Business Blogs: Trends, tips, and real-life anecdotes from industry experts.

Last week, I spent (wasted) a lot of time spinning my wheels and thinking about decisions that were irrelevant at the moment. Paralyzed with small details that did not matter and stuck in over-thinking the “what-ifs,”  I created a perfect storm for myself. This “time suck” went on for the greater part of the week [...]

When times are tough and money is tight, many savvy business owners look to outsource work to contractors. Using a reliable contractor can help you control costs and give you time to focus on marketing and business growth. But outsourcing is effective only if you can get the results you want at the price you [...]

Being an entrepreneur can put a strain on the amount of time that you have for doing the things you want to do. The last thing you have time for is going through the process of filing and finding documents. You also do not need the added expense of paying someone to do all of [...]

Time and attendance can be an issue for many businesses. No matter the size of the company, there are always discrepancies to be found in employees’ hours. One way to help streamline your efforts is by implementing a time and attendance system.
Time and attendance options come in all shapes and sizes. They [...]

Customer service can be a touch situation for many people. Usually when people call these numbers it is because they either have a problem that needs fixed, they are angry or both. Having quality representatives who can handle varied situations can really make the difference.
Less Reps
Quantity isn’t always quality—especially when it comes to [...]

I just cringe when I call a business and get some home recording message from a 1980’s answering machine. All home-based businesses need a professional answering service. Whether you are a solo entrepreneur looking for a professional “staff member” (i.e. virtual phone service) to field calls, or an at-home sales rep missing sales leads [...]

Chances are, you’ve seen a POS system in action. “POS” is an abbreviation for “point-of-sale-” the most basic POS systems calculate payment amounts and process customer payments, similar to a cash register. However, they aren’t just calculators. Most hospitality-based systems use POS systems in order to track inventory and labor costs, forecast business volumes [...]

Effective July 24th, 2008, the federal minimum wage increases to $7.25. A few small businesses may have needed that reminder- those that process their own employee paychecks will need to make adjustments not just to wages, but to tax withholding amounts, employee savings plans, and other accounts. Businesses that already outsource payroll services don’t need [...]

Businesses that accept credit cards are a distinct advantage when it comes to attracting customers. With over 3/4 of the American population using some form of plastic to pay for regular purchases, you can’t afford not to offer a credit card payment option.

Merchant Account Basics
In order to accept credit card payments, you’ll need to open [...]

Most people associate telemarketing with outbound sales call centers- a huge room full of employees with headsets on making calls for sales, lead generation, or collecting survey information or donations. But telemarketing also works the other way around. If you don’t have the staff, or language capabilities to support taking calls, inbound telemarketing is a [...]