In: Technology
An Overview Of Digital Marketing And Its Applications.

Digital marketing is a type of direct marketing that uses the internet to discover, attract, and contact customers. Computerized advertising includes all forms of electronic communication, such as websites, blogs, social media platforms, and e-mail, among others. The term “Scope of Digital Marketing” refers to something that does not have a physical mass but may be located in PC frameworks or stored in digital structure.

It is a business cycle that uses digital marketing to improve communication and interact with potential and actual customers. They sell their products using digital platforms such as the internet or mobile phones. Interestingly, actual marketing refers to any marketing plan that relies on the real world, such as newspaper, television, or magazine advertisements.

The extent of digital marketing is something that many firms have little understanding of. It encompasses a wide range of commercial activities and marketplaces, including all persons who are involved with a product or service on the Internet.

The scope of digital marketing is a broad phrase that encompasses everything that occurs in the area of marketing, from creating your website and business page to promoting on the internet. It includes brand awareness, website design enhancement, online entertainment, and email advertising. All of these are important aspects of digital marketing.

The scope also includes mobile applications, location-based websites, online video advertisements, and other items. However, these are only a few of the ways you may use computerised advertising to communicate with your customers on the Internet. Many people use advertising on the Internet to contact people in general.

Digital marketing may help with brand and business development, and it can be used for a variety of purposes such as increasing sales, locating new customers, and developing a local community. It integrates “traditional” marketing strategies such as print ads but focuses mostly on advanced stages such as websites and web-based entertainment.

Digital marketing includes a number of cycles that are frequently carried out by a company’s marketing department. These include items like examination, website composition and expansion, site improvement (SEO), pay-per-click promoting (PPC), and email missions, to name a few. A fraction of these cycles are transferred to other organisations.

The 18 Best Digital Marketing Tools in 2021

Digital marketing entails the use of a variety of methods and approaches that are distinct from traditional advertising. This includes the use of long-distance informal communication destinations, web-based promoting, content administration frameworks, and other online activities.

Computerized advertising is a relatively recent word in the corporate sector. It is one of the fastest growing marketing methods today, and it is quickly becoming a must as an increasing number of businesses create websites. If you want to start a firm, you need understand several Digital marketing standards and how they integrate into your whole advertising strategy.

There are countless methods for advertising a product or service on the web, but there are a few types of Digital marketing that have shown to be effective thus far. SEO, PPC, email campaigns, and online entertainment publishing are examples of these.

Digital marketing has been around for a few years; nevertheless, it was only lately or so that it began to flourish and get traction. Today, there are countless private firms that use digital marketing to engage with their customers over the Internet and also there are many institutes that provide Digital marketing courses in Mumbai and there are top digital marketing institutes in Andheri as well. Digital marketing is also an important component of any virtual entertainment objective, and it can be incredibly beneficial when selling a product or service.

In: Education
4 Jobs You Didn’t Know Scientists Performed

There are more roles in science than you think. It’s not all laboratories and documentation. The world of science operates outside the boundaries of research and development.

The world is more diverse than you could ever imagine and the life sciences stand open testament to that. We researched a few roles you didn’t know were STEM based positions. We bet there’s more than one that makes you raise an eyebrow. Scientists perform all sorts of tasks, so there’s plenty of opportunities in the life science field for those that want to do something meaningful and a little different with their lives.

Here are four jobs we bet you didn’t know were performed by scientists. We’ll start with the easy ones and move on from there.

4 Positions that You Didn’t Know Scientists Performed

These are our top picks for surprising roles in science that you thought any candidate could pursue.

1 – Data Management

When we see the word ‘data’ we assume it is computer related and, in most cases, we are not wrong. An area of science we often overlook is data processing. There is a specific title for this job, known as clinical data management. These people record all the clinical data that scientific studies over time collect. They then process the data, make sense of the data, and use it to support or disprove theories. If you are interested in a position like this, you can learn more at https://www.hays.co.uk/job/life-sciences-jobs/clinical-data-management.

2 – Perfumer

DEBEL-DRDO Announces Msc Chemistry Research Fellow Recruitment

Did you ever stop to think about who it is that devises new perfume scents? It’s not the celebrities we see in the nonsensical adverts that promote the perfumes. No. We get perfumes from chemists. Not the type of chemist in the pharmacy, the type of chemist who has studied the interactions of different scent compounds and their effect on the human skin, brain, and body. Perfumers are experts in scent based chemistry. Without them, we wouldn’t even have scented body lotions.

3 – Snake Milker

Seriously and yes, you did read that right. Snake milker is an actual position held by an actual scientist. You wouldn’t trust just anyone with the handling of toxins. It needs to be a trained scientist. A snake milker isn’t as bad as it sounds, either. The scientist doesn’t milk the snake so much as they trigger the venom sacks in the backs of their mouths. This allows the snake to harmlessly inject poison into a glass or other receptacle. This role is vital because studying the toxins allows us to produce anti-venoms. In places like Australia, this service is essential.

4 – Firework Designer

Another startling task that we give to scientists, firework designers do exactly what it says on the tin. Fireworks are made using gunpowder, which is tricky to handle and difficult to stabilize. If you don’t want your firework factory to go up in smoke, you hire someone trained to handle explosives before you hire someone who designs pretty colours. We’re not sure who hires firework designers, but if it’s your dream career we wish you every success.

In: Business
How 8 Things Will Change The Way You Approach App For Movers

Movers help others to move easily and conveniently. However, at times, they require some assistance too. Having an app to keep track of the packages and the like can come in handy. Developing an app for movers will allow you to deliver a seamless experience to your customers. Moreover, these days, people want to do everything on the go. They do not like waiting for things to get done. As a result, having an app that allows them to organize things on the go will certainly improve the customer experience you deliver. 

In today’s world, the dominance and prevalence of technology cannot be ignored. It is used in all spheres of life from the healthcare industry to the educational industry. As such, operating a business without technology seems to be inefficient. Integrating technology into all working fields has become a necessity rather than an option. This applies to the movers’ industry as well. If you want to improve your services, you must use technology. 

8 Best Tips For Approaching Apps For Movers 

Designing a good and easy-to-use app can help your customers move without any hassle. Apps that can solve their issues easily will also increase your business’s profitability. As such, having the following features in your app for movers is a must. 

Research Your Industry

There are millions of other movers and packers companies out there vying for the attention of the same audience as you. Chances are that they already have an app that enables them to deliver a good customer experience. Researching the moving service app in your industry can help you determine which features make it better and which features weaken it. This information will help design your app. 

Design Your Strategy 

To create a handy and efficient app, you must determine your objectives. What are the goals you want to accomplish for your target audience through the app? Understanding the issues of your customers can help you design a functional strategy. It will also enable you to add all the key features to the app. 

Customer Relationship Management 

You must focus on delivering a good customer experience and once you’re able to do the same, your ROI will increase too. Using the CRM app, you can gain real-time insights into customer data which you can leverage to boost your business performance. 

Take Security Measures 

At times, your app may have to collect some sensitive information from the users. Once they submit the information, the privacy and security of their information become your responsibility. Therefore, the app must be supported by a robust privacy policy. Many packers and movers app developers initially neglect this part and realize its importance later on. However, it is important to ensure that you focus on adding security features to your app as early as possible.

9,369 Movers Photos - Free & Royalty-Free Stock Photos from Dreamstime

In-app Chat

Having an AI-power chat platform in the app can come in handy. When people are moving, they always have many queries, and having a platform where they can address their queries and gain responses instantly will keep them satisfied. Any issues related to the moving process can be solved through this platform.  You can also provide many tips and suggestions to the clients while moving. 

Live Tracking 

Tracking the vehicle that is shipping the goods in real-time is imperative. This allows you to keep a track of the goods and allows the customers to keep track of the same too. This will help them be relieved that their goods are arriving safely. Your moving service app needs to have a live tracking feature so that both you and your customers can have peace of mind.

Vehicle Performance Analysis 

You must also check how the vehicle you are using to ship the goods is performing. A lot of the efficiency of delivering the goods depends on the shipping vehicle. As a result, performance analytics will allow fleet operators to understand how the equipment is performing during the operations. This also allows them to detect issues in the vehicle beforehand and prevent the same to increase efficiency. 

Marketing The App

Having an effective marketing strategy for your app is essential. Unless you market your app, people won’t be able to be aware of its existence. Almost all people search for services on search engines and if your app doesn’t show up there, your customers won’t be aware of the same. Hence, you have to put some effort into paid promotions and search engine marketing to increase the awareness and visibility of your app. 

Final Thoughts 

Following all the tips mentioned above can help you design an efficient app for movers that will come in handy for your customers. With the world being more app-oriented, developing an easy-to-use app will make things convenient for you and your clients too.

In: Home Improvement
Do You Have The Right Gardening Equipment?

As a person who actually spends a lot of time working on your garden and your lawn you have already realized the importance of actually having proper equipment that will help you do your job. Doing everything by hand is most certainly not an option especially if you have a really big backyard or front yard.

Do You Have A Good Equipment

To do so you will need to have the right equipment however, a lot of people out there do not actually know what kind of equipment they want to actually buy. That is mostly due to the fact that, although people love gardening they are not professionals added and yes, there is an entire profession behind gardening and lawn mowing.

When you go online and you start searching for websites that can provide you with that kind of information you will find a lot of learn here buttons that are most likely going to just lead you to a page with very few information that will always try to sell you things instead of actually helping you learn what you need to buy.

Don’t Just Click On Baits

You definitely don’t want to fall victims to something like that. On the contrary, if you’re going to be pushing that button you will want to be transported to a website of a professional company that can both provide you with all different kinds of equipment and can also give you some pretty amazing services.

Everything You Should Know About Gardening - Quality Service Delivery

The real professionals out there will not just try to sell you the equipment. They will try to explain to you exactly what kind of equipment you want based on your needs and they will also try to provide you with the right equipment no matter what. That means that, they will not try to rob you of your money but they will try to make you a satisfied customer.

Quality Comes First

To put it as simple as possible it is not just about spending a lot of money to buy the equipment. Really expensive equipment does not necessarily guarantee great results. Because your needs my simply not be for that equipment.

The more research you do the more likely you are to actually find the best companies out there that can actually show you what kind of equipment you want and this is something you will want to keep your ears and your eyes open for.

In: Home Improvement
Functional Uses Of Microwave Ovens That Dominate Your Kitchen Counter

Are you planning to do a mini-makeover of your kitchenette? Then considerably, Microwave ovens are an essential kitchen luxury that must be given utmost importance. Microwave ovens indeed make our lives easier – Am I right? Of course, I am. The growing working population and the living standards of people are the main reasons why there is a switch towards the extensive usage of microwaves and ovens now in this contemporary era. With the busy lifestyle, people are consuming ready-to-eat, pre-cooked as well as frozen foods. So, when it comes to upgrading your kitchen style and ambiance, always look for the best range of microwaves for your cookhouse. Get the expert range from Lastman’s Bad Boy which is a superb digital smart appliance store based in Canada.

Notably, microwaves offer numerous benefits to the users and if you don’t own a microwave, you are missing out on a wonderful kitchen luxury.

Here I will list down the most phenomenal uses of microwave ovens that can make your lives incredibly easier and hassle-free

Reheating

The Microwaves work incredibly in reheating the food or leftovers. Now you can help yourself to reheat your pre-cooked food in no time. Not only this, but it also doesn’t make your food soggy and swampy, so you get the best taste out of your food. Microwaves work great in reheating any kind of food, though.

Deodorize And Decontaminate Your Kitchen Tools

You might not be aware of this wonderful thing about the ovens that these actually help you out in cleansing as well as sanitizing your kitchen tools, too, like knives, plastic cutting boards, or kitchen sponges. Just dip the tools in the lemon soak water and keep it to get warm in the oven; your tiny kitchen dishes or tools will be scrubbed off and disinfected in no time.

Cooking

This is the most apparent feature and use, though of microwave oven which is cooking. The microwaves are used for baking, grilling, roasting, blanching, boiling, and steaming food items. This versatility of uses of Microwaves makes these kitchen appliances the best ones and the foremost among all other revolutionary kitchen gadgets.

Make The Most Out Of Your Citrus Fruits.

This can be the most surprising benefit for some people, which is that you can squeeze much more juice from oranges and lemons when you heat them in the oven for seconds, just say 20 seconds. So, the next time you take out a lemon or an orange from your refrigerator, don’t squeeze it immediately; instead, microwave it first for a few seconds, and then squash it, you’d be able to get more juice.

Best small microwave UK 2022: Stylish and functional models that won't dominate your kitchen counter | Expert Reviews

Heating Up The Beauty Products

There are certain beauty products that feel fabulous on skin or hair when they are applied after getting warm. For instance, facial masks, hot oils for conditioning, and gel packs. The after-effect is so much better when these beauty ranges are pre-warmed before the application. The results get so much better and more appealing. So, try up this excellent technique!!

DE Crystalizing Oil Or Honey

One of the best advantages of ovens is that they are super-awesome for de-crystalizing oils and honey. Often, we experience that in winters, the coconut oil gets dense and solidified. Even the honey gets frosted too. So, in these cases, we get bound to use them. You can easily de-crystallize the honey and oil in the oven by microwaving it for a minute. So, you would not need to throw that honey again as it will get fresh and new by microwaving.

So, we can say that a microwave is a versatile kitchen appliance that offers you plentiful exciting uses. You can make your lives a lot happier and entertaining when you use these kinds of kitchen appliances at home. And when it comes to buying this outrageous kitchen implement which is microwave ovens, take a look at our digital doorway online of Lastman’s Bad Boy, as we have a stunning range of microwave ovens from leading brands, available at unbeatable rates in the market.

In: Insurance
Is TDS Deducted on an Insurance Premium?

Group medical insurance plans benefit both your company and employees. Group insurances are frequently used to offer health benefits to employees and as part of employee benefit packages. The employer acts as a sponsor for the group, thus bearing the premiums of the group members to be paid to the insurance company (or the service provider). Understanding how TDS is deducted at the source on a group insurance premium is important. Plum Insurance provides products focused on giving clients the best possible experience. Here is a simplified description of how the TDS gets calculated on group insurance premiums.

Who Should Deduct TDS?

Any entity who is liable for providing to an Indian resident any amount of money under an insurance plan, along with any bonus on the policy, besides the sum not includible in overall income under Income Tax Act Section 10(10D), must deduct income tax on such payment.

When Should TDS Be Deducted from Group Medical Insurance Premiums?

Group insurance plans are a boon for small businesses. A sizable number of businesspeople in India opt for them to save on costs and avail of several benefits from the government. However, TDS Payment on Group Insurance Plan premiums depends on a couple of factors. Let’s study those on a case-by-case basis with examples:

Case One:

Suppose your company has partnered with a certain insurance company and the employees are now covered with its group health insurance. Your team members are just enjoying the coverage without bearing any payments. In this case, you, the employer, are paying for their coverage as a part of your employee benefits package. Here, no TDS needs to be deducted from the employee. Your company can book the total premium cost as an expense. TDS will be deducted from the company while paying the premium amount to the insurance provider.

Example:

Mr. A works at XYZ Ltd., which provides group health insurance plans for their employees. The total insurance premium amount is covered by the company. So, when will TDS be deducted?

Since Mr. A is not paying for his insurance coverage, he does not need to pay any TDS. The TDS will be collected by the insurance company when XYZ Ltd. pays the premium amount.

Case Two:

Your company offers a group insurance plan to the team members, but they need to pay the premium from their salary to receive the benefits as per the terms and conditions of the policy. In this scenario, if your employees opt to receive the coverage, you will deduct TDS on the insurance premium amount from their salary.

Example:

Mr. B works at XYZ Ltd., which offers optional group insurance coverage to their employees. The insurance premium amount must be paid by the employees from their salary. So, when will TDS be deducted?

Since Mr. B will be paying for the insurance premium from his salary if he decides to take on the coverage, the TDS will be deducted from his salary.

When Is Life Insurance Tax Deductible?

Case Three:

Many companies offer group medical insurance plans for their employees today, and the individual premium amount is divided in such a way that both the employer and employee share the premium to ensure that they are adequately covered by health insurance. In this case, TDS will be deducted at two different points: first, from the employee’s salary and second, when your company pays the premium amount to the insurance company.

Example:

Mr. C works at XYZ Ltd., which offers an Optional Group Insurance Coverage to Their Employees. The Insurance Premium Amount will be equally Divided by the Employees and the Company. So, when will tds be Deducted?

TDS will be deducted in two different points in this case.

  • TDS will be deducted from Mr. C’s salary by XYZ Ltd.
  • TDS will be deducted when XYZ Ltd. pays the premium amount to the insurance provider.

Case Four:

Your company offers the team members a top-up group insurance plan. In this policy, the premium amount will be provided by the employer, but they can choose to refund the coverage after their base coverage limit is exhausted. In this case, TDS will be deducted in two points as well. First, when it pays premiums to the insurance company and second, when the employee wants to top up his base coverage limit.

Example:

Mr. D Works at XYZ ltd., Which Offers Optional Top-Up Group Insurance Coverage To Their Employees. The Insurance Premium Amount Will Be Paid By The Company, But Employees Are Welcome To Recharge Their Policies If They Have Claimed Their Base Coverage Limit. So, When Will Tds Be Deducted?

TDS will be deducted in two different points in this case.

  • TDS will be deducted when XYZ Ltd. pays the premium amount to the insurance provider.
  • TDS will be deducted from Mr. D if he decides to recharge his base coverage limit.

Conclusion

Group medical insurance plans can be a great benefit for employees of organizations that offer them. It also helps you keep your staff motivated under adverse conditions. While the benefits may vary depending on the plan, the coverage will generally cost less than what an individual could get on their own. All parties need to understand how TDS is calculated and how it applies to your situation. Only then can you hope to enjoy a smooth experience as you go about choosing your health insurance plan.

In: Business
Key Secrets to a Great Source-to-Pay Strategy

One of the best things a company can do to get the most out of their source-to-pay process is to hire an SAP Ariba consultant to help them establish a platform that will not only help them to optimize their spending habits but also source the best vendors that are available for the needs of the company. Beyond hiring a consultant the only alternative is if the company has an expert guru on board that will help them to get the most out of every cent that comes into and goes out of the company.

The Art of Source-to-Pay

Businesses depend on the way that their finances flow in and out of the company. If the company is spending more money than it is bringing in, there is a huge problem. Of course, companies that make less than they spend do not last long.

The structure of the procurement process of any company has the power to make or break the entire establishment. The process between finding and obtaining worthy sources through getting the goods or services and paying for them can be optimized and tweaked in one direction or another to better direct spending and buying.

One of the best ways to gain incredible sources is to allow powerful software to sift through tons of data and find the very best sources possible for the company.

Sourcing is not an easy task because it takes a lot of energy and time to search through available sources and compare the best to the best. However, when the element of artificial intelligence and powerful software comes into the picture, everything gets done faster and more efficiently.

The source-to-pay process does not have to be daunting and unpleasant. Software that uses the internet and the resources available to it in order to discover, compare, contact, and intimate contracts is ever-evolving and makes business much easier.

The Aspect of Planning

One of the largest mistakes that companies make is that they fail to plan their entire source-to-pay process before it takes place. Whether it is a monthly cycle, bi-monthly, or even weekly, there is no reason to not take a little while to pause and look at the whole process so that anybody can see where there are ways to improve or ways to cut down on costs and raise efficiency.

Whether or not there is a software platform involved with the procurement department, the humans of the company should all be on the same page and understand what is really going on with the spending practices of the business.

When the company takes time to plan out the entire operation they can sit down and get a clear vision of:

  • Existing sources
  • Potential for better sources
  • Excess spending
  • Good spending
  • Potential investment opportunities

When a team of thinkers gets together and looks at a plan, each person will have their own vision of how the steps of the process should take place.  Planning things out gives the team an opportunity to learn each other’s points of view and possibly learn from differing opinions.

Source and Vendor Management

Discovering great sources, then being able to manage those sources is a lot of work. One of the best ways to maximize the efficiency of a company is to get reliable sources that offer deals and incentives. Between getting price cuts and obtaining high-quality goods and services the potential for the success of the business greatly increases.

For example, if the company is paying full price for an item that it sells, or offers in packages to clients – or whatever – but a vendor makes a deal that if the company buys 100 of that same item there will be a 15% discount and a 30% discount if they buy over 1,000. Something along those lines.

Jermaine Kwok » OPTIS Consulting

If the company is already going to buy that item and has the capacity to purchase it in bulk, there is no reason not to take advantage of a 15% or even 30% discount.

Now, if 15 of the vendors offer the same deal, or something similar, but there are time constraints and expiration dates, how does one keep track of all of it?

Using high-tech software that is equipped with vendor management capabilities gives the company the upper hand when it comes to staying on track with offers, specials, contractual agreements, and every other type of situation that has to do with specific sources.

The days of paper ledgers and huge filing cabinets are pretty much over. A software platform that is built to take care of the procurement issues of a company will have the kind of functionality it takes to run a large business with potentially millions of clients.

Keeping Options Open

One of the worst things a company can do is close doors to future opportunities. Of course, in the instance of straight-out theft or deception, there is no choice but to cut ties with a source or a vendor, but because of minor differences, there is only a need for a break or a time out.

In addition to keeping the communication lines open for potential vendors, it is always a great idea to continue to search for better sources with better prices and deals for future reference. The reason why contracts have expiration dates on them is so that both parties do have an option to leave the contract if they want to.

When it comes time to renew a contract, if you have a better source available for your needs it is beneficial to the business to go for the source that offers the most benefits to the company. Personal ties and sentimental connections are not good for business.

Continually searching for, and reaching out to potential sources is not only a good investment of time for the business but for the future of the business as well.

Fundamentals of Spending

The four basic steps for all companies that wish to have successful source-to-pay processes are:

  • Planning
  • Sourcing
  • Buying
  • Paying

Although this may seem like it’s missing something, this is actually the barebones recipe for success. We already discussed how important it is to plan out the process for each cycle. We talked about the importance of quality sources. Once these two are underway it will be time to make the orders and pay for the goods, services, or both goods and services.

The part about this that is most beneficial to the business is that once the contracts have been established and the deals have been agreed upon the savings start. However, it is most important to monitor every step of the buying process so that you make sure that the prices that were agreed upon in the contracts are being honored at the time of checkout.

One of the biggest mistakes a company can make is to underestimate the power of communication. When everybody involved with the buying and ordering and paying for goods and services is aware of any sales, deals, specials, and price drops because of a vendor special everybody can know where the savings are happening.

If a company promises to sell an item at a lowered price but does not tell the rest of the company that the deal was made, nobody knows that there is a deal, and the purchaser ends up paying full price. It is important to make sure that the pricing matches the pricing of the deal, or the business could end up losing a lot of money and not even be aware of it until it is too late.

In: Business
How 10 Things Will Change The Way You Approach Customer Service Excellence

Customer Service. It’s a game-changer faster than you can say, “happy customer.” Having excellent, caring customer service and support lets your customers know that you are more than just another faceless company.

We’ll teach you everything from core principles that are at the heart of Customer Service Excellence to specific steps like project management for your customer support representatives.

Here are ten things that will change the way you approach CS.

Doing A Good Job Is The Key Element In All Work.

Employees are customers, too, making your organization an attractive place to work.

An integral part of customer service excellence is knowing what motivates your customers and employees. Doing a good job is the key element in all work.

Employees are Customers Too.

You may have a set of standards for your customers, but are you paying attention to your employees? While they represent the company they work for, they’re also consumers themselves. They deserve to be treated well as much as anyone else.

What’s more, employee satisfaction is directly related to customer satisfaction. If an employee cares about his job and the company he works for, he will be happier and more effective in dealing with clients.

If you want your employees to go above and beyond for your customers, you must take care of them first. Here are some ways you can keep everyone happy:

Know what Motivates your Customers and Employees.

Your customers want to feel as if they are valued, and your employees want to feel as if they are respected.

How do you know what motivates your customers? You ask them. Yes, a company needs to have surveys and focus groups, but nothing beats the personal touch of reaching out to a few clients yourself. The best way to do this is through phone calls or face-to-face meetings.

Make your Organization an Attractive place to Work.

Why? Because research has shown that organizations that are attractive places to work have better business results. In addition, five separate meta-analysis studies have shown a relationship between attractiveness and the following outcomes: productivity, profitability, competition, retention, and customer attraction.

Create a Culture of Learning, change, and Improvement.

As you go through the training exercise, make sure to apply the learnings to your own life. Make a plan for applying what you’ve learned at work and in your personal life. There is no one right way or one right moment to start creating a culture of learning, change, and improvement, but there are some things that can help you get started:

  • Create a vision for improvement.
  • Create an environment where people feel able to speak freely about change.
  • Create an environment where people feel comfortable sharing their ideas about how things could be better.
  • Don’t force people to change; support them as they do it themselves.

Why Customer Service is Important: 16 Data-Backed Facts to Know

Keep a Customer focus Program Active all the Time.

Ensure that your employees know that focusing on customers is important to keep them happy and satisfied. It’s easy to get sidetracked when other things are demanding attention, but keeping your focus on what customers want will help you stay in business much longer than worrying about some minor detail that has no impact on how customers think of your company.

So, you can make customer service easy, maintainable, and scalable using the latest technology implementations.

Find a way to Measure Results.

Any serious manager knows that you can’t improve what you can’t measure. The same is true for customer service excellence. If you want to get better, you have to find a way to monitor your performance and track your progress against measurable targets, such as consistently meeting client expectations and resolving problems with minimal effort.

It may take some time to gather the necessary data and implement the best practices that support measurement, but it’s well worth it in the long run. A recent study by McKinsey found that companies with strong cultures of measurement are twice as likely to be in the top quartile of financial performance within their industries as those without such cultures.

Create Accountability by tying Compensation to Results.

Create accountability by tying compensation to results. In your customer service department, nothing says “I don’t care about what you do here” more than giving raises to everyone or punishing people for poor performance.

Instead, tie compensation directly to performance results. Use incentives and rewards that are attractive, meaningful, and easy to understand. Rewarding outstanding employees with a company logo pen or keychain isn’t going to cut it.

Set goals. Do not be Afraid of failure; Use Failures As Learning Experiences.

SMART is an acronym that can help guide your goal-setting efforts: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. Goals should be specific to you and your team and align with the organization’s broader objectives. Set individual goals for each team member and then set team goals based on what everyone needs to accomplish to reach the department’s goal.

Conclusion

These ten things will make customer service a memorable experience for your customer when implemented. Using the way you approach customer service, your employees and company will achieve customer satisfaction. It is a positive experience that goes far beyond just answering questions and helping them with technical issues. Be sure to consider these—your clients (and their wallets) will thank you.

 

In: Business
What is Coupa Procurement?

One of the best ways to learn about your investment is to hire a Coupa consultant to guide you through the implementation process. If you have made the choice to transform your procurement capabilities beyond what you could ever imagine, welcome to the Coupa family. Prepared to be impressed.

Coupa Procurement

Coupa is a cloud-based SaaS program that was developed to assist businesses of any scale with their spend management structure. In order to maximize every penny that comes in and goes out of the business, it is important to know where the best opportunities for savings are, and what best way there is to spend at any given moment. Procurement is only one small part of the capabilities of the platform.

Between sourcing, forecasting, and managing vendors there is a lot of room for error when the entire structure is based on one human’s perspective of the spending outline. The Coupa platform can introduce the company to a broad view of potential sources, investment opportunities, and management strategies.

Beyond the typical structure of a procure-to-pay process, the Coupa platform helps the entire process, from source to pay to be as effective and efficient as possible based on the needs of the company.

The Source-to-Pay Solution

When it comes to the element of source-to-pay there is no doubt that a company has to have the best practices possible for the needs of the establishment. Since every organization is unique, there will be a unique process for each company. Standard, best practices do not work for businesses that require a technique that is beyond “standard.”

Although procurement is a word that is used generally to explain a certain procedure in a business that has to do with buying and spending, sourcing is the overall base of the operation. Without quality sources, a business will have issues.

The basic steps for a practical source-to-pay endeavor are:

  1. Planning
  2. Sourcing
  3. Buying
  4. Paying

Although every company will vary, these four essential steps can bring the structure of the purchasing department to its optimal potential if they are done correctly.

In the planning stage of every procurement cycle, there is a need for everybody that is involved in the purchasing department to visually inspect the inner workings of each step and see where they can be improved or left alone.

The Coupa platform simplifies the planning step because all of the pertinent information is right there at the fingertips of the people that make the financial decisions for the company. What this means is that there can be less time and energy spent on the planning phase of the process because the entire layout of the process will already be available for all to see.

Strategic Sourcing

Strategic sourcing is one of the most important factors for the health of a company. When it comes to spending in an effective way, if the sources are out of line, the entire company can suffer from it.

Some of the factors that qualify for a great source are:

  • Price of goods or services
  • Ability to offer great deals
  • Reliability of source
  • Availability of goods or services from the vendor
  • Potential for ROI

The difference between manual sourcing and sourcing through the Coupa platform is that Coupa has the ability to seek out and compare some of the best matches of sources for a company based on certain parameters and needs.

For example, if the company needs a certain type of filter for a piece of equipment the software can search for sources that carry the filter type, the prices that many vendors offer it for, the availability of the filter, and the track record of success of the vendors that supply the filter.

On an even larger scale, the platform can search through millions of vendors that offer goods and services varying from baby clothes to gutter cleaning…and everything in between. With the help of artificial intelligence, the best of the best sources can be located, listed, and compared to each other. The decision to go with any of the vendors can be made by the platform, or by the administrators, based on the settings of the software.

Press Kit | Coupa Cloud Platform for Business Spend | Travel and Expense Management, Procurement, and Invoicing

Digital Transformation Integration

Most of the businesses that are thriving today are in existence simply because they did not fail to transform their practices from the physical realm to the digital realm. The way that the world is shifting from analog to digital it is easy to see that in order to keep up with the times, people need to convert to a digital platform, at least on some type of level.

The Coupa platform is equipped with a structure that can easily integrate with other existing programs. Whether a company is just starting out on its digital transformation journey or has been implementing technology for a long time in order to get the highest value of the Coupa implementation, Coupa makes it simple to interchange technologies and work effortlessly throughout various platforms.

Accounts Payable Automation

With the Coupa platform, it is possible to turn the old way of accounts payable into a new and improved version that automatically invokes paying and processing of spend. It is possible to cut out excess time and energy that could be used in other places by automating expense report reconciliations without using people and resources to generate them.

In the event that a company receives early payment discounts, the software can locate the dates, accommodate the payment and get the discounts with every payment resulting in maximum savings and value.

Since Coupa is such a comprehensive application once it is implemented and dialed in there is not much room left for any errors. An error-free solution that delivers automatic processing is a critical tool in the success of a business.

Spend Management

The way that a company spends its money can either pull the business underwater or raise it above other businesses. Spending money can result in great losses or establish great gains. The way that the procurement element of Coupa works is that it allows each step of the procurement process to be examined and optimized for the best results.

Although there are probably millions of skilled and experienced procurement professionals that absolutely are good at what they do, there is no comparison to an application that is programmed to find and implement solutions that are most beneficial for the bottom line of any company.

  • See spending trends
  • See potential opportunities
  • See potential failures
  • Forecast spending opportunities

By optimizing a spending strategy that saves money and brings more money back, the Coupa platform is a sure way to build revenue for the company and ensure larger returns in the future.

Conclusion

Coupa implementation is, by far, the most comprehensive strategy that a company can set forth for the success of every dollar spent. Procurement is only a part of the whole. Coupa gives a great view of the entire company on a level that is easy to see and understand.

By bringing each aspect of the company into one central platform that issues alerts, generates reports, suggests vendors, shows downfalls and opportunities all in one place everybody that is involved with the spending element of the company can see exactly what is going on with finances, and where the finances can be cut back, or further invested upon. Coupa procurement is the best solution a company can provide its company for optimum health and effective spending practices.

In: Health
Do Our Intestines Contain Germs?

The human gastrointestinal tract comprises approximately 100 trillion germs mostly are bacteria but viruses, fungi, and protozoa also exist in the human gut. These microorganisms complement the microbial environment that carries out their specific functions. The presence of good bacteria for example Bifidobacteria or Lactobacillus bad bacteria such as Staphylococcus, Clostridium perfringens, E.coli, work synergistically in balanced harmony to provide the maintenance of the digestive system, thus providing energy and protection against foreign particles. There are many ways to improve the wellness of your intestines such as through nutrition or supplementation.

The Role Of Bacteria Colonization In The Gut

The human stomach contains high acidity and not all microorganisms can survive except a few bacteria that play an important role in the defensive system, metabolic, and nutritional activities. Resident bacteria, which resides in the intestine serves as the first line of defense against foreign material to prevent any disease from invading the wall of the mucosa. Colonization resistance is a terminology referred to as the protective mechanism performs by bacteria for many critical functions. For example, commensal bacteria such as staphylococcus act on the immune system of the host to induce protective responses to prevent the entrance of the pathogens. These bacteria compete for available nutrients in ecological niches, thereby maintaining the collective microenvironment activities through mutual relationships. A study has demonstrated bacterial colonization was found to be significantly lower in persons with inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, atopic eczema, obesity, and diabetes. To summarize, bacteria diversification in the gut is resilient to environmental stress, thus reducing the possibility to be infected with the disease.

What Are The Factors That Disturb The Good Bacteria In The Intestine?

Your Digestive System: 5 Ways to Support Gut Health | Johns Hopkins Medicine

The presence of good bacteria and bad bacteria must be at homeostatic balance all the time. However, the overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine can cause many problems.  For example, the presence of Helicobacter pylori is a type of gram-negative spiral bacteria that resides in the wall of the mucosa can cause chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, or gastric cancer. Additionally, the large intestine is the habitat of the most diverse bacterial ecosystem found in the human body. Antibiotics, stress, and parasites are common factors that disturb the microbial population in the large intestine.

How To Maintain A Healthy Gut?

The implementation of a healthy diet is the best way to improve the function of microbiota in the gut. The consumption of dietary fiber helps to shift the favorable environment thus maintaining a healthy intestine. Ideally, fiber is the key nutrient for a healthy gut. Increasing your fiber intake can change the type of microorganisms in your gut in a few weeks. Fiber contains prebiotics that is commonly found in natural foods of complex carbohydrates such as banana, whole wheat food, onions, asparagus that are not broken down by the digestive system. In fact, it is taken by healthy bacteria in the intestine to maintain a healthy defense mechanism.  As the bacteria consume fiber, it produces byproducts of short-chain fatty acids, that offer a number of health benefits such as improving the immune system function and lowering inflammation.

Based on a study that has been published in a Journal of Translational Medicine, prebiotics that mostly obtained from cultured milk such as yogurt contained good bacteria such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus work in an orchestrated manner in the gut has the potential to reduce the LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and total cholesterol. A different study has shown prebiotic supplementation able to reduce the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis, respiratory tract infections, pulmonary exacerbations of cystic fibrosis, and eczema in children. It also helps to improve cardiometabolic parameters and reduce serum C reactive protein concentrations in patients with type 2 diabetes. To conclude, your diet is the main factor that influences the diversity of bacteria inside your body. Therefore, make sure you eat healthy food to maintain your general wellbeing.