If you run a service-based location business – a bar, restaurant, cafe, hair salon, doctor’s office and more – no doubt you have heard by now all about the benefits of offering free WiFi to your customers. It can help attract new business, help you garner more online reviews and other user-generated content, make collecting demographic data easier and cheaper, increase social media engagement and increase sales and customer satisfaction in general. What’s not to love? Read more
In the first part of this blog series we discussed the role of social media usage in the workplace and its possible effects on security. We closed the piece by suggesting that companies address the issue with the creation of a formal Communications Security Policy. Today we are going to be offering some common-sense pointers on just how that should be done: Read more
At any given moment nowadays, on-the-clock staff are checking and updating their social media statuses, reading feeds and networking on business media sites. Moments will often stretch to minutes: A recent study by the Ponemon Institute found that 60% of social media users spend a minimum of half-hour daily on these sites when at work. Read more
One of the most common questions people often have when it comes to Ethernet cables is what do the numbers mean and what’s the difference? We hear this question from both people looking to change or upgrade their home network and from businesses hoping to do the same.
If you have ever paid attention to your current ethernet cables – which it is probably unlikely you do – you know that would each cable is labeled with the abbreviation “Cat,” followed by a number like 6, 6a, or 7. Essentially, “Cat” just means “category.” The number that follows refers to the cable’s specifications, such as bandwidth and transmission speed. Read more
Data security is a big concern for most businesses. The number of stories in the news about devastating hacks seems to increase all the time and it is not just big businesses that need to take notice, a business of any size can be at risk as well.
For all the security hardware and software precautions that can be put in place to help better secure data – and there are some amazing solutions out there right now well worth considering – often data breaches are caused by the simplest things. One of the biggest issues? Insecure password use. Read more
Many business owners start their business using a set of Excel files. They continue to use them as the business grows. A single Excel file can have multiple sheets of data, such as products sold, leads to call, quotes sent out to customers, and much more.
It is difficult to get this solution to work efficiently and cohesively. For instance, when you create a quote, it would be more efficient to have the capability to pull-up the list of products straight from a central, organized list of products. Read more
VOIP can be a great communications solution for businesses of all sizes. It offers many advantages over a traditional PBX system and it is an increasingly popular choice with Southern California businesses.
VOIP is not, however, perfect, no technology is. One possible downside of VOIP is the danger of the system being hacked.
Yes. Hacked. Many people don’t even realize that a VOIP system can be hacked. Depending on who installed your VoIP system and the other security precautions your business has in place – or does not have in place – it might be very easy to hack your VOIP based communications system. But how would you even know? Read more
Even if you hate them, and many of us secretly do, no matter what business you’re in, meetings are a necessity. And, more often than not, lots of them.
The good news is, however, that the meeting experience as we know it is improving. In the past people had to gather together awkwardly in conference rooms, making uncomfortable small talk until the meeting was called to order, often after having to travel miles to attend in the first place. Read more
Network security has possibly never been as important as it is right now. 2017 has been filled with disaster stories about crippling hacks (including that one that knocked out most of the UK’s National Health Service for a while) and on a smaller scale the number of companies left seeking help when their network was taken down by a random virus, or worse still when it was hijacked by a dreaded ransomware exploit, has increased significantly. Read more
It’s holiday season again, and at work that means time for office gifting and secret Santas. Which can be a real pain. With a budget limit – and often a limited knowledge of what a person might consider a good gift – it’s often hard to buy something that might be appreciated. Read more
Many companies rely on their wireless networks to keep their business running at maximum capacity and efficiency. And so when things seem to be starting to go wrong it can seem like disaster may be looming on the horizon, especially for businesses that rely on wi-fi as a customer perk, such as cafes, bars and service businesses like doctor’s offices. However, the good news is that those annoying lags, slowdowns and disconnections may not be the huge problem you imagine, you may just need to rethink your wireless router options. Read more
Server rooms. In theory they should be orderly sanctuaries devoted to your company’s awesome IT computing power. In reality, in many cases, they are really neglected, dusty cluttered disaster zones that are places where many fear to tread and a space that the beleaguered IT manager despairs of. Read more
To many users, one of the big advantage of switching to a VOIP communication system is the fact that, as long as it has a USB connection, you can make use of almost any equipment you like. This is certainly true of headsets, a piece of essential equipment for almost anyone who spends more than a little time on the phone, especially if they do so in an office setting. Read more
For many of us, our computer monitor is something we make use of – and stare at – for hours and hours on a daily basis. Therefore, ensuring that you have the right one(s) to meet your current needs is a must. But with tech moving so quickly, and the demands on the average monitor increasing all the time, how do you even determine what a good vs. great monitor is any more, especially if it’s going to be housed in a workplace rather than a living room? Read more
For many companies their call center is hugely important to their business. It’s where orders are placed, problems are solved, services are sold and upgraded and the company’s brand can be defined, for better or worse.
For these reasons and many more a business operating a call center of any kind will usually, quite rightly, spend more than a little time and money on the latest hardware and software needed to make it functional and friendly, as well as on hiring, training and retaining the best employees to staff it. Read more