Posts Tagged ‘business to business’
How to Perform Efficient Reference Checks
Wednesday, June 1st, 2011How to Select the Right Call Center Vendor for Your Business
Friday, May 6th, 2011Why Outsource Your Company’s Web Development Needs?
Thursday, April 28th, 2011
Building your brand online with an engaging web presence is an important key to success in today’s market.
Small and medium sized companies who want to remain competitive should take full advantage of all the tools available to create a robust online presence.
From mobile applications such as SMS to fully realized web sites that incorporate interactive media, the way you present your company on the World Wide Web can have a major impact on your future growth.
It can be tempting for smaller organizations to try to handle all the work involved in creating a web site to represent their company. But many of the applications required to build a successful business site involve a considerable amount of technical expertise.
Your web development service provider can also create custom business software, which can be used to great advantage in terms of automating business flow. Custom software solutions can streamline and maximize efficiency in virtually every business process.
A custom business software developer can also design and maintain enterprise web and mobile applications, which enable real-time data sharing and allow access to mission-critical information through a single platform.
Web development professionals can create an application programming interface (API) for your site to enable content sharing within your online community. Content created can be posted and updated in multiple locations on the web. This can have a powerful viral effect on your marketing communications.
Database design is another key area that usually requires the expertise of a professional web development service. A database designer can analyze your existing database and build a development plan that will enhance the efficiency of your operations, improve your business, and increase customer satisfaction.
E-commerce is also vital to any company that conducts business online. E-commerce involves the coordination of several distinct functions; a merchant account that allows you to accept credit cards, a shopping cart to process online purchases, and a web host. Your web development provider can bring together these processes in a way that enhances the customer experience on your web site.
Outsourcing your web development needs can give you access to world-class skills, experience and resources to keep your company on the cusp of online marketing.
Seven Ways to Increase Your Appeal to Potential Vendors
Saturday, March 26th, 2011
Whether your company needs to outsource human resources, IT or any other business function, finding quality vendors you can work well with is always the important first step. This can be a time-consuming process, but you’re already halfway there if you run your company in a way that attracts quality vendors.
Vendor selection can be much easier if your reputation places you among the companies that B2B service providers prefer to do business with. If, on the other hand you are known for haggling over pricing, delaying payments or being difficult to deal with in any number of ways, you may eventually find very few providers who are willing to do business with you.
How do you know if yours is the type of company that attracts the best vendors?
- Look at your current vendor relationships. Do you have frequent misunderstandings with service providers? If so, the problem could lie with you rather than them.
- Examine your relationship with your own employees. Is there a high turnover rate, a history of disputes or low morale? Your relationship with vendors will likely follow the same pattern.
- When contacting potential vendors, do you make it clear you’re in the market to purchase and not just doing research?
- Do you project that you have a budget in place for the services you are seeking?
- Do you communicate your needs confidently? It helps to know in advance what you are looking for in a vendor.
Here are seven ways you can improve your vendor relationships and increase your company’s appeal to potential service providers:
- Improve your communication skills. Be clear, friendly and open to discussion. If communicating with your vendors continues to be a source of frustration, consider hiring someone to manage these relationships.
- Demonstrate respect for the other person’s perspective, even if you disagree with them.
- Avoid micromanaging; allow the vendors you work with to apply their expertise to your projects.
- Be available. Respond to emails within the same day whenever possible.
- Avoid giving the impression that you’re simply looking for the cheapest vendors. This doesn’t mean you should always pay the highest price for every service, but do be willing to pay a fair price for quality service.
- Maintain a good rating with the Better Business Bureau and keep your Dunn & Bradstreet profile up to date as well.
- Make sure your website projects the image of a reputable company.
How to Shop for Cash Advance Service Providers
Friday, February 11th, 2011For companies that need a source of cash but aren’t interested in a traditional loan, a business cash advance could be a viable alternative. Watch the video to learn more about this fast and easy way to get needed funding.
Five Reasons to Use National Vendors for Business Services
Tuesday, February 8th, 2011
When choosing a vendor for the business processes you plan to outsource, you might want to expand your list to include national vendors as well as local ones. Some business owners limit their choices by considering only locally based service providers, but adding national vendors to your list can offer a number of advantages, such as:
- Access to the best providers available. Business services can vary greatly, not only in terms of quality, but also in the variety of features and services offered. While there may be several B2B service providers in your area who offer excellent service, your local provider in any given category may not always be the best choice to meet your needs. Comparing services on a national level will give you a much broader selection and could result in finding the ideal provider for your company.
- Better price range. In some parts of the country, prices for local businesses services run higher than the national average. National vendors are often much more competitive in their pricing. Many of the larger companies have greater buying power when purchasing software, business supplies and other business services, and pass these savings on to their customers. Even if you do choose to go with a local vendor, researching the price range of national vendors will give you a good idea of what you should expect to spend for the type of business service you need.
- Greater scalability. After assessing your plans for future growth, you might find that some of your local business service providers are not as capable of handling your company’s increasing needs as a national vendor would be.
- Superior customer support. In some cases, national vendors come with a larger and more fully developed customer service and support center, with representatives available at all hours to help you resolve any issues immediately.
- Local branches. With many B2B services, having a local presence is not essential to providing excellent service to their customers. When, for example, was the last time you needed to visit your phone or Internet provider’s office in person? Nevertheless, many national vendors do have local offices in several cities across the country, so if being able to speak to someone face-to-face is important to you, choosing a national vendor with an office in your area can give you the best of both worlds.
Five Key Ways Offshoring Can Benefit Your Business
Thursday, January 13th, 2011
A major benefit that has come out of the new global economy is the increased availability of high quality, low cost resources through offshore outsourcing.
In fact, most Fortune 500 companies are now leveraging offshore resources, and a large percentage of small to medium businesses are following suit, as revealed in a study by Duke University’s Center for International Business Education and Research.
Of the companies surveyed, 73 percent said they turned to offshoring not only as a means to save costs, but also as a key component of their overall growth strategy. These companies value offshoring for the access it provides to highly skilled personnel and industry specific expertise.
Offshoring centers in countries such as India, China, Vietnam and the Philippines offer expertise in a diverse array of B2B services, including software development, call center services, human resources, and product research and development. The benefits of offshoring, in addition to saving your company 30 to 50 percent on labor costs, include:
- Flexibility – Placing certain business operations in the skilled hands of offshore workers allows you to utilize your in-house resources where they are most suited, ensuring optimum productivity.
- Focus – Time is one of your company’s most precious resources, especially when it comes to management. One study found that most executives spend 80 percent of their time attending to details, and a mere 20 percent on the more vital aspects of business planning and customer relations. Offshoring can free up more of your time and allow you to place your focus where it needs to be.
- New Technologies – Your company can benefit from the latest technology that many offshore companies use, which might not have been within your budget otherwise.
- Reduced Risk – Offshore companies use development and training centers to make continual improvements in terms of quality, efficiency and reliability. This greater level of expertise translates to high process maturity and reduced risk of project failure for your company.
- Time Zone Advantages – While sometimes listed among drawbacks of offshore outsourcing, the time zone difference has actually turned into a benefit as many offshore companies have begun to compensate by employing workers around the clock, giving you and your customers access to 24/7 service.
Ten Key Types of Insurance Your Business Might Need
Monday, December 13th, 2010
If your business is not properly insured, an unforeseen incident such as a lawsuit or a natural disaster could result in a major setback or even failure for your company. Whether you run a corner coffee shop or a major manufacturing facility, purchasing insurance for your business is one of the best ways to prepare for the unexpected.
- General Liability – This type of insurance will protect your business against legal problems due to claims of negligence. A general or umbrella liability policy will cover payments for property damage, medical expenses due to personal injury, the cost of defending lawsuits, and settlement bonds or judgments required during an appeal procedure.
- Product Liability – Protects against payments for personal injury or property damage caused by products manufactured or distributed by your company.
- Home-Based Business Insurance – Your homeowners insurance will not home-based business losses. For this you will need separate insurance that will protect your business against loss or theft, in addition to other concerns, such as professional liability, personal injury and disability.
- Internet Business Insurance – If you operate a web-based businesses you can buy insurance that protects against hackers and viruses. This can also cover lawsuits resulting from meta tag abuse, banner advertising, or electronic copyright infringement.
- Worker’s Compensation – This insurance pays for employees’ medical expenses and missed wages if injured while working. The amount of insurance you are required to carry varies from state to state.
- Criminal Insurance – Criminal insurance and employee bonds can provide protection against losses due to embezzlement, hacking, vandalism and general theft.
- Business Interruption Insurance – Covers losses caused by natural disasters, fires and other catastrophes, which could put your business on hold for a significant length of time.
- Key Person Insurance – This type of coverage is usually a type of life insurance that names the corporation as a beneficiary if an essential person within the company dies or becomes disabled.
- Employee Health Insurance – Although not required to, many businesses provide health insurance for their employees using a group policy plan, which lowers the overall cost of the health insurance per individual because of the group rate.
- Malpractice Insurance – Licensed professionals typically need protection against bodily injury lawsuits, the cost of defending such suits and payments resulting from judgments or settlements.
Considering the multitude of available options, business owners must carefully weigh whether the cost of certain premiums will justify the coverage for a given risk. A qualified business insurance provider can provide detailed information and help you make an informed decision regarding the type of insurance your business needs.
Reduce Your Capital and Operating Costs by Outsourcing
Thursday, October 7th, 2010
The shift toward outsourcing continues as businesses seek ways to remain competitive despite streamlined budgets. According to the Journal of Accountancy, “Outsourcing is becoming popular even in small and midsize companies. Nowadays, a small business may not have staff members such as a human resources recruiter or a 401(k) specialist in- house…many of these functions are being handled by outsourcers.”
Here are a few ways outsourcing can save money for your company, according to the experts at AllBusiness.com:
Outsourcing human resource duties, for example, will save your company considerable expense by eliminating the need to hire and train HR personnel to perform duties such as benefits administration and payroll. Instead, your provider’s trained and experienced HR experts will be able to handle these duties expediently, resulting in substantial savings in terms of labor costs.
Outsourcing also releases capital for investment revenue-producing activities, which will in turn make your firm more attractive to investors.
In addition, outsourcing can save you the expense of hiring temporary employees for short-term projects, as well as the cost of paying benefits to in-house staff. And it allows you to avoid large expenditures in the early stages of your business.
Companies that handle every function in-house have much greater research, development, marketing and distribution expenses, which are often passed on to customers.
Although cost savings remains the number-one reason most companies choose to outsource, there are additional benefits as well, such as:
Time savings – Outsourcing business functions such as IT and HR provides relief from the administrative tasks involved in employee-related responsibilities, allowing you time to focus on strategies that will create growth and sharpen your competitive edge.
Start new projects quickly – A good outsourcing firm will have the resources to take on your projects immediately. Handling the same project in-house might involve taking weeks or months to hire and train additional staff.
Focus on your core business – Business managers must set priorities in order to focus limited resources where they will do the most good. Outsourcing can help shift you company’s focus away from peripheral activities and toward serving customers better.
Level the playing field – Most small firms simply cannot compete with the in-house support services that larger companies can provide. With the help of outsourced providers, small firms can appear “big” and enjoy the same capabilities, efficiency and expertise of large companies.
Reduce risk – When an outsourcing provider handles your business operations, they also assume much of the risk inherent in those functions, removing some of the burden of compliance with government regulations and other considerations.
According to outsourcing expert Frank J. Casale, outsourcing “is the great equalizer for small to medium-sized firms. Growth-oriented entrepreneurs can benefit tremendously. Not only do employees frequently gain access to better benefits, the owner gains freedom to focus.”
New iPhone App Lets You Connect Instantly with Business Services
Friday, August 6th, 2010
InsideUp has has just released an iPhone app that will help you find the services you need instantly, and get immediate quotes from multiple vendors. When you submit a request on the iPhone or iPad, you will be instantly matched with vendors that fit your criteria, and receive custom quotes from up to five providers. Not only will you save money on business services, but you will get access to top quality, pre-qualified vendors.
Business owners are increasingly relying on Web-enabled phones and other mobile wireless devices to conduct business on-the-fly. With this app, you can take immediate action whenever an idea presents itself. If brainstorming over lunch produces a brilliant plan for a direct marketing campaign, just a few touches to your iPhone screen will have you in touch with a direct mail provider while your ideas are still fresh.
The application currently includes VoIP phone service, call center services, direct mail, web design, credit card processing, debt collection services, and payroll accounting vendors. More services will be added to the system in the future.
Once you’ve downloaded the app, all you need to do is answer a few simple questions about your business needs, and the system will match you with qualified vendors, based on your company profile and specific needs. The app is free, and it only takes a couple of minutes to submit your information.
This new app will be an indispensable time-saver for businesses, eliminating the ordeal of researching each provider to find the one that best matches their needs and budget. The immediacy of this system makes it simple and cost-effective for businesses to have ready access to service providers.
Statistics from research firm Gartner show that the number of smartphones and Web-enabled phones will soon exceed 1.82 billion units. With 6.5 billion mobile connections expected by 2014, all companies, both large and small, will be accustomed to conducting business online.
Download this time-saving app here, and discover how easy it can be to get the business services you need, as soon as you need them.
