VoIP systems keep callers on the line
According to an AT&T study, more than 70% of business phone calls in the US are placed on hold for an average of 45 to 60 seconds each. While organizations try to minimize hold times, sometimes there’s nothing you can do except put the caller on hold while you transfer them to the correct department. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t make this customer experience better. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems make it very easy to do so. When an operator asks a client for permission to put them on hold, what they’re really saying is “Can you wait a short time not talking to anybody?” It occurs at different times throughout a call, and for varying durations. VoIP phone systems help make this lull period engaging with music, messages, and other information. Music A North American Telecom study found that callers who hear music while on hold will stay on the line 30 seconds longer than those who experience silence. While old phone systems also had a music on hold feature, VoIP services enhance this feature and offer more options. Instead of being limited to legacy tools’ music loops, VoIP systems let you easily upload your audio of choice. Just a tip: use music that suits your brand, and take your clientele’s demographics into account. The upbeat music that a sporting good brand uses might not work for an investment bank. With VoIP systems, you can customize the frequency and duration of a track and configure whether the music restarts or continues where it left off when a caller is placed back on hold. You can also set the order of different tracks or randomize them for callers. Messages Customers who are put on hold are captive audiences for your marketing messages. VoIP systems let you record a variety of messages for different numbers according to the purpose of the caller. For example, if the caller wants to get in touch with the sales department, the on-hold message could inform them of current special offers, promotions, or sales. “Hold message” scripts that utilize your company’s TV and radio ads might elicit an “I think I’ve heard this somewhere” response. Conversely, you could put a totally new spin on the usual tone and style of your marketing messages and really get creative with humorous mini-commercials that make your customers chuckle (and a little bit of levity never hurt nobody!). For the service department, you can use soothing messages that assure the customer that an agent is taking care of their concerns. Using a service-appropriate message makes them feel like they’re getting personalized care. Information New information and intriguing anecdotes will take their minds off of the notion that they aren’t being served (when in fact, you are hard at work addressing their concerns at the other end of the line), so you could also pose a playful trivia or “Did you know?” kind of contest where providing a correct answer once the call resumes wins them a prize. VoIP systems’ rich on-hold functionality allows you to turn the on hold experience into a positive customer service experience. Make sure this window of opportunity isn’t slammed shut. Get in touch with us today and we’ll help you increase the odds that your clients will hold the line happily. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Save time with Bookings by Office 365
We all undeniably have hectic schedules, and they’re made even worse with unorganized meetings, impromptu playdates, and unscheduled yoga classes. To move or cancel appointments, your clients would generally have to pick up the phone and call someone, which can be a drag. But with Microsoft Bookings, clients can schedule and effortlessly manage appointments. In case one isn’t enough, here are four more reasons to give it a go: Visibility Bid adieu to the days of scribbling on post-its and frantically going through your schedule to find out where you’re heading for lunch. Microsoft Bookings provides you with a unique webpage that is compatible on both desktops and mobile devices. Here, customers can select times and dates based on current availability — simply enter the contact information and then book it! The system fully automates the process of managing your appointments. No more rain checks Cancellations and missed appointments mean wasted time slots unless you’re able to fill them up with new bookings. Avoid lost income by controlling how much advance notice is required to make a cancellation. With Bookings, appointments appear immediately in staff calendars and can be added or revised by customers in their own personal calendars. Additionally, a confirmation email is automatically sent to the customer, which is then followed by another automatic email reminder before the appointment time. The web page also offers a rescheduling service: customers can simply click on the link on the confirmation email and pick a time that they’re more comfortable with. Synchronization Once completed, the booking is then synced to a centralized calendar where businesses are given the option to reschedule, cancel, or reassign the appointment to other staff members as they see fit. If you do decide to reassign it to staff members, Bookings offers a nifty feature known as “split view.” This shows which staff members are booked at which times, and you can compare everyone’s schedules side-by-side. The appointments are synced not only to your calendar but to the staff members’ calendars as well. Moreover, this versatile system accommodates Office 365, Outlook, and even Google Calendar, so clients and staff can keep whatever calendaring service they prefer. Double duty Appointment setting might be the primary goal of Bookings, but the system can also be utilized to build your company’s customer list. Once customers input their information into the system, it automatically creates contact entries for those customers. The contact card contains personal information such as your customer’s name, address, phone number, and email address. And, as your company grows, you can add more staff members as well as create additional booking pages for free. Furthermore, staff members aren’t required to have Office 365 subscriptions to be a part of the service. Efficient tech resources aren’t enough to maintain a successful business anymore. To really stand out from competitors, you need comprehensive appointment management. Give us a call if you need any questions answered or issues addressed We’re more than happy to help. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Optimizing website images for SEO
Small- and medium-sized businesses are often tempted to relegate their search engine optimization (SEO) analyses to the free reports offered by online platforms like WordPress and Google Analytics. Unfortunately, those reports rarely provide the details you need to make improvements. One of the things they tend to glaze over is image optimization. Do images really affect my SEO? One of the reasons images tend to be overlooked when auditing SEO is because it’s easy to forget just how many images your website has. Maybe you only had a few photos on your homepage when you first built your site. Over time however, you probably added countless visual elements to blog posts, landing pages, and team photos — drastically increasing the influence of your images on your SEO. Image resolution and load speed The first thing to check is how your images affect your site’s speed. If you’re using ultra high-resolution photos, those with mobile devices or satellite data connections will have trouble loading your site. Site load times affect your site’s ranking on Google, so make sure to pair your images down to a more reasonable resolution and save them as web-friendly file types. Choose the JPEG format for illustrations or big photos since it provides clarity and good colors in a smaller file size. Select the PNG format to preserve background transparency. Use the SVG format for icons and logos. Combine this with Javascript or CSS to resize SVG images without losing quality. Keywords and image title The days of keyword-stuffing are long gone, but that doesn’t mean you can get away with uploading images with filenames like “DSC2558.jpg”. Before doing so, make sure the names of your images are relevant to their content, such as “gym-trainer-helping-lift.jpg” or “call-center-customer-service.jpg”. This makes it easier for search engines to derive information from the images on a page. “Alt text” and title text Even though Google is getting better at recognizing image content without any help from text identifiers, describing your images in your website’s back-end is still important for SEO. Every image on your site should have enough text-based information without disrupting the user experience. To see how this works in WordPress, open your site dashboard and click on Media. This will display all the images, videos, and audio there. Click on any photo and you’ll have access to text editing tools. Whatever you include in the Caption field will be shown below the image, so check that it corresponds with your content. If not, skip it. In this case, user experience takes priority over SEO. The Alternative Text and Description fields will be visible to visitors only if the image doesn’t load or if they select it manually. They may not seem that important, but these should be considered non-negotiable for SEO purposes. Check that your site is doing all these things before requesting another SEO report. If your score changes, audit your image optimizations regularly. If you’re still seeing red, there are a number of web- and cloud-based platforms that can help improve your content. Give us a call today to find out more! Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Back up your data with these solutions
Today’s businesses rely heavily on data to run their day-to-day operations. They use it for everything from building client relationships to developing marketing strategies and so much more. But without data backups, businesses stand to suffer from major losses and even end up closing up for good should any natural or human-made disaster occur. With that in mind, you should develop a robust backup plan for your business, which includes implementing any or all of the following solutions. When it comes to data backups, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. As such, you’ll want to consider the pros and cons of each before making a choice. USB flash drives USB flash drives are basically miniature hard drives that you connect to your computer using a USB port. Aside from being inexpensive, USB flash drives are also portable. They can be used to back up data from several computers. However, because of their size and portability, USB flash drives are easy to misplace, which is why they’re not recommended for long-term storage of crucial information. They are best used for intermediate backups. External hard drives As a backup storage medium, external hard drives have the lowest cost per gigabyte compared to other backup devices. Since an external hard drive has the same plug-and-play functionality as USB flash drives, you can just plug it into your computer and start selecting the files you want to back up. The transfer rate is also very fast, and you can back up a large amount of data within seconds. One of the drawbacks of using an external hard drive is that you’ll need to update your backups on a regular basis, or else new files won’t be included. There’s also the risk of the device being misused or stolen. For example, an employee might use the drive for storing personal files or take it with them when they quit. Network attached storage (NAS) NAS is a dedicated server for storing data, and it can also be used as an email server. It has its own IP address and can operate either wired or wirelessly. NAS offers data redundancy, which means it will generate a backup of your backups, so you can ensure your files are fully protected. On the downside, NAS can’t be scaled beyond the limits of the system. This means you have to purchase additional hard drive bays when you need more capacity. You also have to take full responsibility for data security if you’re implementing NAS. Cloud storage Cloud storage is becoming more and more popular among businesses of all sizes because of its many benefits. It gives users anytime, anywhere access to data and lets them work with the most current hardware and up-to-date software. It’s also affordable since businesses pay for what they use only. Additionally, cloud computing is convenient, because service providers take care of the installation, management, and maintenance processes. However, some cloud service providers don’t employ sufficient security measures on their systems, so your data could be exposed to potential cybersecurity threats. For this reason, cloud storage is not always the ideal solution for medical practices, law firms, and other organizations that handle sensitive data. If they want to use cloud storage, they must find a service provider that implements top-of-the-line cybersecurity protocols and specializes in data regulations compliance. Choosing the best backup solution has far-reaching impacts on your business. Each method or device has trade-offs, which is why you need to select the one best suited to your business’s needs. Enlist the help of our experts to ensure you make the right choice. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Free your File Explorer of ads
Surprised that ads have taken over your Windows 10 PC, laptop, or Surface Pro? You can still have an ad-free experience with Windows 10 In this tutorial, we will show you how to turn off ads that Microsoft sends in File Explorer. Who are getting these ads? With ads being displayed in different parts of Windows 10 — the start menu, on the lock screen, from the taskbar, and in other Microsoft apps — overwhelming negative reactions to this Microsoft practice have been popping up online. However, the company doesn’t consider them ads. They call it “suggestions.” These suggestions promote Microsoft products and services and third-party apps in the Windows Store. The tech giant may be doing users a favor by reminding them they can easily grab apps in the store that can benefit them. But to many, the presence of ads is less a favor and more a nuisance. How do I turn them off? Fortunately, there’s a simple way to turn them off. In fact, you could disable these ads right now by doing the following: Open your File Explorer. Select View from the ribbon along the top of any File Explorer window. Click Options on the far right hand side. From the drop down arrow below Options, select Change folder and search options. Once in the Folder options window, go to the View tab. In the Advanced Settings window pane, scroll down and deselect ‘Show sync provider notifications’. Click Apply and close the Folder Options window. That’s all it takes! Keep in mind that we highly recommend the services Microsoft suggests. Office 365, OneDrive, and others are all great cloud platforms for safely working and collaborating from any device in any location — we just don’t want to see advertisements for them when we’re hunting down sales records. If you’re looking for Windows tips and tricks, this is the best blog on the web. If you’re looking for something a little more robust however, our managed services are second to none. Get in touch with us today to learn more! Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
No ransom: A place for free decryption
Although a ransomware attack may seem targeted, you’re not the only one who’s been infected. Ransomware is spreading at an alarming rate, and the further it goes, the more resources are allocated to fighting it. If your data is held hostage, refer to this list of free decryptors you can use. The state of ransomware in 2019 For businesses, the challenge of dealing with ransomware is both from outside and within. On the one hand, there are more cybercriminals trying to infiltrate your network. And thanks to an ever-increasing variety of social engineering scams, there are more internal staff members who are tricked into providing sensitive information or downloading malware. The statistics are sobering. Ransomware cost businesses more than $75 billion per year. Over the past two years, ransomware attacks have increased by over 97%. And compared to 2017, this year’s ransomware from phishing emails increased by 109%. According to studies, by 2021 there will be a ransomware attack targeting a business every 11 seconds. That is up from every 14 seconds in 2019, and every 40 seconds in 2016. Zombie ransomware is easy to defeat Not every type of infection is targeted to individual organizations. Some infections may result from self-propagating ransomware strains, while others may come from cyberattackers who are hoping targets become so scared that they pay up before doing any research on how dated the strain is and how to remove it. No matter what the circumstances of your infection are, always check the following lists to see whether free decryption tools have been released to save you a world of hurt: Kaspersky Lab’s No Ransom list Avast’s free decryption tools Trend Micro’s Ransomware File Decryptor Heimdal Security’s Free Ransomware Decryption Tools Prevention But even when you can get your data back for free, getting hit with malware is no walk in the park. There are essentially three basic approaches to prevent ransomware. First, train your employees about what they should and shouldn’t open when browsing the web and checking email. Second, back up your data as often as possible to quarantined storage. As long as access to your backed-up data is extremely limited and not directly connected to your network, you should be able to restore everything in case of an infection. Finally, regularly update all your software solutions (operating systems, productivity software, and antivirus). Most big-name vendors are quick to patch vulnerabilities, and you’ll prevent a large portion of infections just by staying up to date. Whether it’s dealing with an infection or preventing one, the best option is to always seek professional advice from seasoned IT technicians. It’s possible that you could decrypt your data with the tools listed above, but most ransomware strains destroy your data after a set time limit, and you may not be able to beat the clock. And even if you do, you probably won’t have the expertise to discern where your security was penetrated. Don’t waste time fighting a never-ending stream of cyberattacks — hand it over to us and be done with it. Call us today to find out more. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
How to deal with Android bloatware
When you buy an Android mobile phone, the mobile carrier often installs certain apps onto the device. These apps, commonly referred to as bloatware, are usually tied into a service that the carrier offers. A majority of users, however, don’t want these apps. Here’s how you can deal with Android bloatware. What is bloatware? Bloatware is software that is preinstalled on the device by mobile carriers. These are “value-added” apps, which require you to pay extra to use them. An example of such apps is a music streaming service run by the carrier. These apps are preinstalled because many carriers have contracts with manufacturers to install them. In other words, you don’t get a choice as to whether or not it is installed on your device. Is bloatware bad? Mobile bloatware often gets a bad rap even though they’re not necessarily bad or malicious. Some users even use some of the device’s preinstalled apps. That said, many take issue with the fact that they weren’t given a choice as to whether they want these apps installed on their devices. Can I get rid of bloatware? Unfortunately, no. Some bloatware can be uninstalled, but some can’t be deleted. But don’t fret. There are two options you can consider: 1. Disable bloatware on your device If your phone runs on Android 4.X and newer, you can disable bloatware by following these steps. Open your device’s Settings panel by sliding down from the top of the screen and selecting the person icon with five squares, followed by Settings. Tap on Apps and swipe right to highlight All at the top. Scroll to the app you would like to disable and tap on it. Press Disable. Tap Ok in the warning that opens. Once you do this, the app will be removed from the home screen and will no longer run in the background. 2. Purchase devices without bloatware If you are buying a device or are looking to upgrade your current phone, make sure to purchase a device without bloatware. Most phones purchased separately from a carrier won’t have carrier-specific apps. Consider buying at big-box stores or retailers instead of mobile carriers. If you are unsure as to whether the device you plan to buy has bloatware, ask the salesperson or read online reviews. When you purchase a device from a mobile carrier, there’s usually a stipulation agreement indicating that you permit them to install certain apps. Signing this contract means giving your consent. One of the downsides to this is that you have to pay full price for the device. For some, this is acceptable, while others are fine with the odd bit of bloatware if they get to pay less for their device. Looking to learn more about Android devices? Contact us today — our IT experts can help! Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
4 Common misconceptions about virtualization
Small businesses can accomplish a lot by implementing virtualization in their office IT network. Unfortunately, many SMBs shy away from it because of various misconceptions. Here are four myths about virtualization you should stop believing. Myth #1 – Virtualization is too expensive for SMBs Many people assume that the more advanced an IT solution is, the more expensive it is to install and maintain. That’s not the case at all for virtualization, which is a strategy to boost hardware efficiency and cut costs. Sure, a virtual server requires more support than a traditional one, but the capacity boost means you won’t need to purchase a second server for a long time, resulting in a net reduction of hardware and IT support expenses. Furthermore, managed virtualization services usually follow a pay-as-you-go model that costs just a few bucks per hour. Myth #2 – Virtualization adds workplace complexity Most people feel comfortable with the traditional computing model, wherein one set of hardware equals one computer. Contrary to what many may think, adding a new model isn’t necessarily more complicated than a traditional setup. With virtualization, one “traditional” computer can run as two or more virtual computers. The technical aspects of how that’s accomplished may be confusing, but virtualization actually reduces complexity because it allows business owners to expand their IT systems whenever necessary without having to worry about hardware limitations. Myth #3 – Support is hard to come by or inconvenient You may be more familiar with the cloud than with virtualization, but that doesn’t mean the latter is a niche technology. In fact, it was one of the most in-demand technologies in 2016. Virtualization also works well with remote support, which means technicians can install upgrades or resolve issues without having to travel to your office. Myth #4 – Software licensing is more difficult There’s a misconception that if your server is running three virtual Windows 10 computers, you’ll have to jump through extra licensing hoops. In reality, virtualization follows the same licensing rules as traditional computing: one desktop, one license. This means you won’t need to rethink your software budget. It’s natural for new technologies to cause confusion, and virtualization does require a new way of thinking about IT hardware. But as long as you have certified technicians like ours on hand, everything will run smoothly. Give us a call today to find out how we can lower your hardware costs and simplify your IT support. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Why Google now prioritizes mobile searches
Google recently made changes to its search tools to prioritize mobile searches over web searches. Why has Google done this and what does this mean for businesses and users? Get the answers by reading on. Google search works by using ‘bots.’ These bots are responsible for trawling through the web and sorting and categorizing websites based on the content, location, and other factors associated with the site to give users the most relevant search results. Google has long used the same algorithms and search tools for all search platforms. However, the newest Google search updates will move in a new direction. A mobile-only search index — available only to users accessing Google search from mobile devices — will be the primary search index. Essentially, this means that mobile users and web users will get different search results even if they input the same search terms. Mobile users will have better filtered, more updated, and more relevant search results than desktop users. The primary reason for this change is simple. Google has found that the majority of searches are now performed on mobile devices. The company is merely catering to the bigger user base by making their user experience on smartphones and tablets as responsive as possible. Another thing that led to the mobile-first priority is the context of people’s searches. People on mobile devices often look for quick information about business hours, addresses, or the weather, or for immediate answers to whatever questions they might have. Google wants to ensure that these users get what they need when they need it. What does this mobile-first search tool mean for your business? A lot. With this new algorithm, Google will prioritize websites that have responsive designs, and will put those sites on top of the search results page. If your business’s website isn’t responsive — if it doesn’t change depending on the size of the screen — Google will assume that it has low relevance to mobile users. Your site might land on page 82 of search results, leaving you with no clicks and no potential customers. But it’s not enough that your business’s site is responsive. Google also takes into consideration a website’s ease of use when users interact with it. As such, you must make certain processes like user login verification and online payment easier and more efficient via mobile devices. Site speed is another consideration in mobile-first index searches. Your website must load quickly or it will turn away users. And as more users click away from your site, your rank in the search results also goes down. Google has made changes to its search index algorithm — but can your business keep up? To make sure your enterprise is ready for this transition, contact us. Our knowledgeable experts are ready to help with your Google-related needs. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
How to make the most out of your Time Machine
If you’re a Mac user, you probably know that macOS has a built-in feature called Time Machine. This backup application is used to keep an up-to-date copy of all the files on your Mac. What’s unique about it is that it captures exactly what was on your Mac any day in the past, making it easy to recover files, emails, or media that may have been inadvertently deleted. Here’s how you can make the most out of your Time Machine. What is Time Machine and why should you use it? Time Machine is a backup system software for Macs that run on Mac OS X Leopard or later. It makes regular periodic backups in the following intervals: Hourly backups for the past 24 hours Daily backups for the past month Weekly backups for previous months Since the scheduled backups don’t replace previously saved files and only save the changes you’ve made to a file, you don’t have to worry about storage space running out fast. Let’s say you’ve been working on a file for five days. Time Machine has periodically created backups of the changes you’ve made every day. So if you need to retrieve a version of a file with changes made on day 2, you can do so even after you’ve made several changes on the file from days 3 to 5. This is because Time Machine stores multiple copies of the file from days 1 to 5. In case you’re getting a new Mac, you can easily copy all your files from your old computer to the new one, with your settings, files, and folders intact. And if you’re backing up data from several Mac computers, there’s no need to use a separate device for each Mac, provided it has enough space for all files. How to use Time Machine To use Time Machine, you only need an external storage drive such as a USB, an SSD card, or any storage device that can be plugged into your Mac. Then follow these steps: Connect an external storage device (or macOS server) to your Mac. Go to System Preferences > Time Machine. Click Use as Backup Disk. (It’s recommended that you click Encrypt Backup Disk before you do so, in order to set up a password for accessing your backup.) If Time Machine doesn’t automatically pop up when you connect an external storage disk, go to System Preferences > Time Machine. Select the storage disk you’ve just connected, then click Use Disk. Other backup options Although there are various other backup systems for Mac, Time Machine is one of the more practical options for users who value simplicity, convenience, and reliability. What’s more, it’s free. That said, third-party backup systems may offer more comprehensive features. And since Time Machine only backs up data instead of the entire hard drive, restoring an entire system is relatively slower. Despite this minor setback, Time Machine is a reliable, user-friendly, and economical way to back up your files. Whether you’re backing up a device for personal or business use, using Time Machine ensures all your files are safe and can be recovered. If you need more comprehensive backup solutions, our experts are ready to help — call us today. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.