To ensure that your business grows, it is important that you continuously reinvest your profits back into your business. However, when doing so, you need to make sure that you are investing your money into the right areas of your business – the ones that will help to increase your profits and your customer satisfaction. In this guide, we explain the top areas of your business to invest your money into and how they can benefit your business.

·        Security

Although not instantly profitable for your business, investing in security systems is vital to protect it from setbacks and cybercrimes, which could mean financial loss or confidential information breaches within your firm. One of the best investments that you can make for your business in terms of security is by installing endpoint security systems. If you are wondering ‘What is endpoint security?’, Mcafee’s comprehensive guide to security awareness can help you to understand the risks that endpoint security can neutralize. Rather than using outdated anti-virus systems, endpoint security is the most total security system that you can get for your devices if you want to combat the latest threats. They also have an integrated firewall and security scanner that detects threats, alerts you to malware and other malicious software and allows you to browse safely online.

·        UX

UX, or User Experience Design, allows you to create products which focus on developing experiences for the user, and the emotions and attitudes that the product creates. UX design covers a number of extremely important aspects of the product creation process that are important to invest in, and these include branding and usability. Products that have integrated user design are desirable to consumers as they not only focus on the easy usability of products but also their capacity for being fun and exciting, generating positive emotions when in use. When thinking of investing in UX design, you need to consider how to make your products more accessible, what connotations people will associate with your products, and find ways to discover what your target audience wants, like market research.

·        Technology

Most businesses now rely on technology to run, and a business is now often only as successful as its latest piece of technology. To make sure that your business is prepared for the modern, technology-centered world, you need to invest in the latest devices and software, including making your website mobile-compatible. For instance, you should invest in automating your processes, as this can make your business run more efficiently and ensure better usage of human resources. Not only this, but you should try to invest in the latest tech equipment, such as new 3D printers and even artificial intelligence software.

·        Marketing

Marketing is how you gain a larger customer base and attract your target audience, directly increasing sales and the traffic to your e-commerce site. To invest in marketing, you should consider hiring digital marketing agencies or web design specialists to create a professional website and manage your campaigns effectively, as well as considering paid marketing elements such as PPC advertising and influencer marketing trends.

In today’s day and age, it is common for businesses to neglect the phone and instead focus on digital communications. While it is important to have digital communication, you should not overlook the value of business phone calls because they can be immensely helpful for a business for a few different reasons.

Smartphones

These days, practically everyone has a smartphone which they use throughout the day. While somebody will tend to opt for a form of digital communication if it is a business that they are unfamiliar with, you will find that many people will still make a call if it is a business that they use regularly. This is because the phone can be effective for instant communication and handling complicated questions/queries.

Personal Touch

Digital communication can feel impersonal and cold – this is not surprising seeing as often a consumer will be speaking to a chatbot. A phone conversation is important for building relationships and the all-important human touch when it comes to business. When you are able to speak to a customer on the phone it is much easier to form a connection and build a productive relationship.

Preferred Method for Older Generations

Studies show that millennials and younger generations prefer digital communication with many even fearing a phone conversation. This is the reason why it is so important to have social media, email and instant messaging options, but you must not forget the older generations as many people in these groups prefer to speak to someone by phone.

Successful Marketing

Another good reason to continue using business phone calls is that it can be effective when it comes to understanding your advertising campaigns. When you can monitor calls with phone call tracking it can be highly effective for establishing which parts of your advertising campaigns lead to phone sales. This can help you to see what is working well and what is not working so that positive changes can be made.

Brand Image

Finally, it is important that your business has a phone number which is easy to find not only so that people can quickly contact you but also for your brand image. People will be less likely to use a company if they cannot find the phone number because this seems unprofessional and even suspicious.

As you can see, there are a few reasons why a business should not ignore business phone calls. While digital communication may have taken over in recent times, it is still important to understand the value of a phone call and how it can be used to help your company to succeed and stay ahead of the competition. Digital communications will increase over time but you still cannot beat the instant communication and ability to build rapport with a phone call.

An important part of every business is the scheduling app or apps you use. Pick the right one and you will get the most out of your employees while boosting morale at the same time. But if you pick the wrong one you will negatively affect the work ethic of your employees which will destroy both long term and short-term profits.

So, to make it easy for you to choose the right tool(s), I have made a list of the common mistakes people making while choosing scheduling apps for their businesses. Makes sure you avoid these…

Choosing an app that worked for a friend:

Just because a scheduling app worked for a friend or their business, it doesn’t mean that it will work for you too. Every business is unique in its own way. They could be in different niches, have different employees, cultures and clients.

Therefore, if you pick the same app, it doesn’t mean that you will achieve the same results too. Instead of doing this you should conduct your own research to learn more about your company and your employees needs.

After that you can begin looking for apps that will suit your business best. You should only pick a tool your friend suggested if your research shows that it could potentially have the same effect on your business and employees.

Going with the cheapest option:

There are many cheap tools out there, but they are probably costing less because the company is cutting costs somewhere. In your business time is money.

If you choose a top quality scheduling app it will help you get more out of your employees and as a result you will generate more revenue. Therefore, the app will pay for itself. But if you use a cheap one it will make it harder for you to manage your employees. So, you will lose money.

This is why even if an app is expensive and it has some really cool features that other tools don’t that you feel will make things easier for you, you should go for it.

Not following a robust testing plan:

An app might look good initially. But it might not always be the best option for your business and your employees.

This is why Instead of just picking a tool because it looks good on paper, test it out to ensure it really is. And don’t do a superficial test, do a proper test that lasts 2 to 4 weeks.

Use it just like you plan to use your final tool to check if it really has all the features the company advertises. Get your employees to use it too and find out how they feel about it. Their opinion matters the most as they will use it more than you.

Also, test out other factors like response rates, quality of support, loading speed, etc. as they usually get ignored.

Most scheduling apps like this one from Deputy offer a free trial, so test as many tools as you can before you decide on the final one.

Avoiding the custom scheduling app option:

Many people avoid getting a custom scheduling app developed as it can be a bit of work. You need to hire a developer to create one for you. After that you need to test it out and get it to work. And then you need to hire someone to maintain it. This can take months and cost a lot of money. But if it gets you to standout from your competition it should be a worthy investment.

Most of the businesses out there use the same apps. They have nothing that will give them an edge. Therefore, if you get a custom one created that fits in perfectly with your businesses’ and employees needs, it will give you an edge of over the competition and you will be able to manage your employees and help them achieve better targets.

So, take plenty of time to consider this option instead of automatically rejecting it.

Conclusion

These are the mistakes you must avoid while choosing scheduling apps for your business. If you avoid them, you will most certainly pick the best one for your business.

Having gone to the trouble of convincing a client that you’re worth investing in, you’re left with the equally-important task of retaining them. Without loyal clients, the prosperity of your B2B business will suffer. They provide the repeat business that will account for most, if not all, of your revenue.

Retaining an existing client is far easier than winning over a new one. As such, investing a little time and energy in maintaining a healthy relationship with them will reap dividends over the long term. Let’s have a look at a few of the best practices.

Keep the long-term in mind

While it might be tempting to just take a valued client out for a string of expensive lunches, this approach can come off as a little bit shallow and desperate. They are looking for dependable, high-quality work, and if they don’t get it, no amount of fine dining is going to compensate. With that said, if you are planning a schmoozing trip, then private jet hire won’t go unnoticed.

Go above and beyond

Sometimes, you may find that clients are looking for something which you don’t specialise in. Take this as an opportunity to branch out (provided that you’re sure you’ll be able to deliver). This will not only impress the client; it’ll give you the chance to expand the core of your business into unfamiliar territory.

Be Responsive

No-one wants to hang around all day waiting for a reply to an email. If you make your clients wait, then you’ll be damaging the relationship. Now, this doesn’t mean you should sit and compulsively refresh your inbox every five minutes. But it does mean you should set up notifications for certain clients. Even if you don’t have anything worthwhile to say, simply acknowledging receipt of an email can work wonders.

Be there when things get hectic

Life will occasionally throw up an unforeseen challenge. Perhaps a client will be let down. You need firstly to make sure that you’re not the one responsible, but you also need to be ready to jump in and solve problems quickly. If they tell you that they desperately need some work turned around before the end of the week, then you need to respond positively and deliver. They may then come to you when things go south in the future.

Ask for feedback

Nobody’s perfect. The chances are that there’ll be elements of your service that clients aren’t entirely happy with. If you ask them if there’s anything you can do to make them happier, then they might well tell you about it. This, in turn, will allow you to deliver a better service to all of your other clients, and stand a better chance of retaining them.

Roberto Blanda was born in 1970 in Rome, Italy. At the age of 12 he took up the sport of rowing, which he pursued for many years with much success. Aged 17, Blanda was selected for the Italian National Rowing Team. Just four years later, he was part of the squad that represented the country at the Olympic Games in Barcelona.

His rowing prowess served him well in multiple arenas, not least of which was the offer of a scholarship to study at Seattle’s University of Washington. During his time in Seattle, Blanda competed in numerous Intercollegiate races whilst studying for his degree in Romance Linguistics and French.

After graduating cum laude, Blanda initially returned to Italy – he was selected once again for the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 as part of the coxed eight team – before heading to England, where he read for a Master of Science degree in Educational Research at the prestigious Oxford University. He made college history by becoming the first and, to this day, only person of Italian heritage to be selected to row in the Oxford Cambridge Boat Race, as part of the 1997 Blue Boat team.

Upon achieving his Masters degree, Roberto Blanda returned once more to his home country to take up a role as HR Manager at the company Servier Italy. Aged 29, Blanda was promoted to become HR Director of the company, a role he would embrace for a further five years. Parallel to this position, Blanda studied for and obtained an Executive Master of Business Administration.

The motor industry beckoned Roberto Blanda, and his career pathway led him to roles with both Toyota Italy and Mercedes-Benz Italy (part of the Daimler-Chrysler Group), working for the former as HR General Manager in Rome and the latter as the Corporate HR Director. Blanda than moved to the British American Tobacco Company in pursuit of his dream of an international career.

Blanda ended up in the position of Group Head of HR for Operations at BAT, having started at the company as HR Director and progressing through Global Head of Talent.

Today, Roberto Blanda lives and works in London as an organisational performance consultant. He is also undertaking a formal coaching course to cement his experience of working as a managerial trainer.