Tag Archive for: COVID-19

Working from home: Your tech guide to the new norm

As the year has unraveled, a new virus came about that is highly contagious and changed our world in terms of how we work. Many employees around the globe started working from home to avoid being around other employees in an office environment. Many businesses had to adopt new technology to make it possible for their employees to work from home.
Technology provides a solution for companies to carry on with their business, while employees work from home and businesses are adapting to the changing circumstances, it looks like working remotely could be the new norm.

Your business has different departments that have to collaborate on a daily basis in order for all operations to run smoothly and efficiently. All these departments use different software to record and track their tasks, for instance, the sales department uses the CRM system to capture leads and follow up on opportunities or closed deals, on the other hand, the accounting department uses the ERP system to capture and record inventory or any financial revenue. 

If a sales representative is on Zoom meeting with a prospect and requires some financial data or check on product availability, on a normal day in the office the rep could say please hold while I get the data for you, but with the new normal everyone working from you could lose the lead while trying to gather some data. Thanks to Commercient SYNC your team can have one source of data where your departments can get the CRM and ERP instantly from their fingertips. Commercient’s SYNC data integration technology makes working from less stressful and more productive with no delays.

Let’s Take a Look at Other Technology Solutions Making Working from Home Easy

You might be wondering how one can work from home? Well, technology makes it a smooth process and possible.  There are different types of technology to assist employees working from home. 

  1. Video apps – These types of apps like Zoom, Google Meet, or Skype can help employees working from home connect with their employers or other colleagues as well as, other people for example in sales to meet up online with clients.
  2. Messaging Apps – Messaging apps can be instant and are commonly known as Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, or even Zoom. By having these apps, it can assist employees to ask questions and get feedback straight away, without trying to arrange meetings. The only problem with this is that the corresponding party might not respond and complex topics will not be as successful. 
  3. Productivity Suites – This can also be known as Office Suites and it is many applications combined into one, which includes Office 365 and Google Suites. Office 365 includes email services, and office apps that have subscription fees like your Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. On the other hand, Google Suites have email services (Gmail), Hangouts, Google Drive that allows you to create documents through Google Docs, Google Slide and Google Sheets which can be stored and shared amongst other employees. The Productivity Suites are cloud-based which provides simple cooperation amongst employees in the company in real-time without having to meet over a video call and all information is stored in one place.
  4. Intranet – This is a network for employees to share information with each other as it helps fill in the gaps of communication and it is used to connect them digitally for integrations to increase productivity.
  5. Owning a desktop –  Having a computer can sometimes be cheaper than a laptop as you are able to upgrade it when new parts are needed, the only disadvantage is that it cannot be moved in case you want to work at a coffee shop.
  6. Owning a laptop – The great thing about laptops is that you can move them with you when you work in a different environment other than home. Some can be expensive but before purchasing one, you will need to make sure you do the research to get the correct specs and to make sure it can handle related work tasks.
  7. Headphones – Working from home can get noisy if there are dogs barking, any construction work, or even kids screaming. Purchasing noise-canceling headphones can be a good idea to block the noise out and most headphones come with a built-in mic for video calls.
  8. Internet – In order to work from home, having internet access and at a fast speed, will be beneficial to be able to complete work objectives. 
  9. Work Management – There are cloud-based apps that can assist in supervising any work-related objectives by organizing, reporting, cooperation, and messaging employers and employees on what jobs need to be done. These types of apps can include, for example,  Basecamp, Trello, or Asana.
  10. Time tracking – There are also programs for employees and employers to keep track of their hours as the data can be sent to payroll to save time as well as to monitor employee activity. Such programs include Screenshot Monitor.
  11. Online security – It’s important to have security measurements in place to avert any hacking of crucial information. Ensure you have firstly, a VPN (a virtual private network) as it provides security for that are public connections, secondly, network security, and lastly, malware protection. 

What are the advantages and disadvantages of working from home?

Some of the pros of working from home can be quite predictable but are still necessary to look at. 

  1. No traveling – Employees will spend less time traveling to offices which means spending a shorter amount of time in traffic and gives them more time in the week to catch up on things they need to do as well as, save money on petrol. 
  2. More flexibility – Employees have more freedom in the week to balance personal obligations and work obligations as well as,  their hours and location to work since they can decide where they want to work in the week. Also, In the week an employee can do their chores or exercise in their lunch break.
  3. Avoid office disruptions – If an employee prefers to work in silence, working from home is the way to go since they can keep away from any noises in the office. In addition, by working from home, there are fewer interruptions from colleagues which can increase your productivity.

Even though there are advantages to working from home, there are also some disadvantages that can differ between people.

  1. Less interaction with people – Some employees may find this difficult as you won’t be around other co-workers in an office environment which means less socializing as you will be home most of the time. 
  2. Difficult to separate your personal life from work – Since you do not have to travel to work and begin at set times, hours are more flexible and this could result in working longer hours than needed or some may find it tough to unwind by the end of the day and stop working.
  3. More distractions – In terms of this, for some employees working from home they might find more interruptions because of maybe having children or pets, or even wanting to do laundry. Therefore, employees working from home will need the discipline to focus on what they need to do for work.

Does your company need help integrating data between your ERP and CRM to help your employees be more productive while working from home? Look no further than Commercient SYNC. Contact us today! SYNC is a cloud-based app and it is not like any other data integration apps. SYNC provides an easy installation process and hassle-free since it requires no mapping, coding, or ETL. This provides a seamless integration experience and we handle everything for you.

How to Save Customer Relationships in COVID-19 and Beyond

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced businesses to maintain and build relationships with consumers from a distance. With “the new normal”, businesses are now facing a challenge of generating sales during a period of extreme economic hardship while keeping the threats to life and livelihood that have altered consumer priorities and preferences in mind.

Businesses that cannot supply the demand of their stakeholders are struggling, some might even be closing their doors, while some are learning how to adapt and pushing past this crisis. The rapidly spreading of businesses shutting down has proven the advantage of digital technology and readiness also shown how software platforms enable work to be done remotely. Whether for telecommuting, product fulfillment, or service delivery, modern technology systems have helped optimized operations in the face of limited person-to-person contact to comply with social distancing.

Here are four ways to manage your customer relationships during and post a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic:

  1. Help Your Customers by Guiding Them Through the Changes: Stay ahead of the information curve. Set up robust media monitoring systems to stay educated on the outbreak. Offer your customers online learning opportunities. To keep your customer relationships strong during COVID-19, provide your customers with intelligence, guidance, and direction that makes your value delivery a seamless interaction. Stay on top of and ahead of all shifts, and provide regular updates on closings, delays, product changes, and promotions to keep your clientele informed and appeased. Learn what your audience needs and help them discover how your service will best help in these trying times.
  • Run webinars
  • Use media monitoring software
  1. Empathize and Communicate Like a Human: Provide employees with messaging to share with customers and partners. Be truthful about what you don’t know and avoid statements that may prove to be false in the coming weeks, whatever you say to your customers right now has to come from an honest place while still respecting their boundaries. Be mindful of how your service affects your clients, and how COVID-19 is affecting their lives and their own business.
  • Create a landing page dedicated to your clients during these trying times with FAQ’s, You can easily take a news plugin for this function.
  • I recommend enabling external comment functionality for improved feedback from customers.
  • Allow your customer service and sales teams to offer reduced prices or increased services during this time to customers.
  1. Keep What Works But Adapt Quickly: Some companies may have advanced their digitalization capabilities in the past few years. These companies are likely experiencing, only a moderate impact due to the global coronavirus pandemic. Shifting your operations to remote work via online conferencing and communication tools like Zoom and Slack, most projects can continue. 

During the disruption, operational challenges need solutions, cash management and liquidity need to be adjusted for the changes in demand. Communications and leadership must also be expanded into the digital space. If your company was not online before, it’s likely online now. In a fast-paced marketplace, shopping for new technology solutions may help some companies. Most companies’ issues resulting from the disruption due to worldwide efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 will need quick fixes and solutions, but for some, it might be the beginning of new problems.

  1. Leverage Technology to Generate Value for Your Customers:  In collaboration with marketing automation tools, you need to ensure they are integrated with channels where data can be pulled from. Once you have your data, it needs to be analyzed and segmented to an individual level and then utilized for personalized customer communication via marketing automation. Every part of this process should be talking to all the other parts for maximum efficiency, information, and results. Depending on your business your data collection channels can be CRM, Website, Email marketing platform, Mobile app, Event management tool, Social media, Online Store, or an ERP system.

Conclusion

During the pandemic having accurate data is key, it helps in making decisions based on your business’s day to day operations. Your goal as a business leader during this time should be to increase customer engagement and position yourself as a reliable, value-add partner who goes above and beyond during difficult times.

With an app like Commercient SYNCyou can grow your business from anywhere in the world using cloud software, automate sales, and become a fully digital business. Commercient’s SYNC’s application makes it possible to see your ERP data in your CRM and vice-versa since it can be used on any device. In addition to this, you will need a way to ensure that you have access to accurate, complete, and up to date data in your ERP and CRM.

Talk to us now to get on the digital business train!