What to Ask When Choosing Collaboration Software

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As a modern and forward thinking business, no doubt that if you don’t already use cloud based collaboration software, you’re embedded in the process of discovering what options are out there for you and what they could offer.

While taking advantage of free trials of various software is a great way to identify what really works for your business, by ensure you choose exceptional products in the first place you can find a quicker path to enjoying the productivity gains these platforms can deliver.

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About the Author

Gemma Walford is head of Sales and Account Management for Convene for the EU region. She has extensive experience of the Public sector and is interested in improving productivity and business change.

Top Tips For Managing Your Call Centre

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Top Tips For Managing Your Call Centre
Photo courtesy of Pexels

These days, all sorts of businesses have a need for a call centre. The truth is, these can be useful methods of contact with your customers. If you are in charge of a call centre, you know how lively and energetic a place it can be. One major thing you can learn to do over time is to use that energy, transform it into something positive for the customers. The thing about phone communication is that it is strangely powerful. It doesn’t matter that the customer cannot see the operator’s face. There is a lot of unconscious communication in the voice, and that affects the experience of the customer. That is why it’s so important to maintain the call centre, to manage it effectively. Even the slightest off atmosphere can affect a huge number of customers over the course of the day. But what are the secrets to running a call centre successfully? To answer that, let’s have a look at these top tips.

Lead By Example

This is something which any manager would do well to remember. Ultimately, like it or not, your staff look up to you. With that in mind, it is vital that you demonstrate the core qualities of the business which you wish them to embody. You need to be these qualities yourself in order to be able to expect it from others, that’s the truth. Nobody likes a hypocritical leader or manager, so be sure that you are never off duty with regards to this. The slightest hiccup is all it takes to destroy the effect.

Prioritise Security

Call centres have often been the subject of much scandal and disrepute. Often, this is a case of data protection being breached. The unfortunate truth is, this is all too easy to happen. As the manager, it is essential that you keep on top of the security side of things. Your customers’ information is sensitive, and it needs to be looked after as well as possible. You also need to champion ways of ensuring the identity of the caller, every time. Otherwise, you might find yourself in a lot of trouble. FFIEC compliance is paramount here, as you need to be sure of who is on the other end of the line.

Be Clear About What You Want

The most effective managers are those who express clearly what they hope to get out of their staff. If you are starting to notice that people are not quite adhering to your standards, then look into this. It is possible that you are not expressing yourself well enough. Make sure you give your staff guidelines for working, as well as fair but strict deadlines. Always ensure, too, that you give them a chance to query the request or ask questions. This two-way communication is the key to a smooth-flowing workplace.

Feedback

Last but not least, make sure you are providing feedback to all staff. This is not just important for the proper flow of the workplace; it is essential. It also means that your staff have the opportunity to regularly express themselves. This alone is a hugely beneficial to your staff, and you will soon notice the difference.

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Conscientious consumers or creatures of habit? A focus on our supply chains

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We are all consumers, no doubt about that. And I think it’s safe to say that we are all creatures of habit…to an extent.

We buy the products we are familiar with, the products that we grew up with. This is definitely true for me. When I first left the family home and moved out into the real world on my own, I remember doing my first ‘big shop’ at the local supermarket. Without really thinking about it, my trolley was slowly but surely filling up with the products I recognised from the time of living with my parents.

Without even realising it, here I was buying the products that my parents had used because they were familiar to me. There was no other real reason behind my choice (apart from probably cost).

It got me thinking… how much thought do we really give to the products we buy?

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About the Author

Laura GibbonsLaura Gibbons is a driven and committed marketing professional with over 10 years’ experience. Working closely with Ideagen’s Marketing Executives and Partner teams, Laura is responsible for looking after the Ideagen brand across multiple sectors within the region.

5 Things Every Modern Entrepreneur Needs

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Amid the release of data revealing that the economic outlook among U.S. small business owners had finally stabilized, there’s cause for entrepreneurs to be optimistic. Whether or not that outlook begins to uptick not only depends upon how agile, adaptable, creative and resourceful entrepreneurs can be in planning for, or reacting to, market conditions, revenue and brand-building opportunities and other key concerns, but also how well they maintain a forward-thinking mindset.

Towards this end, tomorrow’s smart and successful entrepreneur will have their bases well-covered on these five fronts in particular:

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About the Author

Brian GreenbergBrian Greenberg is a multi-faceted entrepreneur who has founded and now spearheads multiple online businesses. He currently co-owns and operates three entrepreneurial companies with his father, Elliott Greenberg, which have each flourished for over 10 years: www.WholesaleJanitorialSupply.com, www.TouchFreeConcepts.com and www.TrueBlueLifeInsurance.com.

Fueling Business Process Management with the Automation Engine that Can!

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Organizations deploy automation technologies as the primary resource in their Business Process Management. Gone are the days were BPO meant Business Process Outsourcing, with Robotic Process Automation technology fueling new millennium enterprises, BPO has taken on a new meaning, Business Process Optimization.
 
In the recent past, businesses had only external, third party vendors to rely on for major projects, operational emergencies, and other labor-intensive initiatives that required resources they did not have. Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) meant businesses had to succumb to the high-cost, untimely, and unskilled labor in order to remain in operations.

Today’s C-level executives understand peripheral management of their critical applications, data systems, and shared services is not an effective, efficient, secure, or financially-feasible effort and require more robust, permanent solutions for assimilation into their BPM.

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About the Author

Richard MilamRichard Milam is the president and CEO of EnableSoft. Prior to founding EnableSoft, in 1995, Richard was a partner and Senior Vice President of FiTech PLUSmark, and held other positions in Information Technology, Operations, and Sales.