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Building a Wireless Internet Connection for Your Small Business

Your business is already expanding these days. Although you started out with only a few people that have been working at home, now you have a few teams that share an office space with. In order to have these employees connected, you could opt to spend thousands in hiring a construction and IT consultant crew to have Ethernet cables strung throughout floorboards and ceilings. A less expensive way however is setting up a wireless network that is simple and allows you to use inexpensive equipment as well. As an added bonus, your employees will be able to share files, printers and Internet connectivity without having to be chained to each other.

One of the first things that an office requires is having an Internet connection. For those interested in this, you will have to do your own research and find out what the service providers can do for you. This can include their various plan options.

wireless internet
Image by John Taylor

There are also cases wherein people are only stuck to going for a single provider available in their area. While those in others, they may be able to choose from DSL, fiber optic, T1 and cable Internet providers. The T1 lines will typically give users a better upload and download speed but the technology that has been chosen will actually depend on the bandwidth guaranteed by the service provider.

You should purchase a bandwidth length from a reliable business internet provider based on the job functions of your employee as well as their habits at work. Business owners should allocate at least 100 Kbps for each user. If you have 30 users in your company, that would amount to 3Mbps downloads. But if you have workers who are doing a lot of their work within the cloud or are sending in large files, you will have to ensure that their upload speeds are equally close to the download speed. The T1 lines usually offer upload speeds that are good but are more expensive than DSL or cable Internet.

When it comes to selecting a router, choose one that utilizes 802.11n technology in order to make the most out of maximum range and speed as well as having a built-in firewall. It will also support WPA encryption at the least. Aside from that, you should make sure that the router will allow enough virtual private network connections so that the employees will be able to access their resources in the network while they are traveling. One of the most affordable choices for small businesses is that of the Cisco RV 120W, having 802.11n, SP1 firewall and can support up to 10 VPN connections simultaneously.

You should also never forgo leaving your wireless network unsecured as the hackers or neighbors can steal your bandwidth connection and utilize your sensitive data. You should avoid going for WEP encryption that is outdated, as this is just as similar to having no security at all. Since it will be easier to modify, people who will have WEP encryption can easily break through it if they so wish. One can find programs out there that can do this that is why you should not forgo this temptation.

About the Author: Find out what broadband packages are available in your area and compare speeds and pricing on Broadband Expert.

Help Desk Support for Enhancing Your Businesses Reputation

The manner in which the receptionist of a company answers phone calls can display an image of the business to the customer. It is important for every company to ensure that their calls are handled by personnel who are fluent in a particular language, and who also sound nice and clear.

If there is information that you do not have immediate access to and want to put your caller on hold, you must take permission from him/her before doing so. Also, if you think that you will need some time to get back to them, it is better to tell them that you will call them back later as you’re unable to help them out right away. Your callers will appreciate this rather than being put on hold for a while.

help desk
Image by Matt Hutchinson

You must use a pleasant tone at all times while answering phone calls and make sure that your language is clean. Do not use slang words and never interrupt the person when he/she is speaking. Wait for them to stop, and only then start talking. You must also be precise and not waste the caller’s time with topics that do not concern them. Arguing with a customer over the phone is not advised, regardless of how they may speak.

The rules on providing telephone service to customers are not followed by everyone. The receptionist or help desk agent you have hired for your company may not have the best training and guidance on how to follow these rules. Taking time and money out of your business to train a reliable staff may get wasted sometimes. In order to avoid all the hassle and worry, you can hire the services of a Help Desk/Contact Centre to handle all your business phone calls. With this service, you can provide efficient telephone service to your customers. You can also increase the customer satisfaction rate of your company as most of the customers can get their issues resolved in just one phone call.

When customers call a business for any service or questions, they want to speak with someone who knows their importance. Help Desk/Contact Centre professionals are trained to do exactly that. One customer can be provided with one point of contact, which makes the service more personalized and efficient.

If customers know that they are given a priority in your business, they always want to do more for you. They can develop loyalty to your company and appreciate the value you have towards them. This service can significantly increase your customer satisfaction and retention rate. The personnel who work with these service providers have excellent communication skills and etiquette that can help in building the repute of your organization.

About the Author: Penny is associated with Answerplus.ca which provides Help Desk/Contact Centre and other services.

Do you Need a Business Credit Card for your Small Business?

The short answer to this question is no, you don’t NEED a business card. But consider the fact that most companies don’t operate without one, and also consider the fact that there are various benefits of having a business credit card for your small business. Some banks even offer credit cards tailored specifically for small businesses! Here are a few reasons you may want to consider getting a business credit card:

1. You’re business will be perceived as more legitimate.

There’s much symbolic power that comes with having an official business credit card. This holds true both for the people you do business with, as well as with your own sense of identity as a business. When you use a business credit card instead of a personal credit card to charge business expenses, your business will have an added sense of legitimacy and professionalism.

2. Business credit cards offer rewards specifically tailored to small business.

Just like with personal credit cards, business credit cards offer certain rewards as you accumulate points. However, business credit cards have rewards that are tailored to specific business needs. For example, business credit cards offer airline miles, discounts for business services, as well as discounts for business equipment.

credit card
Image by Dennis Kim

3. Business credit cards can help you tremendously with business expenses.

As you probably know by now, running a small business entails having various different business expenses each month. If you pay for them as you go, you’ll soon find that your ability to purchase items and services necessary to run your business will be quite limited. With a business credit card, you can charge all your business expenses to the card, and pay off the balance at the end of the month, enabling you to improve your cash flow. Just be sure to stay balanced and ALWAYS pay at the end of the month to keep from incurring fees and paying added interest rates.

4. You can more easily keep business and personal expenditures separate.

For me, this is the best reason to get a business credit card, especially if your business is very small. For those of us who own small, one-person businesses, it can be tempting to put all your business and personal expenses together. However, if you use a business credit card for all business-related expenses, you’ll be able to file taxes for your business and make tax deductions much more easily.

Now that you may be considering a business credit card, you may be wondering which card is best for your business. Be sure to do as much research as possible.

Good luck!

About the Author: Stella Walker is a freelance writer and business owner. She enjoys giving advice about credit cards, personal finance, small business strategies, and debt reduction. Stella welcomes your comments below!

Why Do Savings Matter?

Saving for a rainy day is a lesson we learn from childhood; when we grow up and earning we always want to save some part of our earnings for various reasons. Life is about enjoying the things money can buy but sensible living 9is about providing for yourself and your loved ones in future, with this end in mind we must adopt the saving habit.

If you are still wondering why savings matter then here are some pointers to help put things in proper perspective for you; here’s why you need to save and that too save regularly…

An Emergency

This is the most obvious and prominent reason why you need to save. Setting money aside to tackle an emergency or an unforeseen situation as and when it arises will help you deal with it better. Having to worry less about money when trouble strikes is the good thing about being in any bad situation. It could be anything…losing your job, meeting with an accident, sudden illness, business losses, savings are the buffer against the impact that an emergency has on you.

While any emergency throws you off balance simply because it catches you off guard, having enough funds to cope with it is important.

Saving for Your Retirement

No matter how long you intend to work, retirement is bound to happen one day or the other. It means having to deal with life without the regular steady income that you were used to and balancing your needs so as to maintain a decent lifestyle, equivalent to if not better than what you enjoyed during your working years.

You might also need to add some amounts which you will require post retirement especially if you don’t retire young…amounts towards medical expenses and routine health checks, both of which are necessary to be in good shape physically and mentally.

Realizing Your Dreams

Yes, your savings are the means with which you can realize your dreams…whether it is your dream car, that vacation you always wanted to take or that dream home you always aspired to own. If you have a goal that you want to achieve then saving regularly will help you take a cruise or travel at least once a year. It might also help you buy that condo or villa and yes race around in that sports car. Every aspiration of this type calls for money and that begins with saving.

Reskilling and Education

The economic downturn that has been upon us since the year 2008 or so was the time that many people active in the workforce realized the importance of getting an education or adding a skill to their existing skill sets. Saving some part of your regular income to add to your qualifications in the biggest investment you can make…investing in yourself to meet the demands of the new job market.

So what are you waiting for? Empower yourself today with a savings plan to suit your needs and meet your expectations. Look at easy access savings for example and start saving today!

Increasing Your Return on Investment Via Advertising

Advertising is one of the only ways to let customers know about new products and special sales. Since marketing managers want to reach customers who are most interested in buying their products, they are willing to pay more for targeted groups. Most advertisers are aware that online advertising reaches more customers, but only those who are Internet-savvy know that targeted groups may be found on the Internet.

An increasing number of companies use a technology that tracks websites that Internet users visit. The website is recorded, and interest content is accumulated. Knowing the subjects that interest the user is beneficial to both the user and advertisers. Subjects that interest the user are made available to him or her in additional information, then so are recommendations on finding information that would otherwise be missed. For example, when the user makes a search about baseball, he may be given an opportunity to access the latest information from news sources, blogs and videos.

targeted online advertising
Image by cliff1066

Advertisers are guaranteed a targeted customer because the user has already been verified to share an interest in a specific niche. Knowing that the customer is interested, the advertiser can make specific offers, and tailor the ad to be more personal and relevant.

The service is contracted through ISPs and may not be available in some areas. Although the service is free, the user must subscribe to it through the ISP. Since random numbers are assigned to browsers, the user’s identity is always protected. In addition, no records are kept, so the user’s privacy is always protected as well.

If concerns over privacy persist one might consider learning about PhormDiscover, which is at the forefront of the targeted advertising industry. Companies of this caliber will always give you access to the latest information, though some topics–politics, gambling, religion, race and ethnicity, use of drugs, psychological conditions and others– are considered too sensitive and are excluded. Most customized ad developers strive to provide the best environment for possible for those who practice good business. Everyone in the industry has an invested interest in maintaining a stellar reputation among consumers.

In another example of industry innovation, the Open Internet Exchange has made it possible for advertisers to target audiences with greater precision in larger numbers than ever before. By suggesting websites to users, this service draws them to the advertiser’s website, resulting in more profits and greater returns on advertising investments.

Once the user is drawn to the advertiser’s website, the advertiser’s imagination must convince the buyer to buy the product. Naturally, good products sell themselves, but the advertiser has limitless possibilities. Those possibilities exist because the advertiser knows about targeted advertising, and the potential to customize advertising campaigns based on niche demographics and individual tastes.