Automation Will Be Key for Future Businesses

Many businesses have found it extremely hard to cope with restrictions levied by lawmakers because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has sent business owners and decision-makers looking for solutions to their revenue problems. The most popular solution is to automate some of the work that was typically done by human resources to try and slice some of the demands on their capital. Today, we will tell you how automation is here to stay in business.

The Current Situation

The novel Coronavirus that has economies all over the world shrinking came at a time when most of them were expanding rapidly. Businesses were suddenly faced with some very difficult decisions to make. Some businesses were deemed essential and could continue to operate, but most were forced to either move their employees out of their workplace or shut operations down completely.

To try and keep from losing money, some of these businesses started exploring the capabilities of the tools they already had in place, finding that many of them could offer more automation. In fact, in the face of the virus, and the uncertainty surrounding it at this juncture, it isn’t a surprise that companies are innovating quicker than they probably would have if they weren’t faced with the COVID-19 situation.

The Future

With the increased reliance on software-based automation, you are likely to see businesses begin to trust in technology more than they do today. At this point, if automation can offer alternatives to businesses struggling with their costs, it stands to reason that when the pandemic finally fades, that they won’t go back to spending money on parts of their business covered by this newfound automation. The truth is that some workers are going to be made expendable by this forced innovation. The shift was slowly inching along, but COVID-19 changed all that.

You have to decide whether or not you are going to jump at the opportunity that this situation has given you. Automation isn’t going to replace your workers, it will just change their jobs. If they don’t adapt, they don’t fit. The future of your business is tied to how efficient and streamlined it can be, and automation looks like it will give it the best opportunity to accomplish that.

Big changes are happening in business. Some sources say that automation will replace almost 60 percent of jobs in the next five years. It’s your choice. Call the IT consultants at Net Activity at 216-503-5150 for more information about automation and where it fits in your business.

The 4 Top Reasons to Consider Recording your business calls

The call recording feature has been around with VoIP (and Microsoft Teams) phones for a while now. However, small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that don’t prioritize customer interaction are underutilizing it. When used properly, call recording can strengthen your company’s reputation and boost customer satisfaction.

#1. Improve customer service

One of the most important reasons why businesses should always record their calls, no matter its significance, is to ensure high-quality customer service. By reviewing calls, managers can understand how their agents have been dealing with customers, find out whether or not they’ve followed company protocol, and pinpoint any aspects that can be improved on.

Without call recording, managers would have to listen to each call in real time, which is a time-consuming process. By recording each call, not only will your managers save time, but your employees will also be motivated to perform at their best every time they’re on the phone because they know their calls can always be reviewed.

#2. Upgrade employee performance

According to Edgar Dale’s Cone of Learning, people only remember 10% of what they’ve read, 50% of what they’ve seen and heard, and 90% of what they’ve done. By providing your agents with actual recordings of good and bad calling examples during training sessions, and have them simulate calls afterwards, they’ll be able to learn better and provide high-quality customer service faster.

#3. Retrieve missed details and prevent litigation

With hundreds of phone calls daily, it’s understandable if your employees don’t catch every single detail. And for companies that require their agents to manually input information during calls, there’s always a possibility that they’ll forget or miss certain information. Needless to say, this could lead to disgruntled customers. If not properly handled, this can harm your reputation, reduce work opportunities, and if things escalate, proceed to litigation.

VoIP’s call recording feature lets you replay saved audio files to make sure you haven’t missed any details, ensuring that all customer demands are met. And if you ever get into a dispute with your clients regarding who said what, you can always retrieve the exact audio file and have both sides listen to it, saving you thousands of dollars in legal fees.

#4. Understand customer preferences

Have you ever received an inquiry about a product or service that’s not included in your offerings? While your agents usually jot these requests down and pass them on to the relevant personnel, they may end up forgetting some if numerous calls are being made that day. Tiny issues like this can lead to potentially huge losses.

With call recording, you can review all your calls at the end of the day. You’ll have a better picture of what certain customers are looking for so you can address them better.

VoIP allows businesses to make on-demand calls affordably, and its call recording feature helps companies improve their customer service and prevent litigation. If you think business VoIP is right for you, or if you have any questions, give us a call today.

On-premise to Remote and Back Again; How to Manage Workspace Shifts

While it is a definite possibility that some businesses will be working remotely for the near future (at least!), it still makes sense to begin planning for an eventual return to on-premise operations.  What better way to hit the ground running when the floodgates begin opening?  We’ve got a few tips here for returning to the office after remote work, and a quick review of remote work best practices…that you might need for a longer haul:

On-Premise to Remote

In order to effectively adopt remote operations (voluntarily or in response to some disaster), you need to be sure that your team is prepared to do so. To help ease the transition, there are a few preparations that are wise to see to beforehand.

1. Change as little as possible – In order to make the shift to remote operations minimally jarring, try to keep as much of your typical workday routine the same as it would ever be. Working for the same time as you would normally, establishing a set place for doing work in your home, and even dressing as though you’re going to the office are all excellent ways to normalize the unusual environment and preserve productivity.
2. Give them the tools they need – In order to collaborate in an effective way, your team members need the tools to do so. While email is generally thought of first when it comes to company communications, there are other options that should be implemented in tandem with it. These other options, like video conferencing and instant messaging, can serve your team’s needs better in certain situations.
3. Keep in contact – Unfortunately, collaboration will not be as easy as it was when your team members could turn to the people next to them and ask a question. Therefore, you not only need to provide them with the solutions to communicate with one another, you need to actively encourage them to do so until it is standard practice for everyone. This will benefit both your operations and company morale.

Remote to In-House

One the all-clear has been given to return to the workplace, your team will need to be ready to transition back to their workplace norms. Of course, this may be easier said than done, so you should assist them in doing so just as you did when they shifted to remote operations. We have a few suggestions to make this easier as well.

1. Continue their remote work habits – As your team was working from home, there is a good chance that they discovered the way that they work best as an individual. Don’t make them switch back just because they are in the office, and instead allow them to work the way that they found to be most effective (if it doesn’t interfere with others’ workflows).
2. Be responsibly social – One of the biggest drawbacks to working remotely is that there is effectively no social aspect to it any longer. Once your team returns to the office, cut them a little bit of slack if they’re talkative (again, if the work isn’t impacted negatively). In fact, consider starting some new, socially motivated company events for the purpose of team building. One caveat: don’t do this last part before the current health crisis is confirmed to have been resolved.
3. Encourage a comfortable work environment – The hard truth of the matter is that not everyone is going to get dressed up for work every day that they are working remotely, so it may not be best to insist upon a dress code once they return. Of course, you should draw the line somewhere before mud masks and that comfortable pair of old, ragged sweatpants that everyone has someplace, but blankets and small plants can make the workplace seem more inviting.

Unfortunately, no in-house to remote and back to in-house transition will go off without any hiccups at all, but accommodating your team to the best of your ability should make it better for everyone. As far as your technology is concerned in these shifts, you can leave that to Net Activity. Reach out to us today to learn how we can help with your business collaboration and remote work capabilities by calling 216-503-5150.

How To Deal With Increasing Customer Expectations

The more you do for customers, the more they expect. That is the nature of customer service.

Excellent service providers scramble to meet the expectations of customers who have become accustomed to great service. Aggressive competitors continue to bump up their offerings in an attempt to take your customers from you. This has resulted in a perpetual desire by customers for more, better, different and/or improved.

In most cases, “good enough” isn’t enough. The great art and science of business is to improve product and/or service offerings without giving up margins or increasing prices beyond what customers are willing to pay. It really is about adding value without spending too much to do it.

Any business that can’t do this will be relegated to competing at the low end of the market on price alone, and that is a difficult place to be.

Rally your team, from engineering and manufacturing to sales and support, to regularly brainstorm how you can profitably grow your value proposition. Customers will increasingly demand it.

Here are eight things you can do about them.

1. Find out what is important to customers: what they require and what they desire. You’re not clairvoyant, so routinely ask customers for input.
2. Explain your value proposition when you must say no. If you can’t do something the customer wants, explain why. But see if there is something acceptable you can do instead.
3. Educate customers about the value you create for them. If they don’t know about it or appreciate it, it isn’t valuable.
4. Hold quarterly sessions with your team to brainstorm how to add value to the customer experience.
5. Evaluate the entire customer experience. Look for failure points and irritations that can be eliminated and improvements that can be made.
6. Pay more attention to your customers than to your competition. Know what your competitor is doing, but put your customer at the center of your focus.
7. Pleasantly surprise customers whenever you can. Work with your team to brainstorm ideas on how to do that.
8. Treat better customers better. Treat all customers well, but those who spend more should get preferential treatment.

Business goes to the bold and innovative. Creativity and imagination are the best tools for continually rethinking your value proposition. Good execution delivers and makes customers glad they keep coming back to you for more.

Major WiFi Updates Came To Windows 10 Recently

Great news for the legions of Windows 10 users around the world. Version 2004 comes with a significant WiFi update that includes Wi-Fi6 and WPA3 support, which will give users better wireless performance and increased security.

That’s great news, but of course, there’s a catch. In order to make use of WiFi 6, you’ll need a router with support for both WiFi6 and WPA3.

Although those do currently exist and are available for sale today, they are new, and therefore a bit on the expensive side. Even so, the new Windows 10 update gives you a compelling reason to upgrade your equipment.

If you recently purchased a new router, it may already support the latest standard. If so, that fact will be indicated either in the router’s documentation or on the manufacturer’s website.

You can check to see if you’re currently connected to a WiFi6 network by following these steps:

• Connect to your network
• Select the WiFi network icon on the right side of the taskbar.
• Click on “Properties,” which you’ll find beneath the name of your network.
• When the properties screen loads, click the “Properties” tab and look at the information displayed next to “Protocol.”

If you’re connected to a WiFi 6 network, you’ll see “Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) in the Protocol box.

To see if you’re connected using WPA3 security, follow these steps:

• Once you connect to your WiFi network, click the icon on the right side of the taskbar, then select Properties, located under your network’s name.
• Once the screen loads, click the “Properties” tab and look at the information displayed next to “Security Type.” If it says WPA3, you’re all set.

To be sure you’re using the latest Windows 10 update, just click your Start button, go to Settings, then Update & Security, and then Windows Update. Once there, you’ll see a button labeled “Check for Updates.” Click that, and if a new update is available, it will start downloading.

This is great news, and if you’re looking for a simple way to boost your performance and productivity, this is it. Kudos to Microsoft for the inclusion.

3 Ways To Stop Cybercriminals Cold In Today’s Crazy Times

You’ve seen it. You’ve probably even experienced it. For what feels like forever now, just about everyone has been forced to modify priorities. As a business owner, you’ve probably been focused on shifting your business to accommodate this world crisis. You may even be investing more of your time in retaining customers and generating new cash flow. If you’re like most people out there, you’ve barely even had time to think about cybersecurity and protecting your important data.

Maybe you’ve heard the saying “Never let a crisis go to waste.” It’s as if cybercriminals wrote it because that’s exactly what they’re thinking right now. In fact, they’re probably working overtime right now to craft new malware while our lives have been turned upside down. Yes, as you’re focused on your business, hackers are finding new ways into your IT network. Their objective is to steal data and passwords, compromise your clients’ private information, and even demand large ransoms.

Did you know that cybercrime is expected to cost $6 trillion (that’s a 6 followed by 12 zeroes!) by the year 2021? But, now is when hackers are expected to do their absolute most damage.

Here are three strategies you can use right now to help protect your business data, money, and productivity during these unusual times.

1. Guard Your Inbox.

People aren’t paying as much attention as they usually do, which makes it the perfect time for cyberattackers

to send e-mails with dangerous malware, worms and viruses. Always carefully inspect every e-mail received and make sure you know the sender.

Here’s another tip: avoid clicking links in the e-mail unless it’s abundantly clear where they go. Also, don’t ever download an attachment unless you know who sent it and what it is. While it takes a few extra seconds, doublecheck by calling the person who sent you the attachment. Better safe than sorry. Make sure you communicate these safeguards to everyone on your team, especially if they are working from home.

2. Secure Your Company-Based Technologies.

During crises like this one, your passwords are a critical first line of defense. Don’t wait for your company’s financial data to be compromised. Make a point now to reevaluate your passwords and direct your team to create stronger passwords. Too many employees are guilty of using the same password across multiple applications. Use a unique password for every single application.

Your team may tend to save your passwords in their web browser. Don’t do this. A skilled hacker can bypass the PIN required to access your saved passwords. Once they have the password or PIN to access your web browser, they can steal as much as they want – credit card information, customers’ private data and more!

We recommend our clients use a password manager. It’s convenient, but more importantly, it’s far more secure.

3. Secure Your Home-Based Technologies.

With the coronavirus pandemic, far more businesses are encouraging their employees to work from home. That means a lot of people are working from the living room or kitchen without giving a second thought to security. This negligence is an invitation to new cybercrimes.

Here are a few tips to ensure your work-from-home employees are keeping your network and data secure: make sure your employees and contractors are not using their home computers or devices when they are working from home. Add a firewall to ALL computers and devices that will be utilized at home. Finally, your network and data are not truly secure unless your employees utilize a VPN (virtual private network).

There’s no need to invite in more problems by letting your computer and network security slide during these times. We would be happy to help you create or even improve your work from home environment.

While this coronavirus scare has negatively affected countless businesses, we are proud to say we are open and continuously servicing your customers. If you need additional security advice or would like to have a consultation to discuss how to keep your data safe or how we can help you work more effectively, reach out to Net Activity today.

Boosting home Wi-Fi with wireless repeaters and access points

Fast, reliable Wi-Fi is a business necessity, whether you’re working in an office or at home. Now that more and more people are working remotely, having good home Wi-Fi is more important than ever. A wireless repeater device and additional access points may just be what you need to ensure a stable and lightning-fast wireless connection throughout your home.

Both wireless repeaters and access points are simple and inexpensive, and getting either or both of these devices can improve your home Wi-Fi.

Wireless repeaters are devices that extend the limited reach that Wi-Fi routers tend to have, especially in structures with thick walls and multiple floors. They receive a signal from a Wi-Fi router and rebroadcast it as a new network. This new network is an extension of the main network, enabling the signal from your router to be transmitted over long distances or to the other side of obstructions, such as a wall, post, or ductwork.

On the other hand, access points are devices that allow wireless devices to connect to a network. Your router at home is actually an access point, and while most access points have built-in routers, others have to be connected to a router. Access points are usually hardwired to network switches or modems.

Getting started

But before you go out and buy these devices, conduct a survey of the Wi-Fi signal throughout your home first. This will help you map out where to place repeaters and access points to maximize your Wi-Fi connection. This involves:

• Determining the reach of your router. Use a Wi-Fi analyzer app such as NetSpot, Wifi Analyzer, or OpenSignal.
• Locating dead zones, or areas that don’t get a Wi-Fi signal, in your house. This can usually be solved by moving your router or modem to an area where the signal is better.
• Checking for obstructions (walls, furniture, plastics, water, etc.) and sources of interference (baby monitors, microwave ovens, radios, etc.). Any of these may be blocking or slowing down your Wi-Fi connection.

Based on your analysis, identify the best places to put the repeater and access point. For instance, if your router is in the living room and you can’t get a good signal in your bedroom down the hall, place the access point outside the living room and the repeater in the bedroom. The signal will be extended by the access point and picked up by the repeater, which will then broadcast it to nearby devices. Note that wireless repeaters must be set up in areas where the signal is poor, not in dead zones.

Setting up wireless repeaters and access points

Most brands and models of wireless repeaters and access points follow the same setup process.

Wireless repeaters

1. Choose a location free from obstructions that can block signals from your Wi-Fi router.
2. Plug the repeater into a power outlet.
3. Using an Ethernet cable, connect the repeater directly to a computer. You can also connect the computer to the repeater’s wireless network.
4. On your computer, enter your Wi-Fi network’s password.
5. Any other steps to setting up your wireless repeater should be in the manufacturer’s instructions.

Access points

1. Choose a location free from obstructions that can block signals from your Wi-Fi router.
2. Turn off your router or modem and computer. Connect your access point to your router or modem and to your computer using an Ethernet cable.
3. Turn on your router or modem, and plug the access point into an electrical outlet.
4. Turn on your computer, and start enjoying better Wi-Fi performance.
5. Any other steps to setting up your access point should be in the manufacturer’s instructions. You can also change optional and advanced router settings by connecting to your router using the IP address provided in the manual, or either 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1.

If you need more information about setting up and getting the most out of your wireless network, whether at home or in the office, get in touch with our experts today.

Why a Cloud Backup Is a Necessary Part of Your Business Continuity

Modern businesses generate a lot of data, some of which they couldn’t really function without. This makes the prospect of data loss especially dangerous, making a data backup imperative. Today, cloud computing is seen as the premiere option in terms of data redundancy and availability. Today, we’ll look at why you want to consider storing your backed-up data in the cloud.

Data Backup

Any business in operation today should have some kind of backup. While we don’t recommend them keeping a spare hard drive or tape-based backup of your data is better than nothing. Preferably, you would elect to maintain a more comprehensive option, like a full Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) solution to help eliminate the risks that could impact your data. With a best practices compliant BDR in place, your backup would ensure that you would have an extra copy of your data to restore from should something go terribly wrong.

In fact, your data is so important, we recommend that you maintain multiple copies of your backup… just to be extra safe. We suggest following what is called the 3-2-1 Rule – where you keep three copies of your data, with at least two saved on different storage mediums, and one stored offsite.

Cloud Backup

We have already addressed the need for a cloud-hosted backup, but we should address its benefits more specifically. Cloud backups were once intended for individuals to back up their own critical data, but as the importance of keeping secure data backups has become more apparent, options have been made available for businesses of all sizes. By entering into a business relationship with a cloud backup vendor, you retain control over your data, even if something were to happen to your local storage infrastructure, thanks to the off-site, remote access nature of cloud-based solutions. Furthermore, in addition to the quick restore times that a cloud backup offers, this kind of system helps to support additional work benefits, such as the capability to access files remotely and easily collaborate on them with your team.

Backup and Disaster Recovery

Of all of the services that we recommend to businesses here at Net Activity, our BDR is probably the most important to implement. The survivability statistics for businesses that lose their data in some form of disaster, and find their operations suspended for a time, aren’t great. However, with a BDR implemented, a business has a much better chance of survival. By incrementally replicating your computing environment as often as every quarter of an hour, you can be confident that most everything – even your settings – are preserved. Since the BDR is partially a network-attached device, it can take the place of your server if needed and allows for easy and convenient data restoration if necessary. Since the BDR also sends a copy of your data to the cloud, your data is redundantly preserved in an offsite data center under the watchful eye of professional technicians.

Why is this so important? Simple – keeping multiple backups on site is all well and good, until a disaster strikes your place of business and destroys them all. It gives you an up-to-date copy of your business’ data to quickly restore from.

To learn more about our cloud data backup and how to go about implementing it, give Net Activity a call at 216-503-5150.