Business

Modern businesses benefit from automated payment processing because it allows them to manage their subscriber’s accounts and customise their offerings. Aside from the convenience of the platform, an electronic financial transaction gives your business the power to predict cash flow.

The advantage of direct debit solutions for your business far outweighs the initial investment to provide your business with the convenience of payment automation and stable cashflow. So, what should you consider when finding the right payment processing system to keep your business running smoothly?

What You Need to Understand before Getting Recurring Payment Services

Choosing the right automated payment system for your business is often a complicated endeavour, considering you need to understand all the requirements needed. As such, you also need to get a service provider that offers the best option for your enterprise. Ensuring end-to-end processing, quality service, and security of the whole payment system must be provided.

To start, a Payment Service Provider (PSP) has the sole responsibility to handle confidential information regarding your business and your customers. They must also possess certification and accreditation from the industry to ensure quality service.

Security is a vital consideration when looking for the right auto-payment system for your business. A service provider must have a flexible security system to protect the integrity of your business and your customers.

Nonetheless, when looking for the right provider, it’s always imperative to find a partner that provides you with the right tools to create financial reports and analytics that show where your company stands. Excellent financial statements and analytics tools ensure you get accurate readings of your company’s finances.

Finding the Right Direct Debit Solutions for Your Business

There are many instances when subscription service providers only acquire what’s available without considering it. More or less, the brunt of unsuitable direct debit solutions becomes apparent when inconsistencies, auto-debiting errors, and other payment gateway problems exist.

Getting the right direct debit solutions often falls on the precept of knowing what your business requires and finding the right service that fits the bill of your business. An excellent merchant account provider is not just crucial for the survival of your business, but they are one of the best ways to ensure its continuous growth.

Think of companies with the same business niche as yours offering a single currency payment for their subscribers. Remember that people browsing through the net are more likely to abandon your site because they do not find something more convenient for them.

Issues like this often go unnoticed, especially on the parts of business owners who are not keen on cart abandonment rates and its leeway.

Get the Right Solutions for Your Business and the Best Payment System for Your Customers

Because of the current trends of auto-debit for recurring subscriptions, it would be easier to delve into the actual market behaviour with an agile payment platform. Customers nowadays are more inclined to use their plastics for the sake of convenience.

The current market behaviour is known as payment coupling, where customers are more inclined to use their credit or debit cards instead of cash. A subscription-based business can harness the power of the market by providing customers with a user-friendly payment system that helps retain current customers and attract possible ones.

Remember that your direct debit solutions have a direct impact on cart abandonment rates. So, getting the right one always ensures your business is on the right track.

 

Author – Darren Wilson

Today, many companies throughout the world are relying heavily on digital platforms to advertise their businesses. Arguably, it seems like traditional marketing and advertising is dead. However, some organizations are using traditional ways such as vinyl banners, signs, flyers, and balloons as advertising methods.

One of these conventional means of promotion and advertisement is custom flags. Printing flags is a perfect approach to promoting special or sporting events, your brand, and new service or product. Numerous companies still recognize such traditional means of advertisement as the most efficient method.

Printing your company name and logo on a flag will ensure your customers remember the details. Banners can also be displayed around or in front of your office for more brand awareness. Here are some reasons why it would be best to have flags for your business.

They are affordable

Flags are easy to produce hence can fit in your marketing budget. Many digital marketing methods, as well as media efforts, can be expensive. Flags immediately draw attention to your business without breaking the bank.

The best element about flags is their simplicity. All you need to print is the company name, logo, tagline or slogan, and trademark. You only have to look for an ideal company that prints custom flags and send them details.

The last thing is choosing the perfect color for your flag and selecting any additional text or designs. During your marketing campaign, you will realize that using flags will cost less but earn your company more awareness hence profits.

They reinforce your business

For example, if you continue to attend both non-local and local events and trade shows, the customers will keep seeing your flag. This ensures the clients remember your company name. Since flags are out on display, they are a perfect way to reinforce your business.

Using flags can also help you create and establish business connections. When a flag is displayed outside the physical location of your business, it continues to promote your brand. Some passersby might become intrigued and decide to visit your store.

They are useful marketing tools

Flags were utilized way before digital marketing. If they were an active mode of advertising, then, they are still helpful and efficient today. Signs are everywhere, and people are accustomed to seeing advertising tools such as billboards and banners.

If you cannot afford costly billboards or banners, you can use flags. They also give you room for creativity to ensure your flags attract more people. Remember, flags are easy to print as well.

They are reusable

Printing flags is a one-and-done type of payment, unlike hiring a marketing team. You can use your flag in various ways; you can keep it around your store or outside. You can also use it when you have events, or you are participating in trade shows.

They are lightweight hence portable, and you can easily carry your flags around. Flags are also easy to hang and display.

You do not want to waste your flag. When you create a flag for a specific event, you can still find other ways to utilize it.

Custom flags are among the most effective marketing tools. They are lightweight and portable; hence you can display them wherever you wish. These flags also give you flexibility and freedom when selecting what you want to print.

 

While running your own business is hard, trying to run your business with no one on your side and nobody to bounce your ideas off of can make things even more challenging. Because no man is an island, entrepreneurs and other business owners can really benefit from having another business mind on their side who’s interested in their success without being in competition with them―and this is exactly what a business coach can be.

If you’ve ever wondered how working with a business coach could be helpful to you, here are three benefits that you can derive from working with a business coach.

Refine Your Business Goals

For many business owners, one of the hardest things to do with a young business is to narrow down your field of vision to really focus on what your business goals are and how to accomplish them. In this situation, having someone with a little more business experience can be extremely helpful.

According to Sohail Khan, a contributor to Entrepreneur.com, a business coach can help you make better and smarter decisions that will lead you to more refined business goals that will help your business flourish more than you could have made possible on your own. Through this refining process, you’ll be able to pinpoint exactly what your ultimate business goal is and get assistance creating a plan of action for how to reach that goal.

Avoid Common Mistakes and Miscalculations

The experience of a business coach is one thing that’s hard to ignore. Especially if your business coach has direct experience with the type of business you’re running, their advice can be invaluable.

As part of this advice, Ben Walker, a contributor to Forbes.com, shares that business coaches will often help their clients to avoid common mistakes or miscalculations that other novice business owners might easily fall victim to. With their guidance, you may find that you’re able to save yourself a lot of time, money, and stress that you otherwise would have had to experience had you not had a business coach there with you.

Expand Your Network

Not only can you learn from the experience that your business coach brings with them to your partnership, but Drew Gurley, a contributor to Inc.com, shares that your business coach will also open you up to so many more networking opportunities simply by knowing one another. Especially if your business coach has connections in the area of business that you’re trying to break into, this potential expansion to your network could single-handedly make having a business coach worth it to you.

If you’ve been thinking about working with a business coach but aren’t sure that the benefits will be worth it to you, consider using the information presented above to help you in making your decision.

 

Guest Author: Darren Wilson

If you are new to the world of business, then you may still be learning the ropes, trying to understand how the market works, and how you can bring your name out in the world. Typically, you would try to create a good impression by having a workspace that communicates your brand, along with printed banners, signages, and business cards that look presentable.

With technology being at the forefront of today’s market, you may think that digital marketing is now the way to go. While digital methods will surely benefit you, there are times when traditional and physical marketing campaigns are required to boost your sales. Aside from your typical business cards and banners, there are so many other collaterals you can make use of to spread the word about your company.

Nowadays, several printing companies can help you with your printing needs. Whether you need specialized printing methods or fast printing, you will not have a hard time finding a supplier to accomplish your accounts on time.

Calendars

If you are joining a trade show or other similar events and are unsure of what to give away, consider giving calendars! People often need calendars to track the days and months. With your branding stamped onto the calendar, they will continuously be reminded of your company every time they check the date. Aside from incorporating some visual designs, try to include expectations of your company throughout the months, so your clients are also aware of what you have in store for them.

Brochures

Brochures continue to be popular today simply because they are practical and still do the job. They are a good option if you need physical collateral that you can easily give out to your clients without having to spend too much. In terms of design, make sure you include visual elements that are eye-catching and attractive, while still incorporating information about your company and what it offers. The direct visual impact is said to be one of the longest-standing benefits of physical marketing and one of the reasons why it continues to be popularly used today.

If you have an event coming up real soon and your printer suddenly fails while printing your brochures, you no longer need to worry. Nowadays, you will find several fast printing services that can accomplish your needs within the same day.

Flyers

Flyers are similar to brochures but are typically printed on a single paper without the bi-fold or tri-fold. They are ideal for limited promotions or to focus more on specific products or services. For instance, if you’re spreading awareness about a contest, you can distribute flyers that contain all the pertinent information like the name, description, date, prize, and others. Similar to brochures, you can also get fast printing for flyers in case you are pressed for time!

Point-of-Sales Displays

Point-of-sales displays are ideal for retail products since they allow you to give more information to customers and capture their attention. They are typically found near checkout counters in grocery stores, hence the term “point of sale.” You can use multiple items like standees, flyers, free samples, hanging signs, etc., to keep by a cash register, so customers can quickly get a copy.

Banners

Big and visual banners continue to be one of the best ways you can communicate your brand to several hundred or thousands of people at once. Consider investing in retractable banners that you can quickly bring during your events since they are the perfect way to advertise your products to other people. You can also set up such banners in your office so that clients who visit can get to know more about your company quickly.

 

Guest Author: Darren Wilson

Preparing for your first desk job may seem daunting, but with the proper mindset, you can successfully get through your first day without troubles. One of the first things you can think about is how you can keep your workspace organised so that you can feel motivated and boost productivity. Having a clean desk can help you work better since your things are in order, and you’re not distracted by any clutter.

To make sure your workspace stays organised, write down the essential office supplies you need to keep on your desk. Even something as small as having enough Winc pens for all your writing needs can have a significant impact on your productivity at work.

Writing Instruments

Having good-quality black, blue, and red ballpoint pens are crucial for all your writing needs. As much as you enjoy fun and bright colours, such may not work in a more formal setting, so it would be best to stick to your basic options. Try to stock up on your pens by purchasing boxes, so you never run the risk of running out of pens while in the middle of your day.

It will also be useful to have a handy mechanical pencil, as well as pencil lead, ready with you in case you need to write drafts or similar things. Permanent markers will also help label your files, boxes, or other things that require more visibility.

Planning Materials

Working a desk job may entail you keeping track of several schedules, tasks, and the like. As a result, getting a planner or other supplies to help you remember important details will be your life-saver. If you’re not in the habit of regularly writing on a planner, you can opt for a different route and have sticky notes that you can stick to your desk or computer screen. Having these notes will make it easier for you to remember they are likely the first thing you see when you sit down.

Organising Supplies

When dealing with multiple files and documents, staying organised is key to ensuring you do not lose any important papers. To do this, you can have a stack of Winc organisation supplies ready any time you need to use them. Staplers, binder clips, and paper clips will help keep papers together, while folders and binders will help file your documents by categories.

Miscellaneous

When you think of office supplies for your desk, you would commonly think about stationery or other similar things. However, hygiene and cleanliness are equally important in helping you achieve an organised work desk. Have a box of tissues and a pack of wipes ready in case you have any spills, and keep some hand sanitiser or rubbing alcohol on your desk to keep your hands clean, especially since you will be working with lots of paper and supplies.

There are several benefits to organising your work desk, some of which include less stress and higher productivity. Part of having a clean and organised space is having the right office supplies to help you. Without binders and folders, for instance, your paper will be scattered everywhere, and you can easily forget where you placed an important document. To avoid this from happening, keep a list of the supplies you need to make sure that you’re fully prepared to conquer your first day at work!

Guest Author: Darren Wilson

When you are running a small business, you need to have a reliable telephone system to keep an open line with your staff, customers, and suppliers. While there are other communication tools like mobile phones, emails, and chat messaging apps nowadays, the telephone remains one of the most convenient ways to communicate. But choosing the right phone systems for small business needs thorough consideration. Picking the wrong one can result in significant financial and operational losses. To make sure that you will make the right decision, here are several guidelines for choosing the best telephone system for your company:

Consider the Size of your Team

To determine the right phone systems for small business, you must consult your business team first and then decide how many people in your team will need a telephone for operation. You may opt to get a simple two-line business phone from your local electronics store. It can serve at least four to five staff members. But if you need to expand your team in the future, you must find a different telephone system that can accommodate more people inside the company.

Analyze the Essential Features that you need 

Most telephone systems for businesses offer unique features that can help in smoother transactions. If you do not hire a receptionist to answer all the calls, you should look for a phone that has an auto-attendant that can direct the call to a specific person. Other essential features that can be useful for your small business include call forwarding, conference calling, and voice mail recording, among others.

Look at your Company’s Geographic Location

If you plan to expand your small business to other locations, you need to consider getting more than one telephone system for each branch. It may cost you some amount of money. But installing a different phone system for each location can help you communicate faster and more precisely.

Choose the Right Telecommunications Technologies

Nowadays, different telecommunications technologies can help you communicate better within and outside the company. One of the latest technologies is the Private Branch Exchange (PBX). It is a phone system made and designed for businesses to provide effective voice communications between each member of the company. When someone dials the number of your business, the PBX system will automatically direct the call to the right department.

Another useful business telecommunication technology is the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Compared to other phone systems, VoIP does not use phone lines or an actual telephone unit. Instead, the handset comes as a small computer that you need to connect to the internet. You can use this in different locations.

Test before Purchase

With regard to the right phone systems for small business, you need to have a dry run first before buying them. You must understand how to add new lines, add new features, or reprogram the system in case you need to remove an old employee’s details. By testing the phone system first, you will save up a lot of money from buying something that will eventually become unused in the future.

Installing a new telephone system for your small business may be overwhelming at first. So make sure that you study all the options before deciding on the system that you plan to use. You may ask for references from other companies that already used the kind of telephone system that you want to buy to get proper feedback. A new telephone system can become an investment that could help your business grow, as long as you choose the right one.

 

 

Have you ever been harmed at a business due to the carelessness of others? If you’ve answered “Yes!” to this question, you might be a victim of workplace negligence. This surprisingly common problem results in thousands of injuries each year.

Staying informed about all the legal aspects of negligence can help you get the compensation you deserve. Keep reading to find out everything you should know about negligence in the workplace.

What is Work Negligence?

Legally speaking, negligence occurs whenever a person or a business does not behave with the appropriate level of care. Someone is being negligent if they are not following regulations or behaving in a reasonably responsible way.

Typically, if you want to prove someone was negligent in court, you have to show that:

• The person had a responsibility;
• They did not fulfill that responsibility;
• They caused harm due to their lack of responsibility.

It’s important to understand what is negligence in a legal environment before accusing a business or manager of it. Negligence can occur in all types of situations. However, it counts as workplace negligence if an employee or customer at a business is harmed due to negligence. You can’t take action if nobody is hurt.

Examples of Workplace Negligence

There are all types of negligent practices in the workplace.

A business can be negligent if someone else is harmed due to:

• physical injury;
• mental trauma;
• loss of funds.

Typically, workplace negligence is divided into a few basic categories:

• Hiring: An employer can be negligent if they don’t do their due diligence before hiring an employee. Or if they do not fire an employee who behaves badly.

• Security: This type of negligence can occur when employee or client information or belongings are stolen. This is typically due to the business’s poor security practices.

• Training: A failure to train employees properly or supervise them properly during tasks. Improper training can lead to injuries for workers or customers.

• Premises: Someone is harmed due to a business not taking care of their building or equipment properly.

Is Work Negligence Illegal?

Negligence in the workplace is always bad, but it is not necessarily illegal. Typically, work negligence can be deemed illegal if there is something called criminal negligence involved. Criminal negligence usually leads to someone dying or a child being endangered.

For example, if an employer made an employee clean high-rise windows without safety equipment, they might face criminal charges if the employee fell and died. However, in cases where no one dies, negligence is normally not something that an employer can get arrested for.

Keep in mind that you can still seek legal help even when you cannot press criminal charges. In cases where the negligence is not criminal, you can still sue the person in a civil court. In cases when you want to sue somebody for work negligence you need evidence to prove:

– Duty: The person/business has a duty to make sure accidents don’t happen.

– Breach: Demonstrate that the accident occurred even with all safety precautions.

– Causation: The accident must cause some visible damage.

– Damages: There needs to be actual proof of damage.

What Can You Do About Work Negligence?

The main way of holding negligent employers responsible is by suing them in a civil lawsuit. You can ask for compensation to cover:

• medical bills;
• loss of employment;
• loss of earning potential;
• pain and suffering.

The court will then take a look at the case. If you can show that your employer did not reasonably attempt to follow regulations and fulfill basic responsibilities, you can win the lawsuit and receive money. If you suspect that you are a victim of workplace negligence, it is important to talk to a lawyer as soon as possible. They can help you determine if you have a case and let you know what type of information you should gather as proof.

Moving offices is no mean feat, so it’s certainly not a decision to be taken lightly. There’s needs to be a strong driving force that indicates that upping sticks and changing location is the right thing to do and, when that decision is made, there are plenty of things to take into account before the move can be completed successfully. Whether you’re a small business of 10 employees or a large enterprise of 1,000+ workers, here are five of the main things you need to consider when relocating business premises.

• Planning

Changing business premises isn’t something that can be done quickly. A lot of planning and careful thinking needs to go into things, ensuring that every tiny detail is taken care of. Of course, one of the most important things to plan is the budget. The cost of the move will be taken out of the business’ earnings, but will your company profit from the move in the long run, making it all worthwhile? When planning a timeline, allow for delays and always have contingencies and fallbacks in place, should anything not work out the way it should.

• Sizing things up

Finding the perfect office space is a huge, but exciting task, with a number of things to take into account. You need to be sure that there’ll be enough room for all the office equipment and furniture that you’ll need to take with you. If not, is there space for external storage solutions on the grounds of your new premises? You can also sell any old furniture you no longer need.

As well as fitting in all of your office property, the most important thing to consider is the comfort of your staff. Carry out a number of studies in the lead-up to the move to determine roughly how many employees are on site on any given day, taking into account annual leave, sickness, business trips etc. This will also help you figure out how big the parking lot will need to be and whether or not you’ll need to offer things such as hot-desking or flexible working.

• Logistics

The move itself needs to run as smoothly as possible, with little to no disruption to the running of your business. Large-scale, important projects and your company’s busiest periods should be taken into consideration and the moving date should fit around these, so as not to impact either your employees or your clients. If possible, stagger the move so that just one or two teams are moving at any one time, instead of the whole office together. Have all your IT and facilities staff on hand to get things up and running as quickly as possible and, where you can, have as much of the setting up done outside of office hours.

• Accessibility

It’s vital that your new office location is easily accessible not only to your employees, but to your clients and customers too. You need somewhere that has good public transport links and is also easily reached by road. Not just beneficial to your existing staff, clients and stakeholders, but a good location will make your business more desirable to potential new clients too, if you choose somewhere that gives your services a vantage point.

• Communication

It might seem fairly obvious, but effective communication before, during and even after the move is essential to the success of the whole operation. It can be a stressful period for all involved, made more difficult if people aren’t made aware of what’s going on, on what days and what they need to be doing in preparation. Keep all your staff fully informed throughout each stage of the move, even – and especially – if there are delays. People are always a lot more understanding if things are communicated properly. As well as immediate employees, be sure to inform all clients, suppliers and any other necessary stakeholders of the move, so there’s no confusion down the line with deliveries or meetings.

Have you got everything covered for your big move? Hopefully now you can use this checklist to ensure that your business relocation runs as smoothly as possible for both you and your employees.

 

If you’re a business owner, then you need to know how to create a marketing campaign that parallels today’s technology trends. Current culture is lathered in digital technology, and the IoT (internet of things) holds the key to a worldwide audience.

Capitalize on the fast pace of society, and learn how to keep pace with what’s happening in the digital realm. Take a moment now to read through a few digital marketing tips that will help your entrepreneurial endeavors truly take flight.

Refine the design of your website

You likely already have a website for your business, but there’s never a time when you should stop refining and updating the design of your site. There’s always something new to learn about optimizing your website design.

You will also want to update the content your business displays on a regular basis to retain the interest of web users. Use your website as a medium for communication with your target consumer, and don’t take the maintenance of your pages lightly.

Invest in building a blog collection

Your business will gain more digital ground with more digital content to hold the interest of web users. Your business should work to create a competent collection of relevant blog posts. This oil and gas blog post contains the information interested web users might want to explore. The relevancy of this company’s blog post is spot on for their target user.

Claim your stake on social media

Social media is a superhighway for online traffic, and you want your business to be a pitstop along the way. Build a profile for your business on a couple of social media platforms, and choose the platforms which are likely frequented by your target audience.

Use social media sharing buttons to make other digital content you upload to the web more “shareable”. Add the familiar icons to strategic spaces throughout the whole of your web presence, and you’re sure to see a boost in interest.

Utilize the tools provided by Google

Google provides a long list of digital tools to help you master the art of creating content that finds its target. If you’re not already using the tools provided by Google, then you’re not doing the best you can to build a successful digital presence.

Google Analytics, Google Keyword Planner, and Google Adwords are just a few of the helpful programs offered by the search engine giant. Take the time to truly explore how Google can help you to work alongside its search engine for boosted visibility.

Always optimize for mobile users

If you want to make your digital content easier for the general digital user to explore, then you’ll have to work to optimize for mobile users.

Mobile access to the internet is the number one method of “surfing” today. Your business simply cannot afford to overlook such a populous group of consumers.

There is a lot of attention paid to the idea of improving communities and neighborhoods. Whether people think about it or not, much of these improvements come from industrial technology. Most people see the results of industrial improvements, but don’t consider what kind of effort goes into making them happen, especially on a large scale.

So if you want to be a better and more informed citizen, a small amount of research goes a long way. Think about how wastewater treatment affects your community. Think about how wind power can change the energy bills of an entire area. And how do you think public transportation systems are created and constructed? All of these things rely heavily on industrial technology and its application.

Wastewater Treatment

Start with the idea of wastewater treatment solutions. Do you know what happens with your greywater in your community? Depending on the size of your neighborhood, imagine how all of the wastewater systems and sewer systems connect and combine. Think about how runoff from storm drains works its way through your community. These are massive projects that have been undertaken at various points in your community’s history, and they have to regularly be updated, maintained, and transformed through the use of industrial technology. If a wastewater treatment facility malfunctions, think of the consequences!

Wind Power

What does it take to add wind power to a community? You see a lot of emotional persuasions one way or the other when it comes to wind power, but where is all of the logic? How much energy gets made by these gigantic structures, and what does it take to install them in the first place. If there 30 feet tall, how many feet below the ground do they have to be stabilized? The larger the unit, the more energy it produces, but the more difficult it is to create in the first place.

Public Transportation Systems

The creation of public transportation systems is another positive aspect of intelligent industrial technology and implementation. Maybe not so much with bus systems, but certainly for anything that has a rail as a base. As an example, what kind of planning do you think it took to get a railway system going even in a midsized city? The engineering must have been fantastic! Knowing how to approach a system and recognizing what it will look like when it’s finished is extremely important to achieve long-term goals.

Other public transportation systems that involve underground construction would be even more complicated. If the community relies on subway systems, what kinds of checks and balances do you think are in place concerning all of the necessary construction and maintenance over the years?