Entry Software Corporation

Entry

Archives for February 2018

Key Agreements to Include In Your SLA

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SLA Agreements

A service level agreement (SLA) is an official agreement between a service provider and their customers that specify what level of service will be delivered as it relates to response and resolution times. It is important for companies to have SLA’s since these agreements set well-defined boundaries and expectations for the service provider to meet. Imagine you run a business and you work with a service provider in which expectations you have are not being reached. The problem here is a miscommunication between the client and service provider, where the expectations were not clearly made. An SLA allows for limited confusion on either the service provider or endpoint client’s part, as long as all the requirements are met throughout the contract. Also, if any conflicts arise during the service period, both companies can turn to the SLA to determine the outcome of their feud. An SLA can range from having simple to complex agreements. However, there are key agreements to include in your SLA.

Description of Services

The first necessary agreement is created by the service provider, pinpointing exactly what services and products the business offers; alongside a very detailed description of each one. The description must be honest, including the companies weaknesses and strengths, that highlights to the client what you are capable of, so that no unexpected surprises come up in the future. Having this aspect of writing clearly defines to the client what products you do and do not offer. These descriptions must be as specific as they can be, no assumptions are to be made and clients remain happy.

Context Setting Information

This can be seen as the original “purpose” of the SLA. Identifying the overall purpose for signing with your clients sets the bar for the service provider and highlights the criteria that should be met for the agreement.

Service Standards

It is very easy for either party involved, to become confused about what is required from the service provider. Having both parties acknowledge the conditions under which the service will be provided assists in keeping the agreement clear and successful. Agreeing upon unique service standards, between both the service provider and client, will help clear up any confusion regarding duties.

Service Reports

As the service provider, it is on you to make sure you are pinpointing to your clients the progress and impact the service has. Service reports should include the main aspects made above, that clearly show the effectiveness of your service to the client. This should include metrics that distinctively demonstrate your performance.

Regular Reviews

It is very important for both parties to meet regularly to communicate and review the performance of the service that the agreement made was built on. Service reports are good representations of progress to present during these reviews to show the overall effect made so far. If the relationship is going well between the provider and client, continue keeping good communication, no matter how well the performance is, to continue executing the standards.

Being specific on the key requirements and standards is the most important aspect when forming an SLA. When all aspects and service descriptions are made clear early on, it can reduce confusion and future conflicts between both parties. Incorporating the key aspects referenced earlier can help set goals and expectations early on, clarifying the caliber of the service being offered and the standards that should be met. SLA’s are not set in stone and can be modified throughout the time period if expectations or services want to be changed. In order to be a successful service provider, SLA’s are a very important key. With this, your service will be delivered to its greatest potential to the client while keeping your customers or clients happy.

Contact Entry Software to get a demo of an SLA tool.

Five Things Businesses Can Learn From Their Competition

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Learn from the competition

On a business’s journey to becoming successful, there are many ‘battles’ and challenges to be faced and overcame. Mistakes will be made and you may find yourself with days where nothing is going the way it’s supposed too. However, one day it’ll all come together and things will begin to fall into place. There is so much to learn about operating a business and generated from many sources such as the internet, business classes, school, friends and family, and even your competitors. Although it might sound bizarre to learn from your competitors, it can actually be beneficial towards you and your business. The following are five things your competitors can teach you about your business.

1. Customer Service Optimization

Imagine if you have a question or complaint about a company’s product or services, and call the company where you are put on hold, for what seems like forever. Or send an email to the company and don’t get a response within the next couple of days. This can be extremely frustrating for customers that have to wait. On average, customers expect a response from a company within an hour, sometimes less if they have a complaint or question. In order to keep customers and maintain a successful business, effective communication between your customers and your team is extremely important. Try going through your competitors’ customer service experience. Highlight what they do better than your company, and find areas in which the experience can be improved. With this information, you can help organize a perfect customer experience that makes your business stand out from the rest.

2. Marketing Strategies

When it comes to advertising and promoting your products, your competitors may be the perfect place to get ideas from. You can take a look at their websites in order to get a sense of how they’re presenting themselves, the words they’re using to intrigue customers, how they engage with their customers, and so on. If the business is local, you can stop in at one of their locations in order to get a feel for how they do their on-site marketing. Getting ideas from competitors is great if you’re looking for a guideline, however, make sure to steer clear of directly copying their strategies; be original!

3. Learn From Their Mistakes

Making mistakes can be one of the best ways to learn. According to a 2011 study from Michigan State University, it has been concluded that the brain sees the mistakes we make as a wake-up call. Our brains treat a mistake as a problem that needs to be solved. After a mistake, decisions are thought out more carefully in order to avoid another one. Using this strategy, figure out how to learn from the mistakes of your competitors. Always note what they’ve done wrong in the past, and find ways to prevent it from happening to your company. This allows you to minimize risk and maintain a perfect brand image to your customers.

4. Social Media

When you visit a competitors social media page, compare theirs to yours. Do they have more followers? How many likes do their posts get? Are they interacting with customers? If they do, ask yourself what they’re doing to gain followers or additional reach that you’re not. Try and pay attention to areas of social media where your competitors are lacking. For example, if your competitors are not posting as often, try and post more often on in order to increase your customer engagement. Lastly, pay attention to the types of content your competitors are posting. Are they posting thought-provoking content, photos or updates about their business? Take notes on what their customers respond well to and see what engages them the most.

5. Reputation

Your business’ reputation can be the main deciding factor when customers decide whether they want to use your product or service. Do some searching and see how your customers review your competitors. If your competitors have higher ratings than you, you may want to pay attention to what they’re doing and try to apply some of the things their customers like to your business.

In the end, your competitors can teach you a lot about how to operate your business, promote your products and engage with customers.

What goes into being an IT Manager?

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Every day, an information technology manager (IT manager) is responsible for so many functions of a business. The importance of what goes into being IT manager is becoming increasingly greater with the constant advancement and reliance on technology in businesses. Being an IT manager isn’t simply a starter position either, the position requires experience and expertise in the field for it to be done efficiently. There are many difficult tasks and responsibilities that go into the everyday life of an IT manager; here are just a few:

Planning Projects

Advancements in a businesses management systems are always needed so the business can stay updated with constant changes is modern business practices. The IT manager is responsible for developing plans to improve their system and how to effectively distribute their work to employees. Determining costs and timescales are all parts of project management. Projects like these take plenty of time and attention to be completed effectively and always need to be in constant thought of the manager.

Coordinating IT Staff

Taking on the role of an IT manager means being in charge of a sizeable group of employees. The manager must organize duties for employees to keep them fully engaged to their maximum potential. Engagement drops to 2% on teams with managers who ignore their employees, so IT managers should always be available to employees questions or concerns. The IT staff must understand the computer management system of the business in order to maintain effective work.

Balancing Client and Business’ Needs

IT managers are also responsible for complying their online interfaces with the requests of the business and the customers. This means when a problem arises regarding usability or confusion from customers, the IT manager has to fix the issue without compromising the features original purpose. Similarly, when the business wants to implement a new feature in their website or mobile application, the IT manager is responsible for presenting the feature that won’t compromise the satisfaction of the customer’s experience. Finding a constant balance between these two aspects is an everyday duty of an IT manager.

Designing and Managing Technology Systems

Whatever the business, the IT manager is in charge of maintaining an operational and safe computerized system. Being the leader means being the go-to person to find creative solutions to issues with the computer system. IT managers must be knowledgeable in their field as well in regards to the system. If there are any issues that arise regarding its usability or implementation of improvement, the IT manager is responsible for it.

With all the difficult responsibilities of IT managers, taking any opportunity to relieve stress from their everyday work is always needed. Many IT managers have adopted an already established computerized system for resource management or use an additional software for project management such as TeamHeadquarters. Being an IT manager may have it’s ups-and-downs, but with all the roles and responsibilities, you are one of the most integral parts of the business operations.

Why Centralized Systems Make Your Team More Efficient

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Constantly misplacing documents, losing track of schedules and being disorganized seems to become an everyday routine. However, there is a way to solve this problem with centralized software systems. A centralized system is a database that is stored located and operated in only one location. This means that everything such as your schedule, messaging systems, documents and much more are kept all in one place. Not only can this be beneficial to you as an individual, this can also be beneficial to the productivity of your work team, and here’s why.

Everyone Is On The Same Page

Emails constantly being sent back and forth can become disorganized. They pile up quickly and some of the important, crucial emails can get lost in a heap of junk mail. However, with a centralized system, notifications are never missed. Everyone involved within the team will be up to date on the latest tasks and news. This way, all emails, texts and documents sent back and forth between you and your team will remain within the system and can be easily located. Therefore, by using a centralized system, the line of communication between you and your team is stronger than ever.

Efficient Scheduling

Managing your employee’s schedules can be a difficult task, especially when a shift is unexpectedly cancelled. As a manager, you need to step in, take charge and find another employee to cover that shift. Without a centralized system, this task can become difficult due to the multiple emails flying between you and your employees, determining who can work and changing the schedule. On the other hand, with a centralized system, you can create more complex schedules that are simple for you to create and for your employees to follow. Employees can also see what their co-worker’s schedules are so they know who they’re working with.

Increased Productivity

When using a non-centralized system, locating document after document and email after email can be extremely time-consuming. For example, an employee has a task due at the end of their shift. To their surprise, they have misplaced some documents that are crucial to said task. The employee will keep searching until they have found the item they’ve been looking for. As a result of searching for these items, an employee will have wasted precious time that could have been spent on their assignment. Instead, with a centralized system, documents are neatly stored in organized folders that can be easily found by searching for titles or keywords. Having a centralized system ensures employees can focus more on the task at hand, rather than locating items, therefore, increasing productivity.

Reduced Conflict

When only a few higher ranking people in a company are in charge of making decisions for the larger group, not everyone will agree with the decisions being made. Employees can get upset and if the disagreement further continues, it will eventually lead to conflict. To avoid this, a centralized system makes it easier to communicate with all your employees and receive their thoughts and recommendations on changes or ideas within a company. Everyone’s ideas can be stored in one place and a fair decision can be made.

In the end, centralized systems are key to having an efficient team. They ensure everyone is on the same page, increases productivity and reduces conflict within the workplace. Centralized systems can help keep you and your team organized and on track.

What Customers Expect from Customer Service

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Your customers are the reason your business is still standing. They are generating your company revenue by purchasing your products and services. The difference between a satisfied customer and dissatisfied customer are often determined by the type and quality of customer services you offer. When it comes to customer service, customers have high expectations. They want to feel valued and appreciated while having great service from you and your company. Here are five things customers expect from customer service.

1. Multiple Contact Methods

Customers love to feel connected to you and your business. When it comes to customer satisfaction, they love to have options for maintaining contact with your company. Stay connected with your customer base via email, live chat, telephone, or social media. For example, when a customer is doing a simple interaction such as changing a password, they would rather have a simple method of communication such as email or customer self-serve when verifying ownership. However, when a customer is doing a more complex task, they prefer to have a more personalized method of communication such as talking on the phone or in person. In the end, customers want the freedom of choice regarding contact methods.

2. Shorter Wait Times

Nowadays, everyone is busy and we no longer have time to wait around. When a customer has a question, they want it to be answered within minutes, not business days. The waiting time should be based on what communication method a customer is using. For example, if a customer has a question and they call the company, an immediate response is expected. However, if a customer is emailing the company about a question or concern, a reply within 20 minutes to an hour is reasonable. All customers are looking for a reasonable response time for their questions!

3. Personal Interactions

Almost three-quarters of customers prefer a personalized customer service experience; not only does a personal experience allow the customer to feel valued, it also allows customers’ needs to be met more efficiently. An example of a positive personal experience with a customer service agent would be a conversation where the customer is not having to repeat themselves in order to get their concern addressed. The opposite of a personal experience would be when the service agent is answering questions in an unfriendly and uninterested voice.

4. Customers Want Their Voices to be Heard

In the customer service industry, customers want to feel as if their voices are being heard. This means that their feedback is being considered and used in the company. Many customers feel as if their feedback is not being heard. From a company standpoint, make sure you act on customer feedback. When you do, ensure you give credit to the customers for having the idea. For example, you could say “We listened to what you had to say and we came up with ‘x’ to fix your problems” This makes customers understand that you’re listening to them and value their input.

5. Customers Want Their Expectations to be Met

This may sound like a no-brainer, however many companies fail to do so when is comes to customer service. Customers get frustrated easily when their expectations are not met. When a customer has a question about a product, they expect the conversation with the service agent to run smoothly. If these expectations are not met, the customer becomes frustrated. In order to keep customers satisfied, the business first needs to know the expectations of the customer and understand how to meet them. In order to find out what a customer’s expectations are, they can either have customers file a survey or a follow-up questionnaire at the end of their experience.

Your customers are the backbone of your company. Keeping them happy means they’re more likely to come back and use your services or products again. By considering the customers’ expectations and ensuring they are met, you are improving their lives as well as the health of your company.

Three Surefire Ways to Eliminate Workplace Distractions

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Your project is due at the end of the day, and a blank document sits open on your computer. Business banter among your co-workers has transitioned to gossip and chatter. Your phone awakens with a new email, text message, or Facebook update every time you set it down. The sounds of printers, copiers, phone calls, conversations, and cars outside flood your ears and drown your focus. There’s no way you’ll get this task done.

Unfortunately, this scenario is far too familiar for many people every day. Workplace distractions can make productivity pull to a screeching halt, limit creativity, and cause unnecessary stress that affects the rest of your daily life. Staying focused on the task at hand is more difficult than it seems. However, the benefits that come from prioritizing and getting things done on time make it a desirable skill to have. Here are some tips that can help you stay in your zone and eliminate distractions in your workplace.

Do-Not-Disturb Mode

Ask anyone with an office job what their biggest distraction is, and odds are they’ll say it’s their phone. The buzzing and flashing screen of notifications bring us out of our focus, and make us mix our business and personal lives. In a perfect world, our phones would be kept hidden away while we work, but this is real life and there are plenty of reasons why we need to keep our personal devices nearby. Therefore, to mitigate distractions while our phones are within reach, Do-Not-Disturb is a perfect option. Activating Do-Not-Disturb prevents any notifications from distracting you when productivity is a priority: calls don’t appear, texts are temporarily blocked, and notifications for all apps won’t be received. If you’re worried about the communication black-out affecting your ability to respond to emergencies, you can rest easy! You have the ability to allow notifications from certain contacts, or from people who call multiple times in a row. This option is available on both IOS and Android operating systems.

Eliminating Background Noise

Noisy distractions like chatter from employees, office machines, movement, or other surrounding noises can have a huge negative impact on your productivity. Depending on your workplace’s policy on music, headphones are always a great option for tuning out and preventing outside noise from sidetracking your train of thought. However, shy away from loud music with too many lyrics or from your favourite songs. This may have you focusing more on the music than your work, adding to your list of distractions and producing the opposite effect of what was intended. Listening to jazz, classical, or any other passive music can block out external noise without being a distraction itself. Additionally, ear plugs are another great alternative for reducing the noise around you if music isn’t allowed.

Reducing Clutter

A neat, clean workspace is another key to staying focused and eliminating distractions. This could simply mean cleaning your desk, getting rid of unnecessary papers, and neatly organizing the essentials for your current project. You’d be surprised how much this can affect your workplace efficiency. With nothing sticking out like a sore thumb in front of you, it is much easier to stay focused on the task at hand. De-cluttering is also important on the digital side of things. Multiple open tabs, a busy desktop, or a distracting background screen can cause you to stray from your intended action. Delete shortcuts for social media and anything that isn’t work-related. Close any internet tabs that you don’t need currently, replace that background image of your dream vacation destination with something simple that won’t make your mind wander. If you dedicate five minutes to clean up and return order to your workspace each day, it could save you much more time when you need to concentrate.

With so many distractions in the modern-day office place reducing our output and efficiency, it’s difficult to find a way to overcome them all. Most importantly, we should try our best not to become a distraction for others, and to communicate with our co-workers to try to minimize the issues we encounter. Reducing the noise we make, the unnecessary notifications we send, and clutter we cause for others in the workplace makes productivity much easier for everyone. This, combined with the tips listed above and a solid work ethic will help you to go above and beyond your productivity goals, and impress your employer or clients.