Why Is QuickBooks Right for Every Business?

With over twenty years of industry leadership, the financial software QuickBooks is arguably the leading package for small business accounting. The feature-rich program offers many benefits unavailable in all but proprietary software geared toward large corporations. QuickBooks affords small businesses the ability to keep up with larger companies without a massive investment in financial staff and software. In addition to streamlining basic tasks, business users can integrate QuickBooks with invoicing solutions and point of sale software from Merchant Account Solutions to track cash flow while offering more convenience to their customers.

The Power of Payment Acceptance

Today’s customers expect payment methods to be flexible and convenient. When combined with software such as Revel POS, an iOS-based cloud-enabled app that accepts all forms of electronic payments, QuickBooks can monitor transactions and provide customers with a pleasant paying experience. Having real-time information readily available also enables business owners to more effectively plan sales and marketing strategies as well as accurately maintain inventory levels.

Some additional advantages of using QuickBooks include:

  • Processes Multiple Types of Payments
  • Eliminates Entry Errors
  • Authorize Approvals Instantly
  • Store and Download Transactions From Secure Network

More Customer Options

QuickBooks invoicing features also include the ability to add a “Pay Now” link on the business’ website. This method allows small businesses to offer yet another avenue for customers to pay for goods and services. The software sends an email invoice to customers to guide them effortlessly to the payment link on the website.

Payment Solution Experts

Merchant Account Solutions can provide your businesses with the systems it needs to leverage the power of today’s technology. The company specializes in integrating various software and hardware options with payment processing systems to allow companies to develop methods perfectly suited to their needs. Visit this industry leader’s website contact form today to start taking advantage of affordable accounting and payment options for your business.

Continue Reading

Listen Up! Sharpen Communication Within Your Company

listen-up
Image Credit

Can you imagine what your business would be like if none of your team communicated effectively? It would be incredibly difficult to bring work projects to completion, and the teamwork in your office would suffer as well. As you can probably tell, a company with poor communications will not have a successful future ahead of it.

So, if you think that you could do with improving the communications within your business, it really is worth putting plenty of money and effort into doing so. Once you do improve things, you will find that your company and its processes become a lot more streamlined and efficient.

So, think it’s time you focused on your company’s communications? Here are a few ways you can work on them.

Set Up A Communication Strategy

Do you already have a communication strategy in place in your office? If not, it is really important that you get one set up as soon as possible. This kind of strategy helps everyone understand how they should communicate with each other. For instance, as part of the strategy, you might want to create a communication flow that shows employees who they need to reach out to depending on the answers or advice they need.

Ditch Expensive Cell Phones

If you give some of your employees their own company phones, you might find that the cost of these can end up being a big strain on your budget. Thankfully, companies like Peak Push To Talk are now providing companies with some affordable solutions. There are now sophisticated walkie-talkies that use SIM cards and cellular data that you can utilize to keep employees to connected while they are out and about. You’ll find that these are often a lot more reasonably priced than traditional cell phones.

communications
Image Credit

Invest In Good Communications

As you can see from the point above, there are going to be various costs associated with your business’s communications. Rather than struggling to pay these, it’s necessary that you include them in your monthly budget. It’s also worth allocating slightly more than what you expect to pay. That extra cash can help you buy the best communication devices and software that are on the market, helping you improve your team’s communications further.

Get Some Feedback

It’s always a good idea to get some feedback from your employees to find out how they find your current communication processes, and the areas in which they think some improvements would be necessary. You might want to even create a feedback process that encourages your team to give their opinions and ideas. It’s crucial that your employees feel like their feedback is taken seriously and valued. Otherwise, you might struggle to get any feedback from them in the first place. This also ensures that your company’s communication is all transparent and out in the open.

Once you utilize the tips in this blog post, you will find that your company’s communications come on leaps and bounds.

Get ready to enjoy all that improved communication!

Continue Reading

The Bad Bits And Benefits Of A Basement Office

It’d be fair to say that your office is never as important as when you work from home. You, more than anyone, need this to be an inspirational place which invites hard work and concentration. After all, if you were going out to work, the mere process of being out of the house would kickstart your brain. You’d likely get dressed, leave the house, and enter an instant workmode.

But, when you work from home, things are different. After all, you don’t have the benefit of a commute to work. You could attempt to walk around the block before starting, but it’s unlikely you’d feel any benefit. After all, the moment you walk through your front door, your brain is liable to slip back into ‘home-mode.’ Just like that, you’ll be fit for little more than sitting on the sofa and watching Netflix.

That is, of course, unless you manage to create the perfect office space. Get this right, and you’ll be able to put your work brain on with ease the moment you enter the room. Get it wrong, and you’ll fail to ever make a real go of this work from home thing. No pressure.

office-desk
Image Source

Hence why many of us focus so hard on getting this right. We think about decor, desk position, and even minimize our accessories. In extreme cases, we get into the habit of locking the door to ensure our work office stays that way for good. Even just the knowledge your kids have been on your computer could cause ripples in your delicate working mind.

With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that many home workers opt to create offices in areas such as the basement. What could be better for getting away from the rest of the house? Of course, we aren’t saying you should move into the cold and dank space currently under your home. But, basement conversions can achieve amazing things.

That’s not to say, of course, that an office down below isn’t without its issues. To help you decide whether this would be right for you, we’re going to look at both the bad bits and the benefits of a basement office set-up.

Continue Reading

Why Aren’t Your Work Team Working Together?

When you started out in the business world, you didn’t have to worry about anyone but yourself. The workdays were gruelling and the hours were long. But, you had the peace of knowing that everything fell to you. You didn’t have to worry about fitting around anyone else or delegating tasks. You had it all in hand.

Of course, you still started hiring as soon as you could. You’re only human. It’s not possible to keep up that workload for an indefinite amount of time. Having help on board is all you dreamt of for those long and hard months. And, there’s no denying that a team can enhance your business and make your life a lot easier.

There’s just one issue; you now have to consider what they’re doing, too. And, that brings stresses of its own, especially if all is not well in your workplace dynamic. Sadly, that’s often the case. It should come as no surprise when you think about it. At few other times are we placed within a ready-made group and expected to work together. It’s a difficult dynamic, and in-team disagreements can cause untold problems within a workplace.

team
Image Source

But, as the boss, you need to make sure that doesn’t happen. Lucky for you, we’re here to look at how.

Make efforts to build a team

As we’ve already mentioned, workplaces are unique in that they’re one of the only times we’re placed in teams and told to get along. But, people come from different walks of life and can have varying opinions. To place a team together and expect them to work well would be foolhardy. Instead, you need to make efforts to create that team, rather than assuming it will establish itself. How you do this is up to you. Some bosses focus on team exercises within the office, while others look into options like a murder mystery weekend or an escape room. Here, your team will have to work together to solve problems in fun settings. What could be better for bonding?

Get to the bottom of disagreements

You’re a boss, not a counsellor. As such, you may take a no-messing approach to colleague disagreements. But, if you brush over these issue, they bubble under the surface. If you aren’t careful, that could have long-lasting implications. Instead, air these issues in a safe environment. If you notice rumblings within your workforce, call the people in question to your office. Once there, give everyone a chance to speak. Together, you can address issues and move forward in a positive light.

Be clear about your objectives

No amount of team bonding is going to change the fact your colleagues will have varying approaches. And, if these are too opposed, working together on any task could get difficult. To help stop in-work arguments, be clear on your objectives when you pass down an assignment. Attempt to at least guide the direction your team takes. You’d be amazed how many arguments this small step can stop.

Continue Reading

First Impressions Count. Here’s How To Boost Yours

Everyone who works in the world of business will tell you how important it is to make a great first impression when you have clients come to your office. You want to be able to show off your business in the way that you view it. You wouldn’t wear a trash bag to an important meeting, so it’s highly unlikely that you would want to trash your office with second-rate furniture and mismatched décor to make the wrong impression on your clients.

business-furniture
Image Source

First impressions last longer than you think, and you don’t want your clients to think about your business with a sour face. You want them to remember you for the bright, coordinated furniture in the office that match your logo. You want them to remember the spectacular window graphic printing on the glass dividers in the office that advertise your services in a professional way. An impressive office space doesn’t necessarily need to be expensive or consistent with the current office trends, but it does need to be neat, tidy and bright. The good news is that making your workspace as professional as possible isn’t all that hard! Check out how you can create the best first impression possible with your office below:

executive-sitting
Image Source

Cleaning your office is going to be a priority for you. Hiring in a good cleaning company that ensures that after hours, your business is straightened out, is important. Keeping the desks clutter-free is a must, but keeping the carpets shampooed and plush is just as important. You wouldn’t want to walk into an office of threadbare carpets, so don’t let your clients do the same.

Lighting is a big deal for offices that are overshadowed by other buildings around it. A dim light can make an entire office look cheap and rundown without much effort. Either invest in an office space with a lot of natural light flooding through, or swap out the light bulbs for a better, lighter space with clean lines.

The vibe of the office is just as important as whether you have clean floors and desks. You need to be uniform in the office layout, but maybe not in every aspect. Your waiting room furniture, for example, could be a mismatched array of plump and inviting sofas. This type of eclectic look makes you look down to earth as a company.

Upgrading your technology will make a massive impression. Imagine trying to run a marketing business with the technology equipment of yesterday? It just doesn’t work. Your staff should be seen to be working with the latest and greatest technology so that people are impressed by your ability to keep up with the times.

Your office space has to be one that people WANT to revisit. They need to come back and remember why you make such an impact in your industry. Check out what the competition are doing and make a point of doing what you want to do, while doing better than them all at the same time.

Continue Reading

Top tips for improving your business profile

No matter the size of your company, whether you are just starting out and work from home, or are part of a larger team for a multinational organization, if you feel that your external marketing efforts are just not paying off, then it could be time to review how you can boost your business profile for good. Remember, the future and success of your firm hang on having a strong and forward-thinking business profile, positioning you ahead of the game and as a go-to company within your operating market. So, even if you are only starting out, there are still a few simple tricks that you can use to help boost your business profile.

Use social media

If you have not already woken up to the benefits of social media for your business and your brand identity as a whole, then you need to make a serious change to your current marketing strategy. The beauty of social media is that you can instantly share news, content and even photos or fun information from your firm, which means that it is up to you as to how you want to position your company. From articles and blog posts to highlight new product launches or even recruiting your own team of online brand ambassadors who take to social media to share and review your products, make the most of social media, and you will notice the impact on your business profile.

Stand out from the crowd

If you are looking to improve your business profile, but feel that your efforts are not being noticed, then the sad reality is that you may not be creating content that is unique enough. When it comes to engaging with new online followers or upping your visitors to your company website for example, then it is crucial that you get creative to ensure that you stand out from the busy crowd. If you are promoting a new release or movie, then consider using a movie poster maker to help you create a truly unique marketing tool that can be shared, downloaded and printed. Make sure that you are not afraid to try out new layouts and work with your in-house team to help you channel those new ideas into your future projects. Stand out from the crowd, and you will see your profile soar.

If you are looking to improve your business profile, but feel that you are not getting the results that your company needs to grow and attract new followers, or even talent, then it is time to make a change for the better. Embrace social media so that you can share relevant information and fun facts, to help your firm quickly become recognized as the go-to in your business market. Make sure that you get creative and do not be afraid to stand out from the crowd. Remember that improving your business profile will take time and effort, but if you start as you mean to go on, then you will notice the results in just a few weeks.

Continue Reading

Just How Safe And Secure Is Your Business?

business-data
Image Source

When you are first learning how to manage your business, not only do you have to consider your own managerial style, as well as nurturing relationships between clients, customers, and your employees, you need to take into consideration the bigger picture. Because we place such a reliance on technology now, it’s vital we make sure it is up to speed, because this is such a big part of the big picture. One computer goes down, it can have a detrimental impact on the productivity of your business. But, this is one aspect of a much larger topic, the topic of security. How safe and secure is your business? Do you know the answer to this? If you don’t, let’s ask a few important questions to ensure you have the solutions.

How sensitive is your data?

Understanding how sensitive your data is will give you a much better idea of what you need to do to secure it. In order to do this, you should undertake an audit of all your information, including how it is used, but also where it is stored. If you rely on working with other clients to send sensitive data, such as customer information, you need to ensure you have secure and compliant data transfers in place. If you spend a lot of time transferring this information, and you don’t have the necessary means to secure it, you could find yourself subject to data theft. Of course, it’s a very hot topic right now, and if you aren’t seen to be securing your information appropriately, you will face hefty financial penalties.

Does your staff have the necessary knowledge?

Providing adequate security isn’t all about the systems you have in place, it’s also about making sure that your staff know what to do if they are sent a phishing scam, or what the hallmarks of malware can be. Communication is the cornerstone of a successful business, and when it comes to your security methods, making sure that your staff are up to date in every aspect is vital. If you have employees who are clued up, this gives additional peace of mind.

Do you have a security policy in place?

It’s not just about your employees’ knowledge, but also about a comprehensive security policy, and procedure should a virus infect your systems. An IT security policy is more than a document, it is a blueprint for you to structure a dynamic and resourceful response to a technical emergency. If you don’t have one in place, it is time to create one.

How often do you update?

If you find the system updates get in the way of your productivity, this is a very poor attitude to have. Instead, you need to have patching policies in place, but find the best time to go ahead with these updates. These updates are vital, and you shouldn’t go without them, especially if you are a small business. You can integrate automated systems to do this, but this can be quite costly for small companies, instead, you can install scanners to run system checks, and then schedule these updates during off-peak hours. Regular updates are one of the best ways to keep your systems running at optimum capacity.

Ask yourself these four questions and if you don’t know the answer to them, this gives you a good idea of how much work you have ahead of you to ensure your business is safe and secure.

Continue Reading