Should Your Business Be Thinking About Making Sustainable Choices?

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Sustainability|Should Your Business Be Thinking About Making Sustainable Choices?You can feel the wind of change in business and you only have to witness the growing numbers of CEO’s who are pledging their support for climate change and promising action to realize that sustainability is topic that is very much on-trend.

With that in mind the question is should your business be embracing the idea of making sustainable choices and what strategies should you be considering to make a difference?

There are so many options when it comes to the subject of sustainability and that extends to finance too, so when you contact Commerce Trust, for instance, they can tell you all about sustainable investments.

It is hard to argue against the view that sustainable initiatives are not just good for the planet but they are good for business as well. Here are some pointers on how to make sustainability an integral part of your business.

Making sustainability the new normal

A good starting point would be to work on ways of incorporating sustainability into your company culture and making it something that everyone in the business is greatly aware of and committed to.

Some of the major corporations around the world are already investing in environmental stewardship initiatives and many of these organizations have subsequently managed to take actions that go above and beyond the basic requirements laid out by governments.

Whether it is sourcing a reliable form of green energy to power your production line or seeking out suppliers with similar green credentials, it is clear that embracing a culture of sustainability within your business is going to be good for the planet and promotes your company as one that cares about what their customers and suppliers think about them.

Start with some easy changes

When you start to embrace sustainability it can soon become obvious that there are so many practices that you can adopt, some that you can implement immediately and others that might take a little longer before you feel the benefit.

One of your first tasks could be to make some basic changes to the way you do things in your office and figure out some initiatives that help you achieve the goal of achieving a good level of sustainability.

A simple but effective action would be to change your old light bulbs in your building and replace them with some LED alternatives.

This move is a real no-brainer as LED’s use less energy than a halogen or incandescent bulb and their lifespan is expected to be in the region of 25% longer than halogen or incandescent options.

You will pay more for a LED bulb but it lasts a lot longer than its counterparts and the amount of energy they use is substantially less than an old-fashioned bulb, meaning some noticeable cost savings are eminently deliverable.

Ditch the plastic bottles

Thankfully, there is greater awareness than ever before about the damage that plastic is doing to our planet and millions of tons of plastic waste are generated each and every year around the globe.

A simple solution that will boost your business’s green credentials would be to encourage a ban on plastic water bottles in your office and install a water filtration system that will help keep everyone hydrated without the waste associated with discarded plastic bottles.

Your supply partners should be a reflection of your own sustainability credentials

If you choose your supply partners with care and ask lots of searching sustainability questions when appointing a new supplier this should ensure that you develop a relationship with like-minded organizations.

Some major companies won’t even use certain suppliers if their green credentials are not up to standard and you can follow suit by using companies who use energy efficient vehicles and seem to be constantly working hard to find ways to reduce their carbon footprint.

Become a recycle champion

There are already tons of waste being sent to landfill sites every week and there is bound to be a percentage of that waste that could be recycled and reused rather than being buried under the surface.

Encourage everyone in your business to adopt a culture of recycle and reuse, which means thinking carefully about what is being put into the trash bin.

As well as recycling what you can of your own waste you can also do your bit for the planet by committing to using recycled paper products and buying recycled ink that has already been around the block rather than end up in a landfill.

Keeping it clean

You will quickly discover that turning green often involves making a number of small incremental changes to the way you do things that all add up over time to make a big difference.

With that in mind, simple suggestions such as switching to some green cleaning products that tick all the right environmental boxes will create a more eco-friendly culture. Using these items will keep your work environment sparkling and clean without harming the planet and is just one example of a sustainable choice.

Sustainable development simply cannot be achieved alone by an individual or some smaller businesses. It is a matter of collective responsibility, but that is not to say that you can’t lead the way in encouraging others to come around to your way of thinking.

Gain a competitive edge

There is nothing wrong with wanting something to show for your efforts of keeping everything in your business as green as possible and when you boost your green credentials it can give your company a competitive edge.

If customers and suppliers know you are championing the the cause for making sustainable choices you could find that customers with similar ideals are more likely to give their business to you rather than to a rival who doesn’t seem to have the same set of impressive green credentials.

The argument seems clear. If you develop a company culture which is centered around making sustainable choices there is a fair chance that you will be rewarded with a better bottom line performance as well as enjoying a clearer conscience that you are doing your bit for the planet.

The Important Reasons Why You Need an API Integration Platform

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |API Integration| The Important Reasons Why You Need an API Integration PlatformAPIs are a necessary part of every IT infrastructure for modern enterprises. It isn’t just a matter of whether APIs are required, but how many are needed, and how can they be published and created. More than 16,500 APIs exist today, and that number is just the tip of the iceberg. Most organizations have a lot of different options available to them, especially when it comes to creating and implementing APIs. However, among the choices, only one stands head and shoulders above everyone else– the API integration platform.

There are several reasons why modern-day businesses require an API integration platform. We are going to highlight some of the most important ones. These include the following:

Help Enhance Team Productivity

API Integration platforms are extremely effective in boosting productivity for members of the IT department, especially developers and coders. It helps in better time management, as hours can be spent fixing, overseeing, managing, and creating APIs, instead of anything else.

API integration platforms help make a difference for other departments as well. It helps develop stacks but also allows non-technical teams to manage and create APIs as well.

Easier Connection to Cloud Apps

There are thousands of cloud apps in existence today and this technology has become a vital part of every enterprise. Forbes conducted a survey in 2016, which found that even the most basic organization was using at least 6 cloud apps. APIs are the best way to connect with cloud apps. A lot of legacy integration technology, such as enterprise service buses (ESBs), has been designed in the on-premise era, and they tend to struggle when they need to support API-connectivity behind the firewall.

Most apps have shifted towards the cloud. It doesn’t make sense anymore to house the platform, which could connect clouds behind the firewall. An API integration platform can be easily used to connect with modern cloud APIs.

Meet the Demands of Modern-Day Apps and Tools

Finance departments in modern-day enterprises have a lot of different tasks that must be handled by various teams. It includes everything from insurance payouts, taxes, billing, and accounts payable. Even though there are various tools available that can easily handle all the tasks in the finance department, choosing that solution is both expensive and not good at all.

A lot of departments, which include 96% of finance and account teams, create their own solutions and assemble their own platforms by using apps and tools that handle data sets and specific tasks. An API integration platform allows departments to easily connect with the best tools and apps available. This helps them replace inadequate and all-encompassing options with a highly effective and sleek stack.

Create New APIs Easily and Quickly

You only had two main options if you required an API, which meant that you could either build one from scratch or use one that was available in the market. There were problems in both scenarios because acquiring an API from an outside source meant it could have limited use or functionality. It isn’t ideal to build one from scratch as well since it is a difficult and time-consuming process.
However, API integration platforms provide a third option, where you can build an API from integration with only a click of a button. This will not only help you save money and time but also allow you to take full advantage of all your investments in technology.

Greater Ease in Composing New Apps

Did you know that Instagram had only 13 employees when Facebook bought it in 2012? WhatsApp also had only 55 employees when Facebook purchased it in 2014. So how did these corporations manage to build such widely successful apps with small teams? They managed to do so because of APIs.

An API integration platform can make a world of difference in such a case, as it allows businesses to create their own APIs for internal uses. Businesses can also extract data from older databases and servers easily by reusing workflows and business logic that works.

Most popular apps are constructed from existing technology that is combined to create unique APIs. Social media technology and photo filters used to exist before Instagram, but they used APIs to package them together in a completely different manner. Composing new apps can be done in the same manner, as teams can use an API integration platform to quickly connect with disparate technology and expose existing integrations as microservices or APIs for bringing new apps into the market.

Making Teams More Strategic

Organizations that create APIs manually must have IT staff and a team of developers to ensure everything is running smoothly. Most enterprises that don’t have integrated or concrete stacks tend to hire staff members for handling one or two apps. An API integration platform allows teams of developers to focus all their efforts on strategic projects, and there are fewer people required for keeping all departments productive.

Helps Manage API Individually

The maintenance and oversight of API will fall on IT staff members and developers in the business, even if the API was built by a third-party. As it becomes more common to use APIs, tracking all of them can be time-consuming and exhausting. This is where an API integration platform makes a world of difference since it helps reduce the administrative burden. It also simplifies the overview, management, and security processes.

High-Level of Support

It doesn’t matter whether the APIs were created by third parties or the business itself. When it comes to acquiring help, businesses don’t have many options. APIs created by third parties may have documentation and guides, but it can be difficult to get in touch with Amazon or Google if you have any specific queries.

On the other hand, API integration platform providers have in-house experts who will offer a high level of support that allows businesses to maximize their IT investments and APIs. This is what ends up making the difference for most businesses and is the reason why you should also be considering getting an API integration platform.

6 Omnichannel Support Strategies for Cleaning Companies

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Omnichannel Strategy| 6 Omnichannel Support Strategies for Cleaning CompaniesMarketers and customer service reps will need to adapt to the changes in the market brought about by technological convergence.

Technological convergence refers to the integration of unrelated technologies that brings forth more convenience and better solutions. One of the offshoots of this unification of technologies is omnichannel customer support.

With an omnichannel strategy, a cleaning company will be able to offer customers a unified customer experience. If you are an owner of a cleaning service startup just testing the waters, an omnichannel strategy might seem like a real bear. However, once you learn the ropes, you can carve out a unique niche and rake in money.

What Exactly Is an Omnichannel Strategy?

An omnichannel strategy is a holistic approach to customer service. The strategy focuses on creating a cohesive customer experience by utilizing multiple channels.

The goal of an omnichannel strategy is to create a seamless experience as customers interact with the company at different stages of the customer journey.

You can have an amazing social media campaign, a user-friendly website, and responsive customer support, but all of this won’t offer maximum effectiveness unless they work together when serving the target market.

Why You Should Focus on Creating an Omnichannel Marketing Strategy?

All types of businesses – big and small – can benefit from an omnichannel strategy. Consider the following facts revealed in a report by Harvard Business Review that surveyed over 46,000 shoppers.

  • 73 percent of the shoppers used different channels for shopping
  • 20 percent headed to physical stores for shopping
  • 7 percent shopped exclusively online

The above facts clearly show the importance of focusing on omnichannel marketing for increased customer satisfaction. Using an omnichannel channel strategy can help you boost your sales. A study found that firms that have a robust online channel strategy are 89 percent more likely to retain customers.

Now that you know what an omnichannel strategy is and have understood the importance of a strategy for your cleaning business let’s find out some effective omnichannel strategies that can lead to enhanced customer satisfaction.

1. Focus on a Unified Omnichannel Strategy

The main goal of an omnichannel strategy should be to positively influence the perception of the customers about your brand or services.
Focusing on your customers requires that you not just include marketing in the business success formula for attracting customers but also include merchandising, social media support, and customer support. All of these must work together to ensure customer satisfaction.

The activities of different departments should be coordinated by the sharing of customer data. Marketers should ask the customer support to inform about most commonly asked questions. This will help them know about exactly what are the concerns of the customers.

The customer data should be stored in a centralized location. It should be accessed by every employee at any given time. But that’s not all. The data needs to be continuously updated to ensure that the latest information is available for decision making.

2. Collect Data from Multiple Contact Points

You need to collect customer data from different contact points. All sets of data collected from different channels need to be audited.
Identifying customer data on multiple channels involves researching the different channels to find out what customers say about a particular product or service. You should scour the internet to find out what customers have to say about your company online.

You must research what the customers are saying about their customer journey from the point they place their order to the point where they receive their product. The engagement level should be checked on multiple channels to get an overview of the customer’s perception of your company.

An audit of the data collected through multiple sources can help in assessing customer experience. The information can be useful in improving customer service through deep customer insight.

3. Get Feedback from Customers

Obtaining feedback is an active way of obtaining insights about your customer. Most retailers ask feedback during the purchase stage. However, for deeper insights, you should get feedback at each and every stage of the customer journey.

Consider asking the customer to create a small survey. Ask the customer to give a net promoter score (NPS) that shows how the customer is feeling about a service. The information gathered through this strategy can help in optimizing the omnichannel customer experience.

4. Integrate Online and Physical Experience

Once you have gathered deep insights about the customers, you can use the information to create an integrated online and physical experience.

Create a unified brand message that resonates with the target market across different channels. There should be a seamless transition between the online and physical experience.

The gap between the online and physical space can be reduced to a large extent by using innovative technologies. It can help in creating a unified uninterrupted experience across multiple channels.

5. Mobile Friendly Website

While there are many different digital channels, an omnichannel strategy is driven mostly by mobile devices. A large number of customers today use their smartphones or tablets to access sites online. So, it’s a no brainer that you should optimize your site for mobile screens.

Most users will not recommend a company if its website is not mobile-friendly. What’s worse is that the customers will go to a competitor’s site due to a bad mobile experience.

The hierarchy and layout of the site should be optimized properly for small mobile screens. The most important information should be at the front. Most mobile-friendly sites are built on a grid system pattern that allows easy expansion and collapse, depending on the site.

6. Interactive Rewards Programs

Lastly, you should consider integrating a loyalty program to the omnichannel experience. Make the program convenient for the customers by allowing them to easily check and avail discounts through an app.

The theme of the loyalty program should be the same on all channels.

An example can be given of the Starbucks reward programs that integrated easily with different channels. Customers can check and reload balances using the phone. This information is updated in the central system. They can also pay using the reward card, resulting in increased effectiveness.

The keyword in creating an omnichannel strategy for your cleaning business is consistency. Make sure that you offer a consistent customer experience across multiple channels. This provides a great opportunity to improve your brand image, build loyalty, and boost profitability.

Four Things You Could Be Doing For A More Sustainable Construction Biz

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Sustainable Business | Four Things You Could Be Doing For A More Sustainable Construction BizThe construction industry has always been well respected while also being at the center of a global focus for pollution. Poor air quality is a big deal, and the construction industry is always in the spotlight due to the way the pollutants hit the air. It’s construction that is a number one polluter, and yet there are so many things that companies in the business could be doing to clean up their act.

The air we breathe and the grounds that you work on all need to be cared for properly to avoid adding anything more to the environment than is necessary. Your strategy should take into account the space your teams work in around the country, too. Taking all of that into consideration, you can check out the four things that you could be doing to build a sustainable construction site from today.

  1. Look At Your Premises. As a lot of pollution comes directly from the building sites and the transportation used in the business of construction, and it’s important that you get as much information about zero valent iron and other safe remediation products to remove pollutants from the soil outside. Your site should be energy efficient, and you should be able to use as many renewable sources as possible while you and your team work.
  2. Remove Waste Safely. Construction sites often emanate waste, and the contribution to waste streams means that construction is never really considered as sustainable. An effective waste management policy is essential for your business, and if you want to combat the sustainability issues with your company, you need to look deeper.
  3. Make Your Transport As Economical As Possible. At the moment, transport on the road is a significant contributor to carbon dioxide emissions. If your drivers aren’t efficient on the road or with the vehicles on site, you will not be as eco-friendly as you would like. You can switch to cars that are more efficient with fuel, and if you source as many materials locally as possible, you can reduce the impact on the environment, which will be a positive thing in the long run.
  4. Efficient Equipment. As well as making sure that you are using the right materials to remediate the grounds you are working within, you also need to ensure that you are using renewable options for equipment where possible. This also means using fuels of a high-quality, and this means choosing the right equipment for your site from day one. The equipment here can include the generator, as you want to use generators that fit your needs.

The construction industry is working hard to remain responsible in the industry, and your business should be taking a stand, too. Operating a carbon reduction strategy is just one of many ways that you could do well for the environment, and you can get started today to do better for the world.

3 Ways To Run A Successful Business

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Business Startup| 3 Ways To Run A Successful Business Starting a business can be the ideal path for some people. It offers freedom, a sense of achievement, potentially more money than if they had been working for someone else, and it can improve the work-life balance substantially. However, although many businesses startup, not all of them are going to be successful; many of them fail or don’t do as well as first hoped. Read on to find out just some of the ways that you can run a successful business and make the most of your self-employment.

Do Your Research

One of the most important elements of running a successful business is to know that you will be successful from the start. This doesn’t mean having a ‘gut feeling’ about doing well; it means doing plenty of research to show that your idea is something that is needed and can grow. The more time and effort you can put into your research, the better it will be as you will have answers to all the questions that might be asked of you, and that you might ask of yourself.

Not only do you need to know that your products and services are different (or different enough) to what is already available to make a difference, but you also need to know who is most likely to buy from you. If you know this, you can adjust your marketing strategy accordingly, and give yourself the best chance of being seen.

Have A Good Website

A website is all-important when you run a business. You might choose to set up an e-commerce site to enhance your sales, or even to be the business itself. Alternatively, your website might be more about offering information to your potential customers and showing that you have all the relevant knowledge and expertise that they want and need you to have.

Whatever you use your site for, it needs to be well-designed and easy to navigate, with enough information on it to satisfy people’s requirements, but not so much that it becomes cluttered. This can be a difficult balancing act, especially when you factor in SEO. Using SEO Fuel’s consulting experts to help you rank well with search engines will ensure that your website is helping you grow your business rather than damaging its reputation.

Provide Amazing Customer Service

Your customer service will need to be the best it can possibly be if you want to have a successful business. No matter how interesting or useful your products and services might be, and no matter how much of an expert you are regarding them, without good customer service your buyers will look to other companies – those that do have good customer service – to help them instead of you.

There is a lot of choice for people these days; they can buy products from all over the world, and no longer have to use a business just because of how close it happens to be to them. This means there is a lot more competition, and if the customer is not treated in the way they feel they should be, you will lose out.