Business Plus Baby

March 29, 2018March 29, 2018

A Clean & Tidy Workspace Is A Productive Workspace

When it comes to cleaning, you either love it or you hate it. While those that love cleaning will always have a good system in place for keeping their homes squeaky that you can then apply to your business space too. For those that hate to clean, it can feel like a chore. So, let’s see how you can keep your workspace clean and tidy in just three simple steps.

1. Getting Into A Rhythm

First, you need to find a cleaning rhythm that works for you. By this, we mean making sure that you are able to clean or tidy up your office or business space in the most efficient way. Try different tactics for cleaning the floors or organizing your equipment just to make sure that you can find a rhythm that feels right for you.

2. Find A Service

But don’t just feel as if you need to handle all of this yourself. If your workspace is at home, you may feel like you should clean it yourself, but you don’t have to. A cleaning service can help you out. If your business space is away from the home, then definitely think about bringing in a team that can take care of this for you.

3. Creating A System

However if you want to stay on top of things yourself, you’re also going to want to make sure that you create a cleaning and organizational routine that you can stick too. Not only can you avoid major cleaning issues, as shown in the infographic below, this way, but you can also make sure that you stay on top of it going forward too.

Infographic Design By Master Cleaners

March 29, 2018March 29, 2018

Internet Security and Your Business: Why Does the Type of File Transfer Software You Use Matter?

Compliance with data storage rules in a digital environment is challenging to say the least. Various state and federal rules, like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, have very strict requirements for personal information, such as medical diagnosis information, payment data, and personal information. The fines for noncompliance are very high.

But there’s more. A data breach has commercial fallout that sometimes exceeds the civil or criminal penalties. Most customers won’t want to do business with most businesses that fail to protect their information. The damage to your reputation could be immense. At the same time, your secure file transfer system must be user-friendly and accessible. Depending on the types of users and customers that your organization has, these needs could be overriding.

Since so much is at stake, it’s important to be familiar with the different types of secure file transfer protocols.

FTPS

Secure File Transfer Protocol is one of the most basic forms of secure file transfer. Basic FTP goes back to the early days of networked computers in the 1960s and 1970s. It’s ideal for both large, bulk transfers and single file movements. FTPS is very flexible and easy to use.

FTPS is not very compatible with certain firewalls, so check it out before you commit. Moreover, without an encryption add-on, FTPS is not really very secure. Highly-regulated industries, like legal and medical offices, definitely need the added protection.

Some FTPS variations include the firewall-friendly SFTP and the somewhat older SCP. Like the mother file transfer program, these offshoots are very easy to use but a little light on security.

Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning

Whereas FTPS simply facilitates file transfer, WebDAV allows secure file collaboration, mostly using HTTPS (a secure website). If your workers are not all at the same location, and they usually are not, and file security is important, WebDAV is usually a good option. Universities and research institutions use this file system a lot.

WebDAV is available with a Secure Socket Link (SSL) add-on. WebDAVS is a lot more secure and only marginally more difficult to use.

TFTP

Trivial File Transfer Protocol is not technically a file transfer system, since it cannot move files outside a network. SInce it has few security protocols, that’s probably a good thing. However, TFTP is very good for internal file movement and network management chores. Many organizations use TFTP, especially if they have lots of data on their networks.

AS2

Applicability Statement 2 is specifically designed for B2B environments. It’s extremely robust, which is why AS2 has recently spread from retail and industrial use to businesses that have serious HIPAA compliance issues. Moreover, AS2 easily handles EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) transfers.

AFTP

Far-flung workforces, like those which are common in many internet-based companies, often have network issues. So, network reliability is an issue as well. Accelerated File Transfer Protocol overcomes a lot of these problems. Film companies use AFTP quite a bit.

To choose the right file transfer protocol, begin by balancing your need for security against your need for an accessible system. Then, carefully consider the other pros and cons.

Image: Lukas

March 29, 2018

Building Better Relationships With Your Suppliers

We all understand the importance of good business relationships but rarely do we ever put that understanding into action. Some of the flimsiest relationships we have as business owners are the ones with have with our suppliers. Be it a supplier from China, from your own country or even someone a few minutes down the road from you, it’s important to build good working relationships with the people that supply you with the tools and goods you need in order to be successful.

So to help you out, we’ve put together a few tips on how you can maintain and build better relationships with your suppliers.

Never rush orders

Suppliers hate it when unnecessary pressure is put on their employees, even if it means they’re getting paid more. Be fair to your suppliers and never put unnecessary pressure on their staff because you messed up an order and accidentally ordered too few or too many of an item.

If there are no alternatives, focus on those relationships first

Let’s face it, how many architectural cladding suppliers do you think exist in your local area versus tech equipment suppliers? If you’re in a niche business or you connect with suppliers that are one-of-a-kind (at least in your area) then you need to build good relationships with those businesses. If you don’t focus on these, then there’s a good chance you’ll be out of business or be forced to source your materials from suppliers that are further away or more expensive.

Speak with your suppliers on a regular basis

Even if it’s just conversing over the phone about your latest shipment, you need to build good relationships by taking advantage of any networking opportunities you come across. When you pay your invoices, chat with them and tell them how much you appreciate their business. Consider sending them gifts of your products when appropriate and invite them to your speeches and keynotes to make them feel like they’re an appreciated part of your production chain.

Never make late payments

Businesses hate it when punctuality is ignored. Make sure you pay your invoices on time and promptly to avoid a bad relationship in the future. If you have to make a late payment for one reason or another, make sure you communicate with your supplier or else you’ll find it difficult to mend your relationship in the future. Coordinate with your financial department and make sure you always have the right amount of money to pay your suppliers or else you’ll quickly spiral into a poor relationship and you might find it difficult to work with your supplier in the future. If you manage to always make payments on time and never cause problems, then you’ll easily build a good working relationship with your supplier.

Don’t be afraid to renegotiate

Make sure you’re not afraid to renegotiate the terms of your trade now and then to get the best deal for both you and your supplier. This is especially important when dealing with overseas suppliers from places like China. This is especially important if the quality of the products declines.

Image: Pixabay

March 28, 2018

7 Ways to Improve the E-commerce Checkout Process

Image: Mateusz Dach

User experience is now the dominant factor that determines the success of a website or an ecommerce store. Users have more options to choose from and are more sensitive to bad experience, which is why the best way to boost conversion and reach that new level of success with your ecommerce site is by fine-tuning the user experience to the last detail.

The checkout process is a big part of that experience. After searching for information and going through the usual decision-making process, your potential customers are finally ready to make a purchase. How can you improve the checkout process and deliver the best experience? Here are the top 7 tips you can use.

Maintain a Smooth Flow

I know how tempting it is to cross-sell other items, tell customers about this awesome promotional offer you have going, or even persuade them to shop some more and sign up for your newsletter before checking out. You want to garner attention to all of these things at once and adding them to the checkout process is a great idea, isn’t it?

Well, it isn’t. in fact, it is a bad idea. You already have potential customers in the process of buying your products; the best thing to do is provide them with a smooth flow throughout the checkout process. All of the extra offers and discounts are distractions that may – and will – lead to dropped carts.

As mentioned earlier, today’s users are more sensitive; they get annoyed much more quickly. When they do, even if it only takes another step to complete the order, they will abandon the cart. Those customers will not return to your site; at the very least, it will take a considerable marketing effort to bring them back.

Keep It Short

Another thing to keep in mind is the length of the checkout process. You want to make the entire wizard as short as possible; adding more steps so that you can capture more information about the customers or offer them discounts is indeed counterproductive. The checkout wizard must never be longer than 4 steps.

Customers start by reviewing their orders; this is step one. They then add a shipping address and select a shipping method that works best for them; this is step 2, and it is a step that can be eliminated when the customers are on their second purchases. Next, customers select a payment method, review the total amount they need to pay, and hit the Pay button to make that payment; this is step 3. The last part of the process is confirmation that the payment is successful and goods will be delivered soon; this is step 4.

Some sites are working harder to shorten their checkout process to 2 steps. With bigger ecommerce sites like Amazon, you can even make a purchase with just a click of a button. This is what you need to be aiming for.

Image: jeshoots

Make it Mobile-Friendly

This next tip is rather obvious, but it is a tip that many ecommerce sites still fail to implement. Having a mobile-friendly checkout page is an absolute must, considering over 60% of today’s internet traffic come from mobile devices. On top of that, mobile users are more likely to make purchases online when the user experience is pleasant.

Making a checkout process mobile-friendly isn’t just about making the pages themselves responsive. You have to make sure that every part of the process, from the automatic shipping cost calculator to the final Pay button, works as planned. Often times, there are scripts that simply wouldn’t run on mobile devices; these are the kind of issues you need to anticipate.

There are also technologies that allow mobile websites to perform better on mobile devices. Programing languages and UI kits designed for mobile sites are capable of delivering native-like performance, complete with fluid animations and speedy page transitions.

Eliminate the Back Button

In the old days, users are forced to go through the checkout wizard in a linear way. Users always started from one end of the process and were forced to complete every step to finish the process. When a user wanted to change the shipping address, that user needed to go back through the steps and find the shipping page to make the changes.

This should never be the approach you use today. Checkout wizards are still organized in steps, but that doesn’t mean the process itself can’t be fluid. There are ways to keep every aspect of the process accessible without breaking the user experience.

My favorite implementation is a dynamic sidebar, where information such as the purchased items, shipping address, the total, and selected payment method are displayed after every step. Customers can then choose to modify any of those details by clicking a small ‘edit’ icon (or URL) below each element. Don’t forget to take the customers back to the current page after making the changes; using a modal popup on desktop sites is a good alternative to consider.

Show the Customer’s Progress

Customers have the need to know where they are in the checkout process – and how much further they have to go to complete that process – so it is best to give them that information. Add a progress bar – you can get creative with the approach that works for your site in this case – to the top of the checkout interface so that customers can keep track of their progress.

Don’t forget to handle the payment process carefully too. You want to show movement as the system tries to process the customers’ payments. An animated progress bar that ends with the status of the payment – a green checkmark if it is successful or a red cross if it isn’t – adds that extra touch that the customers will appreciate.

Speaking about payments….

Offer Sufficient Payment Methods

Not being able to make a payment conveniently is still the top reason why customers abandon their carts. This means you have to take extra care when choosing the payment methods that you want to accept. Credit card payments should be the standard, so make sure you provide this payment method as part of your ecommerce site.

Digital payment methods are attractive too. Services such as PayPal and Skrill are services that a lot of customers use. Offering these services as accepted payment methods will help attract more customers to the site.

Lastly, stay up to date with the latest payment options. This is more for marketing and branding than for UX improvement, but it is a step worth taking nonetheless. When customers see that your site accepts Bitcoin, for example, they get that extra confidence that may just be what is needed to get them to hit the Checkout button.

Understand the Customers

Last but not least, always go the extra mile to understand your (potential) customers, especially during the checkout process. A good way to get started is by doing detailed hotspot analysis to identify how the checkout wizard performs. You can also improve conversion by being more actively attentive.

OptinMonster and its Exit-Intent tool is a good example to look into. Instead of annoying every potential customer, the tool spots customers that spend more time than usual during the checkout process and offer those customers live support or additional discounts.

These 7 tips on improving your ecommerce site’s checkout process are not the only ways to boost conversion and improve user experience, but they are great points to implement if you are serious about delivering the best UX. Start today, use the tips we discussed in this article, and watch as your ecommerce site becomes more effective.

March 27, 2018

Applying for Work Permit for Relocation to Singapore

As the concept of emerging economies is gaining popularity, more people are considering moving towards such economies for better future and career growth. The market saturation and economic slumps in the existing established economies are making it difficult for many players, especially budding entrepreneurs and human resource to grow at a decent rate and achieve success. Interestingly, as per the new trends, the international economic structure is more supportive towards nee and small economies. Many smaller economies are emerging as the next big thing in the international arena with highly positive outlooks and Singapore is one of the top countries on the list.

Singapore is geographically located in South Asia and is a tiny country that is neighbored by struggling and turbulent economies. Despite that, it has emerged as the continent’s biggest corporate and technology hub attracting headquarters of large multinationals to make Singapore their regional hub. This has made Singapore the latest immigrant favourite and more and more people around the world are considering Singapore for relocation. Unfortunately, limited information is available about the route to get Singapore’s PR. Although any agency that offers Singapore PR solutions can help you find the way forward, here are a few things you will need to know before you consider your relocation plans.

Why Do You Need a Work Permit?

Ideally, in order to reap the true benefits of living in Singapore, you should be aiming for the PR and not the work permit. However, you will only be eligible for a direct PR application if you are willing to bring an investment of over $2.5 million SGD in the country, or if you are married to a Singapore citizen. If none of that applies then you need to be working and living in Singapore on a valid work permit for a certain period of time to be able to apply for PR. Even if you are not aiming for a PR and are considering temporary relocation for career prospects, getting a work permit is your way to go.

Which Work Permit Should You Apply For?

Singapore has exceptionally low unemployment rate and it is not difficult to land a job. However, the prospects of landing a job highly depend on your field of occupation and qualification and skill set. Generally, Singapore is a country that is more inclined towards the tertiary sector and prefers highly skilled workforce. There are 4 different types of work permits you can apply for depending on which category you fall in.

Entrepass: You are eligible if you have a startup plan or investment proposal to bring in to the country.
Employment Pass: If you are senior level professional with the required set of skills, qualification and income, you are eligible for Employment Pass.
Personalized Employment Pass: If you already hold an Employment Pass or if you are senior level professional with a very high pay scale you can apply for this category. This particular work permit allows you to switch jobs in any sector and does not restrict your scope, unlike other categories.
S Pass: If you are mid-level skilled professional earning minimum 2200 SGD, you are eligible for S pass.

Image: Cegoh