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.