Quick Response Voice Over

The original QR, quick response code, was initially developed by Denso Wave, a Toyota subsidiary, in 1993, as part of car assembly operations. QR codes are Alpha Numeric, high capacity, quick scan, codes.

The QR code received added applications with the advent of the Smart Phone.

In more recent times an Irish company has re-engineered, and greatly enhanced the code with, non industrial, more consumer friendly applications. The QR code now becomes QRVO, Quick Response Voice Over, an information gateway. QRVO now includes, a consumer friendly voice over introduction, and is linked to analytics and social media.

Smart Phone and Mobile Device users simply scan the code, no URLs, no special password, and are directed to a web site, special offer, video, graphics instructions etc.

QRVO

Clients are assigned a dedicated QRVO which can be deployed as standalone signage, overprinted on conventional material, business cards, outgoing emails. The code remains constant and the content can be changed remotely. The client receives regular traffic updates.

The QRVO Partner channel seeks to engage with those in the ticket distribution area with a view to incorporating QRVO onto the ticket/token .The outcome is an opportunity to utilize the arrangement to promote/advertise local enterprise and events. The QRVO code is overprinted on the ticket/tokens and the content can be regularly updated. The value proposition will be determined by the numbers of tickets issued.

The local business gains, insofar as QRVO provides an additional engagement/ information channel. The analytics reports allows for evaluation, response and impact. Linking to Social Media can also be of benefit.

Car Park providers can gain as it provides a business support platform. This programme reduces some of the associated negativity and presents a value to the end user.

Operation

The value proposition is based on the number of tickets/tokens issued in a given timeframe.This then becomes the cost base for week long promotional modules. The actual code remains intact and the content is changed remotley.

The client determines the Terms and Conditions, and . of course, the content. A traffic analysis report is issued to the client after each module to evaluate traffic and impact.

Discussions are currently underway with Public and Private car park operations where Pilot Schemes are being considered.

qrvo_business

Witten by John Moran | QRVO Business Development info@qrvo.ie 087 25 27 407. As part of ‘Use SBC as a channel initiative, QRVO has a special 10% discount on Standard QRVO orders to SBC members and readers.

The post Quick Response Voice Over appeared first on Small Business Can.

Start-up Story: SqueezeIT

It all began about eighteen months ago when in an idle moment I was doodling on the web as one does when I found something which greatly piqued my interest. I was looking at work-at-home stuff which wasn’t going to screw me for money at the time when – don’t ask me how – I found a company based in California which provided software that could turn static websites into mobile ones for smartphones. For obvious reasons I can’t name the company but let’s call it Thebeesknees for now.

Anyhow I signed up – for free – with Thebeesknees as I could experiment with the software on the site and played around with it and it was just amazing!! I could edit, copy and paste, insert extra items, add or delete pictures, add video and produce mock-ups too without compromising the integrity or content of the original static site in any way.

Another thing I was trying to do at the time was to develop an app based on the old board game of Fox and Geese with a couple of friends of mine which side-tracked me for a time.

To be continued…

Written by Aidan Murray. As part of ‘Use SBC as a channel’ initiative, SqueezeIT has an exclusive offer for SBC members: “We will waive the 100 euro deposit for the first five companies that sign up for our service with us and will give a 50% discount for the next five businesses.”

For more information on this business visit Partner Site: emergo-online.com | Email: squeezeit@yandex.com |Phone: 087 261 7576.

 

 

The post Start-up Story: SqueezeIT appeared first on Small Business Can.

A Guide to Employee Motivation

As a business owner, staying on task and ahead of schedule will directly determine whether your company will sink or swim. One of the biggest problems within companies today is small inconsistencies that turn into large problems in the future. Once they get to that point they are even harder to fix because no one really remembers where the problem started in the first place. Use this article as a direct guide to employee motivation and help keep your employees motivated and honest with their work on a daily bases.

1. Give constructive criticism, but don’t run them into the ground

This is the number one reason employees would ever be dishonest about an incident happening because of how they are directly treated by their employer. Nine times out of 10 employees will shy away from you and try avoiding confrontation at all costs, even if it hurts the company. It has been proven that good support to people who do something wrong has an overall better effect that the opposite. Say things like “that’s not quite right, here try doing this instead” then following up with “you are giving great effort; just remember to turn in your work at the end of the day”. Starting or ending the statement with a positive feedback will almost guarantee that the employee will get a sense of acceptance and want to try to impress you in the long run.

2. Show them the light at the end of the tunnel

Show some incentive or a reason to do better at work. It can be either profitable or just recognition throughout the workplace. Some great ideas for profitable incentives could be things like a pair of baseball tickets, a bigger bonus at the end of the term, or even just something as simple as lunch on a Friday. If you do not have extra money for incentives give your employees something they can be proud of. For example you could have an employee recognition program, such as employee of the month. It leads to good office morale and motivates employees to do better work.

3. Feed the hungry

It was touched on in the step above, but if you have the revenue to do it, people love free food. For instance, it might be easier to rally the troops for that 2:30 p.m. meeting if they know there will be free donuts and coffee available. Also as a side note, caffeine will be your best motivator. Whether you can afford to buy coffee for everyone once a week or even get a vending machine that has cheap caffeine sources in it, caffeine will help give your employees that small energy boost they need to finish out the day.

4. Trick them into thinking they are not working

One of the easiest motivators will occur without the employee even knowing it. Be spontaneous and change things up around the office. Instead of having your weekly meeting in the small boring office, try having it outside or renting out a hotel suite once a month. Another great example would be let them all work from home one day and only require them to participate in a free conference call. This works well because employee will feel like they are not at work and the creative juices start to flow, hence making them more productive.

5. Let them be heard

If you really want your company to thrive, let your employees know that what they do has a direct impact on the outcome of something major. Give them something to work for and be proud of. There are many ways of doing this, including having a meeting where they give suggestions on different topics to better help or change the company. Also, sitting an employee down that may be struggling more than the others and explaining to them the overall importance of that person’s job may help boost their self-motivation. Showing that there job can directly affect the lives of others is a good motivator that will help them to work harder.

Whether you own your own small business or manage a company with 10000 employees, if they do not perform the way they should, nothing will get done. Use the above steps as a general guide to help better motivate your employees in a more positive manner.

The post A Guide to Employee Motivation appeared first on Small Business Can.

Using Excel for Bookkeeping

Using excel for bookkeeping is not considered a long term solution for your business for many reasons. Here we outline some of them, and why you should consider using an Accounting package to manage your Bookkeeping/Accounting function. Accounting software is not only considered easy to use, but it is full of automation, that will ultimately take a lot of time out of processing your records. Accounting software is designed to be scale able, and accurate.

Bookkeeping software will help you to grow your business in ways that excel can not do. The automation of bookkeeping software takes the time out of managing the accuracy of excel formula. The nature of humans is that they can make mistakes, and through rigorous testing, accounting packages iron out the errors through beta testing before releasing it to the general public. Embracing change can be difficult, but once you move to the cloud, the rewards are huge.

Here are some reasons why using online accounting software is better than excel for your business:

Access from anywhere

One of the main advantages of using an online accounting software package like eFolio Accounts is that you can use it anywhere. eFolio Accounts like other systems works on any hardware, and all you need is an internet browser.  Send that quote from your car after a meeting, or convert a quote to invoice with the click of a button.

Audit Trail

eFolio Accounts keeps a clear audit trail of every transaction within your business. If you need to access this information its at your finger tips for audit, or to give to any potential investor.

Information in real time

Online Accounting software gives you the information live, even if anyone has been inputting information into the system. All users have live up to date data at all times.

Instant Reporting

Reporting with eFolio Accounts is simple and straight forward. Set your parameters and click update, and you have the reports you need. Profit and loss, Balance sheet, aged receivables, and much more.

Its scalable

Online accounting software like eFolio Accounts is scalable, so when your business grows, the software can handle it. You never need to be generating new spreadsheets, and ensuring that sheets talk to each other.

Excel can cause you problems. Here are a few examples:

  1. Getting all excel sheets & formulas to talk to each other over time causes problems. Users of excel find that they need to perform maintenance on files and sheets to get them to work as time goes on.
  2. You need to design excel sheets and reports before you start working with them. Generally the reports and sheets are not changable. Business owners require different functionality and reporting as the business grows, and generally excel is not scalable.
  3. Excel requiters you to know it inside and out. You need to be an expert in using formulas and there is a big learning curve. Why invest this time when you could be growing your business.
  4. Online invoicing takes the pain away from keeping hundreds of individual files on your computer, and it is inconvenient to back up.

Written by Mark Hegarty. As part of ‘Use Small Business Can as a channel’ eFolio accounts has an exclusive offer for SBC members. To sign up for a 30 day free trial (no credit card required) of www.efolioaccounts.com just visit the website. Use the code SBCEFOLIO2014 as your referral code and if you’re an Ulster Bank customer let us know by email to claim your free trial period.

Get paid on time with easy invoicing and manage client accounts with efficient built in email for invoicing. eFolio Accounts is all your business need!

 

The post Using Excel for Bookkeeping appeared first on Small Business Can.

[Event] Free ‘The Perils of Business Growth’ Seminar, September 16

At long last we are starting to see some signs of recovery and business growth, however, this comes with its own risks, many businesses have failed as a result of uncontrolled growth, so business owners need to be careful.

Broadly there are three categories of risk associated with business growth:

  1. Financial – Increased turnover requires increased working capital, if it’s not available, your business goes bust.
  2. Infrastructure – Growth usually requires more staff, more systems and more training.  Often businesses get one or all of these wrong with potentially disastrous results.
  3. Tax and Compliance – The larger the organisation, the larger the compliance burden and the more important tax planning becomes.

We are running a free seminar for business owners to help them negotiate these hazards and plan for successful growth.  Everyone is welcome, all we ask is that you register in plenty of time, so that we make sure you get a bacon roll!

Venue: Lough Neagh Discovery Centre, Oxford Island, Lurgan.

Date: September 16th

Time: 9.00am for a 9.30am start (bacon rolls with registration from 9.00am), finishing with tea and networking at 11.00am

Speakers: Warren McCleary (McCleary & Company Ltd., Chartered Accountants)  and Jason Holmes (Lumen Financial Planning)

Please register using this link BOOK NOW.

For details of other McCleary & Company Events please register for our monthly newsletter at www.mcclearyaccountants.com.

 

The post [Event] Free ‘The Perils of Business Growth’ Seminar, September 16 appeared first on Small Business Can.