1. Unlocking New Options

Experts predict cryptocurrency revenue will reach $37.9 billion by the end of 2023. The annual growth rate is expected to be around 14.4% as more people tap into the unregulated payment option and brands become more accepting of digital cash. When an enterprise lets customers pay with cryptocurrencies, customers who would not have purchased from them may suddenly consider the company an option for their needs.

2. Reaching Global Partners

Cryptocurrency tech business benefits include not dealing with exchange rates and rules about money transfers. While you want to ensure you do not break any laws and consult with an international business finance attorney if uncertain, receiving tokens instead of a check or credit card payment frees you up to do instant business around the globe.

The currency may be particularly attractive to service-based businesses, such as tech companies offering software as a service (SaaS). With SaaS products, you can sell the program immediately and give a person access in minutes. You can also automate many processes, saving your staff time and effort.

3. Staying Legal

Fraudulent crypto exchanges were only a quarter of 1% in 2022, but the value of cryptocurrencies fluctuates more in some organizations than others. Staying legal means you must report any earnings to the IRS, but evaluating just how much tokens are worth at a given time may be challenging.

Small businesses must set up a digital wallet on a currency exchange to take crypto. The steps could be prohibitive to startups and smaller tech firms. However, the extra effort could pay off down the line in additional customers.

You also have to understand each country where you operate. Some have a tighter handle on unregulated funds than others. Limit yourself to opening the doors to one or two countries at a time until you fully understand any regulations. Most enterprises like crypto because it has fewer regulations than other payment methods.

4. Handling Inflation

Experts argue whether or not cryptocurrency is a hedge against inflation. One thing those who use Bitcoin and other tokens point to is the limited supply of how many are available. They fall into the supply-versus-demand crowd and state the limited availability makes the currency less likely to fall when the U.S. dollar falls in value.

For most tech firms, crypto is just another tool in their arsenal. Putting all your eggs in one basket is never a good idea, but tokens can be one of the baskets where you save funds for a rainy day. Only time will tell if the effort pays off and the currency maintains its value against more traditional coins.

5. Avoiding Swindlers

Around 82% of small businesses point to cash-flow issues as the underlying cause for closure. If you have ever landed a lucrative contract only to have the person dispute the charge with their bank or bounce a check, you know how devastating losing any money can be when you are just starting your business.

Tech firms can avoid these scenarios with digital cryptocurrency because the payments are irreversible. The person cannot send you funds and then decide to dispute it. There is little recourse if they have buyer’s remorse.

You may still choose to work with an unsatisfied customer, but it will be on your terms rather than them just stealing away with your money after taking advantage of your services. Crypto is highly attractive to new startups for this reason and can prevent cash flow issues in the early days.

6. Improving Investment Opportunities

Some cryptocurrency tech businesses might want to create their own token using Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) to secure enough funding. Think of the ICO like an initial public offering, as the two are quite similar. Investors pay money to help the company start and later see a return on their investment through the value of the tokens.

You could also invest access funds into ICOs and support them by offering their payment as one of the options for your customers. Buying early for lower prices means people could make more profit on the coins.

Of course, there are never guarantees. Several cryptocurrency companies have gone under and investors lost all their money. Only invest money in ICOs you can afford to lose.

7. Saving on Transaction Fees

Some business take cryptocurrency to save on transaction fees. Crypto often has lower rates than traditional payment methods. That said, you will have to pay two separate sets of fees to accept or use tokens. You will need a wallet to receive money and move it around — which comes with a price — and then you will have to pay a fee to most blockchains where the currency resides, such as Bitcoin or Solana.

Make sure to crunch the numbers to see how the fees stack up compared to credit card processing fees. Including all the numbers in the equation helps prevent mistakes that could impact your bottom line.

8. Gaining Control

Cryptocurrency is decentralized. No government or banking institution has control over the funds. Thus, it is harder for people to manipulate transactions.

However, because of the uncontrolled nature of crypto, black market players often use Bitcoin and other tokens to fund nefarious work. When working in cryptocurrency, firms should be aware of the potential for illegal activities.

9. Improving Security

Blockchain players often have some of the best security in the industry. It is much harder for people to gain access to the funds, other than those who own the tokens. The entire system is based on encryption. Each block connects to the previous ones, making it nearly impossible for a hacker to tamper with the information.

You have likely noticed all the big credit card company and bank security data breaches in recent years. Yet, most crypto companies remain fairly reliable and safe.

10. Being Transparent

Although how everything works is rather technical, if a brand is on the same blockchain technology and you give them permission, they can see if a customer paid or what invoices are outstanding. This is most obvious in medical sectors, where insurance providers can tap into a patient visit and automatically pay claims.

Cryptocurrency and Tech Business

Embracing crypto seems to make sense for tech businesses. The cutting-edge nature of tokens and money that is not physical goes hand in hand with developing more advanced, modern methods of doing things. Consider which are the best ways for your brand to embrace cryptocurrency and jump on the digital wallet bandwagon.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.

The post 10 Ways Cryptocurrency is Impacting the Tech Business Landscape appeared first on Pepper Virtual Assistants.

Looking at insights from past data and making a few predictions helps you gain a deep understanding of your firm’s strengths and weaknesses. Here are the KPIs to track and how they help with smarter decisions that drive business growth.

1. Sales Numbers

Global e-commerce sales are worth $6.3 trillion, with an expected increase to 8.1 trillion by 2026. You can gain a piece of the pie by paying attention to how many customers you have and how much they spend on an average order. Increase the spend amount or number of customers and you’ll bring in additional revenue.

2. Conversion Rates

Your conversion rates are a good indicator of how well your calls to action (CTAs) and design is working to close the sale. Making some minor adjustments can improve your conversions and help your business grow. Keeping track of the rates can also drive your decision about new offers and design changes.

3. Cost of Acquisition

When it comes to advertising, it’s easy to throw a lot of money at various campaigns and not see a lot of return on investment (ROI). When you make data-driven decisions, you look at the cost to acquire each new customer so you can decide if the advertising is effective.

Compare cost of acquisition to average sales to see when you break even based on the investment to attract a new client.

4. Expenditures

Figuring out where your revenue goes is equally important as knowing where it comes from. Some businesses bleed money a little bit here and there. Take the time to understand every expense and if it builds your brand or is a waste of money.

Make a list of the expenditures that have excellent returns based on the data. Make another list of the costs that might not offer anything in return. Nix a few of the items you’re spending money on that aren’t showing noticeable results.

Nonprofits may fall under regulatory requirements to track and explain expenditures. Follow some results-oriented management and accountability (ROMA) standards by using outcomes and reports to manage funding.

5. Net Promoter Score (NPS)

Customers who are happy with your product or services are much more likely to tell someone else about you. The net promoter score offers a strong KPI that can predict the likelihood of word-of-mouth recommendations.

Tracking NPS helps you predict how loyal customers are and if they’ll bring new business your way by telling others what you have to offer.

6. Marketing ROI

Marketing is only effective if it brings some value back to you. Put a monetary value on each advertising campaign and see what the ROI is. If you lose money consistently on promotions, you may want to rework your strategy.

Ideally, you’ll be able to measure the sales numbers on each person who responds to a campaign but also create some added customer loyalty and lifetime value.

7. Product Margins

Some industries have slimmer margins than others. Taking a look at the date behind what it costs to produce or buy a product and the going market value shows how much you can make and if selling the item is worth the effort.

Replace unprofitable products with ones with better margins to grow your revenue and keep more money in your company’s pocket.

8. Cost Per Click

How much do you pay for each click through to your website? How many clicks does it take to make a sale? Study the data and tweak ads to improve results. The lower cost-per-click (CPC) you achieve, the less you’ll spend on marketing.

You can improve your CPC rate by better targeting your audience and honing in on the people who buy or creating a better sales funnel once people land on your website.

9. Average Response Time (ART)

Today’s consumer is impatient and expects an almost immediate response from customer service agents. According to Statista, around 46% of consumers would wait three days for a response from a brand before becoming frustrated.

Make customer service a priority. How could you improve your response time and ramp up customer satisfaction? Would adding a chatbot and giving people instant answers to common questions help?

Data can show you where any bottlenecks occur in your customer service process. Fix them to speed up the process. Tap into new technology to ensure you offer the best possible ART. Tools such as AI-based chatbots and customer relationship management tools can help you improve.

10. Customer Retention Rate

What do your churn rates look like? If you lose customers frequently, it’s challenging to grow revenue. You’ll spend all your time replacing lost clients rather than scaling up. While the customer retention rate is a good KPI, it is only part of the story.

To fully understand why customers leave, you need exit interview data and a scan of customer service calls. Try to piece together the reasons people leave and make the changes needed to ensure they stay.

Improve Your Business With Data-Driven Decisions

When you take emotion out of the equation and make data-driven decisions, you’ll find more success as a small business owner. Set goals and then look at the KPIs most likely to help you achieve them. Pay attention to details big and small so you can make the tweaks needed to rise above the competition and grow your brand.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.

The post 10 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to Track and Report for Data-Driven Decision Making appeared first on Pepper Virtual Assistants.

1. Scavenger Hunts

Team leaders could devise a list of items for staff members to find in their homes. For example, a list could include:

• Something blue
• Something old
• Something that begins with the letter “F”
• Something very small

Once the leader sets a timer, team members must leave the desk and search the house for items matching the description. When the timer goes off, everyone returns and shares what they found. Leaders will award points for every correct item workers bring back to the desk in time. This group activity is a fun way to get to know co-workers.

2. Trivia Nights

Trivia has exploded in popularity recently, with the number of trivia game downloads nearly tripling in 2023 compared to 2017. Remote workers can break into teams or work individually to answer questions in categories like science, history, and pop culture. Some games even feature photo and audio rounds where participants must identify songs or celebrities.

3. Online Cooking Classes

Although 77.2% of virtual event attendees prefer online events, live virtual cooking classes are also a fun way to unite remote workers with a creative side. The host sends the ingredients to each participant or gives them a list of ingredients to pick up.

A professional chef then walks team members through making hot sauce, mochi ice cream or other cuisines. At the end of the class, the group is left with something delicious to enjoy and talk about.

4. Virtual Escape Rooms

Over videoconferencing apps like Zoom, this category of team-building events encourages workers to solve puzzles and riddles as a group. Some are even compatible with VR headsets for a more immersive experience. Teams win the game by escaping from a virtual environment before time runs out.

5. Happy Hour

A virtual happy hour is an online social event that usually includes games, activities and sometimes drinks. Workplaces often choose a theme — like Christmas or Star Wars — for virtual happy hours. People may ask each other icebreaker questions or participate in a shared task like crocheting or making cocktails to get to know each other better.

6. Virtual Olympics

One of the best team-building events for remote workers is virtual Olympics. Workers can compete in typing races, home office bowling or word games. They can also bet on actual Olympic sports fantasy-football-style if the games coincide with the work event. It might seem counterintuitive, but competition often brings people together.

7. A Book or Movie Club

Employees read a book or watch a movie on their own time, then get together to discuss it during remote book club meetings. They might share their opinions, or discuss deeper meanings and themes they found in the book or movie. It is an excellent way for team members to be social and expand their knowledge simultaneously.

8. Home Tours

Remote workers give a quick look inside their home or working space. They can showcase their favorite items — like their windowsill succulent collection or electric guitar — to give co-workers a sense of who they are. This activity helps remote teams bond over mutual interests. It can also give people new ideas for improving their home office.

9. Online Training

Not all team-building events are strictly social activities. Sometimes, they also double as work events that help get the entire staff on the same page.

Online training seminars like lunch-and-learn meetings allow employees to socialize while learning new skills related to their jobs. Managers can cover topics like cybersecurity, office harassment or using artificial intelligence in the workplace.

10. Brainstorming Sessions

During brainstorming sessions, employees pitch new ideas about workplace operations. They may have suggestions for improving productivity, communication or morale.

Everyone must have a chance to talk during these sessions — even new team members and people who do not usually speak up at work. Team leaders can facilitate communication by calling on everyone in the group individually, then promoting a more open-ended discussion at the end.

11. Show-and-Tell

This team-building exercise helps remote workers get to know each other more personally. In addition to being a fun activity, hosting remote show-and-tell events can teach employees how to give group presentations.

Several days before the meeting, team leaders should send an email asking participants to prepare a talk about something meaningful to them. It could be an item or something less tangible, like a skill or hobby. Then, employees will share their show-and-tell presentation with the group.

12. Fundraising Events

Remote team members can work individually to raise money for charitable causes. Then, they can pool their funds together and see how much they raised. For example, employees can participate in virtual walkathons, each walking as much as they can in a given day or week. Fundraisers give employees a sense of working together toward a greater cause.

Team-Building Events Inspire Camaraderie

Remote team members may never meet in person, but they can still get to know each other and bond over shared activities. Team-building events are a welcome break from the usual workday. They can improve morale, collaboration and productivity, leading to a happier work environment overall.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.

The post 12 Team-Building Events to Unite Your Remote Staff appeared first on Pepper Virtual Assistants.

However, pinpointing and addressing weak points in your sales funnel can be challenging, emphasizing the importance of understanding the key drop-off points in the customer journey.

By gaining a deeper insight into where your customers are disengaging, you can implement targeted strategies to enhance your conversion rates and boost revenue.

Discover the common areas where customers drop off before purchasing and learn effective strategies to keep them returning for more.

1. Cart Abandonment

Cart abandonment is a familiar challenge many online business owners face. Customers add items to their carts, but when it’s time to review their selections, they vanish. A study by Baymard Institute reveals that the worldwide average cart abandonment rate has been 69.8% over the past decade.

If cart abandonment is your primary customer drop-off issue, you are not alone. There are numerous reasons why customers abandon their carts, including:

• Unexpected shipping costs
• Mandatory account creation
• Change of mind or indecision
• Limited payment options
• Security concerns
• Slow-loading pages or errors
• Complex checkout process

To increase customer retention and minimize cart abandonment, you must delve into why customers drop off at this stage. For example, you could implement a survey that automatically appears as they are about to exit, asking for feedback. Some customers will gladly provide input.

Once you have gathered feedback, it is time to make improvements. Consider offering free shipping or discounted rates to incentivize customers to complete their purchases.

If customers change their minds, retarget them with email reminders and personalized offers to encourage them to return and complete their transactions. Acquiring new customers can be five times more costly than retaining existing ones, making retargeting emails an effective strategy to re-engage and maintain customer relationships.

2. Product Page

A product page is crucial in providing essential, detailed information about a specific product or service. It acts as a touchpoint where customers evaluate whether the product or service is worth adding to their cart and checking out. Effective product pages showcase features, benefits and product descriptions, demonstrating to customers why the product is right for them and how it solves their problems.

However, low customer retention at this stage can arise for various reasons. Insufficient product information is one such reason, as customers require detailed descriptions and clear specifications to make informed decisions.

Moreover, high-quality images and multimedia significantly impact customers’ perceptions, offering a comprehensive view of the product in their hands. Successful online stores often provide photos, videos, zoom functionality, multiple angles and augmented reality features to showcase the product effectively.

Hidden or unclear pricing can also deter customers from completing a purchase. They may feel misled and hesitate to proceed if they need a clearer understanding of the costs involved.

Transparency is vital on all product pages, as it establishes trust and credibility with potential buyers, ultimately improving customer retention and driving sales.

3. Browsing Stage

The browsing stage marks the initial interaction between potential customers and the products or services you offer. During this phase, customers explore your site, learn about your brand, and search for items that catch their interest.

Creating an engaging and user-friendly experience at this stage of the customer journey is critical for customer retention and driving sales. A well-designed interface makes your online store appear professional and trustworthy, setting the foundation for a successful shopping experience.

Beyond making a strong first impression, ensuring customers can easily find products on your website is essential. A positive browsing experience can contribute to a 10%-15% increase in sales, highlighting the importance of a seamless experience in reducing frustration and maintaining customer engagement.

To retain customers, prioritize a website design with intuitive navigation and clear categories, making it simple for users to find what they want. A well-structured menu and filters facilitating product discovery contribute to a streamlined browsing experience, ultimately improving customer retention and satisfaction.

Boosting Customer Retention Through Continuous Improvement

Understanding and addressing common drop-off points in the customer journey is vital for achieving sales targets and enhancing customer retention. By optimizing the browsing experience or reducing cart abandonment, you can give customers a reason to return for more.

Long-term success requires adopting a mindset of continuous improvement. Analyze customer behavior, collect feedback, and use data to pinpoint areas for optimization. Experiment with different strategies, assess their impact, and fine-tune your approach based on the outcomes.

Proactively committing to improving the customer experience will yield positive results for your business. Take action today and embrace continuous improvements to elevate your customer retention rates and strengthen your brand.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.

The post This Is Where Most Customers Drop Off Before the Sale appeared first on Pepper Virtual Assistants.

For one, it’s a time waster — sifting through hundreds of applicants can be quite a process. Secondly, the accuracy of these evaluations is questionable since they don’t fully portray what the candidates are capable of for the job.

However, AI (artificial intelligence) recruiting is changing that, and there are several reasons why you’ll want to use it in your recruitment process. Here’s a look at how it’s making improvements.

The Benefits of AI in Recruiting

AI can do everything from eliminating bias and saving time to improving the candidate experience. In fact, some of the world’s biggest companies are using AI in recruiting —and it’s not just tech giants like Google and Microsoft taking advantage of this technology.

Take Amazon, for example. The company uses AI to screen and hire applicants faster and more effectively than ever. It knows that the best way to get candidates in the door is with a clear message about what it’s looking for in an employee and why they should work at its company. Yet, what’s fascinating is that Amazon’s AI-driven recruiting technology is helping recruiters find the best candidates for job openings.

Overall, Amazon saves time finding the right candidates and getting down to business faster. Without AI software, research shows that 40% of recruiters spend time sorting through resumes and entering data into an ATS (applicant tracking system). Meanwhile, AI software frees up that time by enabling recruiters to engage with candidates and build relationships.

Another way that AI is improving the hiring process is by eliminating bias, which is a huge problem in hiring. By using job-relevant data, AI tools can screen candidates using a large volume of data based on skills and experience. Then, it can make decisions about which candidates qualify.

AI is increasing efficiency and saving companies money by automating the manual process of finding good candidates.

Once you understand how do recruiters get paid and how a computer can take over some of the work, it’s easy to see how AI can help them boost their productivity. Further, AI can help recruiters make better long-term strategic decisions by predicting which candidates will be most successful based on past hiring data and company performance metrics.

Applications of AI in Recruiting

We’ve already looked at how AI is automating the resume screening process. However, recruiters can find several other applications that are helping companies save time and increase the quality of their hiring process.

Chatbots for Candidate Engagement

Chatbots are a great way to use AI in recruiting. Chatbots help you engage with candidates by answering questions about the company and its culture. It even provides specific information about roles and responsibilities. They also help you identify top candidates based on certain preferences they’ve specified, such as location or salary range.

Predictive Analytics for Candidate Matching

Predictive analytics is an area where AI has revolutionized recruiting. Most forward-thinking business owners are researching what is perplexity in AI and how they can utilize it in their work. It allows recruiters to use historical data about past candidates’ performance on tests and other assessments, along with other factors like education level or years of experience. They use these assessments to predict how well they will perform in their new role at a company. The result ends with better matches for candidates and jobs.

Automated Sourcing and Outreach

Automated sourcing and outreach are two of the most exciting applications of AI in recruiting. These tools allow recruiters to generate a list of candidates that fit a specific job description and then use machine learning to find the best matches for these roles.

Recruiters can also use this technology to automatically reach out to people who might not have applied for the job but who may be interested in it. This is especially useful for companies that want to diversify their candidate pool.

Tips for Implementing AI in Recruiting

AI is a powerful tool for recruiting, but it’s not a replacement for humans. Before you start using AI to recruit new employees, make sure you have a strong grasp of the basics:

• Start small: As you can see, you can use AI to automate many parts of the recruiting process — but avoid jumping in headfirst. Start small so you can get comfortable with how AI works and how to apply it in your business.

• Train your recruiters: When implementing AI in your recruiting program, remember that it’s not about replacing humans with robots. Instead, it’s about prioritizing what each team member does best. That’s why it’s important to train your recruiters on all the tools available, so they know how best to utilize them.

• Monitor performance and adjust: It will take some time before everything works smoothly. In fact, there will likely be some hiccups along the way. That’s why you must monitor performance closely and adjust as needed.

AI Is Changing the Way Companies Hire Today

AI has the potential to revolutionize the recruiting industry. You can use it to automate the process of finding candidates, and it can help companies make better hiring decisions. However, AI still has a way to go in recruiting before companies can fully benefit from this technology.

Still, AI has great potential for helping companies find and hire better employees. Therefore, now is the time to explore it in your business and discover the great lengths of where it will take you.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.

The post Can AI Support Your Recruiting Efforts? appeared first on Pepper Virtual Assistants.

Many factors will shape this world, and it’s important to learn about these top-growing industries so you can take advantage of them.

E-Commerce

Ever since the pandemic, e-commerce has seen explosive growth due to the convenience of online shopping.

The rise of online shopping has changed how consumers shop — and e-commerce companies have taken advantage of this shift by offering a wide range of products for sale. In fact, a forecast shows that e-commerce sales will increase by 56% and reach $8.1 trillion by 2026.

As consumers become more accustomed to online shopping, they increasingly turn to online retailers for their needs. This means e-commerce companies must expand their business model to include mobile apps and other new technologies to stay competitive in today’s marketplace.

Electric Vehicles

The electric vehicle (EV) industry is significantly increasing because of its ability to create jobs and reduce emissions. The positive impacts of EVs on the environment include reduced greenhouse gas emissions, reduced consumption of fossil fuels and reduced air pollution.

Aside from the benefits EVs offer, they are becoming more affordable as technology improves and competition increases among manufacturers. Additionally, electric automobiles being tax deductible and sustainable gives consumers more reason to purchase these cars — significantly increasing demand and job growth.

In fact, the climate tech industry currently employs approximately 50,000 people in the EU since more consumers are becoming consciously aware of climate change.

Streaming Services

The streaming industry has become one of the top-growing industries in the world and will continue to grow rapidly. It has become so popular because of its ability to provide content on demand.

Streaming services like Netflix and Hulu allow users to choose their favorite shows, with the option to pay for extra content to rent shows and movies.

Streaming platforms also offer users an opportunity to interact with some of their favorite stars and creators — and even get access to exclusive content that is only available on these platforms. Therefore, you can expect a significant increase in this industry’s revenue as it expands its services.

Online Grocery and Meal Kit Delivery Services

The number of meal kit subscriptions is growing rapidly, and sales have exceeded expectations for many years. Meal kit delivery services are also becoming more popular as more people discover them.

The prepared meal delivery industry is growing because it offers a convenient alternative to cooking meals at home or in a restaurant. These services allow customers to get their favorite foods delivered right to their door without shopping or planning ahead.

This service is especially helpful for people who don’t have much time or money for meal planning but still want to eat healthy meals at home regularly.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is a growing industry because it’s a relatively new field that has come to depend on computer technology. One reason that cybersecurity is growing is that it’s an essential part of modern society.

People use computers and the internet daily, and if hackers can access those computers, they can cause massive damage. The second reason cybersecurity is growing is that companies are looking for ways to protect their data from hackers.

Cybersecurity is increasingly important in protecting critical infrastructure like power grids, water systems and transportation networks. If hackers compromise these systems, it could cause catastrophe for millions.

Technology

Technology is an industry that is constantly growing. In fact, it’s considered one of the top-growing industries in the world because it’s ubiquitous and always evolving.

From virtual reality to augmented reality, AI to robotics and data analytics — the list keeps going. Technology is changing how we work, live and play, and it’s an exciting trend to keep your eye on today. Companies are always looking for new ways to innovate, meaning you must understand how it works to learn how to apply it in your business.

For instance, many businesses use AI to automate repetitive tasks in customer service and marketing. Numerous companies are investing heavily in this area because they see the potential to increase customer satisfaction levels. At the same time, they can use it to reduce costs associated with hiring staff.

Health and Wellness

Health and wellness are one of the top growing industries because it addresses a need for physical and mental well-being for individuals across all age groups. One report shows that the wellness industry will reach close to $7.0 trillion by 2025.

Consumers’ behaviors are constantly evolving. Yet, this year, there is a consistent trend where they’re willing to enhance their well-being to live healthier and longer lives. The pandemic brought on a wave of stress and anxiety for millions of people around the world. Since then, consumers have found renewed importance in health and wellness.

Therefore, you’ll see consumers regularly purchasing skincare products to improve their appearance. Diet programs and gym memberships are also in full swing as consumers aim to lose weight.

Furthermore, wellness brands are paying close attention to personalization and finding ways to tap into customers’ individual preferences to serve them better.

Keep An Eye On These Growing Industries

The world is changing, and the future is looking bright. The most lucrative industries of 2023 are expected to be based in sectors from artificial intelligence to data science. These sectors will not only bring in a lot of money but also create jobs for those who work in them.

It’s time to get excited about future opportunities for you and your business. Start preparing now for what’s ahead.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.

The post The Top Growing Industries in 2023 appeared first on Pepper Virtual Assistants.

Real-time data collection helps businesses gather a big picture look at how different processes work within their company. Since many businesses now keep their information in the cloud, using artificial intelligence (AI) and big data to analyze the details can take your business to the next level.

How Businesses Collect Real-Time Data

Data as a Service (DaaS) is a growing market sector used by small businesses everywhere. Experts predict the industry will hit $10.7 billion in 2023. DaaS isn’t new and you’ve likely used it when streaming music and getting suggestions from services such as Pandora.

What is new is how businesses across all niches are jumping into the arena. Here are three ways businesses collect real-time data:

1. Surveys and Conversations

One of the most personal ways businesses can collect real-time, direct data from customers is by asking them for their input. Surveys and polls are a great place to start with a few specific questions to better understand your user. However, having one-on-one conversations via customer service calls or by talking to top customers can give you even more detail to add to your databases.

2. Indirect Tracking

Another source of real-time data happens when you track your customers and their habits in secondary ways. For example, you might track where the customer comes from and what they do while on your page. You might also figure out where the person is from based on their connected device’s IP and then advertising to that demographic on social media.

3. Comparing Other Sources to Your Own

You can also tap into the power of big data and pull info from public databases in the cloud. You might tap into behaviors of a particular demographic on social media. Comparing your typical site visitor or buyer with what people do on other sites can give you some powerful tools to reach new buyers.

Once you’ve collected the data you need to run some reports and figure out your next step, what are the benefits you’ll reap from your efforts?

1. Increase Speed of Decision-Making

Indecisiveness can cost your company customers. When you need to make a decision quickly about a new product or how to change a process, seeing data in real-time can help you decide which changes work best for your target audience. Surveys are an excellent use of your resources and give you detailed statistics to help you make changes that your customers appreciate rather than deplore.

2. Track Number of Shoppers

Using people counters helps you get a handle on traffic patterns and ensure you have enough workers to create a positive user experience every time.

In some areas, keeping businesses at occupancy limits is a must, especially during times when COVID-19 or other illnesses are spreading rapidly. Real-time data on who is in your store saves you and your customers’ frustration and keeps everyone safe.

3. Understand Your Shoppers

If you want to improve your small business, you have to know who your visitors are and what they like or dislike about your stores. Real-time analytics help you see if people respond well to changes you implement or if you need a different approach.

Tapping into real-time data for your users as they visit your online store puts the power in your hands to increase revenue. If you offer a certain discount, how do they respond? If you place your CTA button higher or lower on the page, does it make a difference in how many people share their information? Get to know your shoppers and how they respond to changes and your business will grow.

4. Enhanced Customer Experience

Customer experience (CX) technology hit around $641 billion last year. Making sure your customers are happy helps you retain them and gain word-of-mouth marketing. Use real-time data to create a CX map.

Once you know the touchpoints your customer goes through, you’ll have a better chance of winning their loyalty.

Knowledge Is Power

The more you know, the better you can run your business. Real-time data gives you a set of tools you wouldn’t otherwise have. You can spot any potential problems in your business and fix them before they become catastrophes.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.

The post How Businesses Benefit from Real-Time Data appeared first on Pepper Virtual Assistants.

However, this has changed greatly over the last few decades. Education used to feel like an exclusive club that was only accessible through certain means — family money, legacy status or military service. Yet, the reality of today’s college experience is much different.

While there are still many private institutions where you feel like you need to be a member of high society to get into, many affordable schools offer incredible educational experiences designed to meet students’ needs.

Here’s what we can learn about the customer experience from private institutions.

1. Hiring and Training Have to Support a Strong Customer-First Strategy

Hiring is important because it’s hard to provide great customer service without the right people. When employees understand what good customer service looks like, they’re more likely to deliver it themselves. And if they value their customers, it’ll show in every interaction.

The same goes for training. Even when you hire the right people, it’s up to you as a small-business owner to teach them how to use your resources and tools. That way, you can provide excellent experiences each time.

Therefore, you can’t rely on only hiring great employees — you must invest time and effort into giving them all the tools they need to do their jobs well.

2. A Strategic Plan Keeps Everyone Focused on Shared Goals

A strategic plan is a roadmap for success. On the other hand, it keeps everyone on the same page and enables you to prioritize your goals.

For instance, private institutions will use it as a communication tool to address staff concerns about customer service. By having a strategy, leaders improve internal alignment by providing employees with concrete steps to address those issues.

As part of the process, leadership teams encourage employees to contribute their ideas about improving customer experience, so they have everyone on board.

3. A Customer Experience Strategy Helps You Invest In Student Success

Private institutions heavily invest in student success through secure financial aid processing, mentorship and advising — but how do they know how much time to spend on improving the overall student experience?

A customer experience strategy gives institutions a framework for identifying areas of opportunity across their institution. In addition, it provides a method for driving improvements in those areas.

A customer experience strategy is a way to focus on the customer experience and take a proactive approach to improve it. As such, it allows you to measure your progress while providing tools and resources that help you make data-driven decisions.

4. The “Customer Journey” Is Key to Guiding Your Business Toward Its Goals

Private institutions use the customer journey to understand customers’ needs and how they can optimize their interactions with their establishment. A customer journey is a helpful tool for marketers as it gives them a better sense of how customers feel about their brand. Plus, they learn what information they’re looking for and when.

By diving deeper into how the customer feels, companies can tailor their marketing campaigns to better reach the people who matter most — loyal customers.

5. Implementing Culture Change Starts With Leadership Buy-In

As the saying goes, “if you want to win over an audience, first win over your boss.” This is especially true when implementing culture change within private institutions.

Private institutions gain leadership buy-in on a firm’s customer experience strategy to drive the desired outcome — a motivated workforce that delivers great experiences for students and families.

They accomplish this goal by setting clear expectations for how employees should act toward customers. However, leadership should communicate these expectations in a positive tone. And everyone should understand what kind of behavior management expects at all times — from answering calls to closing out daily tasks.

Focus On Your Customer Experience First, and the Rest Will Follow

We’ve seen how investing in customer experience helps private institutions compete with public ones. Yet, it’s also important to remember that this is not just a marketing tactic—it’s a strategy for success.

When they put students at the center of everything they do, students learn more and graduate sooner. Then they become more likely to recommend their school to others.

Consider these efforts that private institutions make to drive student success. You can implement these strategies in your business to drive better experiences and achieve higher customer satisfaction.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.

The post What Private Institutions Are Teaching Us About Customer Experience appeared first on Pepper Virtual Assistants.

They say that remote work is here to stay. As more employees wish to work while at home, many employers are hesitant about the effectiveness of remote work. Remote work has been helpful in the prevention of spreading illnesses since the COVID-19 outbreak.

Yet now that companies have shifted to working remotely, employers are starting to see the value it brings to the business. Here are some of the ways it’s helping businesses in a positive light.

Enhances Worker Productivity

Some companies still believe in the old stigma that remote work leads to wasted time and a lack of productivity. However, research has proven that the opposite is true.

According to a study by Stanford, researchers found that working from home led to a performance increase by 13%, while 9% worked longer minutes each shift — and took fewer breaks and sick days.

Productivity increases because of remote work’s flexibility. It allows employees to set their own schedules and work during hours they feel most productive.

Additionally, working from home reduces distractions. In an office setting, co-workers are more likely to stop at each others’ desks and chat for a few minutes. This time wasted can be costly to businesses. Many folks found increased satisfaction in their home offices and what firstly looked like a low possibility to tie with their fellow teammates may actually be an opportunity since there are many virtual happy hour ideas that can increase team engagement and deepen their connection.

Meanwhile, employees can get more work done with fewer interruptions.

Increases Employee Retention

Replacing employees is costly for businesses. And these days, flexible work opportunities are more desirable than before the pandemic. By offering remote work, employees can have the satisfaction of working in a relaxed environment.

Since companies have started offering these opportunities, they’ve noticed a drastic reduction in their turnover rates.

Overall, remote work is contributing to healthier and happier employees. In addition, remote employees save money on child care, food, clothing, commuting and more. In some cases, businesses are pleased to cover the expense of home internet — making it even more joyful for employees to work from home.

Today, companies that don’t offer remote work are at a large disadvantage. Yet, they may also lose employees when looking for remote opportunities elsewhere.

Allows Companies to Hire Remote Teams Globally

Hiring an international team can be quite expensive. Employers must ensure their company complies with government laws, which takes years. Plus, hiring abroad can cost thousands of dollars for one employee alone.

Thanks to technological advances, more companies are open to hiring globally. Digital solutions make the process easier for businesses to hire anyone within a few clicks. By having an international team, companies can bring in people with different perspectives from various backgrounds.

This makes for a rich company culture and inspires more creativity in the workplace.

Improves Chances of Finding the Best Talent

When limiting work to a traditional office setting, businesses can only recruit those local to where the company is located. Most people aren’t open to relocating to start a new job, meaning your options are limited when finding the best talent.

Yet, businesses that offer remote work can hire the top workers, regardless of their location. Without location limitations, companies increase their chances of finding the best people to fill positions.

Plus, offering remote opportunities can attract more talented workers in the long run.

Reduces Operating Expenses

Since fewer employees are working in the office, this allows companies to use fewer office supplies and equipment. It even enables businesses to downsize their office.

Therefore, organizations don’t have as many overhead costs, such as leases, utilities, insurance, office furnishings, supplies, maintenance and repairs. These fees can add up quickly, but remote work reduces these operating costs.

In fact, businesses can save as much as $11,000 per employee in overhead expenses when they switch to remote work.

Giving Remote Work a Chance

Many companies still believe that employees will more than likely waste time while working from home. Yet, this can’t be further from the truth. Research has repeatedly proven that remote work enhances productivity, improves business efficiency and saves money.

Whether your company is looking to save on operational expenses, retain more employees or streamline the recruitment process and enhance productivity — consider giving remote work a try.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.

The post How the Remote Work Era Changed Businesses for the Better appeared first on Pepper Virtual Assistants.

Your workers are also human beings with personal struggles and challenges that sometimes prevent them from working at their best. Without support, their productivity obstacles become greater.

There are ways for your small business to conquer these challenges. If you’re calculating a productivity loss, here’s how business owners should encourage productivity growth.

Set Goals

If you want to improve your productivity, the first step is to set productivity goals of how much more you’d like to accomplish by a specific date. These are essential for change because they motivate staff to work to complete the task. It also gives them specifics about what you want to achieve instead of leaving them wondering how to move forward.

Depending on your needs, you can set both short-term and long-term goals. Short-term goals take anywhere from three months to two years to achieve, while long-term ones can take up to five to 10 years to accomplish.

Post your team goals on a wall in the shop or keep them pinned in a management app so you and your employees can reference them. You should review them regularly with your team and mention the progress made in achieving them. Once you’ve set your goals, you can then focus on taking steps to reach them.

Reduce Time-Wasting Activities

You might not realize there are two big culprits of wasting time at an office — meetings and emails. Meetings in the middle of the day slow down everything. Not only are your workers stopping their physical work, but they will also likely be distracted by an upcoming meeting. An occasional huddle can be necessary to review goals, discuss changes or celebrate major accomplishments. However, many don’t need to happen.

Emails and work bulletins are less invasive to the work day and give your employees information they can reference repeatedly. Before you set up a meeting, consider whether you can communicate the information in another way, such as an email or direct message. Constant interruptions are just one of the factors that can significantly hinder productivity.

Speaking of emails, another time-wasting activity is staff waiting for you or a co-worker to answer an urgent one. When a person stops a project because they have a question on how to proceed or need an item they don’t have, the instinct can be to email them professionally. However, it can take time for the other person to check their email and notice it, further delaying the project.

A way to reduce this problem is to set up an office-wide instant messaging server. In these, employees can message each other individually or in different groups to keep communication flowing and quickly alert each other about potential problems.

Be Flexible

Your instinct when improving productivity can be to make stricter policies and work schedules. However, you should do the opposite. Research shows providing flexible hours and hybrid work options reduces stress and improves productivity. When you offer flexibility, you remove the temptation for staff to come in sick or not take the breaks they need for their mental health. These things can lead to burnout, which can bleed over to your other employees.

Encourage people to take breaks when they need to instead of trying to power through when they’re feeling unmotivated or stressed. Promote a culture where employees work with each to ensure your business has sufficient coverage while someone grabs some food, takes a walk or even gives their eyes a break from screens. These worker-dictated systems take away the task of scheduling breaks and allow them to step out when needed.

Offering flexibility when possible lets your employees focus on getting things done and nothing else. They’ll know you care about their well-being and can come to you about anything they need to do the job most effectively without compromising their physical or mental health.

Have One-On-One Meetings

As much as you need to communicate with your employees openly, you should also be proactive about talking with them individually. The meeting should discuss how they’ve been doing in their role and any concerns about their tasks, their schedule or how things in their personal life affect their productivity.

These meetings are fantastic opportunities to get to know your staff and make unique adjustments to get the very best out of everyone working for you. You should hold these talks at least once every quarter, but monthly discussions can help keep up with your employees’ needs. Regular check-ins can remove an employee’s anxiety about meeting with an employer.

Discourage Multitasking

It might seem like multitasking helps things get done more efficiently. In most cases, it actually slows down progress by keeping employees from focusing on each task.

When workers focus on one task, their minds won’t get as distracted by other things. They can more productively complete the item at hand, producing better results quicker than if they were working on more than one thing at a time. You can do this by fairly allocating tasks to finish at different times throughout the day. Ensure enough spare time to check emails and do small office tasks.

Encouraging Productivity

As a business owner, you want to grow and satisfy your customers as much as possible. You must also make sure your employees are happy and healthy while staying on-task and productive. By encouraging productivity growth, you can do more with your company and help it — and your workforce — thrive.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.

The post How Business Owners Should Encourage Productivity Growth appeared first on Pepper Virtual Assistants.

From quick fixes to revamps of old systems, there are tangible ways to solve these service issues and build a successful customer service strategy.

Misconceptions About Service

Unfortunately, there is not one simple formula to reach perfect customer service. There will always be variables and unique interactions when working with people. Great customer service depends on the ability to adapt and react empathetically to these human concerns or interests.

Therefore, the first step to having great service is to become people-focused instead of result-focused. Making changes to a customer service strategy is for the benefit of shoppers and provides them with the best experience possible. People care about experiences and are loyal to companies they have positive connections with, so the more you help your customers, the more you will grow.

People-focused strategies implement technologies for ease of communication, set honest expectations and listen to their consumers. If your company has these traits, customers are more likely to return and recommend your products or services to friends.

In cultivating exceptional customer service, it’s essential to intertwine a robust people strategy within the fabric of your approach. Shifting from a result-focused mindset to a people-focused one involves leveraging technologies for seamless communication, establishing honest expectations, and actively listening to consumers. By embracing these elements, a company not only enhances the customer experience but also builds positive connections, fostering loyalty and driving growth through satisfied customers who are likely to recommend products or services to others.

How to Be Customer-Focused

Consider the gaps in your internal processes to adapt to a more customer-focused strategy. Is there a quick turnaround time for feedback and concerns? Are your preparation times for service optimized for efficiency? Do your digital resources and website load quickly and provide extensive information?

Asking these questions will help the savvy business owner or industry professional decide where to strengthen their strategy.

1. Listen Carefully

Listening might be the most important aspect of customer service. One study found that the highest growing companies best understood the feelings of their base. This strengthens the bond and makes the customer feel more comfortable in your establishment or online portal.

Adapting to feedback is also a great way to connect with your base and build a profile of reputable, positive reviews. These bring in new customers through a sort of self-made advertising and help celebrate your wins.

2. Step Into Their Shoes

Another way to improve your customer service is to “become” a customer. Peruse the website and your resources, checking for any errors or outdated links. If you feel you are too close to see the tiny details, enlist the help of a friendly neighbor or family member to complete a practice run of your online resources.

Measuring customer satisfaction with these online services can lead to growth as well. A heat map can chart where users spend most of their time on a page, showing you what information catches their attention and how to capitalize on this.

3. Automate Help

How a business responds to consumer requests for information can be the crux of a positive or negative interaction. Ultimately, a quick turnaround time is crucial for the response. One way to achieve this is through chatbots.

Chatbots are artificial intelligence programs that can answer a list of queries for online users. Their work is usually light-lifting: directing customers to the right pages or answering questions about shipping. The chatbot can forward the user to a person in the right department if more advanced help is needed.

Chatbots save time for the customer and the management team and provide an interesting interface. About 62% of people say they would use a chatbot instead of waiting for a human. This means no hold Muzak and no waiting in long lines.

4. Rich Communication

Rich communication service (RCS) values the customer experience in its aid to users. Through people-focused interactions, customers can book appointments and meetings with the touch of a button or share pictures through chat windows for a more in-depth conversation. Artificial intelligence software can provide resources and recommendations for other products and process payments with other transactions.

Google and Apple rolled out their versions of rich communication software to improve hospitality worldwide. Quicker response times, interactive media and ease of bookings all provide stellar customer service.

Rich communication also promises security and safety. Google and Apple have verified checks for businesses that promise security and a solid reputation for consumers.

5. Make Each Interaction Unique

Remember that interacting with customers does not always have a script or clear action. People are all unique, and so are their needs. During in-person conversations, listen carefully to the consumer’s thoughts and feelings on the matter. Validating their experience goes a long way in strengthening your relationship.

There are tangible ways to reinforce the individuality of your shoppers during virtual interactions. Install a customer profile system so users can track their previous activity and conversations, as well as store favorite products or shipping information. Valuing individuality means the customer will remember and remain loyal to your brand.

6. Create Actionable Steps

Make tangible changes to your strategy once you have your feedback. Maybe the chatbot is malfunctioning, for instance. Schedule concrete times to review customer input and reviews and create an action plan for making improvements.

Another actionable step is to coach your team to be the best they can be. You are probably not alone in facing a customer base, so unite the whole operation in providing clear and kind communication.

Lead by example and provide training on a company mindset of positivity, adaptability and empathy. Additionally, ensure everyone knows the proper procedures and problem-solving skills. Most people become frustrated or upset when having to explain their concerns multiple times. If the front line can help out, then this becomes a successful interaction.

Improving Your Customer Service

Communicating with customers is a necessary part of business ownership and marketing. Every conversation is different, but here are clear steps to take to achieve a base of happy, loyal people who frequent your establishment.

Stay people-focused and prepare for the innovation of your customer service strategy with these steps.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.

The post How to Improve Your Customer Service Strategy Tenfold appeared first on Pepper Virtual Assistants.

Standing by as your employees experience burnout will create a high turnover rate in your company with discouraging reviews.

If your organization pays enough attention to addressing employee burnout, you’ll have a happier, healthier, more productive work environment.

Signs of Employee Burnout

It’s essential to know the signs of employee burnout to intervene before your workers reach their breaking point.

Excess Stress

Employees can have a lot of responsibility, leading to physical and emotional stress.

Large projects, co-worker disagreements and long days can lead to burnout, which can show through these types of stress.

You value dedicated and effective employees, but they can easily rely on a little too much. You can also cause stress in a less effective but still valued employee by giving more responsibility to others. Employees who don’t feel valued are at a higher risk for burnout.

If you notice an employee suffering from this type of stress, it may be an early indicator that they’re getting burned out.

Improper Sleep

If you hear an employee complaining about a lack of sleep, they could be experiencing burnout.

Lack of sleep causes stress and anxiety, symptoms of burnout. When employees are stressed about their job or working too much, their mind doesn’t have time to wind down. That can lead to burnout.

Adults need seven to nine hours of sleep a night, and if employees are working to the point where they can’t be present at home and get enough sleep, they are more likely to suffer from burnout.

Being tired all the time and napping more frequently could also indicate an employee’s burnout.

Increased Frustration

If you notice a formerly content employee becoming angry or irritable, they may start to burn out.

Excess stress from a high workload can frustrate employees more efficiently. If an employee snaps at others or seems more annoyed than usual, it can signify that the work is becoming too much.

You want to foster a positive work environment, and excess irritability and anger can interfere with that, increasing the chances of burnout for everyone.

Poor Quality Work

Burnout can lead to employees being less dedicated to producing quality work. Once stress hits a certain level, it’s easier to just go through the motions.

When you notice a lower work quality, it’s a good sign that your employee is getting burned out.

Taking longer to complete tasks is also a sign of burnout. Taking longer breaks or zoning out can signal that your employees are mentally exhausted.

Disengagement

When a previously outgoing employee because distant and closed off, they could be suffering from burnout.

Your employees should enjoy time outside of work with their family and friends. However, if they leave employment mentally exhausted, they are less likely to participate in those activities, becoming more isolated.

Another sign of disengaged employees is that they’re unlikely to attend optional work events, arrive at work as late as possible and leave as early as possible.

Absenteeism

Along with being less engaged, employees dealing with burnout are likely to be absent from work more.

This is because burnout can present itself through exhaustion and stress can lead to illness.

Employees who experience absence due to burnout will often not be energetic about returning to the office.

Ways You Can Help

If you begin noticing the signs of burnout amongst your employees, there are ways you can help prevent and reverse it.

Give Needed Time

Everyone needs breaks from time to time and by giving employees an appropriate amount of time off, they’ll have the necessary time to relax and recoup before returning to the office.

You also want to limit the amount of overtime your employees take, as working too long during the day can significantly contribute to burnout.

By being flexible with emergencies or appointments, your employees will know that you are committed to their well-being and that knowledge can help prevent burnout.

Give the Needed Resources

In every workplace, there’s equipment that breaks. Slowing repairs and forcing workers to accommodate the broken equipment can add unneeded stress that leads to burnout.

On the other hand, keeping up with technology to alleviate some work from your employees can help reduce stress and burnout.

Create a Wellness Culture

If you create a focus in your office on self-care, you will reduce the amount of burnout among your employees.

It may seem at first like you’re sacrificing hard work by encouraging your employees to take frequent breaks and make time for healthy eating and exercise. The good news is that by fostering a culture of wellness, you will have to bother happier and more productive employees.

Employees with time to care for themselves are less likely to experience burnout.

Create Relationships

Managers and company heads can have a very distant relationship with employees.

While staying professional is necessary, taking the time to know your employees can help you better understand them.

When you have a camaraderie with your workers, you will be able to have more open and honest communication with them. Being open with your employees will encourage them to be open with you creating a work schedule and environment that is best for you.

Ignite a Sense of Purpose

Every job’s purpose in society ignites your employees’ passion for that purpose.

There’s a reason they applied to get this job, whether it be the work itself, the industry, the hours or the money. By celebrating your employees’ accomplishments, you also help them find worth in what they’re doing.

Helping your employees find a passion for your company’s mission and renewing their sense of purpose will help avoid burnout.

Alleviating Burnout in Your Organization

When you try to end burnout in your organization, you will boost company morale and encourage productivity.

Your employees need to know you care about their well-being. When you invest in their physical and mental health, you get a return of enthusiastic employees that are providing quality work.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.

The post Is Your Organization Paying Enough Attention to Employee Burnout? appeared first on Pepper Virtual Assistants.

What are the questions you’ll be facing, and what moves should you make moving forward?

1. How Can I Maintain My Cash Flow Better?

One of the biggest questions entrepreneurs ask themselves is how they will manage their cash flow more efficiently. This is critical to small-business success. However, many owners struggle to pay for expenses while awaiting their payment.

One issue that stems from this problem is invoicing delays.

After getting the job done, you send the invoice and wait to get paid within a 30-day timeframe. During this period, you have to pay your team, contractors, mortgage and other monthly expenses. This can make things difficult. Plus, you fall at the risk of a customer not paying you at all, making it even harder to keep going.

Build a proper budget plan to maintain your cash flow. There are tons of free budgeting tools to help you manage your money better. Be sure to factor in your sales tax, too. Companies need to comply with the economic nexus standards, but these will vary by state.

Sometimes proper budgeting alone does not save you from the stresses of paying bills. One method for improving your cash flow is to require a down payment for your services. It should be enough to cover all expenses for the project and some profit for you. This payment becomes beneficial for you because there’s no stress in paying your team and yourself.

Another way you can improve your cash flow is by creating a faster invoice system. Instead of requiring up to 30 days for payment, decrease that number to 15. It’s your business, so you’re in control of when a client needs to pay you.

If a customer is late on making the payment, this gives you two more weeks to address the issue before next month’s bills are due. Also, you can tack on a late fee, but make sure you go over that with your client in the contract.

Rest assured, you’re not the only entrepreneur who is requiring payment upon completion. More companies are adapting to the digital age where clients can settle their accounts via mobile.

2. How Do I Implement a Faster Hiring Process?

The one thing entrepreneurs dread the most is interviews. The hiring process can take several days at a time. If your business is growing, delays are something you can’t afford. You could spend lots of time looking over resumes and sitting in on interviews, ending up with plenty of unqualified candidates.

The solution to creating a more efficient hiring process is being meticulous from the start. Plenty of job postings are far too vague. When you list a new position, be sure to mention details such as:

• What days and hours they will work
• Tasks that fall within the job description
• Wages and benefits

You can save more time on the task at hand by prescreening possible candidates before they even apply. Once you have several potentials, walk them through what it looks like in a typical workday. You can also ask questions relevant to their experience, dedication, long-term goals and expectations.

3. How Can I Manage My Time More Efficiently?

You might already be comfortable with handling your work so far. However, some entrepreneurs run into the challenge of getting tasks done on time and managing work overload. The best way of managing your time better for next year is to invest in it, just like budgeting your cash.

Unfortunately, no one has invented the time machine yet, so you’ll have to settle for this list of tips:

• Create a list of goals. Start with annual ones. Break them down into quarterly targets, and then to monthly, weekly and daily. Figuring out your tasks for a given day will help you stay on track.
• Eliminate anything that does not align with your goals.
• Delegate more tasks to your team.
• Be more aware of how you’re spending your time at the moment.

4. My Team Will Be Expanding Next Year. How Do I Delegate?

Trust may seem hard to come by these days. You have a list of tasks for your team to perform, but there are a few mistakes on the projects, so you end up fixing them yourself. In the end, you waste even more time.

The solution is to hire the best employees for the job. Once you’ve gone through the hiring process, be specific about the tasks you pass to your employees.

It can take a little time for your new team to get acclimated, and making assumptions is one thing you want to avoid when delegating. You need to create a detailed outline with directions.

Being particular might seem over the top, but it’s worth saving the extra time and costs in case of mistakes.

5. How Do I Reach More Capital?

You want to grow your business next year, but you have very little capital to help you expand. How can you earn more money? With funding, of course.

There are several ways to receive money. Some of those methods include Kickstarter campaigns, traditional bank loans or funding your business yourself so you can have complete control over it.

If you decide self-funding is the best option, start by focusing on your core customers. You can keep working on finding new ones, but you need to be consistent with your base. Serving them in the best way possible promotes word-of-mouth. Once the word spreads about your business, you won’t have to work harder to find new clients.

You should then create a streamlined process of business systems so you can delegate tasks. Your company will grow slow and steadily, but think about whether you can reach your capital goal without help. Will you be able to navigate a delay in your expansion?

If you think you’ll need funding, speak with an attorney to ensure you’re not putting too much at risk.

Building for the Future

There are many questions you may face in the future for your enterprise. With lots of perseverance, you can overcome anything. Use that to keep working toward your goals and building your business success.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.

The post 5 Business Questions All Entrepreneurs Will Face Next Year appeared first on Pepper Virtual Assistants.

If you’re looking for ways to save costs in your business, follow these tips on lighting technology today to create a better tomorrow.

Why Your Small Business Should Switch to LED Lighting

Many of the reasons why small businesses choose to upgrade their lighting relate to saving costs, improving work productivity, and the overall wellness of their employees. When you switch to LED lighting, you increase the quality of your business and save on electricity.

Although making the switch to LED lighting can increase your costs at the start of your investment, your small business will save money in the long run. Plus, it reduces the required energy in ways other types of lighting cannot accomplish.

Your current lighting might be costing you a major business expense. Think of it this way: lighting is continuously working throughout the day while your business operates. With this idea in mind, your business is constantly increasing energy. Those bills can add up quickly if you don’t invest in LED lighting technology.

While there are many benefits to upgrading your lights, saving on costs should be one of the main reasons you invest. For instance, LEDs can last 25,000 hours, whereas if you have incandescent bulbs, those last up to 750 hours. In the meantime, you’re constantly switching out incandescent light bulbs, costing your business hundreds of dollars each year.

The Best Types of Lighting for Product Images

If you are a product-based business, you know that lighting is everything when it comes to taking great photos for your products’ images. Continuous lighting is often one of the most popular choices for product photography.

Some of the best types of lighting are tungsten bulbs, fluorescents, and LED video lights. But one quick tip you can use to create better product images is investing in lighting with a dimmer switch. Dimmers give you more control over the lighting. And when it comes time to shoot, you create an overall efficiency in the timing of your session.

One type of continuous lighting you can use for your product photography is called a key light. This type of light aims directly at the product. For the best lighting, you can use a key light to set it up on either side of your camera.

A fill light is another type of lighting you can set up on the opposite side of the key light. The intention of this light is to fill in wherever the area is lacking some lighting. You can also lower the intensity of the lighting by choosing to set it farther away from the product you are photographing.

A backlight is another option you can use for products with refined edges. Backlighting is very common, and you can use this lighting type to place more focus on the product details.

Lighting Can Impact Work Productivity

As you and your employees increase the time spent at the office, you’re working hard to stay awake at your desk and produce quality work. Lighting is an essential factor here because it can impact the productivity and overall well-being of your workers. The temperature of your lighting and how the colors disperse throughout the office can affect how well you feel overall.

Make the switch to lighting that contains cooler colors. Experts say lightbulbs that produce lighting with colors on the cooler side can make workers more productive. This type of lighting has many benefits for workers, including energy, alertness, and even decreased depression.

How to Tailor Your Lighting for the Office

To increase the overall efficiency of your workspace, you can use dimmer lights to control the brightness of the room. Bright lighting tends to be harsh on the eyes. And with a dimmer switch, you can choose to lower the brightness so that it can make everything in the room look better, including your products and even the people who show up daily.

Controls and sensors can also have a significant impact when saving on energy consumption. These types of lights can help you save on costs with automatic on and off switches.

You can also modify the light settings to be consistent with the daylight you have available throughout the office. You could consider these types of LED lights, especially since you won’t have to remember to turn them off when you’re ready to leave the office.

You can also get a sense of comfort when switching between warmer and cooler tones of lighting. Since blue lighting can increase alertness, you can switch to warmer tones to bring in a more welcoming and calmer environment.

You can use this method of illumination to have different effects throughout the day. For example, cooler lighting should be used in the mornings while you introduce warmer lighting as the day progresses.

Will Smart Lighting Technology Be Your Next Big Investment?

Smart lighting technology can make a big difference in your energy costs, and you can control it with one touch of the button from your smartphone. You can use this technology to create a better function for lighting whether you’re in the office or going out for a lunch break.

Smart lighting is an investment that you should definitely consider since it increases flexibility in controlling your lighting. Although this would be a more extensive investment, it may be worth it for your small business in the long run.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.

The post How Lighting Technology Has a Big Impact on Your Business appeared first on Pepper Virtual Assistants.

The United States Federal Trade Commission received approximately 1.4 identity theft complaints in 2020, making it one of the biggest surges in recent history. Your customers trust you to keep their private information secure. If you don’t take steps to protect data, you could even be subject to fines through the General Data Regulation Protection (GDPR) act and other local laws. To find out more read Osano’s extensive guide on the GDPR.

Why Should You Make Cyber Security a Top Priority in 2022?

Businesses must consider the potential for hackers creating havoc in their systems. Not only could your customers feel the impact, but former disgruntled employees could harm business operations or steal information and harm your business.

If you want to protect your business and your clients, take the following steps to make cyber security a top priority in 2022.

1. Create Password Rules

Easy to break passwords are a top way hackers get into the system. Set up some rules around password generation, such as at least one capital letter, at least two numbers, and at least one special character.

Your employees may also use a password elsewhere, which can put your entire system at risk. Stress the importance of a unique password used only for work logins and nowhere else.

2. Know Your Risk

Businesses in some sectors run a greater risk of being a target than some others. For example, the Global Threat Intelligence Report indicated companies in business and professional services are number one targets. Those industries tend to keep information from clients such as financial information, social security numbers, tax returns, and other identifiers allowing hackers to steal identities.

If you’re in a high-risk category, you may need additional measures outside typical security concerns. Conduct an audit to see where your weaknesses lie.

Implementing GSOC security solutions can help mitigate risk and increase your overall safety. This approach will allow you to focus on your core business objectives while knowing experts are handling your cyber security.

3. Force Changes

If one of your staff gets a virus, it could put your entire system at risk, particularly if they are subject to a keystroke logger.

Force password changes regularly in case anything gets compromised. If the password changes every couple of weeks and a hacker comes across older information, the stolen info will no longer work to allow them into the system.

4. Use Two-Factor Authentication

One of your remote workers goes to a local coffee shop to work. A hacker sees their login credentials from a nearby table. You can train your staff over and over in security measures and there will still be loopholes thieves find to try to steal information.

One way to combat cyber theft is by using two-factor authentication. Anytime someone logs in from a new device, they’ll have to confirm their identity either through a passcode texted to their cell phone or by logging into a third-party authenticator and utilizing a special code.

It does take more time to log in from time to time, but it also keeps your business’ information safe from hackers.

5. Remove Former Employees

Around 30% of hacking attempts are via network intrusion. The unwanted party can enter your system from various sources, but one common way is via a former worker whose login credentials are still active.

Make it a company policy to remove users who leave the company, either of their own free will or via termination. The removal should come immediately and not days or weeks after they leave.

Depending upon their role in the company, they could have access to all types of sensitive information you don’t want falling into the hands of a competitor or hackers.

6. Install Firewalls and Virus Protection

Invest in the best antivirus software you can afford. Make sure your computers reside behind a firewall. With more companies turning to cloud-based computing, you gain the advantage of advanced security via a larger third-party provider.

Ask questions about what they do to keep hackers out of your system. You’ll probably find real-time malware protection gets updated immediately to prevent any backend entry points. In addition to what your cloud provider offers, however, you should also install antivirus protection on each of your employees’ computers.

7. Automate Backups

A common tactic in the past few years for hackers has been something called ransomware. They install malicious software via an employee’s infected machine or through phishing emails. Once they have a lock on your system, they can put up any message they want on your website, send out notes to your customers or keep you from getting into your systems.

They’ll request a fee, or “ransom,” before unlocking your systems. Once you pay the ransom, you’re more likely to be a target in the future.

One way to avoid such a scenario is by backing up all your files daily. You can put the task on autopilot, initiating an automatic backup at the end of each workday. You’ll always have a recent clean file and can restore your systems should a hacker install malicious software into your databases.

Why Is Cyber Security Important in 2022?

Although securing your data should always be a concern, more people work from home today. The risks of hackers getting into your business databases is higher than ever before. Take the time to secure information and put the protections in place to keep your business running smoothly and your customers’ info secure.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.

The post Why Cyber Security Should Be One of Your Business’s Top Priorities in 2022 appeared first on Pepper Virtual Assistants.

Bynder surveyed 1,600 marketers in five countries for their State of Branding Report. A key takeaway from the report was a mere 1% of marketers felt automation couldn’t be utilized for branding. Companies are embracing new technology and shifting away from boring, repetitive tasks computers can fulfill to focus more on the creative and strategic side of brand building.

Your brand-building strategy should include both automation and manual attempts to get your name out there. Here are the ways you can focus on long-term reputation management.

1. Know Who You Are

Your brand image is how the outside world perceives your company. It might not always align with who you think you are.

Take the time to write out your business principles. Why did you start the company? What pain points did you hope to solve for people? What is your core value? Do you put people first? Perhaps your focus is on bettering your local community.

Once you understand your values, it’s much easier to communicate them to the outside world. You also have something to work toward in developing a reputation that reflects your objectives.

2. Manage Crises

We live in uncertain times filled with natural disasters, pandemics, and unexpected crises. The prepared businesses are the ones that thrive beyond expectation. How can you manage your reputation even when the unthinkable happens?

First, know who you’ll turn to for damage control. Having a PR firm on your side is a good start, but you should also have a plan in place for how to handle worse-case scenarios. Think about the potential problems your industry faces.

While you can’t think of every possible issue, you can certainly plan for the most common ones. The faster you fix a situation and get your own spin out there, the more likely your customers will forgive your mistake.

3. Understand Your Customer’s Needs

You might be known as the most altruistic business in your town, but if your customers care more about their customer experience, it doesn’t help you. Think about the pain points your clients face that drive them to you for a solution.

How can you solve their issue and do it better than anyone else? What is the benefit to the user? They care more about how your business reputation impacts them personally than what your actual reputation is. The way you develop a positive image is by overdelivering time and again.

4. Keep an Eye on the Competition

Some competitors are cutthroat. They may try to trash your reputation with other people. They might tell your customers they know more, offer better value or have more experience. Even if those things are true, the comments are damaging to the way others see you.

You might be tempted to sling mud back at them, but if you get down and grovel in the mud, you’ll just walk away dirty, too. Instead, list out your positive qualities without trashing the other brand. You’ll attract like-minded people and your business will thrive in the long run.

5. Ask for Reviews

Brightlocal’s latest Local Consumer Review Survey found 93% of people allow online reviews to influence their purchase decisions. The elements people look at include star rating, legitimacy factors, how recent reviews are, and how many exist.

One way to ensure your online reviews accurately reflect the current state of your business is by asking your customers to share reviews on third-party websites, such as Facebook, Google, and Yelp! Never ask for a specific star rating, but just ask for honest feedback. You don’t want a reputation for soliciting only positive reviews.

6. Fix Problems

Pay attention to online comments about your business via reviews, social media and even calls and emails to your customer service department. If you notice a regular complaint, seek ways to fix the issue. Post a note that you’ve fixed the problem and it shouldn’t be one going forward.

People don’t expect perfection from the businesses they frequent. They want to know you care and that you’ll fix problems when you notice them.

7. Nurture Your Company Culture

At the core of excellent customer service and innovation is a company that cares about its employees and gives them the freedom to try new ideas and put customers first. How do you develop a fantastic attitude that attracts top job candidates and keeps them?

Start by writing out your goals for your employees and customers. Invest in those who work for you. Train them, send them to seminars, pay for them to take a college class, and give them bonuses when warranted.

Encourage open communication, even if it needs to be anonymous. Train your company leaders to have an open-door policy so employees can come to them with new ideas, issues they need to solve and never fear retribution.

Meet regularly for updates, encourage team building and reward the managers who lift their team-up.

Why Does Brand Reputation Matter?

When faced with the choice between two or more brands, the pricing and other factors may be quite similar. The thing that sets you apart in your industry is your reputation. Take the time to figure out who you are and how to show it to the world and you’ll gain customers via word-of-mouth and authenticity.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.

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The post How to Protect Your Brand’s Reputation Long-Term appeared first on Pepper Virtual Assistants.

According to HubSpot’s 2021 Sales Enablement Report, 40% of small businesses didn’t meet their revenue goals last year. Assuming you’re setting smart goals based on available data, what other elements might be the reason for failing to reach your targets?

A good place to start revamping your business is by looking at your sales strategy. How can you know if what you’re doing is effective or needs a new approach? Here are some things to look at to help you decide.

1. You Lack Enough Data

If you didn’t originally set up marketing to track how effective different methods were, you may not know what works and what doesn’t for your business. For example, it does you no good to send traffic to your e-commerce site if all they do is bounce away without making a purchase.

If your sales strategy in the past involved throwing a lot of sales ads out and hoping something brought results, take a step back and come up with a more regimented approach. Create landing pages and tie them to each sales promo so you can see what advertising methods work best.

Perhaps your customers prefer older products to be discounted but will pay more for newer ones. The more data you have, the better you can work on your sales strategies. Pay attention to what strategies work on a consistent basis.

2. Competitors Beat You

Are you facing a market with competition and having a hard time winning bids or making sales? Your first step is to analyze the competition. You can’t combat what you don’t understand. Make sure you study the sales strategies of your closest rivals.

Have one of your employees play mystery shopper and detail their sales process from beginning to end. Do they have any weaknesses where you have strengths? Do you have any weak areas you can improve?

Knowing how others function gives you an opportunity to understand why their customers are loyal to them. You can then develop your own sales strategy to create clients who are devoted to you. Identify competitor weaknesses and make them your strengths.

3. Outdated Customer Data

If you want to grow your business, you need to understand where your customers are and who your top prospects are. In one look at an HVAC company, researchers found assessing the last three years of sales data resulted in a low-cost business map to help them seek new top-level leads.

The better you understand those you wish to reach, the more likely you’ll find success. Use customer mapping, study keyword searches, and survey your clients to gain a better understanding. Create buyer personas to represent your typical users.

4. You’ve Grown

As your business grows, your needs change. Your customer base might also adjust and have different expectations than your customers did in the beginning. You should reassess your sales strategy every 12 months or so.

Ask yourself hard questions about what works and what doesn’t. Which strategies bring results in the form of revenue, positive brand image, or other benefits to your company? Anything that isn’t beneficial should be replaced by something else. Don’t keep throwing advertising dollars at something not giving you excellent results.l

5. Your Close Rates Are Dismal

Sometimes the bottleneck in your sales process is during the closing stages of the customer journey. You might send highly targeted traffic and qualified leads to your sales department, only to lose purchase orders.

Calculate your close rate ratio by taking the number of sales calls and dividing the number by actual sales. This gives you a percentage so you can see how effective your process is.

If you notice your close rates are below industry standards, go ahead and revamp your closing scripts. Train your sales team in better ways to close the deal. Talk to those customers who did follow through with a purchase about what the deciding factor was.

Talk to those who didn’t buy and ask why they decided to wait. You may learn a lot about customer expectations and pain points to help you sell better in the future.

6. You Have a Lengthy Sales Pitch

People are busy. They don’t have untold hours to go through your sales pitch. For online sales, the more times the customer must click, the more likely they’ll bounce away before making a purchase. In person, you must make sure they are at the right stage of the journey but don’t get stuck in one spot without moving the customer toward a decision.

Look for places you can reduce the time spent learning about and understanding the benefits of the product or service. What can you streamline to be more efficient? Talk to your customers about which facts they care about and what they could live without knowing. Which touchpoints actually impact the decision?

Tweak, Don’t Replace

Parts of your sales strategy may be an excellent match for your leads. Keep anything that works well for your brand and results in sales. However, if anything isn’t working, throw it out and try something else.

You can always go back to the old way of doing things if the new method doesn’t produce results. You never know, you might just stumble on the magic formula that results in more conversions per lead and takes your business from mediocre to top-level.

About the author

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.

The post 6 Signs Your Business Needs a New Sales Strategy appeared first on Pepper Virtual Assistants.

Cliques, existing conflict, and office tensions can all make it much harder for new employees to integrate themselves into a workplace — reducing productivity and harming team cohesion.

Some improvements to work culture and environment can make it much easier to bring on new employees. With the right changes, business leaders can foster a strong work environment that makes everyone’s first day much less stressful.

1. Check In Regularly

You may not be able to anticipate every concern a new hire will have. Regular check-ins help you ensure that you know about these unforeseen issues.

One-on-one check-ins or group check-ins can both help you identify problems with the onboarding process or workplace culture. Even stopping by an employee’s desk or shooting off a quick email can be a great way to see how new hires are feeling.

Even if you discover no problems, these check-ins can be a serious morale and productivity booster. According to one EY study, 39% of American workers say they “feel the greatest sense of belonging at work” when colleagues check in with them.

A visit can do a lot to make new employees feel like they’re part of the team.

2. Create Opportunities for Career Development

Every employee will want a chance to develop their skills.

Opportunities for career development — like training, skillshares, and regular stipends for professional development — will help employees to strengthen the talents they already have and pick up new skills.

These training opportunities could help to improve employee engagement, boosting retention. They’re also likely to streamline day-to-day work overtime — employees with wide skill sets and deep industry knowledge will be better equipped to handle all the challenges that may come their way.

One of the most convenient ways to simplify your employees’ onboarding and training period and to better prepare them for both the simplest tasks as well as for leadership positions, is by using employee training videos, which are engaging, customizable, and affordable.

Effective training should cover both hard and soft skills. This will help employees both develop better technical abilities and become stronger communicators and team players.

3. Don’t Leave Remote Workers Behind

Without the right precautions, workers who don’t come into the office regularly may feel disconnected from those who do.

In general, remote hires tend to be disappointed with WFH onboarding. One report found that new workers who were onboarded over the internet were sometimes confused about what work they needed to do and felt “less connection to the [hiring] organization and its culture.”

Hybrid workspaces will face some challenges that they’ll need to overcome to ensure that both office and remote hires can successfully adapt to their new job.

Regular communication on performance expectations, feedback from supervisors, and events that encourage conversations between the office and remote staff will help WFH team members to feel more integrated into office culture. It will also help them better understand the role they play at work, including what responsibilities they have and who they should turn to when they need help.

4. Offer Opportunities for Team-Building and Socializing

Existing employees already know where they fit into the business. Newer employees won’t — and if the office culture is stable, they may find it hard to connect with other workers.

Team-building exercises that involve both new and existing employees can help to shake up these dynamics, making it easier for new employees to develop rapport with others in the office.

Team events can help in a similar way. Events can encourage new and existing team members to socialize with each other, helping to break down communication barriers in the same way.

Taking steps to integrate new workers into the office culture will help ensure that they don’t feel alienated by existing relationships and teams.

5. Encourage Communication

Communication breakdowns are a common cause of office strife. If office communication is regularly troubled, these breakdowns can easily create a tense and unwelcoming workplace atmosphere.

Making communication as easy as possible can help keep everyone in the loop. Email, meetings, chat tools like Slack, and file sharing systems can all ensure employees are communicating with each other.

Taking steps to keep remote workers in touch with office workers can also help. Streaming office meetings and ensuring remote workers are in the office chat, for example, will reduce the chance that your remote team gets left out of important discussions.

6. Consider Office Comfort

Sometimes, the physical office environment can have a serious impact on how welcoming a workplace is. Every employee may be influenced by things like temperature, humidity, and lighting. If an office space is uncomfortable or unpleasant to work in, it can easily contribute to a more hostile work environment.

Simple upgrades can help you do more with less — and even save some money on lighting and office environmental control. LEDs, for example, are brighter than conventional bulbs and use less energy. A smart thermostat can dynamically adjust office temperature throughout the day, improving comfort without increasing the amount you spend on heating and cooling. Similarly, an office space having comprehensive security measures such as smart intercom technology and commercial door security locks can ensure employees feel safe and secure while at their place of work.

Small changes like these made to the physical office environment can make it much more inviting than a workplace that is too dim, too hot or otherwise unpleasant to be in.

Creating the Best Work Environment for New Workers

New workers may have a hard time adapting to their role if they’re in an unwelcoming work environment. Remote workers may have an especially hard time — distance and lack of access to office culture can make it much harder to understand where you fit into a new role.

Simple changes to office workflows and culture can help new hires adjust more easily. Check-ins, office comfort, effective communication channels, and measures that help remote workers integrate with the overall business culture will all ensure that workers won’t be put off by existing office culture.

About the author

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.

The post How to Foster a Strong Work Environment for Your New Hires appeared first on Pepper Virtual Assistants.

Instances also exist where the affected parties do everything right and still experience an issue’s detrimental effects. Even so, having a business disaster plan is an excellent way to reduce the adverse impacts and get the company back on track. Here are some smart steps to take.

1. Understand the Most Likely Risks and Related Mitigation or Response Measures

The first essential thing to do is to gauge how likely your company is to experience certain threats. For example, if your state has not experienced a major earthquake within the past five decades, you can most likely assume that you’re not in significant danger of one happening. On the other hand, if businesses in your community have recently experienced a sharp increase in robberies, it’s a good idea to take action so that yours isn’t next.

Conduct a Business Impact Analysis

As you might guess from its name, a business impact analysis (BIA) helps you understand what could happen if an issue disrupts your critical company operations. It usually consists of three related parts: Hazards, assets at risk, and impacts. The BIA also helps spotlight the vulnerabilities that make a company especially likely to experience severe consequences from a hazard.

Let’s take an explosion as an example hazard scrutinized during a BIA. The assets at risk include your people, building, merchandise and equipment. The impacts could range from injured people to a loss of trust from your stakeholders.

As far as vulnerabilities go, shortcomings such as failing to maintain equipment that uses explosive substances and not training employees to behave correctly around flammable materials are two areas you can address.

Consider the Most Appropriate Prevention and Mitigation Measures

The methods you take to safeguard against and lessen the effects of disasters vary based on an incident. However, it’s crucial to profile which steps you could engage in to cover your bases.

Take a robbery, for instance. If you maintain well-lit and tightly secured premises, those characteristics should deter would-be criminals. Regarding mitigation, you could implement a system whereby employees have no direct access to the places where a company stores large amounts of money. Another possibility is to limit the amount of cash on-site at any time. Many convenience stores take that approach, especially during late-night or early-morning hours.

There’s no single best way to prevent or limit the consequences of particular business risk. That’s why you may want to hire professional consultants after pinpointing the most significant threats to your company. Those people can advise you on best practices and assess how well you’re doing now before any further risk management action occurs. It’s not always easy to spot weaknesses without an outside perspective.

2. Assign a Leader To Oversee Plan Execution

Your company’s disaster plan should include materials that help people promptly get in touch with the correct parties and take the most effective actions. For example, one excellent tip is to appoint a person to lead the disaster plan’s efforts when necessary.

It’s true that getting a company through an emergency often requires efforts from everyone at the business. However, the designated leader can ensure that the responsible parties perform the right roles.

For example, a front desk receptionist might need to repeatedly inform callers that the company has no information about a situation immediately but that people can expect updates as often as possible. Suppose an impending winter storm forces the temporary shutdown of part of a factory. The manager of that facility may be the one who powers down machines and does everything else necessary to prepare for the short-term closure.

Produce Checklists To Help People Act With Confidence

Think about creating checklists and other helpful resources for each person or department that helps put a plan into action. For example, the manager on duty during an active-shooter incident would call 911 first. After the worst of the danger passes, they’d likely also contact the company’s security provider to increase protection. Giving them the phone number to do that within a checklist or written plan reduces the time they spend searching for the necessary details.

3. Examine Ways To Reduce Workplace Risks

The disaster plan for your business should also cover the ways employees or infrastructure can cut down on risks in the environment that make a disaster more likely to happen. Some, but not all, of these strategies involve behavioral coaching. Moreover, some workplace threats relate to the building itself.

Investigate Products That Monitor or Cut Risks

Perhaps your business previously dealt with a burst pipe or an incident where a person accidentally left a faucet running all weekend and caused a flood. If so, your business disaster plan might partially concern investing in items that help leaders stay on top of risks.

For example, connected sensors exist that can detect excessive water. They give real-time alerts to the relevant parties, helping those individuals act before a major flood happens. Security companies also sell products that let people remotely lock doors or change access codes. Those could prove exceptionally beneficial for stopping an intruder from causing extensive damage and losses.

Help Workers Recognize Behaviors That Contribute To Disasters

Many people don’t immediately realize that simple preventive measures go a long way in stopping or mitigating catastrophic incidents. For example, cooking accounts for the top cause of commercial fires. Leaving a meal unattended to cook in the microwave or on a stove in the break room could cause a fire.  Installing fire extinguishers and posting signs that remind people to watch their food as it cooks could avoid disasters.

It’s also important that employees understand the straightforward things they can do to avoid making a business a prime target for an attack or robbery. For example, ensuring that a person pulls their window shades down before leaving means that a ground-floor office shouldn’t become a prime target for someone eager to break in and steal computers or other high-value equipment. That’s because criminals can’t see the items inside the building.

4. Plan Regular Employee Training Sessions

Employee education is crucial for helping workers understand how they keep disasters to a minimum. Training should relate to your biggest risks, as well as an emergency response plan itself.

Target the Most Relevant Topics

Similar to how you assess which disasters your company would most likely encounter, structure your worker training program so that people get content that’ll help them respond correctly at the moment. Providing people with the information they’ll most likely need will help them stay engaged.

It’s also worthwhile to get employee input on the learning topics they’d find most valuable. Maybe a worker recently dealt with a gas leak at home and worries that something similar could happen at the office. Perhaps someone almost got tricked by a phishing email and feels the tips they used to spot the scam could benefit the workforce.

Plan Mock Disaster Plan Tests

It’s virtually impossible to confirm that your disaster plan works as it should without trying it. Fortunately, you don’t have to wait for an urgent situation before doing that.

Set aside time to run through your disaster framework in simulated situations. Have employees act as if a particular emergency is happening now, then watch how they respond. Take note of any mistakes or times of confusion. Those events may provide further coaching opportunities.

5. Keep Your Disaster Documentation Updated

A disaster plan is not a document you write once. A best practice is to review it at least annually and update it as needed. Additionally, specific events typically warrant making substantial changes to an existing plan. They include:

• Business relocation
• Leadership changes
• Switching service providers
• Company expansions

That’s not an extensive list, but it gives you some food for thought. For example, maybe your company entered into an agreement with a new cloud computing provider. If so, that change affects the business that gets contacted after a website hack. Alternatively, when your business moves to another part of the country, that change could put it at an elevated risk of severe weather that was not problematic in the other location.

Employee feedback may also illuminate the need for alterations. After you do a trial run of a disaster plan, a worker might approach you and suggest they handle a particular responsibility rather than the person currently assigned to it.

A Thorough Plan Minimizes Adverse Outcomes

You can’t expect to anticipate all the threats your business might face. However, tackling the most pressing ones in a disaster response plan is a fantastic way to help your business get through challenging circumstances with as few undesirable effects as possible.

Humans commonly panic in unfamiliar, unsetting situations. Disasters can easily create them. However, when employees can refer to all-encompassing plans that tell them what to do under pressure, they’ll have the resources needed to help your business weather a literal or figurative storm.

About the author

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.

The post 5 Steps To Creating a Business Disaster Plan appeared first on Pepper Virtual Assistants.

Sometimes you can’t prevent threats, so the best approach is to determine how you’d mitigate them. Recording timely and accurate information during an emergency could stop it from getting out of hand. Here are six threats you should get ready for this year.

1. Supply Chain Disruptions

A well-functioning supply chain helps businesses get the goods they need in quick, reliable timeframes. However, numerous circumstances can cause disruptions.

Nations may impose temporary export bans, ensuring residents access the most in-demand goods first. If borders close or activity levels drop drastically at airports and seaports — as they did during COVID-19 lockdowns — it can take substantially longer for goods to arrive.

One of the best ways to plan for supply chain disruptions is to diversify your supplier base. When you have several sources for the most in-demand goods, your access to them is less likely to reduce or disappear.

Another option is to source goods as close as possible to where you operate. That approach may initially turn out more expensive, but it could prove worthwhile if you and your customers receive orders faster.

It’s also smart to screen your suppliers before beginning a business relationship with them. Clarify your expectations and assess the likelihood that each supplier could withstand and recover from supply chain shocks. Holding your suppliers accountable also conveys that they must continually provide high-quality service.

2. New COVID-19 Variants

All viruses go through frequent genomic changes called mutations. The good news is that most of them don’t cause problems in the affected populations. Natural selection makes sure the alterations that do not benefit the associated viruses die off. Even the variants that become dominant don’t necessarily cause dire circumstances for the living things that catch those viruses.

However, scientists are particularly concerned about two variants connected to SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes COVID-19. One first detected in South Africa could be 50% more transmissible, researchers warned. There’s still a lot to learn, but scientists worry that new variants could make people more susceptible to reinfection or require vaccine updates.

Until business owners hear otherwise, they should keep engaging in the protective measures for themselves and their employees that they’re likely familiar with by now.

People will still need to practice social distancing, hand hygiene, and mask-wearing for the foreseeable future, no matter what happens with the new variants. However, entrepreneurs should stay abreast of updated decisions that may require them to quarantine after traveling to areas where the new variants are most prevalent.

3. Data Breaches

Data breaches cause severe problems for businesses of all sizes and types. The issues can become particularly damaging if cybercriminals steal customers’ login details, credit card numbers, or other sensitive information. Such attacks lead to decreased trust, which may cause people to stop doing business with you.

Once perpetrators steal information, they often sell it on the dark web. They also frequently use a technique called credential stuffing. It uses bots to rapidly enter compromised username and password combinations on sites other than the breached business. This approach can work well because people often use the same login details multiple times. There were nearly 500 million records exposed in 2018 alone.

When customers register at your website, consider adding text to the form that reminds them to choose passwords they have not used elsewhere. Take steps within your company to safeguard against api security risks, too. For example, purchase password manager tools for employees. Also, train them to recognize phishing emails that could lead to compromised information.

4. Increased Competition

Virtually all business owners occasionally feel threatened as more competitors arrive in the marketplace. Maybe you were the first entrepreneur in your town to have a juice bar, and now there are suddenly two others within miles of your location.

You can’t stop competitors from arriving in the marketplace, but you can act decisively and encourage customers to stay loyal to your company.

Begin by reminding them of the value you offer, whether it’s your outstanding service, fast shipping, or enticing product selection. If you haven’t described your offerings in a solution-centered way, now is the time to start. When people believe you care about solving their problems, they’ll want to stick with you.

Establish and maintain your presence on review sites, too. When people take the time to give their feedback on those platforms, respond to them thoughtfully even if they don’t have glowing praise to give.

Resist the urge to speak ill of your competitors, too. It only takes a second for someone to screenshot content that makes you come across as immature and insecure.

5. Website Takeovers

Besides orchestrating the data breaches mentioned earlier, cybercriminals can wreak havoc by breaking into your website and displaying offensive or misleading content. It’s easy to envision the shock that might ensue if you run a childcare website that hackers fill with curse words or questionable imagery.

Website takeovers often have a ransomware component to them. That means you may try to log in to your site as an administrator and see messages that demand you pay a specific amount before accessing the content. Unfortunately, paying the ransom often doesn’t cause the desired results, although some desperate site owners do it anyway and hope for the best.

An easy safeguard is to update your site plug-ins and scripts. The latest versions often patch security vulnerabilities. Your website hosting provider also plays a role in protecting against takeovers. Read reviews before selecting one, and be wary of any companies that people flag as having unaddressed security issues. Consider using security tools, too. Some products scan your site for problems, letting you know how to fix them.

6. Climate Change

Climate change is a longstanding problem in today’s society. Knowledgeable people and those in positions of power have taken various steps to combat it. Some developed clean energy options and low-emissions vehicles. Others passed ambitious legislation to mandate that nations work towards meeting eco-friendly goals.

Scientists believe there’s a link between climate change and natural disaster severity. Research also shows that business owners view climate change as a genuine risk to their enterprises. Many human-driven activities exacerbate climate change. For example, experts say Amazon deforestation will worsen it along with related problems, such as food insecurity. Cattle ranching and harvesting wood for domestic use are among the leading causes of Amazonian deforestation.

Given the numerous factors influencing climate change, it’s understandable if business owners feel helpless to stop it. However, small but positive changes matter. For example, you may prioritize working with sustainable suppliers or use connected sensors to monitor and reduce your resource usage.

Since climate change affects regions differently, it’s also wise to stay abreast of the challenges it’ll most likely bring for you this year based on where you operate and where your customers and suppliers live.

Preparedness Prevents Panic

As a business owner, you probably juggle various responsibilities on a given day. Maybe that means calming an unhappy customer, retraining an employee who made a costly mistake, or assessing whether a potential price increase would discourage too many customers.

Thinking of the things that may threaten your business is not a pleasant activity. However, it’s a necessary one that could stop you from losing too much sleep. After all, when you’re well-equipped to deal with the catastrophes that could strike your company, the proactiveness will quicken your response, make it more impactful, and stop you from feeling overwhelmed.

About the author

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.

The post 6 Threats That Could Affect Your Business This Year appeared first on Pepper Virtual Assistants.