6 Tip to Reduce Your Business’ Carbon Footprint

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It’s now more important than ever before to be conscious of our impact on the environment. Businesses all across the world are taking the necessary steps to reduce their carbon footprint and make a conscious effort to preserve our scarce resources. Have you taken steps to make the shift over to a more environmentally-friendly office? If not, here are a few tips to get you started.

 

carbon footprint

 

Encourage online payments

It may not seem like a big deal, but the paper used to send out cheques, envelopes and (late) payment notices adds up at the end of the day, especially when you are business with 100+ employees and 1000+ customers . You can make a small but highly impactful difference by making it easy for your customers to make payments online through a secure online portal and for your employees to receive direct deposits instead of printed cheques.

 

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

It’s time for us to put our education to good use. Schools all across the world are encouraging eNewsletters, litterless lunches, the reuse of paper, proper recycling etiquettes, and the like. So why shouldn’t this trend continue into the workplace? Recycling produces less landfill and lowers the cost of waste disposal.

Here’s a quest for you and your employees: place a used (clean it) coffee cup in the lunch room beside the microwave or vending machine. Every time someone drinks a pop have them take the tab off before chugging it into the recycling bin. Those tabs can be used to create a wheelchair for someone that needs it.

 

Create electronic versions of important documents

Need to invoice customers or send out reports? Why not create electronic versions and email them or make them accessible via the web, rather than printing and mailing them? You’ll conserve paper as well as economize on things like ink and postage. As well, your customers will appreciate the convenience, in case they lose the important document. Check out this document management software tool for more information.

 

Communicate via email

If you’re still using papermail for all client and employee correspondences then its time to upgrade to emails, messengers (i.e. Skype) and CRM software systems with reliable after sales support. That will cut down your stationery consumption by more than 40%. If you’re still hung up with CRT monitors, replacing them with LCD and LED screens will bring in some major savings on your energy bills. Traveling isn’t always needed for attending meetings, so economize by communicating through email, Skype, and GoTo meetings.

 

Take a tablet or netbook to meetings

Rather than using notepads for taking notes during meetings, take notes on your tablet or laptop. When you need to access it, you can do so at the click of a button, without having to flip through the papers.

 

Unplug/Turn Off Office Equipment When Not in Use

Turn off and/or unplug office equipment, lights and electronic devices when they are not being used by employees. As well, encourage all employees and customers to take the stairs instead of the elevator. Make sure that the last one out of the office turns off the lights-just like they do at home.

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New Antispam Law in Effect in Canada

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The long awaited Canadian Anti-Spam Law (CASL) came into effect on Tuesday, July 1, 2014. The legislation governs the way we send commercial electronic messages (CEMs) to prospects. It is important for all companies in Canada to comply. The purpose of the legislation is to reduce the number of unwanted emails to people’s inboxes and to ensure that the messages we get are ones that we approve and want. That is why a big chunk of CASL focuses consent through the following means: Implied Consent – One of the most obvious ways you can obtain an implied consent is through an existing business relationship or what we call the business card cue. Current clients and referral sources are two examples of an existing business relationship. Express Consent-This is given directly from the content – can be either or oral in writing. You have permission until the person withdraws the consent (through unsubscribe) to send the emails. CASL

Fines:

Businesses that fail to comply with this law will be heavily fined. Penalties range from $1 million to $10 million. Based on the experience of other countries with similar legislation, Canadian government officials expect to see results quickly. They look at Australia as an example – the year after Australia passed this kind of legislation in 2004, it dropped out of the world’s top 10 spam originating countries. Canada is the last of G8 nations to pass this law.

Exemptions:

These messages are exempt from CASL:

  • Messages to an employee, contractor, or person who is working with your company.
  • Messages to family members or a person with whom you have a personal relationship with.
  •  Messages attempting to enforce a legal right or court order.
  • Responses to a current customer, or someone who has made an inquiry about your products/services in the last six months.
  •  Messages that will be opened or accessed in a foreign country, including the U.S., China, and most of Europe.
  •  However, you should be aware that all G8 countries now have some sort of anti-spam law in place.
  • Messages sent on behalf of a charity or political organization for the purposes of raising funds or soliciting contributions.
  • Messages that offer information about warranty, recall, safety, or security information.
  • One message to a recipient who you don’t have an existing relationship with on the basis of a referral. The first and last name of the referral must be disclosed. The referrer may be family or have another relationship with the person to whom you’re sending.
  • Messages that provide information about a purchase, subscription, membership, account, loan, or other ongoing relationship, including delivery of product updates or upgrades.
  • If your message does not meet one of these criteria, consent is required under CASL

 

Mandates:

It is recommended that all companies receive express consent from their recipients. When in doubt, businesses should send another email confirming the relationship and requesting that the recipient re-subscribe to email blasts. Here is what the law mandates you to deliver alongside your message. 1. For the purposes of subsection 6(2) of the Act, the following information must be set out in any commercial electronic message:

  • the name by which the person sending the message carries on business, if different from their name, if not, the name of the person;
  • if the message is sent on behalf of another person, the name by which the person on whose behalf the message is sent carries on business, if different from their name, if not, the name of the person on whose behalf the message is sent;
  • if the message is sent on behalf of another person, a statement indicating which person is sending the message and which person on whose behalf the message is sent; and
  • the mailing address, and either a telephone number providing access to an agent or a voice messaging system, an email address or a web address of the person sending the message or, if different, the person on whose behalf the message is sent.

2. If it is not practicable to include the information referred to in subsection (1) and the unsubscribe mechanism referred to in paragraph 6(2)(c) of the Act in a commercial electronic message, that information may be posted on a page on the World Wide Web that is readily accessible by the person to whom the message is sent at no cost to them by means of a link that is clearly and prominently set out in the message.

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How To Effectively Correspond Through Emails

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Last week, we attended a workshop on developing effective communication skills in the workplace. The purpose of this workshop was to teach forward thinking companies to use emails to get more of what they want and to raise awareness about common errors businesses make in this commonplace communication form. Here is a brief summary of what our Contact Management Software Specialists learned from attending this very informative professional development seminar.

 

email marketing

Common Pitfalls:

The first common mistake highlighted in the workshop was the sending of emails only when something is REALLY needed. The purpose of an email is to build relationships before you need something – urgently. That means not waiting until the last minute-procrastination is not a very productive way of doing business. It’s recommended to send multiple emails with shorter lengths than to send one bulky email that is over one page long to read when printed.

 

The first common pitiful leads us right into the second one – forgetting that there’s a human reading the email on the other end. All emails should have the proper introductions. Whether it is hello, good morning, how are you, you are using valuable warm-ups cues to soften the serious nature of the email.

 

Improving Business Practices:

There were two valuable lessons we learned from this workshop and we thought we would share them with our readers and customers.

1)      Scheduling Emails in Advance – Arranging for emails to be sent in 24 or 48 hours gives you (and the clients) time to breathe between non-urgent tasks. It also sets the pace for future communication whereby your client no longer expects you to reply right away. The more structure and parameters you give to the form of your messages, the easier it is for the clients to know what to expect from your business relationships.

2)      Keep Emails Short and Productive – Every business should commit to making every email message 5 sentences or less whenever it is possible to do. Setting the limit to the amount of words you write ensures you stick to your aims/goals. This brings us to the first pitfall we identified in this article – sending emails only when it is urgent. It is recommended to send more emails throughout the day, rather than one big one. Remember, the person who’s reading the email is human too and has other priorities.

 

Use these suggestions as the starting point to creating e-mail etiquettes that will help you and your team stay productive, proactive, and professional.

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5 Ways to Enhance Email Marketing Campaigns

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Is email marketing a thing of the past? NO! Not only is it alive and kicking, but it remains one of the most effective and profitable ways to reach out to prospective customers.

To many C-level executives and marketing coordinators, email marketing strikes them as something old-fashioned. More advanced venues, such as social media and SEO get all the attention, and seem more powerful than email marketing. Unfortunately, reality is not on their side. Email marketing is still powerful because it moves the conversation about your business to a more personal environment – the inbox.

Follow these 5 Quick Tips to cut the fat from your emails and become the purple cow in the inbox rough.

Permission Marketing

 

1. Permission Marketing:

Take a few minutes to watch Seth Godin’s TEDTALKS video on Permission Marketing. The premise of this theory is that marketing emails should only be sent to recipients who have provided their consent to receive such information. Organizations that have not obtained consent from the recipients prior to the sending of the email are sending out spam. Businesses that spam recipients’ inboxes are defeating the purpose of meaningful email blasts. It is equally important to honour an individual’s request to be removed from the email blast’s list.

 

2. Clear Purpose:

Every email marketing communication that is sent out through a contact management system should clearly identify the sender of the email. The subject line and body text in the communication should also clearly reflect the content, origin and purpose of the communication. The reader should not have to read between the lines to understand the purpose of the email blast.

 

3. Clear Call to Action:

Whether it is ‘Call Now’ or ‘Buy Now’, the single call-to-action emails should channel the customer to the intended destination without any distractions. It’s equally important to make sure that the customer/prospect has sufficient time to take action that is offered in the message.

 

4. Focus on the 3Ps:

Focusing on the three “p’s” is a smart place to begin writing your email message. Conveying an idiosyncratic personality via copy, images and design is one way to differentiate yourself from the rest of the emails sitting in your recipient’s inbox. Also, your emails should clearly stipulate your value proposition and positioning.    When writing the message, think of Seth Godin’s purple cow analogy. Ask yourself: am I the ordinary black and white cow or the purple cow that stands out?

 

5. Mobile Friendly:

Smart Phone usage is increasing exponentially, and with it, so is the number of people that are reading email on mobile devices. According to a recent study, 43% of emails are now opened on a mobile device. That number is up 138% from 2010, and it’s pretty safe to say that it’s going to continue to increase. That’s why it’s important to have emails in both html and plain text – allowing people to read the email if it doesnot display correctly on their mobile devices.

 

About CarmelVision:

InfoFlo lets you create professional email marketing campaigns in a quick and efficient manner. Don’t pay for a 3rd party email marketing tool, we’ve got you covered.  Click Here to start your free trial today.

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5 Signs It’s Time To Upgrade Your CRM Software

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Many businesses face the issue of outdated CRM software. They invest in one software solution and want to keep it no matter how costly it is. When you bought it, your software almost certainly worked without any problems, enhancing your team performance and productivity. Like anything else to do with technology, however, software can become outdated and archaic over time. Not only can outdated software slow you down, but it can harm your reputation. Here are five important things to look for that may indicate it’s time for you to find a new software solution.

 

outdated

 

Costly Outages:

Software crashes are a fact of life. When that software is outdated, however, crashes tend to happen much more frequently. When the system is down, it can have a significant impact on your ability to offer customer service as well as your employees’ productivity levels. Think about it – the ultimate purpose of having software in the first place is to streamline operations to make everything run in the most effective and productive way possible. When you’re dealing with frequent outages, the exact opposite happens.

 

Inadequate Support:

It happens to the best of us. The representative to your old software provider is practically attached to your hip….that is, until you paid him his commission. Then, just as quickly as they swooped in to buy your time and win you over, they seem like a distant memory. If you’re dealing with this lack of support, it’s probably time to upgrade to a newer Customer Relationship Management solution. More importantly, it’s time to choose a solution that offers unyielding, professional after-sales support.

 

Sharp Learning Curve:

One of the advantages to a newer software solution is that it is designed to be easy to implement and use. This would mean that it would be simpler to train on and faster to deploy. Older, obsolete software tend to be clunky and complicated, making it challenging to train new staff who join the team. The result is a tremendous waste of time and resources that could be better spent on other, more important things like business development and customer service.

 

Inaccessible Information:

If you wanted to know the email addresses you sent an email blast to last month, how long would it take you to find out that information? If you asked your employees how many calls they made today, how long will it take them to tabulate that information? For companies that rely on old contact management systems and spreadsheets that need to be constantly updated and reconciled manually, it could be a long wait. The pace of business is faster than ever before, which means employees across your company need immediate access to key data. Why not take advantage of this?

 

Redundant Tasks:

Outdated software often involves manual labour and redundant tasks that can simply be eliminated with the right automated tool. With the more up-to-date and sophisticated CRM software, you can automate almost any task, which means you can utilize your existing resources more efficiently. When you let technology do the heavy lifting, you free up your team to do more important business tasks, providing the opportunity to grow without the need to pay more employees. Not to mention, you eliminate the risk of human error which ultimately saves you and your company money over time. Voila!

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What is Contact Management Software?

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When owners need a supportive and user-friendly business tool capable of handling day-to-day administrative tasks and streamlining customer relations, contact management software is often the wisest investment.  Given the high demand for this versatile software, it helps to know exactly what it is and how it works.

Let’s start with a good definition:

Contact management software organizes company information and details, including contacts, emails, documents invoices and more, according to built-in or customizable parameters, and may also automate several routine business tasks such as reports and analytics.

Note that the basic function of all contact management software is organization of company contacts, but most systems strive to go above and beyond the basics.  The best contact management systems offer a wide variety of features in addition to primary contact management.

Some systems organize internal business functions by automating emails or social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook – enabling quick customer responses and up-todate information for a community of consumers. Other systems seek to improve customer relations by placing detailed customer information across several transactions at the fingertips of each customer service representative.

One of the biggest benefits of contact management software is its ability to relate data across many different categories. For instance, when you enter the contact you met last night at the latest business convention into the system, all the information associated with that contact, including past invoices, emails and even internal related documents are displayed on one screen, fully accessible and available.

Knowing the basics is a great way to start your well-informed pursuit of the best contact management software for your business. For an extremely user-friendly and well-organized contact management software system that includes all the basics and benefits noted here and so much more, try Carmelvision’s Infoflo – a system specifically designed for small businesses starting at just $99, with free upgrades for life.

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Can Your Small Business Afford A Great CRM Software?

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Decisions, Decisions

Small business owners are often on a budget when purchasing software. Yet, few of them would tolerate a cheap system that only covers the basics. Business owners need to know that investing in CRM software doesn’t have to break the bank. It also doesn’t necessarily mean a sacrifice in quality.

The most compelling reason for selecting a good piece of contact management software is to find the perfect system – one that offers above average features and flexibility without being so expensive that it’s practically out of reach.

The Web CRM Conundrum

When it comes to affordability web-based CRM can be extremely enticing. Companies often offer monthly payment packages with up to 30 days free?  Here’s a few things to consider for buying in to the web CRM bandwagon:

1. What happens when problems with the Internet render your business data completely inaccessible?

2. What happens when a hacker or other privacy issue causes your business data to become compromised?

3. Can you really ever be sure that another company’s server is secure enough and capable enough of housing your business’ most sensitive and crucial data?

These are costly considerations concerning well-known risks of using web CRM. If the trade-off between price and risk factors can be justified, then sure, web CRM may be the best thing for your company. However, many companies may find it difficult to chase after a purely affordable solution when so much of the lifeblood of their companies is at stake.

What To Do?

Clearly, the solution is to find a lucrative system well-known for its ability to balance cost-effectiveness with superior quality. However, even with this brilliant goal in mind, it may still be hard to choose the right one.

A wise recommendation is Carmelvision’s Infoflo system. At only $99/year (about $8.25/month) with free upgrades for the life of the subscription, this price breaks the mold even on the most inexpensive web CRM available, and it’s definitely among the most affordable stand-alone CRM systems. The best thing about it is it’s 24 core features are top-notch, giving users the ability to go above and beyond in managing contacts, emails, documents, reports and even collaboration.

It may be hard to balance the two most important factors, affordability and quality, when choosing where to invest in business technology. With systems like Infoflo on the market, however, the hardest part will only be how fast can you find the site and make the purchase. It’s easy, simply click here.

 

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Three Important Features of CRM Software

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Contact Management software should be at the top of any successful company’s list of tools that significantly improve and streamline the way business is done. Yet few companies are adequately informed about the top features that make these systems so valuable to today’s business world.

The following is a brief disclosure of the best contact management software system features and a short description of what makes each so essential and unique.

1. Email-to-Contacts Links

Part of almost every contact management system basic package these days, email-to-contacts links is a foundational feature worth seeking out. It works by specifically and automatically connecting every email ever received or sent through the system to contact names and information. This means that every click on a contact name returns not just the name, phone number and addresses of your most important clients and customers, but also a complete email history as well. This handy feature is extremely important for keeping customer relations personal, up-to-date and well-organized.

2.  Document Management with Version Control

One of the best things about document management integrated directly into a contact management software system is that it allows for joint editing, but one of the major drawbacks is that it can potentially complicate the creative process by leaving behind confusing multiple versions. When selecting software systems with is feature, be sure to ensure that version control is included. Version control will ensure that documents stay clear and concise throughout editing without the need to create new versions each time a change is made – whether there are 2 editors or 10.

3. Project Management for Collaborators

Collaboration is key in today’s business world. Those whose department are organized to promote as much teamwork as possible are usually the companies that tend to outshine the competition. That said, many companies are looking for software that facilitates collaboration in unique and exciting ways. Contact management software with project management is not necessarily a new arrival on the market, but systems that include project management add-ons specifically geared toward collaboration take things above and beyond the basics.  Before selecting this feature, make sure that it’s enhanced or at least customizable for quality collaboration tailored to your specific business needs.

For a contact management system with all the best features noted here and much more, consider Carmelvision’s Infoflo – a versatile, yet easy-to-use and affordable software system with everything you need to manage company contacts and beyond.

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What are the Benefits of CRM Software For Your Business?

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One of the main goals of CRM software is to go above and beyond in the areas of customer contact and relationship development. This is why it’s more than important to have a system in place that not only supports great customer relations but also makes it easier to connect with customers in the most efficient ways possible.

Getting Organized

The best tool for organizing customer contact information and more is CRM software. This dynamic tool is well-known throughout the business world for its ability to filter and classify even the most complex assortment of customer contacts, and that’s only the beginning.

Many CRM software systems allow users to link information such as purchase history, billing details, notes, documents and emails. It’s the perfect tool for clearing the clutter and getting organized

Efficient Use of Time

The universe of CRM software focuses heavily on providing time saving techniques for improved customer relations. The average office worker spends 50 minutes a day looking for lost files and other items. CRM software addresses this and other potential losses of valuable time by categorizing and collecting information that can then be placed at each user’s fingertips with a quick click of the mouse.

Email and Marketing Automation

One other vital component of customer relations is the ability to get the word out about a particular product or service. With CRM software, companies have the unlimited ability to design and automate emails and marketing campaigns with ease. This is especially relevant for companies in need of customizable, one-stop shop software with the ability to both manage contacts and facilitate marketing activities effectively.

Customer Service Management

Central to customer relations management is a well-organized and efficient customer service operation. Even the brightest customer service team is nothing without a great CRM software system to back it up. CRM software works wonders for companies struggling to make a top-notch, and lasting, customer service impression.

With its ability to enhance common exchanges between customer service workers and customers and to document and store relevant information from each point of contact, CRM software is an essential assent for any company in need of a boost in the customer service department and beyond.

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Top 3 Must Haves for CRM Software

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Certain features in the vast array of all that Customer Relationship Management software (CRM) has to offer are absolute stand outs, and it’s worth it to take the time to identify which of these are most beneficial to your company. Here are the top three CRM software features to look out for.

Superior Contact Management

Contact management forms the basic backbone for any CRM software system. That said, it’s easy to overlook or take for granted that every CRM system carries a quality contact management feature.

Companies should look for contact management that is as versatile and user-friendly as it takes to consistently meet or exceed set company goals and milestones. Benchmarks will vary from company to company, but quality CRM software should be flexible enough to handle every nuance with ease.

Social Media Integration

It almost goes without saying that in this day and age social media savvy companies have the potential to be industry leaders and innovators. The ability to connect via social media gives transfers a positive vibe from company to customer that keeps both in tune and connected. Since this is usually the goal of most every company, social media represents a new business standard quickly becoming established in the marketplace.

Working with a Customer Relationship Management software system that capitalizes on full social media integration gives companies the competitive advantages they’re so desperately in need of in order to make gains in today’s business world. This means that workers can stay connected to the pulse of customer relations by reaching out and proactively interacting with a diverse and dynamic consumer base.

Analytics and Reporting

Companies should be doing more than just analyzing and tracking the number of site visits for the company website. It’s time to move into the modern age of tracking customer activity throughout the entire customer life cycle.

Be on the look out for contact management software with the ability to generate customizable reports and analytics. This can give your company the power to accurately reflect on customer relations, making it easier to determine the best strategies for an increasingly productive future.

photo credit: Daniel*1977 via photopin cc

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