As a SME owner, you know that information is power. However, gathering relevant and accurate data can be overwhelming, time-consuming and costly. That's where in-house research comes in – a cost-effective way to generate insights into your industry or target audience without breaking the bank. In this article, we'll explore the benefits of conducting research in-house, how to do it effectively and when it's time to consider outsourcing.
Read more ...Customer tracking is a tactic that allows business owners to know who their customers are, where they live and what their shopping habits are. Once you gather this information, though, what do you do with it? You can put it to work for your small business in several useful ways. For example, if you know when your customers shop online, you can send them email or text messaging reminders to go out and buy that new TV or computer you mentioned at the meeting last week. Or perhaps you should wait until the next time they are inside a store (maybe you should wait for someone to walk into another store!) before sending out an email detailing the same information about a special deal/discount going on at a competitor’s store.
Read more ...There are many advantages to using social media: It allows you to engage in conversations in more open, real-time ways than ever before.
Read more ...Agile Methodology for Project Management, Fourth Edition is an excellent resource and reference for any project professional who needs to understand and apply agile principles and practices.
Read more ...A large part of the job of a business manager is to oversee their company's day-to-day operations, including planning and implementing new strategies. This role needs to be able to establish clear goals, develop plans and keep them on track. It's also important that the person in this position can lead by example, ensuring that all staff are aware of what is expected from them. A degree in Business Administration or Finance will help boost a business manager's credentials, but it's also helpful if you have experience gained from holding senior roles in another industry or working for an established consultancy as a management consultant.
Read more ...In the mid-nineties, software development companies began to come to the realization that “business as usual” simply wasn’t working for them. The traditional business model involved extensive planning, rigid constructs, and bureaucratic hurdles. In response, software developers began to combine old ideas with new until they found a combination that worked for their situation. The Agile Manifesto is a set of principles that describe how teams can work most effectively. These are the principles that were created to be consistent with how people at Frederick Consulting had been working, as well as what they believed in, and they wanted to help other people go down this path. Although the Manifesto describes a method of working, it also promotes values and ideas. The Manifesto for Agile Software Development is an example of where someone took a large body of existing knowledge and distilled it down to 11 key points for "guiding practices that support teams in implementing and executing with agility."
Read more ...A Business Intelligence (BI) system is essentially a way for companies to increase the efficiency of their internal processes, allowing for faster decision-making and more effective decision-making. It's also crucial for running a business as it helps companies collect, prepare and analyse information from internal systems and external sources in order to better understand what's happening within their organisation. The HR analytics solution brings together all the data and reporting from the contents of the business, claims management and external suppliers into one unified system with standard analytical controls and data extraction capabilities. It can also be used to create a uniform data basis for analyses, avoiding the slow pace of interactive processing in operational systems. Business Intelligence provides a wide range of decision support facilities to help you make better decisions. It can be used in business process improvement, strategic planning and forecasting, customer relationship management and marketing automation. In this way it contributes to the success of your business.
Read more ...Very few customers are truly “just as good” as another, but the abundance of competition out there makes it nearly impossible to know how much value each customer brings to the table. Sure, you should still focus on selling high-quality products and services that meet customers’ needs, but don’t forget to stop and ask yourself if splitting hairs about who is the best customer will help or hurt you in the long run. Repeat customers aren’t just someone who makes a purchase once, they are someone who actively shop with you again. Repeat Customers will recommend your brand or business to others and often tell others how much they love or support your business. Repeat Customers are loyal, not only because it is easy to shop at your store but also because they love what you do.
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