Social customer service is a bit of an ambiguous term with no real established meaning. Before you pursue this strategy, you should be clear on exactly what it is and the benefits it can bring your company.

What exactly is social customer service? Think of the last time you had a problem with a program on your computer. Did you contact tech support? Or did you turn to your friends on social media? If you turned to social media, this is one of the main elements of social customer service.

Customers are starting to go to social media sites when they have questions, many times contacting the company directly. Having customer service elements on social media to answer these questions or field complaints is social customer service. A great example of this is OPEN Forum, run by AMEX. It allows customers to interact with one another, while giving the company a channel to feed technical help and information to them.

Benefits of social customer service There are four main benefits of leveraging social customer service in your business.

• Increased customer satisfaction. By offering a way for customers to interact with you on a medium many are already comfortable with, you’ll find customers to be more satisfied.
• Meeting consumer expectations. Let’s face it, the majority of your customers are using social media with many now expecting you to as well. If you meet their expectations, there’s a higher chance they’ll stay your customers.
• Increased loyalty. One of the main reasons companies should be on social media is that an effective campaign can help improve customer and brand loyalty. Social customer service is an extra service that can help further increase loyalty.
• Decreased customer service costs. If you offer customer service on social media, you could potentially decrease your total costs. The expenditure required to setup and maintain the online service is fractional compared to the physical operation.

If you use Office 365, you probably spend a large percentage of time using Outlook. Here are some time saving Outlook keyboard shortcuts. These will work with both Windows and Mac operating systems.

Control + 1: Pressing this will switch to Mail. If you’re using a Mac, press command + 1.

Control + 2: This shortcut will switch to your Calendar. On the Mac press command +2.

Control + 3: This shortcut will open your Contacts. On the Mac press command + 3.

Control + Shift + M: This shortcut will open the compose a new message window. You can press this from anywhere in Outlook. On the Mac press command + Shift + M.

Control + Shift + A: When you press this, you’ll be able to set a new appointment. You can press this from anywhere in Outlook. On the Mac press command + Shift + A

F3: This shortcut will open the search pane. On the Mac you can press command + F3

Control + , or .: With a current message open you can press control + , (comma) to switch to the previous message in your Inbox, or press control + . (period/full stop) to switch to the next message in your Inbox. Pressing command + , or . will do the same thing on a Mac.

Control + Enter: When you have an email message open, pressing these keys will send the email. The Mac shortcut for this is command + return.

F4: If you press F4 Office 365 will close. To close the program on a Mac press command + Q

These are the most common shortcuts for Office 365. If you’d like to learn more Office 365 shortcuts or time saving tips, please contact us.

For distributors and manufacturers alike, the challenge of keeping the ‘right” amount of stock is central to operations. As customer expectations continue to rise, inventory management provides competitive advantage for those who get it right. Those companies without good controls face:

• Overstock. Excess inventory lowers turnover and ties up cash.
• Stock-outs. Backorders, lost sales and dissatisfied customers result when stock is out.
• Accurate stock information. When the quantity in the warehouse doesn’t match what’s in the computer, employees get frustrated and customers get mad.
• Inventory lost in the warehouse. It’s not good for business when stock is “out there somewhere” but can’t be found right now.

With automated management of the inventory that is already in your warehouse, stockroom or store, you will:

• Know what kind and how many of each item you have.
• Know exactly where each item is located.
• Ensure inventory stays in salable condition.
• Minimize the cost of filling customer orders.

Let us help you find the right balance with effective inventory management with an affordable ERP system that helps you deliver on-time and on-budget.

If you were to take the total amount of time spent at work each day and graph it, chances are, a good chunk of it’s spent on non-work related tasks. This “social loafing” is causing companies untold amounts of lost profits due to decreased productivity. While outlawing social activities at work is somewhat draconian, there are things you can do to improve productivity in the workplace, including the use of two monitors.

For those who don’t use dual monitors, it can seem a bit over the top. Why split your work between two monitors when you can concentrate it all on one? As it turns out, there are a number of benefits to using dual monitors.

Productivity bump Many employees and managers spend their day multitasking, it can be hard to do this with just one monitor; constantly switching between programs. With two screens, employees can have a spreadsheet open on one monitor and email, social media or another program on the other. This means less time is spent switching between windows and programs. Several studies have been done on this, and show that productivity can be boosted by as much as 40% with dual monitors.

Spread out a bit The other main benefit of using dual screens is that you have more work space. If you’re working with a program like Adobe Photoshop or various social media websites, you need to have a larger work space to see what you’re doing. You can put your vital resources on one monitor, and the program on another, thus allowing you to work faster.

While dual monitors are advantageous, be aware that there can be negative aspects to a user's health and wellbeing if they have to constantly turn their head to view two screens. Be sure to set up your monitors so that there’s minimal turning of your head.

If you feel that your office could do with an increase in productivity, contact us. We can work with you to reach your results.

Viruses and Trojans have been infecting computers almost as long as computers have been in businesses. Some are relatively harmless, while others bring systems down. One Trojan, DNSChanger, was malicious enough to force the FBI to step in. For infected users, this could mean that their Internet won’t work after July 9.

While the source of DNSChanger has been removed, essentially killing it. There are still infected users out there who may have their Internet cut off in July if they don’t deal with it by then.

What is DNSChanger? DNSChanger is a Trojan that hijacks a user's Internet, at the most basic level, the DNS. If a user enters a web address, DNSChanger will return a similar looking page, but with ads that are owned by hackers. Thus allowing them to manipulate online advertising to make money, around USD 14 million by the time they were shut down.

Aside from that, it also prevents users from visiting security websites, like mcafee.com, and downloading program and OS updates. As many as four million computers, including some Fortune 500 and government computers, have been infected worldwide.

What’s a DNS? A DNS - Domain Name System - is a cruical service that converts domain names like www.google.com into code that computers can understand. The DNS essentially makes it easier for computers to talk with one another. Without it, any program or action that uses the Internet wouldn’t work.

What did the FBI do? Because the malware affects the DNS, the FBI couldn’t just shut down the servers that the infected users’ computers talk to, as they wouldn’t be able to access any Web pages. So, they replaced the DNS servers that the hackers used with new ones. These servers will go offline in July, at which time, any user still connecting to the DNS servers, or who is still infected irregardless of their location, could be affected.

What should I do? If you’re infected by this malware, and don’t remove it by July 9, your Internet access could be shut down. To prevent this, it’s important to contact your IT service provider and work with them to ensure your systems are clean, and security’s up to date.

Update

Google plans to warn users they are infected by DNSChanger. When a user accesses one of Google's functions, like search, Google will show a message informing the users they may be infected and give some tips on how to get rid of it.

If you think your systems or network aren’t secure enough, please contact us, we are ready to help.

Technology is advancing at such a rapid pace that the iPhone you bought two years ago is now considered horribly outdated, old-school even. With the technology updates to the OS, older iPhones are starting to appear to run slower. It may be an app takes a few seconds to load, or the general experience isn’t as smooth. If you’ve noticed this, we’re here to help.

Here are five tips on how to speed up your older iPhone:

1. Clear multitasking tray The multi-task tray can be one of the most useful features of the iPhone, but it can also take up a lot of processing power. About once a week be sure to double click on the Home button, press and hold an app and select the minus (-) sign on all apps.

2. Delete pictures, music and apps As the majority of iPhone users use their phone for pretty much everything, they can run out of storage space astonishingly fast. To see how much space you’ve used, press Settings, General followed by Usage. You’ll see two numbers at the top of the screen. On the left is how much space you have left, and on the right is total space used. In general, the more space used, the slower your phone will run. It’s recommended to leave 10-15% of total storage space free for operations.

To free up some space, it’s a good idea to delete old pictures, music and apps you don’t use. To delete all your music at once, go to Settings, General followed byUsage and select Music. Tap Edit followed by the red circle with white line. This will delete all associated files. Alternatively, you can open your music player and delete individual songs by pressing and holding your selection, and then selecting Delete.

To get rid of pictures, you need to open the Photos app and select the album you’d like to delete. Press the icon on the top left of the album, and select which photos you want to get rid of. When you’re finished, press the red circle with the white line. Be sure to either upload your pictures to iCloud, or your computer before you delete them.

To get rid of apps, go to your phone’s home screen, press and hold the app you’d like to get rid of and select the black “X”. A window will pop up asking if you want to delete it, confirm it and the app will be deleted.

3. Clear Safari’s cache The cache is where your browser stores temporary files to decrease bandwidth usage and increase the loading speed of a page. To clear it, press Settings and select Safari. In the window that opens select Clear History and Clear Cookies and data. This will clear all browser related data including passwords. You’ll need to log in to services like Google again.

4. Factory reset If your phone is still sluggish, you could try a factory reset. This will wipe the phone and reset it to the way it came out of the factory. To do this: plug your phone into your computer and open iTunes. Select your phone, click Summary followed by Restore. Follow the instructions from there. Before you do this, it’s recommended that you backup your device.

5. Bite the bullet If a factory reset doesn’t work, it may be time to bite the bullet and upgrade. Talk to your mobile carrier to see if there are any deals or trade-in programs. Be aware that a new version of the iPhone is rumored to be released in October of this year, so if you can hold off until it’s released you’ll be better off.

A smooth running phone is important to all of us, and these tips can help extend the life your device. For more iPhone tips, please contact us.

Business owners and managers spend a large percentage of their day replying to emails. Many of these emails often require a similar response. While it’s good business to personally respond to each email, that takes time. If you use Gmail, you have the option to put Canned Responses into your response, a real time saving feature.

Canned Responses are a form of template that you can use to quickly reply to common emails. This feature is useful if you find yourself short of time and having to give the same reply numerous times e.g., inquiries about service hours.

How to set up Canned Responses in Gmail To set up Canned Responses:

1. Open Gmail in your browser and click on the Gear image beside your picture in the black bar at the top of the window.
2. Select Labs. If you don’t see Labs, select Mail Settings followed by Labs, located in the white bar at the top of the window that opens.
3. Scroll down to Canned Responses and select Enable. Navigate to the bottom of the page and select Save Changes. The page will refresh, and Canned Responses will be enabled.
4. Click Compose and enter a response in the text-body of the email. Don’t hit send.
5. Locate Canned Responses below the Subject line. Select New Canned Response from the menu that drops down. Enter a name for the response.

If you spend a lot of time answering the same email and would like to save a bit of time, Canned Responses are a good idea. Just be sure to be judicious in their use, if the email is in response to a serious situation, best not to use one. For more tips and tricks on Google’s products, please contact us.

What’s the most visited website? If you said catvideos.com aka YouTube, you’re close. Facebook was actually the most visited website in 2011, not really shocking when you think about all the people and businesses that use it. One of the underutilized features of Facebook, Groups, now gives members the ability to upload files to share with others in the group.

With the update, there’ll be a new files tab added to a group’s page. Members will be able to upload and share files with all members in the group. When you click on the publication box, you’ll now have the option of uploading a file to share with the group. You’ll be able to upload files up to a maximum of 25 megabytes in size. The majority of file types can be uploaded, however, music files won’t be allowed.

Groups can currently create and edit documents within the Group page, although these documents can’t be exported to a word processor or be printed. The new feature covers this hole but does not allow online editing at this time. To edit a file, users will have to download it to edit it and reupload it when they’re done. The edited file won’t replace the old version, allowing for reversal of changes if need be.

Will Facebook be the death of cloud collaboration services like Dropbox? It’s too early to tell, but, it does provide Facebook users with an enclosed sharing solution that all users will have access to. If you’d like to learn more about ways you can use Facebook in your organization, please contact us.

One of the greatest things about the Internet is the incredible amount of information at our fingertips. Want to know the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? You can easily find out by going to Google and searching for it. The trouble comes when we conduct a search and are presented with an overwhelming amount of results to sort through. However, there are more effective ways to conduct searches.

Here are seven tips to help you Google like an expert.

• Exact phrase. If you’re looking for a specific topic, Mobile Internet for example, it’s easier to put the search into quotations i.e., “Mobile Internet”. This will tell Google to return results that match the words.
• Exclude words. When you conduct searches for general information, you’ll often get unwanted results. Let’s say you are looking for marketing information and don’t want results that have the term “sales” in them. Type in Marketing -Sales, and Google will return marketing results without sales. Note: don’t have a space between - and the term you want to exclude.
• Search similar. If you’re looking for a topic and would also like to search for similar words, put a ~ in your search. e.g., “~Business”. Google will return business results as well as results for synonyms.
• Search between dates. To find results for something over a period of time put the dates separated by “..” (two periods) e.g., “1999 ..2012”
• Wildcard search. A wildcard is used to substitute a word in your search. Google has designated * as the wild card. When you enter a wildcard, Google will essentially fill in the blank.
• Define:. For words you don’t know the meaning of, you can have the definition comeback as the number one result by entering “define: word”.
• Think like a website. It’s best to not ask questions when you’re searching for something. Rather, look for the results. If have back pain and enter, “My back hurts. What’s a good pain reliever?” You’ll find the result, but it may take a few pages of searching. You should instead enter: “Back pain reliever”.

Undertaking an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation is a big step for any company. Even a limited ERP project can create concern about job security and the “real” intentions of implementing the system. Office “myths” and rumors can cause unneeded anxiety within your team. Head off those concerns by addressing them early and often.

Myth #1: ERP will cause people to lose their jobs Employees often worry that the business process changes of an ERP system will eliminate the need for their expertise and automate all processes. To the contrary, ERP can add jobs by making the company more competitive and successful. Employees can expand their contribution to the bottom line when administrative tasks are automated.

Debunk Myth#1 with clear expectations and assurance that employees will be able to spend more time producing value, and less time on repetitive tasks.

Myth #2: Users will be expected to figure it out rather than receive training Learning a new ERP system, no matter how intuitive, takes time and practice to help users make the most of the solution. Companies that don’t invest in training often end up wondering why people work around the system. The entire organization from top to bottom should receive formal training followed by practice sessions using company test data. Allowing users to focus time and attention on learning the system will help with user adoption and acceptance.

Avoid Myth #2 by scheduling formal training for employees - away from their regular job - that includes hands-on training.

Myth #3: Once the implementation is done, it’s done An ERP project is not over simply because the application has been deployed. ERP is an evolution that supports the change and growth of an organization. As users become more familiar with the system, they will find new ways to expand the functionality to solve problems, and improve business processes. Phased implementations can focus on high priority operations and roll out over time to minimize disruptions. Revisiting the uses of ERP on a regular basis will ensure that the organization is making the most of their investment.

The whole point is to make the company more adaptive to change by improving productivity and delivering more insightful information to decision makers. Based on those goals, progress should be continual.

Debunk Myth #3 by incorporating ERP as a strategic component of all business planning activities. Ready to make the move to ERP? Let’s talk about the cost effective options that can take your company to the next level.