Business Blogger

Organizations regularly redefine customer service to maintain their competitive advantage or to improve their competitive status within the marketplace. However, they only end up tweaking customer service delivery or re-engineering what they are already doing without truly understanding if what they are doing is indeed correct.

The tiered service delivery model is a favourite among customer-oriented services. Most often tiers are based on an escalation process with the initial tiers representing technology layers, such as self-service then migrating upward to more hands on, consultative support. Service transformation becomes somewhat inhibited, for example, as decisions on what services are to be delivered through self-service prove challenging. The traditional approach results in a tier one: self-service, a tier two: processing, and finally a tier three: consultative layer that delivers service. This model is restricted because it mixes both the business tiers with the channel tiers resulting in confusion over the ‘who’ and ‘how’ of the various service delivery components. There are in fact 5 business tiers that support and deliver service that are separate from the various service channel tiers that customers can use to access a service type.

Business Tiers

The business tiers are composed of three distinct groups: strategic, tactical and operational. The strategic tier defines the strategic aspects of service delivery and is associated with direction setting. The tactical tier consolidates centres of expertise to interpret the strategic direction and to provide tactical guidance to the delivery of service to customers. Finally, the operational tier executes the delivery of service directly to the customer according to the guidelines and parameters set down by the tactical and operational tiers. However, the operational delivery arm is further decomposed into three sub-tiers: simple, complex and unique customer requests. [Read more…]

Did you know that according to recent research, only half of new businesses survive? This means that if you are planning to start a new business then you have a 50% chance of making it.

Of course, you have to work on increasing your chances of survival. One way to do this is by learning why businesses fail. You can then apply this knowledge not to make the same mistakes.

According to recent data, here are 4 major reasons why new businesses fail.

1. Poor Management Of Finances

You need to stay updated on the inflow and outflow of money. Without this information, you will not be able to handle your finances well. Research has shown that 30% of new businesses lose money.

Sometimes new businesses don’t have the skills to manage their expenses, do taxes, or manage cash flow. Of course, you can easily avoid this.

Solution: Hire a professional accountant and if you can’t do that then use accounting software. This way all your records will be in one place and you can utilise this data to manage your finances well.

2. Failure To Understand Target Audience

To penetrate any market, you need to understand audience behaviour. This can only be understood through data and metrics. Customer experience is a major factor in maintaining brand loyalty and so you need to provide a unique experience.

This can’t be done unless you understand your customer preferences, behaviours, and needs to strategise effectively.

Solution: Always be updated with the latest trends and market research. Integrate an effective customer relationship management (CRM) system to enhance customer experience by understanding key data. [Read more…]

If you are looking to find a company that will supply parts for your conveyors then you may feel rather overwhelmed by the amount of companies out there that can supply you with these. It can be difficult knowing what basis you should compare them on. It is so important that you do find the very best suppliers and therefore you get parts that you can rely on and that you know will be well proceed and give you good value for money. Trying to find these can be tricky.

You could start by just doing a general internet search to see what is available. However, this can be overwhelming. You will get a list of companies and you will be able to check out their websites but you will not be able to find out much more about them. Although you will be able to find out something about them from the website, it is useful to try to find out more information as well. [Read more…]

The finance sector is one that contributes a significant amount to the UK’s GDP. For this reason, finance professionals are in high demand, especially ones who have made noticeable strides in the industry. One inspiring company that has stood out this year, especially in the UK, is Portafina.

Established in 2009, Portafina focuses on offering expert advice to help people plan for life after retirement, simplifying the pension journey and ensuring customers make the best decisions for their circumstances. The business has had an excellent year, with a remarkable level of business growth and received public recognition from three significant media platforms as a result.

The Financial Times Future 100 List

One of Portafina’s significant achievements for 2018 was making it onto the Financial Times Future 100 List in October. They received a feature on such a prestigious list as a result of the positive contributions they have made to the environment, society, diversity, or technology. What’s more, Portafina was also included on this list because they were seen as having a commitment to diversity, which is a necessity for any successful company in this day and age. [Read more…]

“Move fast and break things” – the original motto of one of the world’s most successful and disruptive tech and social media firms – seems on the surface to sum up the attitude of the most successful disruptive companies. Many people think these dynamos throw caution to the wind and charge headlong into established industries, leaving behind a path strewn with broken business models and defunct technologies.

Actually, many of the most successful entrepreneurial companies take a more nuanced and analytical approach to risk. They identify opportunities to pursue and decide which to follow based on their knowledge of the risks each poses. Then they manage and monitor their choices carefully.

Zulily CEO Darrell Cavens, a 2014 award winner, relates to this approach. “I’m not the kind of person who likes to jump out of airplanes or bet the entire farm. What we do is quickly iterate with a lot of ideas that work and then forge ahead with the best ones.”

How to gamble responsibly

Understanding risk in this way and coming up with strategies that limit your vulnerabilities are at the core of strong, innovative companies. [Read more…]

We all know about business owners that have built up their business and then sold it on and made a lot of money. This might be something that you would like to do with your business. If you feel that you have value in your business and that you will be able to raise a significant amount of money form it, then it could be worth a try. However, it can seem a daunting task knowing what to do and where to start. Some of the tips below may help you.

Make sure the business is ready

It is really important to make sure that everything in the business is ready for the sale. For example you will want to make sure that the books are all up to date, the website is up to date as well and that you are prepared to answer any questions that you are asked about the business. If you have staff then you will need to prepare them as well and it may be necessary to prepare customers as well, depending on how your business works. Think about what the potential buyers may need to know and prepare for that, perhaps putting together procedures or information that they will find useful. [Read more…]

When you buy a home to rent out, it can seem like a great way to get some extra income and for some people it can be very profitable. However, there are things which you may forget about when you are in the process of putting your plans in place. It is wise to make sure that you have covered everything before you start, just in case something goes wrong.

Keeping contingency money

It is tempting to think that once you start collecting rent that you will be able to spend that money and not worry about it. However, it is wise to keep some of the money back. This is because there could be a number of situations that you may need to pay out for. Firstly, if you have no tenants in the property you will still need to pay the costs of keeping the property which may include keeping it heated so that pipes do not freeze, paying council tax and paying standing charges on utilities. If you rely on that rent for  The property will also need to be kept in good repair, so it will need decorating from time to time as well as perhaps having other repair work done to it and so having some money put by to cover these things is really important. If it is a flat, then there may need to be payments towards work in communal spaces or even ground rent to be paid by landlords, which is worth investigating as well in order to ensure that you have enough money put by for it all. [Read more…]