? You can find out for yourself below.

Outline Your Needs

In the interests of both time and efficiency, start by acutely defining exactly what you want, because only then can you choose the right media service provider to outsource to.

Avoid vague terms and generalisations, and where possible leave no room for interpretation. Do you want access to intricate user analytics? Maybe you want somebody to focus on the laborious tech and logistics side of things, while you focus on getting creative with your content? B2B relationships can’t thrive on guessing games and constant back and forth questioning to get from point A to point B, so it’s important to define the level of collaboration you expect.

Remember, the primary purpose of outsourcing in any area is to reduce costs and boost efficiency, and only with clear and concise communication is that possible. The media service provider must actually provide, and if multiple parties are having difficulty understanding one another, then multiple roadblocks will start getting in the way. Know where you stand, and then you’ll know who you need.

Expert Service

If you know exactly what you want, then it becomes much easier to identify who can give you the service you crave.

Employing the services of the best in the business is a sure-fire way to make some quick progress. For example, it’s well worth considering the OTT services of Red Bee Media. On their secure white label OTT platform, they enable you to monetize your content to the fullest, all while providing you access to in-depth customer data so that you can more sensitively tailor your service. It’s an intricate outsourcing service that explores every avenue possible, omitting no details. The more thorough the service, the better.

Running a business can be incredibly stressful, but with expert help comes peace of mind. Recognising your limitations is not admitting defeat, but instead a critical management strategy that will impact everything else positively. It’s best that everything runs at maximum efficiency with specialist help than at half capacity without, so seize the opportunity!

Recommendations, Awards, Reviews

Researching the reputation of an outsourced business isn’t a genius idea, but you need to know what to look for to do it properly.

For media service providers, look to see if they’re accredited with awards from prestigious tech bodies, or if they have a prolific portfolio of other clients. If in doubt, check their social media pages, and see what waves they’re making there. A positive work history is required for those you’re outsourcing to, so make sure you authenticate their services any way you can.

Referrals and recommendations will undoubtedly help you choose the perfect outsourced media service provider for your business. Confide in your network of contacts, and ask for a referral or opinion on the provider you’re considering. In the end, those who amass negative reputations don’t stick around for long in any industry, so you should devote a considerable amount to ensure you’re working with those of repute. That way, there’s no nasty surprises, and a trusting working relationship can be created straight away.

How to Make Your Small Business More Secure

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article | How to Make Your Small Business More SecureIf you own or run a small business, one of the most dangerous mistakes that you can make is assuming that your business will not become a security target because of its size. But the truth is that size doesn’t matter when it comes to criminal attacks, particularly online. In fact, small businesses are often easier targets for cybercriminals and hackers since they often underestimate the importance of cybersecurity or do not have the same resources as the larger corporations. It’s important to understand the threats that your business is vulnerable to, particularly online, and to have a strong strategy to reduce them.

Outsource to a Professional IT Company

Your small business might not have the budget to hire a team of in-house IT employees, but that shouldn’t stop you from getting the support that you need. Outsourcing to a professional IT support company is the best option to ensure that your small business has the security resources and IT professionals necessary to ensure that threats are kept to a minimum and that your data is kept secure. If you are looking for London IT support, Totality Services is an IT support company in London offering professional services to small businesses looking to streamline IT processes and improve security. One of the best IT companies in London, Totality Services are a Microsoft Partner offering round-the-clock IT support for your business. Learn more at totalityservices.co.uk.

Have a Strong Password Policy

More often than not it is very simple mistakes and human error that can lead to some of the worst data breaches. And one of the easiest ways for hackers and cybercriminals to get into your systems is by guessing passwords. It’s important to ensure that all employees are fully trained and educated on the importance of having a strong password policy and why practices such as sharing passwords, using easily guessable passwords, using the same passwords for different login credentials and writing passwords down are not acceptable. A good password manager tool for all employees to use is a great investment in the security of your business.

Look Out for Phishing Attacks

Phishing attacks, in which a cybercriminal or hacker attempts to deceive somebody into giving away personal or sensitive information, are on the rise. And they are often used to try and get access to company data or employee login credentials. A phishing attack could come in the form of an email that appears to be from the business bank, for example, or from a senior member of staff. They are often seemingly innocent and can easily be fallen for. Be sure that all employees are trained on how to spot potential phishing attacks and have strong policies in place when it comes to the steps that need to be taken after an employee receives an email or another form of communication that is requesting sensitive information. All communications should be verified before any information is shared with the sender.

Shred Documents Before Disposing of Them

Many companies focus heavily on cybersecurity but fail to realise the other security risks that they might face. Documents, for example, can often contain sensitive information about your company, employees, or customers and every step should be taken to ensure that they do not end up in the wrong hands. Any invoices, printed communications, and quotes should be completely shredded before they are disposed of. You may even want to take disposing of shredded sensitive documents even further in terms of security by disposing of them in parts so that they cannot be put back together.

Deter Physical Break-Ins

Physical break-ins can be just as devastating to your company as cyberattacks, particularly if you have any securely stored physical data on-site. Make sure that your business is GDPR compliant by ensuring that no customer or employee information is left out where it could be accessed easily should anybody break into the business premises. Deter thieves and would-be burglars by installing video surveillance equipment and having a strong security alarm system at your business property.

Secure Data in the Cloud

Storing data in the cloud rather than in physical storage or on physical devices is not only more modem and easier for most small businesses, but it also makes it much harder for this data to be stolen. Data that is stored on a hard drive, for example, can be compromised if the hard drive itself is stolen or damaged. However, cloud-based storage that is fully encrypted and protected with strong login credentials is far more difficult to access. Tighten security even further by only allowing a select few, trusted people access to any data stored in the cloud.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that your business is too small to be the victim of a cyber-attack. With attacks on small businesses on the rise, there’s never been a more crucial time to step up your security measures.

How to Improve Customer Loyalty in eCommerce Businesses

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StrategyDriven Customer Relationship Management Article|Customer Loyalty|How to Improve Customer Loyalty in eCommerce BusinessesToday’s eCommerce market is very competitive, making brand loyalty an elusive concept for many. To keep the customer happy, you’ll need to consider several factors: top-notch customer service, consistency, product qualities, and much more.

However, it’s never enough to sustain customer loyalty; you have to keep inspiring them with new tactics and products.
According to statistics, it is 5 times more costly to win over new customers than to make the existing ones stay loyal to you.

A friendly relationship with customers ensures improved loyalty while keeping the revenue flowing. Loyal buyers are likely to give positive reviews about your brand and products and motivate more visitors to place their orders.

Here are some implementable methods of boosting your buyers’ shopping experience to win their loyalty:

Improve User Experience

To improve user experience in your store, consider building a secure connection with your clients. With their consent, you can send promotional emails and other information you think will trigger their interest.

When new products or stock arrive, make sure you alert them and even surprise them with VIP vouchers. Using their purchasing history, you can personalize buyer experiences by recommending offers to related products.

Customer communication is vital. Using email newsletters, you can share relevant content with customers and even send them surveys on how you can improve their experience.

Simplifying the ordering and payment process is also another way of enhancing customer experience. You can achieve this by adding categories of wishlists to customer accounts to allow them to save products for later purchasing.

Providing multiple payment and shipping options will make it easy to target international buyers who’ll conveniently pay for products from their mobile devices from wherever they are.

Such dedication will make them feel valued and improve their loyalty.

Create and Implement an Excellent Loyalty Program

To boost customer loyalty in your online store, consider creating a good loyalty program. Loyalty programs are proven to please your customers and build a community of buyers who’ll spread the word about your brand and products by sharing their success stories.

Reward programs make customers loyal and also provide a rush knowing that after a few more purchases, they’ll accumulate enough points to get the product they’ve been yearning for.

These programs also make them feel part of a buzzing online community that allows them to bond with other customers.

A loyalty program can help you boost your online store’s revenue and retain customers as well. You can simplify the process of joining by promoting it through email, on your website, or social media and offer them extra sign up points.

You can also take this time to put some of your products up for sale, surprise buyers with freebies on purchases, or offer discounts on particular products. If you are selling products where trends change frequently, you’ll be able to clear last-season stock and order more trending options.

Make Return Policies Easy

When your customers know that they’ll get goods quickly after ordering or returning, they’ll stay true to your brand.
Delivery issues can deter them from coming back. If a customer requests a particular outfit from your store, deliver as promised as you may be inconveniencing their plans and make them look elsewhere for attention.

Cost-effective and straightforward return policies can drive customer loyalty. Remember always to be generous with shipping prices to lure more buyers. You can offer free shipping and increase repeat customers. With buyer-friendly return policies, you may boost your e-store’s conversions.

Offer your customers multiple return options such as free two-way returns, flat-fee shipping, pickup options, a 1-year return policy, and much more. Always weigh the cost of returns against your risk of losing repeat customers.

Make Customer Support a Priority

Set up multiple ways through which customers can access support from your online fashion store. It can be through chatbots or live customer service agents who’ll answer all their questions regarding your products or address customer concerns.

Your customer support ability will reflect value to your customers. Therefore, excellent customer support should be a priority if you want to have loyal customers. The way you handle customers’ concerns, complaints, and questions makes them keep a score and form judgments about your brand.

Train your customer support teams to be friendly, efficient, and helpful to customers. A quick response will improve customer loyalty.

Enhance Your Email Marketing Strategy

Understanding your customers and speaking their language can help to improve your retention and conversion rates drastically. Create an ideal customer profile that will enable you to address their individual needs consistently.

In your email marketing strategy, offer your customers the option to receive only those emails related to the products they are interested in or those relevant to their purchase history.

Emailing is an excellent way of connecting with online buyers. To entice new customers who’ve made a purchase, you can greet them with a welcoming message, thank them for choosing your brand and your products, and offer them options for cross-selling and upselling.

To keep your web visitors engaged even if they haven’t made a purchase recently, sending them a recurrent email with a discount code can encourage them to buy from you again.

You can also send timely emails during their birthday or holidays with personalized offers. This approach is effective in improving customer loyalty.

Form Partnerships with Other Businesses

Did you know that partnering with other businesses is an excellent strategic way to increase customer loyalty? Partnering with established firms helps you identify better ways to engage, communicate and interact with your customers. For instance, through partnering, you can learn how a business engages with its customers.

If the method the business uses proves successful, there is no harm in trying it. Besides, you can access better technology that can help you communicate effectively with your customers. If you partner with a well-known business, this can dramatically improve the loyalty of your customers.

Especially for new businesses, they must consider partnering with other companies first to attract and retain customers, and eventually improve customer loyalty. Such startups can effectively do this through franchising. If you don’t know what’s a franchise, this is where a new business gets established under an existing company.

Starting and running a new business is daunting, especially in attracting and retaining customers. But through a franchise, a startup will garner a good market percentage and help keep such customers in the long run.

Final Thoughts

Your customers’ loyalty determines your eCommerce store’s growth. You should not underestimate the value of building close relationships with your buyers.

Devote your efforts and attention to satisfying their needs, and they’ll feel valued enough to make repeat purchases and help you market your products to prospects through positive reviews.

About the Author

StrategyDriven Expert Contributor | Joe PetersJoe Peters is a Baltimore-based freelance writer and an ultimate techie. When he is not working his magic as a marketing consultant, this incurable tech junkie devours the news on the latest gadgets and binge-watches his favorite TV shows. Follow him on @bmorepeters

Why You Should Invest in LED Lighting for Your Business

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |LED Lighting|Why You Should Invest in LED Lighting for Your BusinessWhether setting up a new business or running an existing one, lighting is probably not the most exciting thing on your agenda. In fact, there is a good chance it doesn’t feature at all. However, lighting is something that every single business needs, and therefore it is important to consider how something so simple can make an impact both on your business, and on the environment. The following information explains why LED lighting are a good investment for your business.

They Work Out Cheaper in the Long Run

Some people put off the switch to LED lights because they are more expensive. While it is true that the initial cost is higher than traditional light lights, they do save money in the long term. This is because LED lights last significantly longer than incandescent or CFL (old-style energy efficient) lights. The average LED light bulb lasts around 15 times longer than a traditional incandescent bulb and 4 times longer than a CFL bulb. Over the years, as LED technology has developed and become more popular, the cost of the lights has gone down so the price difference is not as great as it used to be.

They Are More Efficient and Environmentally Friendly

LED lighting uses less energy than other lights, yet produces more light. This efficiency makes them much more environmentally friendly than other options, which makes using them a simple way to do your bit for the planet. The reason they are more energy-efficient is that unlike traditional lights, which lose around 80% of their power as heat, LEDs only lose between 10% and 20%. They are also recyclable and do not contain toxic chemicals such as mercury, unlike fluorescent lights.

They Are More Durable

Traditional light lights are very fragile; too much switching on and off, or any damage to the filament will cause them to stop working. LED lights do not have this problem, and will not suddenly stop working. Eventually, they will dim but still work at around 70% of their brightness, which means they are still usable at least until you get a new bulb. Another advantage that LED lights to have over old-style energy-saving lights is that they switch on instantly – no waiting around for the bulb to warm up!

There are More Options

Selecting LED lights over traditional options can set the atmosphere of your office with the impressive amount of options available.

By looking into design options like those available at CDM2 Lightworks, you can set a tone of professionalism with smart solutions that show off the architecture of your building.

From strip lights to spotlights, you can create a focused environment with your placement and even get creative with your installation to create an engaging space to work in while still saving on electricity costs. There are more options than you think!

For every type of business, there is a suitable LED light fixture. From LED panels to LED tubes. If you have doubts do not hesitate to ask at the experts from any-lamp.co.uk.

Start saving cost in your energy bill, switching to LED lights will also cost you less to run and maintain, are better for the environment, and last longer. What more reason do you need to switch?