Archive for the ‘Company Reputation’ Category
Information Technology and Company Reputation
Company reputation is one of those make-or-break deals in today’s business climate. Companies like Zappos, which thrives on good word-of-mouth, have put the spotlight on the importance of customer service and online image in building a successful business.
However, company reputation isn’t just about good customer service. Company reputation goes beyond making a customer feel good to making sure your customers never realize that you put time, effort, and money into making the entire interaction positive.
For example, few customers think about the amount of capacity planning their financial may or may not have considered before going live with online banking. They don’t care how many other customers are using the billpay system at the same time as them, and they don’t care how much it costs you to create a secure network. What they care about is getting their financial information in real time and not being bothered by an overloaded system.
In this way, information technology is a lot like a building’s foundation. Few people know just how much architectural planning goes into creating the foundation for their home; all they know is that they want the house to remain solid even when earthquakes, mudslides, and regular wear and tear make their mark.
That’s why any negative feedback from consumers on the state of your IT system can be catastrophic to your business. This doesn’t just mean that you have to protect against an attack that threatens your customer data or safety; it also means you have to have a strong infrastructure that is able to make everything appear effortless and easy.
For many companies, this means you need a greater focus on capacity planning and IT vulnerability management. IT planning is, after all, the real scene-behind-the-scenes of any good company that operates online or utilizes a large database of customer information. Whether you need to build a new IT backbone from the ground-up, or you simply want to reassess your foundation and fill in the cracks, you, too, can benefit from a good company reputation.
Reduce Printer Output
We all remember the time before computers were commonplace. Sure, they’ve been around for decades, but it’s really only in the past couple of decades that they have changed how we live. More and more, we have come to rely on them to store data, to send messages, and to perform intricate calculations. We trust our computers to help us make safe purchases, to find information, and even to do our taxes. So, why is it that so many people still print out everything they receive?
One of the best parts of email is that you can communicate almost instantaneously with anyone around the world. As long as they have an email account and access to a computer, we can send them a message. Some of these documents are important for business, and we need to keep records of them. Paper files, however, can be a waste of both time and money. With so many data storage options, there’s just no need to print them out to store them.
So, how do you build the confidence to stop overwhelming the printer?
- Well, first and foremost, your emails should be being saved in your email application. You know those little electronic folders that you put stuff in? Aren’t those easier than hunting for the paper copy? If you rely on them, you can save paper, toner, and hassle.
- Better yet, you can back those files up to ensure you never lose the records. It’s not only easy, it’s smart for your business – and with options in onshore, offshore, and nearshore storage, your information can be kept safe and secure from both a physical and an electronic standpoint.
So, stop sending all of those pages to your printer. It’s a modern world, and it’s time to embrace the art of virtual file keeping.
Using Online Meetings for Efficient Communications
In this day and age, technology is everywhere. It defines how we communicate, how we work, and even how often we head into the office. Telecommuting has allowed people to live almost anywhere, yet still work together in a remarkably efficient fashion. Sometimes, however, the whole team needs to get together and have a meeting. If flying the group in to one location just isn’t feasible or in the budget, what can you do?
Host an online meeting, of course!
There are a variety of software options on the market that can help you conduct your meeting. You’ll need to be able to speak with each other and possibly even to see each other, and there are products that will allow every person attending the meeting to follow along on their own computer. Presentations and demonstrations can be conducted from one location while all of the attendees follow along and participate in real time. You can also create online blackboards that you update as you speak.
In addition to software options, you can also train your employees to get the most out of the telecommunications process using an IT consultant who specializes in the practice. Part of being successful at working remotely is knowing how to get the most out of a group of employees in different time zones and using different types of technology.
It doesn’t matter what type of business you’re in – there are communications options that break down traditional barriers. By tapping into new software and technology, you can find solutions that will help your online meetings be even more productive.
The Past and Future of Domain Names
When you give your website an address, you can choose almost anything to name it. Sure, there are addresses that are already taken, but if you’re inventive enough you can label the site just about anything you want, “dot” something. It’s what comes after the “dot” that is a little more complicated. Despite pushes from various countries and groups, these domain names are limited. They are divided into categories like the familiar .com, .net, and .gov as well as a few others, and so far there aren’t very many more domains beyond these that can be used.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, is a non-profit group headquartered in the United States that oversees domain naming. They also oversee country specific codes that come after the domain, such as .ca for Canadian sites.
You may be wondering why sites in the United States don’t have a country code listed but all other countries do. It’s the same reason that British stamps don’t name their country on their paper mail stamps. The country that created the system doesn’t have to use their name; other countries have to list their name to differentiate themselves from the original British invented stamps. The same goes with country codes on an Internet address. The United States originated the domain names, and because of this, there is no country listed on American sites.
So what’s the wave of the future? Well, many groups and cities are asking for an increase in domain names, such as .sports or location names like .nyc. Other countries would like domains that aren’t just English only. With all of this clamor, there are sure to be changes in website addresses coming in the next few years, so pay attention. You may be able to get your business name .sports or just about anything else that makes your company unique.
Is a Poor Website Ruining Your Reputation?
Imagine you’re a customer. You’ve been hunting for a specific product, and you think you may have found it. There is quite a bit of information available on the Internet, however, and you have choices. You look through a few different sites, and end up choosing the competitor even though the prices are a bit lower at a less professional looking site.
The same thing can happen with client-based businesses. The Internet is a great marketing tool, and you can draw people from around the world to your company. Time and time again, however, people come to your site but you’re not seeing any business materializing. What on earth is going on?
Let’s face it, first impressions are important. A professional looking website makes a far better impression that a poorly designed one, no matter how great the company behind it is. It’s not fair, but humans are designed to weed out options, and one of the easiest ways we do it when we are looking for companies to give our business to is by grading the professionalism of the site. You have to admit, don’t you do this as well? If you see a poorly designed, hard to navigate site, aren’t you less inclined to give them your business? Don’t you make some assumptions about how the level of professionalism the company must have if the site is hard to navigate?
If your site has seen better days, don’t despair. It’s easy to sharpen your look, but it’s a job best left to professionals. They understand design, content, and site navigation. Not only that, but they know how to get traffic to your site - traffic that may be impressed by your new look and get you more business. Now, isn’t that worth thinking about?