Successful Blog

Time to Keep Better Track of Your Employees?

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While many employees are either off to begin with or ducking out early on this Thanksgiving Eve, how many do you suspect are being truthful about the hours they worked this day?

For many small business owners, it can be a challenge to properly document how many hours their workers are in fact putting in. Even though many companies employ a 40-hour work week, not all employees abide by this rule.

According to a Salary.com survey, surfing the Internet has over recent years become one of the major reasons not all work gets done on time.

The survey noted that more than 60 percent of workers end up on non-work related websites on a daily basis while “working” at their jobs. Within that percentage, nearly 40 percent spend one hour or less per week, 29 percent devote two hours per week, 21 percent waste five hours of their employer’s time per week, while just three percent claim to waste 10 hours or more.

Yes, in some workplaces across the country, employers go above and beyond what would be deemed the normal office environment, that is monitoring the hours worked, time spent for lunch, and how many breaks workers are taking. Some even block a number of Internet sites or the Web altogether.

Others, however, feel the need to implement some type of system that will easily and properly record the time each employee puts in on a daily basis.

Should you find yourself to be one of those small businesses in need of employee time tracking, consider the following:

1. Take the time to find the right system – First and foremost, you don’t want to waste money on the wrong system. Some systems can be harder to implement and record, so make sure the system you desire is understandable, effective, and worth your time. If you or your employees are spending excessive time during the week trying to figure it out, are you truly saving time in the long run? In most cases, the answer is no;

2. Follow the leader – If you want your employees to play by the rules, don’t you think you should too? Even if you own the company or are a higher-up executive, keep in mind that the company is made up of team members and not individuals. Set a good example for your employees by putting in a responsible amount of hours yourself during the week. Most employees respect authority and will follow suit if they see their managers and others higher up the work food chain setting a good example for others to follow;

3. Treat all employees fairly – Nothing can harm an office more than if it is perceived that some employees are getting special treatment when it comes to recording their time spent working. While there are always going to be special circumstances for medical appointments, emergencies and such, treat all employees the same when it comes to recording their hours worked. If some employees feel management is looking the other way in some cases with recording employee hours, it can quickly turn into a major issue in the workplace;

4. Set the rules – In some companies, overtime work is going to be required in order to meet customer needs. In those cases, make sure when hiring workers that they know if they are working from a set salary or are paid hourly. In some cases, workers will try and bill for extra hours that they worked legitimately, yet others will try and stretch the truth. That being said, it is also important that employees record their lunch breaks, etc. so that they are meeting the requirements as set by the law. Under reporting hours can be as much of if not more of a problem than reporting too many hours worked;

5. Review over time – Finally, it is important to review your employee time tracking software, how it is implemented, and what works and does not work from time to time. The needs of your company will change over time, hence how you record employee time spent doing a job will too. Whether you track employee time by when they sign in on their computers, when they enter the office or by some others means, don’t just assume it is automatically working. If your current tracking operations are not working, take the time to fix the problem and see better results in no time.

Photo credit: smallbiztrends.com

About the author: With 23 years of experience as a writer, Dave Thomas covers a wide array of topics to help your small business succeed.

 

VoIP Small Business Savings Can Be Music to Your Ears

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In tough economic times, many small business owners look for each and every opportunity to save themselves money.

With the end of 2012 fast approaching, it would behoove those who run small businesses to sit down and take a look at where many of their company expenses went for these last 11 months.

In some cases, saving that money going forward into 2013 is next to impossible, while there are other areas that definitely can be tweaked in order to make the coming year a more profitable one.

If your business phone expenses have left you dialed-in to less savings, have you considered dialing into small business VoIP?

According to a 2011 FCC report, usage of VoIP grew 21 percent, to more than 30 million VoIP subscribers just in the U.S during a one-year period from June 2009 to June 2010.

With VoIP in your office, you can not only save money, but you can provide more efficiency for both your customers and your employees in ways you may never have previously thought of.

In the event small business VoIP may be something for your business to consider going into the New Year, note the following:

* Business VoIP users receive a toll-free or area phone number along with a variety of voice-mail features;
* Among the other features are call forwarding, an auto attendant, automatic phone routing, online faxing, and virtual directories;
* With Internet access, your small business can initiate communication efforts that include emailing to voice calls to video conferences. In the event you have employees on the road handling sales calls or attending networking events, you can still conference with them via VoIP;
* With both remote employees and/or completely remote offices, you can provide IP handsets and IP PBXs (private branch exchange) at each locale, therefore permitting all devices to communicate with one another minus outside provider intervention;
*  Should you go hosted or non-hosted? One of the decisions to be made is to go with a hosted service or non-hosted service. With the hosted service, it is commonplace for providers to oversee major processes offsite, thereby bringing calls to your phones and your customers. Many hosted VoIP solutions will not require added on-site hardware other than phones. With a self-hosted onsite service, your business will require an IP-based PBX to move your calls to your network phones, along with a PSTN (public switched telephone network) getaway. The gateway acts to convert calls to and from digital signals as required. Typically, what you pay for such a service will depend on the necessary features.

Lastly, those small businesses considering VoIP would do well to get a number of provider quotes, along with reviewing both each company’s customer service record and its financial stability. Make sure the technology you are considering for your company makes sense not just now, but over the long term as you look to grow your business.

With the right VoIP solution in place, your small business could ring up significant savings in the months and years to come.

Photo credit: digisecrets.com

About the author: Dave Thomas covers a variety of small business topics for various websites.

Your Social Media Deficiency Could Be Costing You Business

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What is your small business doing to set itself apart from the competition?

If one of your answers is using social media, a pat on the back to you. If you’re not using social networks to promote your brand, why are you being so resistant?

Despite a number of reports that indicate more and more companies are getting it when it comes to social media, there is still significant lag time when it comes to small businesses talking about social media and actually employing it.

During a small business summit held earlier this year, Godfrey Phillips, VP of research at The Business Journals, noted the following from a study based on 2,200 interviews of business owners and top executives of companies with less than 500 employees:

* Approximately 80 percent of small business owners and major executives indicated they are now using a social network, yet just 57 percent reported doing so in conjunction with their marketing strategy;

* LinkedIn was singled out as the site most utilized for business functions (50 percent) and the least when it came to personal use by those high up in the company (9 percent);

*  Facebook was rated the least used for business purposes (12 percent) and most utilized when it came to personal functions (30 percent).

As you can see by the numbers, less than 60 percent of company owners and top execs not using social media as part of their marketing strategy means countless businesses are missing the boat. In fact, you could even say they are somewhat adrift when it comes to properly reaching out to current and potential customers.

So, you’re in charge of marketing your small business or doing just that for your boss, and social media still seems like a foreign subject at times, why should this matter be rectified?

The reasons include:

* Your brand needs social media – Given the fact that more and more consumers are using the Internet to browse for and purchase goods and services, you need to be alive and breathing social media. With a presence on the major social media sites, you can not only be promoting your brand, but also engaging with consumers, seeing what is being said about your business and staying up to speed with the competition. Not have a social media presence for your business in 2012 is akin to living in the dark ages;

*  Saving money on advertising – When you actively promote your brand on social media, think of the advertising dollars you can be saving. While there is a good chance you will still be doing some of the standard forms of promoting your company like print, and radio/television ads, social media is in essence free advertising. The time and effort required for social media advertising can prove a great return on investment (ROI) for the wise marketer;

* Customer expectations – While your business still may do a sizable portion of marketing via word-of-mouth, traditional advertising and being active in the community, social media exposes you to an infinite number of people who could be your next customers. The days of the customer waiting for you to come to them via catalogs, flyers, phone calls, etc. is in essence a thing of the past. Now, your goal is to market your business via different forms of digital marketing, including social media.

With all that social media has to offer your business, why would you avoid it in the first place?

Photo credit: blog.socialmaximizer.com

With 23 years of experience as a writer, Dave Thomas covers a wide array of topics from finding the right gutter guard for your home to starting a home business.

Made It Your Business to be Insured?

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For many men and women, opening and running a small business is a lifelong dream.

According to the Small Business Administration (SBA) there are some 27 million small businesses scattered across the nation, with anywhere from 60 to 80 percent of all new jobs created nationwide tied to small business.

Whether it is a company one has started fresh off the ground, inherited from a family member or purchased from someone else, their blood, sweat and tears will likely be poured into it over time.

But what happens if they do not have the proper small business insurance in place?

In what can seem like the blink of an eye, all those dreams of being their own boss and making a go of it as a business owner can be wiped out.

In order to avoid such a scenario, ask yourself a very simple question. Am I properly insured to the point where my small business could withstand even the smallest of claims? If the answer is no, make it your business to get properly insured.

It all starts with preparing for the everyday risk that something could go wrong, meaning you could end up on the wrong end of a claim, a claim that has the potential to be quite expensive for you and your business.

 

Do You Know All the Things That Can Go Wrong?

While the possible scenarios are just about endless, some of them include:

  • The work you do for a client ends up causing them a business interruption and/or loss of money;
  • Someone comes to your business for a consultation, product or service. While there, they are injured in a fall or other accident;
  • One of your employees is attacked in your office parking lot while going to their car. You were told several times that the area had little or no lighting and was unsafe, yet you never did anything to correct the problem. In turn, the employee sues you to cover their medical bills and emotional suffering;
  • You or one of your employees are driving to meet with a client or make a delivery. During the time, you are involved in a vehicle accident and the other party is injured;
  • The legal or financial advice that you provided a client does not work for them, meaning they may turn around and sue you and your business;
  • A fire or storm causes major damage to your office space and equipment. As a result, you lose the ability to work for days, weeks or maybe even longer. Can you survive financially with your small business in limbo?

No matter what the potential claim may be, it has the makings of putting you and your business at risk of going under should someone be successful in a court judgment. Without small business coverage, you risk losing everything.

As you may or may not imagine, there are a number of coverage types available for your company, including:

  1. Business property insurance (covers the business property you rent or own, including the equipment inside);
  2. Liability insurance (protects you and your business against accidents to third parties, including personal injuries and should a fire break out in your business and damage nearby properties);
  3. Home-based insurance (provides you with coverage should you run your business from home; most homeowners policies do not protect you against home-based business losses);
  4. Commercial auto insurance (offers you protection when you have any business vehicles that are used on a regular basis to go meet with clients and/or deliver goods and services).

There is little to no doubt that some small business owners will feel paying premiums for insurance is cutting into their revenue, so why have it in the first place?

Keep in mind that an uninsured loss can be much more expensive to your small business over time than paying a monthly, quarterly or yearly payment for small business insurance.

At the end of the day, are you willing to take the risk of not being insured?

Dave Thomas has more than 20 years’ experience as a writer, covering a variety of topics to help your small business succeed.

 

 

Is Your Small Business Dialed Into T1 Lines?

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As technology continues to evolve, the small businessman or woman should know how to most effectively run their business with the right technological products and services in place.

The simple truth is that a number of programs and processes can not only make things easier for the person who owns a business, but it can also help increase their revenue stream if implemented properly.

One such option is a T1 line, something that has been around for more than two decades, yet still remains a mystery to some business owners.

In the simplest terms, T1 lines (T is an abbreviation for trunk, 1 stands for a particular level within the trunk) offer reliable bandwith when it comes to accessing the Internet, using multiple telephone lines, or data communications. Unlike high-speed cable, T1 lines are focused business Internet connections that are not shared by a number of companies.

For the business owner who runs an operation where multiple lines of communication are needed such as a customer service center, T1 lines (offering 24/7/365 service) can be very beneficial to performing a multitude of operations. They help the company dealing with large call volumes, proving less expensive and more efficient than those that have regular old phone service in place. Given the fact that numerous services can be mixed together on a single T1 line, business owners can actually end up saving money over time.

When shopping for a T1 line for one’s small business, take note that an integrated T1 line is one of the top selling T1 solutions, due primarily to the fact that it offers local phone service, long distance, and bandwith all on a lone connection and one bill. Business owners also have the option of bonded T1 lines, consisting of up to four 1.5 Mbps T1 circuits that in reality act as a lone circuit, providing speeds up to 12 Mpbs.

As you shop for a T1 line, consider:

1. Location – This is the major factor as to what you pay for a T1 or greater bandwidth line. The further distance your operation is from the carrier, the more you pay. Places further away from sizable metropolitan areas oftentimes pay more;

2. Hardware – Look at the expense for hardware that includes routers, PBX boxes, switches, and any installation fees among other items

3. Contract – The terms (length) of the contract can have a big impact on what you will end up paying.  Typically, it will cost more on a per month basis for a one-year contract than you would for say a three-year deal;

While newer technologies have hit the market over the years, decreases in price for T1 lines, along with the reliability of such circuits, has permitted the volume of T1 lines in use nationwide to keep growing at a solid rate.

For those small business owners who need the Internet, telecommunications and data connectivity now and going forward, T1 lines are definitely something to dial into.

Photo credit: ehow.com

With 23 years of experience as a writer, Dave Thomas covers a wide array of small business topics.