IGASENG Education- Part 2

Scary Surveillance System Project

January 1, 2021 0

When deciding to purchase a surveillance system for your home or business it is generally a good idea to determine whether you want to design it yourself or delegate the responsibility to someone else. There are pros and cons to going with either route and its best to have an idea of what these are before going forward.
Surveillance System Costs
Cost doesn’t necessarily mean the price of the products alone. In fact cost can include such factors as your time, the product prices, and costs of hiring someone. So first off you need to consider the value of your own time and determine whether it is more valuable to do it yourself or have someone install it for you.
Surveillance System Knowledge – Installation
Be honest with yourself when it comes to this topic. How technically savvy are you and will you be able to install and purchase the equipment when it comes time. If you are a fairly adept and knowledgeable person when it comes to the tech side of things; then you may feel a good level of comfort when installing your own surveillance system. On the other hand if you’re more like the people who can’t adjust the VCR clock and still have issues learning to send an email; then it will probably cause you more of a headache than necessary, and you should look into hiring a professional.
Surveillance System Knowledge – Design
The previous consideration also applies to designing the CCTV system. If you have the ability to pick out the proper surveillance equipment and to determine what CCTV products you need; then by all means go ahead. Otherwise it may save you time and money to have a professional do it for you.
As an additional note however there are some smaller pre-made systems available on the market and at that point the issue would be more on the installation side of things rather than the design.
A Few Pros/Cons Summarized
Professional Installation and Design
Pros
1. Save yourself from wasting time and creating headaches by having a CCTV installer design and implement the system.
2. Have constant support if something should fail.
3. This can be very beneficial for larger systems with lots of components that could take a long time to implement.
Cons
1. Cost may be higher than they would be if you purchased and installed the system yourself.
2. Having to wait on someone else to fix a problem with the system if it occurs.
Self Installation & Design
Pros
1. Cost will be cheaper than they would be if paying someone to do the work for you.
2. You will be able to troubleshoot your surveillance system without having to rely on someone else.
3. Great option for smaller budget systems such as in homes or small businesses.
Cons
1. Having to pick out the right equipment and determine how to install each piece on your own.
2. Less immediate support available for fixing problems.
Ultimately it comes down to a time/cost benefit analysis when you decide whether to design and build a surveillance system on your own or not. You will have to determine which is more valuable to you in the long run. Is it your time? If so then you will probably want to hire a professional to install your system. If it is a cost issue however it will most likely be a more financially wise choice to do a bit of research and build and implement the system yourself.

Commercial Property Sales – Your Database Is Everything So Get It Right From the Start

December 28, 2020 0

As a priority for real estate agents, market knowledge should be number one on your list if you want more sales and leases. But it is the type of market knowledge that will really fast track a sale or lease and will attract clients to use your real estate services.

There is no point in claiming you are the best agent or broker in the area unless you can clearly prove it.

So what is the best market knowledge poof that you need and the clients will be attracted to? Try these:

A database of buyers and investors that will consider purchasing good listings as they arrive in your books.

Databases of tenants that will consider renting premises as their leases expire.

These two simple things can underpin many property sales and leases, can convert more listings for you, and will be the foundation of your real estate success if you do it correctly. Most clients will choose a real estate agent that can show that they have the advantage of massive market awareness; that is and should be your database. Show your database for what it is. Impress the client in such a way that they want to tap into that database.

Build the database every day in such a way that you can extract relevant information from it. A great database is almost the single most important factor for the client to use in choosing you as the agent to market their property for them.

So many agents say that they have a database, but the reality of that real estate database is usually something like this:

It really doesn’t exist

It’s a “boat anchor” that no single person can use without extensive training

Someone updates it but you are not sure how and why

It does exist but it is not up to date

It’s in the back of their diary in unorganized notes

It’s in their mobile phone so it is not a real marketing tool for anyone else in the office

It does exist but you don’t want to use it in case your lead gets taken over by the office and out of your hands

It does exist but no-one knows what to do with it

It does exist but you can’t get information out of it that you can rely on

It is full of inaccuracy and spam entries so you can’t trust it

The list can go on, but the message here is clear. If you are going to have a database in your real estate office and you want to use it to drive listing conversions then the following are the rules:

Use reliable software to capture the data.

Have sufficient categories of ranking and requirement so the database can be grouped into prices, rents, properties, region, time, and other special requirements.

Every salesperson should enter every new lead or opportunity into the database either directly or indirectly through a person that controls the database.

When an entry goes into a database, then it must be accurate and maintained by the person that started the entry so that the information remains current.

If you get your database strategy right, you can use it as a major conversion tool in your listing presentation. By showing the client that you have a significant and relevant database that can apply to the marketing of their property you have a much better chance of closing the listing of that property.

Help Desk Software Is Always On Duty

December 24, 2020 0

Few people who run an online business would claim that they do not mind a small customer base. Trying to grab the attention of more and more people, for positive reasons, is something that many strive for. No matter how hard a company may work to gain attention, it means nothing if they cannot keep their customers happy.
Websites, no matter what they are for or who runs them, may sooner or later run into problems. For example, the web provider that is hosting the site could experience some down time. There could be an error that causes a certain product to become unavailable for a short time. However, not everything that happens is a result of the overall site experiencing an error. In some cases, customers may simply be confused about a certain page or feature on the site. With such a narrow and individual field, help for this customer can be difficult to tackle, making both the company and customer unhappy in the long run.
How can a business give their customers quick and easy assistance without cutting into the productivity of their employees? The answer sits with IT help desk software. With knowledge base software, all a company needs to do is install it, and the support software will help customers when needed. A worker that has to spend most of their time answering phone calls and emails is less likely to be productive for the well-being of the company. With something else to handle it for them, they can get back to what is important for them to accomplish.
Mobile help desk software does not just free up time for workers and those high up in the business, it also makes assistance available no matter what the time of day or year. Some people do their shopping and other internet tasks well beyond normal business hours. When they do, they are bound to have questions. How many companies have support staff on duty in the middle of the night? Trouble ticket software can help pinpoint what is wrong without the need to wait. Through all twenty-four hours of the day, IT help desk will be on duty.
The task of making sales and gaining customer loyalty is difficult for those who run businesses on the internet. Keeping people once they have found your site can be even more difficult. Unless well equipped with many people who can tackle questions twenty-four hours a day, it simply is not possible to keep up with the needs of the customers.
For small businesses this never-ending treadmill, can prove to be a death sentence. On the other hand, there is hope. By installing web-based IT help desk software, a company can provide help to their customers all day long. This leaves time to focus on making the business better, increasing sales and leaving everybody, including the sales staff, with a sense of satisfaction.

Customizing a Continuing Education Certificate Program

December 19, 2020 0

Customizing a Continuing Education Certificate Program

In today’s fast-paced society, a continuing education certificate program may answer the need to stay on top of all of the new developments in the career world. Selecting a personalized program to fit a particular path or career is a step-by-step process with a broad range of possibilities and options.

One of the first questions to answer is what type of continuing education is best. Some courses simply help the student to acquire practical skills to complement a former course of study. These newly acquired skills are highly valued in the world of industry, even though they may have been obtained through a non-accredited university. Other programs offer college credit plus a certificate; some award only the certificate. Of equal importance is the selection of the area of study. Courses are as varied as real estate, information technology, biotechnology, education, nursing, business, science, math, ecology, and human rights. Some classes are geared more toward life-long learning than a specific academic category. Both the type of program and the choice of courses depend on the purpose for continuing education. Does the learner desire to qualify for a new job, change careers, get a promotion, stay updated on new developments within the present career, or explore an entirely new field? Perhaps the adult student wants to earn credits for re-certification in the educational field, stimulate professional growth, or just deepen an area of personal interest. Most programs ensure that the individual will gain the knowledge and skills needed, plus provide a credential valued in the work place.

Several options are available for the learning format of the course, which is the third step in the process of customizing an educational program. The adult selects a strategy suited to his schedule and learning style: online learning, on-campus programs, or blended courses that combine biweekly or monthly classroom experiences on campus with online course material that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Both types may include networking with other students and with professors. Some courses start quarterly; others may begin every few weeks. Often the instructors, whether in the classroom or online, hold advanced degrees and have experience in the fields that they teach. Building an adult education certificate program around the type of course needed, area of study chosen and personal classroom preference is one way for the student to respond to the current demand for trained, updated professionals who have the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in today’s world.

Articles Vs Press Releases For An Online Marketing Strategy

December 14, 2020 0

If you are in the process of creating an effective online advertising and marketing campaign you should understand the differences between articles and press releases. Both these concepts have advantages for attracting more visitors to a website. If you have limited time and money to devote to your campaign, take a moment to discover which option should best be used and why.
An article is a document that you would create and submit to an online directory. The information it contains should be interesting to the viewer and in some way relevant to the products or services you offer through your portal. In the article you can place links to your website so that an interested party can be redirected to your home page.
Depending upon the directory chosen, an article can be topical and opinionated, but keep in mind that most directories do not want articles that are overly promotional. The main point of the document should be to provide information to the reader.
Article marketing has many benefits. For example, it offers a huge reach that is not possible with other forms of advertising. Also it can be used to increase search engine optimization, this is essential today in the highly competitive online world. If you can submit information with a back link to your site, which is then ranked highly by the mains search engines, be ready to receive a huge amount of traffic.
Press releases are also a useful tool to integrate into your marketing strategy. They differ in a number of ways from articles. A press release is not general; it would carry information relating to a specific product, service, event, or offer. For example, if you have a website that sells clothing you can send out a press release when you have a new range of stock.
They are only of value in the short term as the data they carry can quickly become redundant, this is not the case with articles as the information they contain can be of interest for many years. Both articles and press releases have the benefit of being able to be picked up by other sites and blogs. In fact there are certain portals that would be interested in carrying your press releases as it can attract more traffic to their own web pages.
The way in which articles and press release are constructed and submitted is dramatically different. An article can talk in detail and at length on a particular subject or topic whereas a press release should be brief and to the point. For an article to be approved by a directory the grammar and sentence construction must adhere to traditional English language concepts. A press release on the other hand can be structured in an easy to digest format.
Which option would best suit your needs would depend upon your overall aim. If you are after a long term interest from internet users, articles may be preferable, whereas if you want to receive a high number of visitors in the short term opt for creating press releases.

18 Requirements For Success With CRM – Business Relationship Management System

December 11, 2020 0

Organizations rarely go it alone when they implement a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategy and its supporting technology. That’s because it can get overwhelming: business strategies, technology, budgets, operational processes, change management issues, and more.
Good CRM practices and principles apply to companies across many industries. One core tenet of CRM is customer centricity.
Companies must instill a customer-centric focus throughout the organization to make a CRM initiative successful and to get the most “bang for the buck.” Essentially, companies must not only focus on cutting costs and improving productivity, they must also enhance the experience of customers across all customer touch points.
To obtain the success you deserve with CRM- consider the following requirements:
1. Get Executive Buy-In
Management must believe in a new CRM system and lead by using the system themselves. Support throughout all echelons of upper management affirms the company’s commitment to the initiative, which will motivate all stakeholders below management. Success will come for a manager who realizes the value of CRM, understands the problems it’s going to solve, and dedicates time and energy to making it happen. It’s incredibly important to be involved directly.
2. Establish Measurable Business Goals.
Define specific business benefits that you expect the CRM initiative to deliver. Is it to decrease the customer churn rate or decrease the sales cycle time by a specific percent? Is it to increase the win-to-loss ratio of sales opportunities? Maybe it’s to decrease the time that a service/support request is unresolved.
3. Let Business Goals Drive Functionality
Will a particular feature help your company better serve customers, improve efficiency in business processes, and lead to results that over-achieve the goals? Convert that big list of ‘features’ to benefits you hope to obtain by achieving the desired goals.
4. Avoid Automating Chaos
CRM Project leaders need to gain a 360-degree view of their own business first. Which business processes need to be rebuilt or simply need a little touch-up? What derails CRM initiatives very often is the lack of focus on the people and business processes.
Make sure you are not using technology to automate the same old ‘cow-path’.
5. Consider All the Stakeholders Affected by the System
Understand what everyone stands to gain or lose. Actively involve end users in the solution design. Solicit and act upon end user input by providing WIIFT–“What’s In It For Them.” A change to being “customer-centric” from product- or operations-centric involves management of the change process among all users. Make sure the whole team knows what it means to deliver customer value.
6. Align All Departmental Strategies
Each department, whether customer service, marketing team, or sales force, has its own requirements and goals. They are also, however, all part of an entity that should communicate a consistent message and brand experience across all customer touch points. Make sure all your departments’ strategies converge on the customer as you intend.
7. Strategy First, Technology Second
The software is there to enable implementation of a CRM strategy, not the other way around. Reorganizing business process efficiencies and bolstering revenue are good drivers of a CRM strategy. Find out how your company’s customer touch points can maximize those ideas, then give customers applications that work with them.
8. First, Use as Much Out-of-Box Functionality as You Can
Then customize for additional needs. By getting up to speed with core functionality you get faster ROI. By learning the CRM’s functionality you’ll be able to determine if there is a business process that needs changing or if customization is required. Refer to #4.
9. Use Experienced, Expert CRM Consultants
Your business success comes from knowing what you do best. Likewise CRM consultants live and breathe CRM and know what works and what doesn’t. Ask the expert when faced with a problem, whether it’s customization, functionality, or deployment strategy. CRM-specific knowledge will produce ROI faster.
10. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
Keep people informed of the goals, objectives, and progress. People feel better during the management of this big business change if they know what’s going on. Communicate the “quick wins” as they occur to fuel enthusiasm.
11. Invest in Training
Training helps to empower end users and helps them become involved. Training should not merely focus on demonstrating how to use the software’s features. Instead, training should teach employees how to effectively execute the business process enabled by the CRM system. Give your end-users as much time as needed with the new solution before going live – it makes the transition much easier. Over time, additional reinforcement training will provide even more benefits.
12. Phase-In the Roll-Out
Focus each phase on a specific CRM objective that’s designed to produce a “quick win” – that is, meaningful results in a reasonable amount of time. Smaller, more manageable phases can yield more momentum and higher end-user adoption. You are building a holistic approach, using a step-by-step process.
13. Start with and Maintain Quality Customer information
Behavioral data is the lifeblood of CRM. CRM requires accurate customer information, so start by cleaning up any migrated data and duplications. Do this before a roll-out. Make it easier for people to tackle the tough job of data quality, access, and maintenance.
Enhance personalization by identifying the customer’s social network links – identify their LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter handles.
14. Minimize Financial Risks
It’s important that executives come to grips with the fact that CRM is not a one-time investment. As more and more users access the system, additional functionality will be found useful and other benefits become evident. CRM is a journey not a destination.
15. Consider Migration Paths
Understand where your company is heading. Make sure the software vendor you’ve selected can provide the additional functionality you might need in two or three years. Select one that will enable your CRM software to grow as your company grows. Make sure it can be customized for your business and personalized for the desired customer’s experience.
16. Plan for Disruptions – Companies Change
Companies change. They make acquisitions or they get acquired, sections are sold off or outsourced, and executives get replaced. When implementing a CRM strategy, management must be ready for these kinds of changes. Refer to #15.
17. Measure, Monitor, and Track
Once the system goes live, your company must measure, monitor, and track the system’s effectiveness, with an eye to continuously improving performance. Changing behavior is a long-term process, so monitor to track progress.
18. Choose a Champion of Change
When you’re making a full-suite implementation, start with a single department and let the dominoes fall into place. Choose a department with a manager who’s behind the implementation, realizes its benefits, and whose department will also find the most success early on. Nothing jump-starts a CRM implementation more than a manager who always has that can-do attitude. CRM success can be contagious.