Business

Where office space is at a premium price and fierce competition exists, it makes perfect sense to invest time in looking for a commercial real estate solution that will give your business a distinct edge in the marketplace. Whether you are looking to relocate your office, refit your existing office or find premises for the first time, hiring a team of experts that understands your needs and the real estate market will translate to a huge advantage.

The Benefits of a Commercial Estate Agent

If you’re a business struggling to get ahead and you need a new office space or a way to recreate your existing one, maybe it’s time to look at the benefits of using a commercial estate agent. But what can such a service offer you in a congested market?

If you’re looking for commercial premises in a crowded and busy city like London, for example, hiring a commercial estate agent will mean that you have local market expertise on your side. Companies in this sector that have decades of experience know the market and know the commercial real estate space intimately. They will understand and be familiar with trends in the market and will have already developed a rapport with local landlords, other business owners and brokers.

If you already know what kind of business premises you require, they can help you to find them quickly. If, on the other hand, you haven’t quite developed a vision yet, they can help you to flesh it out using their knowledge of what works best for modern businesses.

In fact, there are even some commercial estate agents based in London who also specialise in office and commercial interiors, refurbishments and refits. This means that they can take an approach to assisting businesses that begins at the planning stage and ends with the office refit and workplace design.

Using a commercial estate agent in this way saves time and money in the long run, and provides valuable access to their local knowledge, contacts and expertise. A reputable agent will work with you from the planning stage right through to the move and/or the refit or refurbishment, giving you a measurable advantage in a congested and competitive business sphere.

The Right Interior for a Happy Team

Once business premises have been located, the next step is to fit the space out in order to meet the expectations of your employees and your organisational vision. In fact, the right kind of workspace can even result in a net gain in terms of employee productivity, according to recent studies. This saves both time and money and propels the business to further growth and success. In this context, it’s worth looking at just some of the types of workspace interiors that increase productivity and employee satisfaction:

• A connection to nature: Providing a connection to the outside world through the extended use of window space and outside light and views can result in a more positive employee experience. If employees are happy in their workspace, it’s more likely that they’ll be more productive throughout the day.

• Employee control: Psychologically, if an employee feels more personally in control of their environment, they will also feel more comfortable. One way to provide this control is to give employees direct access to heating and cooling controls. If an employee can directly control their workplace comfort on a cold day, for example, they’re far more likely to be productive and less likely to be concerned with and distracted by basic bodily needs. It has also been noted in numerous studies that improved airflow, air quality and ventilation all translate to a more positive working environment and employee productivity.

• Interior design: Undoubtedly the layout and design of workspaces have changed significantly over the decades. In order to gain an advantage in a competitive market, the most reputable companies understand that putting employees at the centre of interior design and layout is paramount to gaining traction in the marketplace. Configuring office layout to clarify both workstations and social areas is key to good design and employee satisfaction, and designing in such a way as to decrease distracting interior and exterior noise provides for increased productivity. Encouraging employee collaboration without increasing distraction is one of the keys to a modern office layout.

• Active areas: More and more workplaces are also including active areas for employee exercise and other related amenities, such as gymnasiums and play areas. In Silicon Valley, for example, rich tech companies often include downtime areas where employees can relax and play games in order to break out of the workspace in order to feel more refreshed when they return. Including such breakout areas may seem revolutionary, but recognising that employee satisfaction, productivity and creativity are some of the secrets to business success is vital to understanding modern trends in interior design.

Your Business and Your Ongoing Business Reputation

In order to have a successful business, it’s vital to recognise that using every tool at your disposal is one of the foundations of being able to level the playing field and promote commercial growth. By using a commercial estate agent, a business gains access to local knowledge and design expertise that translates to business success in a modern business environment.

Ultimately, your business reputation is on the line, and by creating an inviting workspace through good design, the right location and more satisfied employees, you can gain a valuable foothold in the market. A great office means:

• Improved employee well-being, which translates to increased productivity and employee retention, and

• The broad potential to impress clients, customers and other visitors to your place of business.

If you see your place of business as indistinguishable from the reputation of your business, then making it the best place to work should be one of the cornerstones of your success. By investing in the workspace and hiring a commercial estate agent with experience who understands the locality and business trends, you are also investing in the future of your business.

As a business man you have finally decided to take the plunge into the credit card payment acceptance. You must now be aware and prudent in choosing the right merchant credit card processors. This involves a little bit of research and understanding of the technical jargons.

Look for trusted representative

Before you pick the merchant services, it is important to browse through several of them. You will be visited by a representative from the merchant service company. The rep is going to play a vital role. Choose someone who can be trusted and do not hype up the actual picture. You may ask your friend for their feedback and referrals. But just don’t go by their opinions alone. Make your own calculation before taking the final leap.

Know the pricing models

There are basically three types of pricing models provided by merchant credit card processors which you must know:

Flat rate: It is more popular. Suitable for small business units with small volume of transaction. May cost more for per transaction.

Tiered: They have qualified, non-qualified and mid qualified levels. Based on the processing of the transaction, fees are charged on tiers.

Interchange: it’s a kind of wholesale cost wherein there is also a negotiated cost that is added up to it. This can be a very confusing model but is beneficial for middle to large scale business units.

Understand the fees involves

Getting to know in detail about the fees involved is the next major step. You must ask about all the vital parameters like

• Annual fees
• Monthly penalty if any, then negotiate on this
• Termination fees rate
• Service fees charged n monthly basis
• Application fee, set up fee, statement fee, batch fee, online reporting fee and so on

Customer service level

You may need their assistance at any time. Ensure that they have a dedicated system for attending to customer queries 24/7.

Update on software and equipment

You must be ready with the equipment and terminals for taking on credit card payment. It is also essential to keep your staff trained for the same. Enquire if the merchant services company offer any free training for the same. This will help in hassle free set up.

Compare and change

Once installed you must keep track of your charges and fees. If you feel that the current provider is charging you high then never hesitate to switch to another provider.

If you are studying a SAS Analytics training course, then hopefully you will have got to choose the company that you do it through. You should pick one that you feel will lead you to success. However, you may have had the course chosen for you by your employer or you may not be sure how to tell. Luckily as well as choosing a good course, there are things that you can do to help you be more successful.

Find good study conditions

It is well worth making sure that you choose a good place to study that will be quiet and have the equipment that you need. Trying to study in a busy family home or in the office could not be good as it will be distracting. You will need to think about what will suit you the best with regards to a good environment to work. You need to think about convenience of the location, what times you will be working as well to make sure that the place you choose will fit in with that.

Ask questions

It is important to make sure that you ask questions while you are doing the course. Make sure that you understand all of the information that you are learning but also ask questions about how to apply it to your work. Learning things around the core text will help to consolidate your knowledge and help you to understand it all better.

Read around the topic

You can also read around the topic yourself as well. This will help you to expand your knowledge which will look good when you are doing the examination. You will also have to have a good understanding of all of the basics if you want to know more about it and therefore it will help you to make sure that you have a good understanding of everything due to the analytics course.

Apply your knowledge

As mentioned before it is useful to apply your knowledge. If you cannot do this in your job, then find a way to do it at home. Practicing the theoretical work that you have learned will help you to consolidate what you have learned and be sure that you fully understand it. It will also allow you to be able to leave the course knowing how to use it in your job and at home. Practicing while still doing the course means that you will be able ask your tutor any questions should you get any problems.

Make sure your understand before moving on

It is so important to make sure that you understand before you move on to the next part. If you do not have a grasp of the basics then you may struggle to understand anything beyond that point. Make sure that you ask your tutor to explain everything to you fully, if you think that you will not be able to understand it on your own. They may be able to explain it in a selection of different ways so that you will be able to get a grasp of it.

Regardless of the kind of event you wish to hold, the most effective and easiest way to get your event known and try to market your offering is the use of flyers like club flyers. As long as it is done right, the use of flyers can surely get people in the event venue.  The following are some tips to maximize the use of flyers as a marketing idea for your planned special event.

Keep it Simple

A lot of people try to get each event they host on an 8.5×11 sheet of paper as they design their flyers. Usually, the page could not accommodate much and the space just makes things look quite generic and cluttered. Concentrate on two of the major highlights of the event and provide more details on these.

Use Testimonials on the Flyers

Using customer testimonials provide credibility to your business events and your company itself. It is essential to include testimonials in every marketing idea apart from flyers. These should be from those who have tried taking part in your events before. The testimonials should include the customer’s full name and picture if possible.

Avoid Going Crazy with the Design

Having too many fonts and colors in your flyers can only confuse people and then they will not be able to concentrate on what they can expect from your event. The flyers must be made simple with just one to two fonts.

If Possible Use Full Color

Flyers with full colors stand out from the rest. If you try to compare a black and white copy with a colored one, you will notice right away the difference in terms of appeal. Full color flyers surely look more professional. Check with Printing VIP for your color options.

When your budget does not allow color, consider using a bold color paper with black copy. Pink or bright yellow can be appealing compared with other colors. Your aim is to get your flyers noticed.

Never Run Cheap Picture Copies

It is important to always use a service which prints original photos rather than running photo copies. Such copies look cheap and you don’t want your flyers to look really unprofessional. This will affect the impression your possible clients will have on your business. Obviously, when using higher quality prints you will have to pay more. This may be a problem for the smaller firms. Fortunately, various financing options will be available. One of the simplest is using small cash loans that would be repaid quickly. They have reasonable interest rates and receiving them in a really short period of time is not at all difficult. Just be sure that you always get a deal from a reputable lender.

Include a Discount or Coupon

People always appreciate discount. Coupons will surely provide you much better results than anything else. Just ensure it is a great discount which will impress your receivers. Make sure you include a picture of the upcoming event that you give a discount for. This will increase the number of audience you can have at the event.

Ensure People can Find your Business Easily through the Flyers

A lot of flyers are well designed and have very compelling messages. However, people cannot locate the event venue as the flyers do not include enough contact information such as the address or contact number. The flyers should tell customers what to do. Consider including a map when possible. Try to make the finding as easy as possible. In case you want your customers to check information about your event online, do not forget to include your website.

Getting a great telephone answering service can really work wonders for your business, because that will enable you to do what you don’t have the time or money for. A great call and messaging service can do a whole variety of things, including answering phones, making outbound calls, performing customer service and dealing with call overflow, plus much more. Not having good customer relations and great customer service is a recipe for disaster in any business scenario. To keep the profits coming in, customers to be kept content—and to keep them content, you need to have a professional messaging service. Don’t miss calls and thus miss opportunities because you don’t have the time or money to spend all day on the phone. Spend just a little bit of money instead by hiring a professional team that will do it all for you.

The Virtual Receptionist

One of the most important parts of running a business is to be able to connect with customers and to be able to provide quick, efficient and effective customer service. Small businesses upon start-up often do not have the necessary cash, resources or manpower available to fully engage in customer service, which mainly consists of picking up the telephones as they ring. Don’t miss any more important calls from customers or clients because you don’t have the money to hire a full-time receptionist or because you don’t have the time to do it yourself. A virtual receptionist will take care of all of these problems for you. When a client or customer calls, a virtual receptionist will pick up the phone to help them along their way. The professional team from Message-Direct is available round the clock to provide you with a reliable receptionist. Highly trained staff will always pick up the phone within six seconds of the call being made, and these professionals have a lot of business experience across a variety of fields.

Message Taking

You may not always be there to pick up the phone, or you may not have the required time, but that doesn’t mean that the call wasn’t very important. Not to mention that sometimes when you tell people to take a message for you, they take down the wrong message, or maybe they don’t do it at all. In order for you and all of the relevant people to get the important messages that can make the difference between the success and the failure of your business, it’s crucial to have a great message-taking service.

Round-the-Clock Emergency Response

A large part of many businesses is to be able to effectively engage in customer service, resolve disputes and attend to emergencies in a timely fashion. By using a great call service, you can make sure that all of your clients’ and customers’ needs are taken care of in a timely manner. Don’t lose customers because of terrible customer service!

Overflow

When your business grows, the chances are that the phones are going to start ringing more and more. The problem is that you may not have the resources or manpower to keep up with the increased volume of customer calls. Missing these calls can result in angry customers and reduced profits for you. The way to avoid this is by getting a service that will be able to manage the overflow of calls in order to give you more time to address other matters. The trained professionals will be able to assist the customers as well as keep them content while you are dealing with more pressing issues. You can’t pick up two telephones at once, so hire a professional to pick up the other one for you.

Professional Outbound Marketing Services

Not all of your messaging needs are going to consist of inbound calls, because some of them will be outbound as well. Outbound calling is one of the best and most efficient ways to engage in marketing for any business. If you have an out-of-date customer database, a great outbound marketing team will be able to renew your information and keep it as up to date as possible so that you always have the right data. Even better than that, trained outbound marketing professionals can make follow-up calls on your behalf to see if the customer is happy and if their problem has been solved. These outbound calls also work wonders for making sales.

Ideal for New Businesses

Being an entrepreneur is great, but it often means being strapped for cash and not having much time to perform all of the duties required to keep the business afloat. A great part of a professional message taking and receptionist service is that you can employ them for a minimal cost. Answering phones, taking messages and making outbound calls already takes up a lot of time, so it doesn’t have to cost you a fortune too. This is very crucial for new start-up businesses because those first few months or even years are always very hard. Every single denomination of money that you can save goes a long way in ensuring the future success of your company. This is especially the case because in the beginning you may not have all that many customers. Therefore, taking good care of the ones that you do have is just that much more vital.

FAQs about the Messaging Service

One of the most frequently asked questions is whether or not you can choose when the calls are diverted. The answer to this is yes: you can always choose to pick up all of the calls or you can choose to divert 100% of them. Another question that often comes up is whether or not the service will clearly answer on behalf of the company in question. Once again, the answer to this is yes. The operator will have the business information and the preferred greeting on hand to ensure that the calls are handled exactly the way you want them to be handled. A great messaging service will do everything you need them to without ever letting anybody else know that it’s not even you!

As the name suggests, an applicant tracking system or ATS is an application software that helps to handle all types of recruitment issues. It can be used by both large enterprises as well as small and medium businesses for the explicit purpose of recruitment tracking. Much like the SEO optimised engines, these applicant tracking systems can help filter applications and resumes on the basis of specific criteria set by the user. Hence in case the business has a requirement of a certain academic qualification, the same can be input as the searching keyword and the applications received can be filtered.

The wide scale use of this system today has contributed hugely to the rise of resume optimisation techniques. There techniques use job specific keywords to enable a high ranking for a candidates resume. This, in turn, increases the chances of the candidate being called for an interview with the hiring manager.

Need for resume optimisation

Resumes are generally ranked based on the total number keyword matches or keyword density. These keywords are put into the applicant tracking systems as search criteria for filtering through the applications that they receive. Hence the successful screening of a candidates resume depends on its keyword density. Hence resume optimisation techniques help the candidate by

• Putting in the appropriate keywords into the resume and
• Enabling him to get a higher ranking than the other candidates.

Keyword categories

Keywords used for resume optimisation generally fall under categories like:

• Job titles: Generally each post is addresses to by a specific name which remains more or less similar across companies. Some common names of posts are software engineer, program director, marketing manager etc.

• Job responsibilities or skills required: Even though there might be slight differences in the naming of the posts, the skills required generally remain the same. Hence inputting these skills into the resume enables it to easily pass the filters set.

• Academic qualification: This is another common criterion which the recruiters use to filter and sort through the numerous job applications they receive. Resume optimisation techniques help by incorporating these keywords into the candidate’s resume.

• Industrial technologies and acronyms used: Criteria for the recruitment of the correct candidate also include the use of certain acronyms like TCP/IP, C++  These, if incorporated into the resume help it to get a better ranking and also get selected for an interview.

With ATS performing the first screening on the applications received against a specific job vacancy, it has become mandatory to make use of resume optimisation techniques and come up with a fool proof resume.

Patches or emblems are generally stitched onto clothes to denote that the person belongs to a particular group. For the bikers generally this patch is found on denim or leather vests worn by them. Patches may also contain certain secret symbols with meanings apparent to only the other members of the organisation or group.

Parts of biker patch

Generally the design and make of these artex patches worn so proudly by bikers, consists of three distinct parts. They are:

• The crescent-shaped rocker found on the top which displays the name of the exclusive club the biker belongs to,

• Another crescent shaped rocker found at the bottom is indicative of the region or place the biker group is based in and

• The unique group emblem is placed in the middle.

Some biker patches have also been seen to contain the abbreviation M.C either beside the rocker or the emblem. This denotes that the emblem belongs to a Motorcycle Club.

Types of biker patches

Patches are not mere decorations but talk about the achievements of the biker with regards to

• The club they belong to ,

• The bold, dangerous and grand marathon rides they have undertaken as representatives of their respective biker clubs and

• People and places who have found a special place in their hearts.

These biker artex patches can be divided into six different types. They are:

The club patch: These patches are always the most prominent patch sewn onto the back of the riders vest. They are further divided into

• The single piece patch which symbolises that the biker is a part of a riders club, association or organisation,

• The double piece patch which is generally worn by members of a club awaiting its transition to a three piece outlay motorcycle club and

• The three piece patch which is the ultimate symbol of an outlaw motorcycle club.

It is very important to note that while memberships to the rider clubs can be purchased, only the achievements of the riders can guarantee access into the exclusive and elusive motorcycle clubs.

• Rally patch: These are unique to a rally taking place and are given to any rider attending it.

• Charity-ride patch: These are commemorative patches given to participants of charity rides.

• Travel patch: These indicate epic bike riding trips undertaken by the riders and are worn to showcase their achievements.

• Flag patch: This shows the native country of the biker.

• Military service patch: These patches are indicative of their time spent in military service.

The patches worn are generally very sacred to the bikers who consider it an honour to wear them.

Residential care facilities available for the elderly are designed so as to assist old and aged people who are not able to live on their own. These facilities help them to carry out their regular jobs and also offer care of the level of a nursing home facility.

Generally administered by both profit making and non-profitable organisations, the range of services generally provided are:

• Mobility wherein those elderly people who walk with the help of a walker or a stick are assisted and supervised,

• Nutrition wherein help is provided in the preparation of food or cooked food is provided to them,

• Toiletries which involve assisted bathing, shaving, dressing, toileting etc.,

• Housekeeping which involves cleaning of rooms and also laundry and

• Medications which involve the availability of licensed medical people for administering normal routine and intravenous medicine as well as first aid.

Different housing options for the elderly

On the basis of the type of services and activities provided, residential care options also differ. Some of the options are:

Independent living: There are many people who are elderly but can live independently but still look for community living. In these sort of communities, the elderly generally come looking for

• Security knowing that there are people around to protect and help them in times of need,

• Services by way of housekeeping, transportation, laundry etc.

• Social activities which are recreational and also offer companionship and

• A retired lifestyle

These community living arrangements generally consist of homes, apartments etc., suitable for singly family living. Common areas where the elderly can meet each other include swimming pools, exercising facilities, libraries etc.

• Assisted living: As the name implies, this type of living is for those senior adults who require some or any sort of non-medical care. Hence assistance is provided with regards to all the daily activities other than the actual administration of medicines. Accommodations include single or double rooms with common areas available nearby for social gatherings.

• Nursing Homes: Herein the elderly and senior adults get the best of nursing home facility. Hence nursing care is available and provided by a team of trained medical personnel supervised by a registered nurse. Doctors are either readily available on the site or on the telephone to be contacted for any kind of medical assistance required.

• Retirement communities: These offer all the three types of senior care in the form of independent as well as assisted living and also nursing home care under the same roof.

With so many good options available in terms of residential care for the elderly, these senior adults can now live their life in a secured, safe and helpful environment.

Sign making is a relatively easy business to get into. This is because any business which needs to market itself or its products will have to take their help. But the pitfalls, however, remain the same. Hence it is important to have a proper business plan in place.

This business plan should take into account all the key factors involved in the setting up of sign shops Syracuse. These key factors are:

• Outlay of the shop: This includes two very important sub-factors like:

Location of the shop: The location of the shop has a very important role to play in its visibility. Every business in its nascent stage faces monetary problems. This may act as a constraint and make one compromise on the locality of the shop. But by making optimum use of the resources available, it is possible to gain maximum advantage of it.

Front design: The front designs of all sign shops Syracuse are a means of self advertisement. Hence it should be designed so that

• It reflects the strong points of the business,
• It acts as a sample of the level of perfection that can be achieved and
• It helps to attract potential customers and clients.

Hiring the appropriate people: The most important person to hire for starting this business is a graphic designer. Even though hiring a professionally proficient designer would cause quiet a dent in the initial amount invested, it will pay off in the long return.

Equipment buying: There are three very important items which need to be purchased to kick start this business. They are:

Software: Selection of the designing software should be done with the following key points in mind:

• It should be a standard software for vector artwork,
• Even in the instance of a future expansion in business, the software should be able to handle it,
• It should be easy to use, within the budget and easy to understand and learn.

Vinyl cutter: It is a costly equipment but will act as the lynch pin of the business. Substandard ones can cause wastage of money and time and should be avoided.

Computer: Buying a basic computer will suffice for the job. But the one special addition which will enable a designer to work better is the presence of a large monitor. This monitor

• Helps the designer to make minute and accurate changes and
• Allows customers to have a better view of the designs presented to them.

Raw materials: The basic raw materials needed for this business are vinyl films, work benches, transfer tapes, rulers etc.

Having all this in place will help set up a business perfect for any and all types of signs, banners, lettering and graphics in vinyl etc.

Technology has touched every aspect of life and business and there is actually no field that cannot reap the benefits of the current technological advancements. If your institution runs a money lending business and you are worried about how to maintain the edge in this increasingly competitive market, the technology can actually come to your rescue. Software with different types of specialized functionalities has been developed and these programs can actually make the total business processes more organized and effective. The AutoPal Loan Software is designed to particularly serve the money lending industry. This software has extensive features and functionalities to simplify and organize the whole lending process which is quite elaborate at times and cumbersome to keep a track of.

Pick the right customers

This software bundles a lot of features. One of the most crucial things in the business of money lending is choosing the right client. While choosing a client whom you should approve the loan there is many things to consider and in fact your success in the business depends highly on your ability of choosing the right clients. The AutoPal software helps you to take the right decision in selecting the right clients by helping you to organize and analyze their loan history and financial status in an uncomplicated and visually represented format. When you are able to study your customers in more detail and more vividly your chance of picking a wrong customer reduces.

Better communications and customer service

This software gives you a wide range of options to stay in regular touch with your borrowers. It supports mass emails, texts, as well as phone calls to ensure that you can easily stay connected with your borrowers and can keep them informed about their due dates. AutoPal has a powerful payment integration system, which enables your borrowers to make the payments through their cards as well as through e-checks and other online options, which can certainly add to your customer service.

Other features

Another special feature AutoPal Loan Software is its live calculation. The software calculates and updates the loan details every day, for each of the transactions automatically providing you a clear analysis about how the loans are progressing and how the payments are affecting your income. The software also supports creation and storage of documents in your loan and lease files enabling you to run your lending business in a more organized and efficient way. The QuickBooks Live Connection is the other feature of this software.