Smart Business Blog

R169 - Special characters in product names, Admin UI V3 preview, send campaigns to multiple lists and many other enhancements

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:26:00 GMT

UPDATE: The new user role interface has been removed from this release and it's going to be launched at a later date.

We're announcing a new Haiku O.B. release, scheduled for next Monday.

R169 includes lots of enhancements, bug fixes and overall improvements. Three highlights of this release include the wish list requests that will help customers better manage their online business: special characters in product & catalogueue names and the ability to send an email campaign to multiple lists. In addition to these great improvements, we've streamlined various user interfaces, added extra overage packages and fixed many critical bugs.

Special characters in product and catalogue names

With this release, we're sticking to our commitment of fixing top wish list items and will be releasing one great enhancement that will help customers achieve better SEO and save time while creating and managing products or catalogues.

You are now able to add catalogues & products containing special characters in their names, directly from the BC Admin interface. In addition, we've also updated our import/export and API functionality to make sure customers can take advantage of this feature outside the Admin UI.

The product URL will automatically be generated based on the product name having the special characters replaced. To take full advantage of this feature, users will need to have SEO friendly URLs turned on, otherwise the system will use the dynamic product URL (catalogueRetrieve.aspx)

Send email campaign to multiple lists

This enhancement is another wish list request that will give customers using our email marketing feature more flexibility when managing mailing lists.

We've updated the email campaign wizard so that customers can now choose to send the campaign to all customers, one or more existing mailing lists, or to a new list. When selecting to send to multiple lists, customers will simply mark the check box next to multiple existing lists or customer reports.

Upon sending, the system will automatically search for contacts present in multiple lists, remove any duplicates and make sure that each subscriber receives the email once.

Spam moderation workflow - preview

To help customers reduce spam and unwanted posting on the forums, we are starting to test a spam moderation workflow for forums. Thus, in this release we're enabling this feature for websites with more than one forum (to be extended to all sites in an upcoming release).

If required, Creatiq can update your forum layouts to include a report spam link (using a system tag) to allow forums visitors to report a thread or comment as spam. Site Admins can then moderate these reports from the forum Adminconsole user interface and delete unwanted comments.

Minor enhancements

For all existing and new sites, we enabled APIs and removed the option to disable them. This has no effect on the site behavior, and now APIs are readily available on any site in case you'd like to use them.
Based on customer requests, we've added new overages packages 2000 MB w/ 10% discount and 5000 MB w/ 20% discount.

Issues fixed by R169 release

Fixed a series of encoding problems causing web app items, web app, forum, email lists, affiliate programs and gift voucher names to be displayed incorrectly in Admin user interface
Fixed a problem causing multi-screen templates to not render correctly for web app items (bug id: 2963406)
Fixed spelling errors on the overage engine and multi screen feature (bug id: 3017345 & 3010433)
Corrected a problem preventing product attribute cost to be added to order total (bug id: 3010227)
Updated the list of users receiving payment failed email notification. Starting with this release, the email goes to the payer of the order and to the site Admin users if the invoice method is Customer. (bug id: 3011040)
Updated the cart behavior so that it adjusts the prices for products in cart when a wholesale customer logs in or logs out (bug id: 2567277)
Updated the Admin login form to prevent against a potential XSS vulnerability (bug id: 3017298)
Fixed a problem with our shopping cart generating an invalid order status and preventing the system from triggering workflow notifications (bug id: 2650309)
Fixed a bug causing an incorrect currency display on multi-currency websites: (bug id: 3011662)

Enjoy!

Haiku Online Business - New Release 163

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 06:38:00 GMT

On June 9, our release (R163) was rolled out to all Haiku Online Business clients without a hitch!

With the next several releases, we've decided to start addressing the most important wishlist items while continuing the advancements on the Haiku next version. Please find the highlight of the ones we fixed in 163 below, that are mostly related with workflow and e-commerce improvements:

Customizable workflow notifications

One of the most requested features on our wish list was to give site administrators a way to customize workflow notification emails to include relevant information or to have it translated in the site user's language. With this release, we are providing a solution that offers the ability to customize those workflow notification emails from the "Customize System Emails" area.

This notification template will work for all workflow notifications and can be customized by adding different tags, changing From: address or email Subject: fields. Configuration window will be similar to other system emails.

Order status change notifications

This is an essential e-commerce feature for keeping paying customers up to date with the status of their online order. We want to make sure that when a order status is changed, customer will be notified of the new order status. For example, when an order is shipped, an automated email is sent to that customer with a proper notification.

*IMAGE*

Site administrators will now be able to configure automated emails to customers when their order status changes. The e-mail message template used for customer notifications will be available in the System Emails section. The system will generate an email template for every order status and will allow site administrators to pick which order statuses will require a notification. By default, no status types will have any associated notifications set.

Packing slip and package labels

Site administrators and drop shipping suppliers need to have a way to print packaging listand package label for each order received. Also the site administrator should be able to customize the templates for both the packaging list and package label. Starting with the June release, developers and site administrators we’ll be able to:

Customize Packing Slip and Package Label as 2 separate templates from “Admin -> More Customization Options -> Shipping Layouts”
Print Invoice, Print Packing Slip or Print Package Label from within each Order details page
Print Invoice, Print Packing Slip or Print Package Label for multiple orders selected/filtered in Orders list page using “Actions” button
Automatically send Packing Slip and Package Label as email attachments to the warehouse if you have products configured accordingly with “drop shipping” email on

AWB tracking number and tracking URL support in orders

One piece of information missing from the Haiku order system was the ability to save a tracking number (AWB) and an URL to the shipping provider web page so that customers can access information about their shipment status in the MyAccount section or through an order notification email. The June release will enable the following workflows:

Site owners can assign a tracking number (AWB) and tracking URL to the order once the shipping providers picks up the package. The Update Order user interface now includes these two fields allowing site owners to manually inlcude this information; Automation integration with shipping providers is planned for a future release.
Once the changes are made on the site, customers will be able to track their orders effortlessly

Content holders management via FTP

Content holders are now available via FTP, in the /_System/ContentHolders/ folder. You can create, edit and delete them just by using your code editor of choice.

A content holder named "Home Adrotator" has the filename_System/ContentHolders/Home Adrotator.html and is included in a page or template with

Another advantage of having content holders as FTP files is allowing you to easily manage multiple copies of the same content holders between multiple sites: just have a "master" repository of content holders, as you probably have with templates, widgets, styles and other regular site assets, and copy this to all desired sites.

Other improvements

Email marketing: campaigns with 20 or less subscribers are now automatically approved by the system
Extended FTP support: With the June release we've extended the FTP support by making email campaigns and content holders available through FTP.

Important note: due to restrictions in the FTP protocol, special characters in content holder names and campaign names are no longer allowed. Existing content holders will be renamed and special characters have been replaced with underscores ("_").

Issues fixed by the June 2011 release

Fixed a browser compatibility issue on Firefox 4 preventing users from creating a new contact or order because some required fields were not displayed (bug id: #2843041)
Updated subscribe to newsletter form to prevent spam signups (bug id: #2867869)
Fixed an issue in campaigns causing tags do not render when viewed in browser using {tag_viewinbrowser} (bug id: #2567189)
Security update on campaign process to no longer allow open redirects for links tracking (bug id: #2879502)
Updated the zip code calculation method to provide more accurate results when searching web app items by zip code (bug id: #2791376)

Please check the Haiku Knowledge Base (KB) for detailed tutorials documentation on how to use the new features:

Customizable workflow notifications - read the KB article
Customizing packing slips and package labels - read KB article
Print invoice packing slip and package labels - read KB article
Editing an order to add AWB number & tracking URL - read KB article
Display the AWB and Tracking URL - read KB article
Order status change - read KB article
Order status change notifications - read KB article
Edit campaigns via FTP - read KB article

Important Notice: Major Infrastructure Upgrade for Haiku Online Business

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 23:38:00 GMT

Notification sent out to Australian Haiku Online Business Subscribers

Dear Haiku Online Business Subscribers:

This is a notification that Haiku Online Business will be making a major infrastructure upgrade, which involves moving all web sites and application infrastructure from a legacy Sydney data center onto a new Sydney data center. They will also need to reconfigure servers, perform database synchronization tasks and restart the system.

Maintenance Start Time: 1:00AM Sunday 20 February 2011 (Australian EDT) Check local times in your timezone
Maintenance End Time: 6:00AM Sunday 20 February 2011 (Australian EDT) Check local times in your timezone
Duration: There is a scheduled maintenance window of 5 hours, during which all sites hosted on the existing data center will be unavailable Once the migration is completed, all sites will be fully functional including Admin Console access and website frontend without any intervention from you.

Benefits of Maintenance

The new datacenter is built using high-end industry standard hardware and server technologies. The main business benefits include:

Improved Reliability: with built-in hardware and software redundancy for all critical systems, the new datacenter prevents downtime caused by single system failures and enables customers to continue running their online business without disruption
Increased performance: built using latest, state of the art hardware and server technologies, this new datacenter delivers higher performance and enables websites to load faster for a better customer experience
Higer capacity: three times more capacity than currently available and built-in expansion capabilities will cover growing customer demand for traffic and space

The best part, is this comes at no additional cost to you - and is part of our ever-growing commitment to bring you the latest technology and best possible service for your Online Business.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me directly.

Warm regards,

Peter Venero
Creatiq

GUEST SPOT: Create & Profit from Your Facebook Business Page with Kris de Leon

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 04:33:00 GMT

Facebook now has over 500 million active users and is the 2nd most visited site in the world after Google. Given these facts, Facebook offers a huge potential to profit and grow your business, and it’s free to create your business page.

A Facebook business page, sometimes called a fan page, is more than just another way to connect with prospects and customers online. Your business page can drive more traffic to your company website, build your e-mail list, announce special offers and promotions, provide value and improve your relationships with your prospects and customers. As business pages are public, you can communicate directly with the people who “like” your page. When a person joins your business page, it is published in their News feed so all their friends can see, giving it a viral quality.

The following outlines five steps required to create and profit from a Facebook business page. This assumes that you already have a Facebook account. If you do not, you’ll need to register - it’s free.

Step 1 - Define your Facebook Page’s Goals and Purpose

Ask yourself, “What do I want to accomplish with my Facebook page?” The ideal is to use your Facebook page to generate revenue and grow your business. Since there are many ways to accomplish that, a better question to ask is, “How do I want to use my Facebook page to grow my business?”

You don’t need to know the answer right now, but it’s important to have the direction and goal before creating your page. Some examples of goals can include traffic generation and building a community of loyal prospects and customers.

Step 2 - Identify and Research Your Audience

Now that you’ve brainstormed your goals, you want to make sure your audience is represented on Facebook before you create your page. Take a few minutes to jot down your target audience. Then spend some time on Facebook making sure they’re present and that your efforts will be profitable. You can do this by checking out groups, or other fan pages, that are relevant to your niche market.

Step 3 - Plan your Facebook Page

Once you know your goals for your page and you’re comfortable that you have an audience, the next step is to plan the look of your Facebook page. You can create a number of tabs, each designed to help you achieve your goals. For example, a Welcome tab is a common choice for any successful Facebook page. You can adjust your settings so that’s the first page anyone sees when they come to your Facebook page. Other tab options include video, e-mail opt-in tab, and reviews.

As you’re planning your Facebook business page, consider what content you can offer that will provide the most value to your prospects and visitors. You can provide content that is relevant to your industry and motivates people to interact and take action.

Step 4 - Create Your Facebook Page

Visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php to create your page, and follow the instructions on setting up your profile. Once you have created your Facebook fan page, you will need to add photos and information in order to make it attractive to users.

Since you’ve already planned your page, adding the tabs you want your page to display should be fairly straightforward.

Step 5 - Maintain your Facebook Page

Your work isn’t done once you’ve launched your page. In order to make it a profitable success, you need to network and connect with relevant people. Share links from your fan page on your profile, and invite friends, prospects and connections to become fans. Promote your Facebook page on your email signature, website and other social networks to which you belong. Integrate your business page into your existing marketing tactics and strategy.

To generate interest in your page, post relevant inks, create discussions, publish pictures and content. Finally, analyse your Facebook stats, such as the number of interactions you have had with fans each day or week, the number of comments you had on your posts, and the demographics of your fans. Make sure to compare these statistics with your sales figures, so you can calculate your conversion rates and measure results.

Good luck with your Facebook business page, and go out there and connect with your target audience. Profits will naturally result from your dedicated efforts.

Kris de Leon is CEO of KDL Interactive, an Internet Marketing and Social Media Agency. He helps business owners generate more leads and customers online, build brand awareness, and engage a loyal following.

Feel free to contact Kris directly for any consultation on your Internet and Social Media strategy: kris@KDLinteractive.com +1-702-635-9571

New Creatiq website launched!

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:30:00 GMT

We are so excited to announce the long awaited release of our new website! We hope you like it, and we have so much more coming this year.

Like us on Facebook so you can be notified of our competition to celebrate the launch of our new site http://www.facebook.com/creatiq!

Welcome to the NEW Smart Business Blog

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:13:00 GMT

We'd like to welcome you to Creatiq's new Smart Business Blog. These days it is becoming more and more important to have direct dialogue with our clients and friends, and that's why going forward we are re-establishing our blog.

Some of the things you can look forward to will be:

Direct insight to updates on Haiku (in fact, I'll be posting an important update soon).
How you can strengthen your own online business with powerful marketing (guest spots are being lined up).
How to get more involved in the social arena and take better advantage of powerful tools such as Facebook and Twitter.

We'll also be posting tutorials and how-to's for our clients that are on the Haiku platform, so that you can put features in place that you may not be using.

And if you're not a client of Haiku, or maybe not even Creatiq - you can still feel free to read through the blog and take advantage of what content we have to offer.

We are gearing up for some big changes in 2011 as a company. We see the marketplace evolving at an even quicker speed these days, especially due social network sites such as facebook, and we want to help you leverage your own business and take advantage. We're excited for what's to come, so check back on our blog, as we'll post at least once a month, if not more. You can also subscribe to our RSS feed at the bottom right of this page for instant updates. Just click the orange 'feed' button at the bottom right, and bookmark it!

Planned Upgrade for Haiku

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:13:00 GMT

Happy New Year! The Creatiq team is back onboard after a refreshing holiday break and ready to rock in 2011. Just posting to let you know that we have our next scheduled system upgrade on 13 January 2011 1:00AM US PST (check local times here).

As you know, upgrades to the system are frequent. Before the holidays they were more frequent, but our system was acquired recently by Adobe Systems, Inc. one of the leaders of internet technology and while that dust has settled, we're ready to you bring some fantastic new features. We'll first be starting with some major improvements to the system and here is a quick brief of what's in store:

Export/Import functionality for Products and Web App Items has been overhauled to make it more robust - this means BC will be exporting CSV files making large exports faster and more reliable.
Product codes will become mandatory for new products being created or existing products being edited. If you have existing products that do not have a product code as at 12 January we will run a batch process to automatically generate a random code to fill it in for you for those products. For products with duplicate codes we will give you a warning and provide you with the tools to correct this.
OpenSRS Mail will be enabled on all new sites created from 15 January onwards. If you create a site after that date, upgrade it to a paid site then add a domain, the users of that site will receive improved mail functionality with a new interface and 2GB mail storage. Existing users will be migrated to the new mail system in February
We are removing Sitewalk - for users who wish to use InContext Editing inside Firefox, we recommend that you download the Firefox 4.0 Beta otherwise please use a different browser. To clarify, we are awaiting a Firefox bugfix that's coming in 4.0 so that InContext Editing will work properly
Email Marketing with 1000 included emails/month to be included in the 'Websites' Plan - This means if you have any customers on a 'Websites' plan they will be able to see the 'Marketing' tab starting and use its functionality from 12 January 2011 unless you disable it for them. New sites on the "Business" plan will also receive this feature.

We'll be back soon with more updates and some more articles and tips on how to make the most of your business in 2011 and beyond. Thank you for reading!

UPDATE - 13 January 11:00AM PST: Deployment and Validation of this mornings release was successful across all legacy and Adobe datacenters. New features and new pricing are now available.

Not Another Twitter Article (Part 1 of 2)

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 22:30:00 GMT

Welcome to my two-part series entitled “Not Another Twitter Article” where I’ll first catch you up to the Twitter basics on what is Twitter and how to use it; and then in part two I’ll help show you ways it can benefit your business, as well as some popular tools to augment your overall Twitter experience. There’s been many posts written about Twitter over the past year or so, so I’m here to bring you the cream of the crop and make it all ridiculously easy.

When I first heard about Twitter, the only thing I could think was “Oh geez, not another social networking gizmo to keep up with.” You know how it is - there’s always something new, always something to learn and figure out how to integrate into your daily life just for the sakes of keeping up with the times (and with everybody else). So finally I took the plunge to see what all the fuss was about and I was actually quite delighted that I did. Twitter isn’t just “another social networking gizmo”, it’s something all it’s own; and something I’ve come to appreciate when I do my own daily Tweets.

What is Twitter

For starters, let’s be clear on what Twitter isn’t. Twitter isn’t another facebook, it isn’t another MySpace; and it definitely isn’t another Linkedin for that matter. Twitter is considered a micro-blog. Most of us know what blogs are by now, and if you don’t, think of a blog as a modern-day journal - with the exception of about millions of people that have access to it because it resides on the internet.

When using Twitter, your posts are allotted up to 140-characters or less. You can follow other people's posts (affectionately referred to as "Tweets") by clicking the “follow” button on their profiles - or they can follow yours.

There are many ways and reasons to use Twitter and many people have found that it is a vibrant, active community where they can connect with like-minded people quickly and efficiently for both business and leisure.

How to use Twitter

First, go to http://www.twitter.com/signup and join. Pick a meaningful username and after the super quick sign-up, you’ll be brought to what I like to call the Twittersphere where you will see people from all over the globe tweeting away.

Say you’re reading someone’s Tweets and you dig what a particular person is saying. Just click on their name to view their profile and click the “follow” button to start following them. This is similar to adding someone to your friend’s list on other networking portals. Tweets from the person you’re following will now appear in your Twitter, and if that person has the option selected, he or she will also see your Tweets. You of course also have the option to get Tweets from people that are following you.

What not to do on Twitter

There are definitely ways to abuse Twitter and get an instant reputation for being a less-than-useful Twitterer. Here are a few don'ts to keep in mind:

Especially when it comes to business use, don't spam. While Twitter doesn't push information out like email, you can still be annoyingly spammy by being too commercial or by having too many auto-posts that lack your human voice. People will un-follow you quickly if they feel you are not really there.

Don't be too self-seeking. Yes, you are supposed to be posting your heart-felt Tweets to answer the question "What are you doing?" However, Twitter has evolved beyond this question to include many more facets of dialogue. People are fine with self-promotion but balance it with generous and meaningful Tweets as well.

Don't be afraid to put your questions out there via your Tweets, and the more people you have as followers, the more quickly you'll get a response.

Bottom Line: Twitter is a useful communication tool and a deep knowledge base. Knowing how to tap into it strategically can mean the difference between a frivolous and a fruitful Twitter experience.

Stay tuned for Part Two of “Not Another Twitter Article” to find out a few savvy ways Twitter can benefit your business, as well as a couple popular Twitter tools to enhance your Twitter experience.

So you’ve got an iPhone - now what?

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 12:15:00 GMT

So long ago it seems now the iPhone craze began. From the initial whispers among Apple enthusiasts (myself shamelessly included) to popular internet tech-geek blogs and their non-stop buzz wreaking havoc throughout the industry. As soon as the intuitive gadget did make it’s long-awaited debut, interestingly enough - most opinions agreed that it did live up to it’s overwhelming buzz (even with the ridiculously coining by some: “The Jesus Phone”.)

Okay, so you couldn’t help yourself and you splurged on one. Well you’re not the only one. In fact, you are one of 125,000 current users in Australia (estimated to be 1.3 million by 2012 according to www.cnet.com.au) and among ten million users already in the United States (they had a head start).

As iPhone owners already know, you can download Applications (or apps) from the iTunes store which some cost money but many are many free ones that run seamlessly on your iPhone. These apps range from productivity applications to games, social networking and even recipes - yes recipes (even a bachelor like me has a few). So out of the 500 million applications that have been downloaded from the iTunes store, which of those would benefit a smart business owner such as yourself? I took the plunge for you and weeded out the most easy to use, intuitive and most stylishly designed apps that should make your work day a bit easier and far much more fun.

Remember the Milk: $25 USD (Annual)

If you’ve been keeping up with my technology column, you may have witnessed my gushing about Remember the Milk. To augment that post, I’d like to introduce you to Remember the Milk for iPhone. This app in particular is one of my favourites and one I definitely use everyday. I’m an absolute list freak as they help me punch through my tasks throughout each day. What I like most about RTM is that since I have my iPhone with me wherever I go, it means I have my tasks with me everywhere I go; and that goes for every other app you download.

When it comes to lists, you can set up as many categories as your heart desires. Those lists then sync with the RTM server so that you can also access them via the web from any computer. From there you can set all of your options such as notifications, which can send you reminders via email, sms, even on MSN Messenger and other popular applications.

There really are too many features to list here, my advice would be to take RTM for a spin on their 15-day free trial and see how it works for you.

Google Tasks for iPhone: Free

The ultra-intelligent development team over at Google Labs have wowed us again by releasing an iPhone version of Google Tasks. All you’ll need is a Gmail account, which is also free.

Unlike RTM which is a native iPhone app (meaning it is installed on your iPhone) Google Tasks is a web-based app which works quite the same but sits on another server and is accessed through Mobile Safari on your iPhone.

Setup is done in 2 steps:

1. Log into your Gmail account and click "Settings." From there, click "Labs" and then the "Enable" button next to "Tasks." You'll see a link to Tasks in the left sidebar of your Gmail account.

Grab your iPhone and point Mobile Safari to http://gmail.com/tasks. Once you've logged in, you'll see the tasks you created on your computer.

Of course, you can create a task on either device, as well as multiple lists, mark items as complete and clear completed tasks.

EccoNote Lite: Free 

Are you getting tired of carrying around multiple gadgets to get you through your work day? Now there’s one less gadget to pack. Begin by tossing out that dated digital voice recorder and download the free EccoNote Lite application for your iPhone. When you don’t have an assistant to jot down minutes, just whip out your handy EccoNote equipped iPhone and tap record. Set your iPhone down on the table and begin your meeting. You can record short little Notes, or make longer recordings; limited only by the space on your iPhone. Playback as many times as necessary and simply swipe the note to delete.

For more involved users, you can upgrade to EccoNote Pro so you can email the recordings to anyone anywhere. Simple Pause, Resume and Stop controls have also been added to playback in this version, so you have control over those longer notes.

Both versions include an FTP function (if you dare to be so savvy).

Pennies: $2.99 USD (lifetime)

And now finally, my most favourite app of them all: Pennies.

This app in particular I hold dear to my heart as when it comes to budgeting and tracking my expenses - I’m a mess. Queue Pennies App: now all I need to do is define my monthly budget and add my expenses as I spend. Usually the latter would be incredibly tedious, but now I do so just within 3 steps:

Tap “add expense”

Enter amount & category (same screen)

Tap save

And that’s it!

It also has handy options for the poor being who will be doing your books such as exporting each month in a CSV format. You can also view expenses from the current month or as many previous months you have entered to discover how you’re really spending.

With it’s elegant interface and extreme ease of use, this one is a must.

8 Smart Business New Year Resolutions

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 12:15:00 GMT

As a business owner, the responsibility for the success of your organisation falls on your shoulders. With the markets in the delicate state it's in, wouldn't it be nice if you were one of the businesses that was not affected? Here are 8 Business New Year Resolutions that will help you succeed at enjoying that rainbow at the end of the storm.

1. I will Promote and market my business. This is important if you want to seperate yourself from the competition. Focus on value added benefits and the bargain your particular products and/or services offer.

2. I will focus more on customer service. People are looking for the personal touch from local businesses. Don’t disappoint them. Make an effort to know your customers and their needs.

3. I will communicate more with my customers. It is your customers that should come first. Treat them well and stay in contact with them - and they will return. There are many ways to do this. It can be as simple as a printed newsletter sent out once a quarter, an e-mail message reminding them about your new and improved services, personal telephone calls to your best customers, or improving your web site.

4. I will upgrade my technology. You’ve been putting it off too long. It’s time to start using the Internet and other new technologies to your advantage to improve your business. We’ll be go over some handy tips in fourth-coming installments.

5. I will work more efficiently. Can you identify three things you can do to be more efficient and effective in your current job? Are you spending too much time on e-mail, for example? Too much time returning phone calls? Does it interrupt your work too frequently? Sometimes, those job inefficiencies are not very obvious. However, if you can specifically identify them, then those inefficiencies can be eliminated and you can become more productive. This can increase work satisfaction as well.

6. I will increase my working network in and out of my immediate area and inside and outside my company. Could you use getting to know more people? Can you meet more people not just to say hello, but to find out what they do, how they do it and what skills they use to be productive? Let them know about your traits, abilities and interests, too. Ask yourself if you can you interact with them to mutually benefit both your jobs. Can you include them in your circle of contacts so that you can call on them when you need a favor, a contact, or a reference? The reverse should be true as well.

7. I will re-evaluate my business model and business plan. It might be time, in light of the economic situation,to look closely at your products and services to better focus your resources and target your promotions.

8. I won't get stressed out! Do whatever it takes to keep yourself healthy and sane in the New Year. Enroll in a calming yoga or metaphysical class. Remember, your customers count on you to be there for them. They are, in a real sense, like an extended family. So, exercise, eat wisely, and stay focused.

Wishing you all the best for a healthy and most prosperous 2009.

The Beauty of Virtual Assistants

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 09:54:00 GMT

There are times we all feel overwhelmed with managing our own businesses. With infinite administrative tasks to tedious financial accounts and invoicing - not to mention actually running your core business - it can be a lot for one’s plate.

After one too many overdue accounts, I finally opted to get a Virtual Assistant. There’s no reason to feel inadequate about needing help with your to-do list and I’ve found that getting help is not as expensive as you might think. It could even help you save money in the long run.

Not only do Virtual Assistants (or VA’s) come in human form, they also come in handy pocket-sized digital form! I’ll explain…

LIVE VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS
Virtual Assistants are people working from remote locations in various countries all around the world. Utilising the power of the Internet in tandem with web productivity tools, VA’s help keep business people on the ball by helping with everything from administrative tasks (account keeping, answering phones, diary management) through to creative and technical assistance.

To begin my search I posted a “tweet” on Twitter asking for recommendations and received a dozen references for qualified candidates in no time. Alternatively, search ”virtual assistant” online. Below are three I found which are worth a look:

You can also contact the International Virtual Assistants Association to find a member that is compatible with your needs and objectives by searching their membership directory.

Virtual Assistant fees are usually based either per hour or per project. Hourly rates can run from about AUD $12/hour to AUD $50 (or more) depending on the level of service you require.

Some criteria for picking a VA:
Screen a few to make sure they not only sit well with your business structure and objectives; but more importantly, make sure they are able to work within your time-zone if hiring from abroad.

VA’s should be happy to cater to your business hours, so you’ll want to make sure they will be able to honour this commitment by simply asking them which other locations they’re currently servicing.

Some VA’s specialise in working with companies that exclusively use one operating system over another (e.g. Mac or PC). Others may offer services such as helping maintain your Facebook and Twitter activities - for business and personal promotion, I mean (ha-ha). But if you have that under control and just need someone to keep in contact with your friends, chances are you could arrange that, too! Point being, you only need to search and enquire to find someone offering exactly the type of service you need.

If it’s your first time start small, with a single objective or a few small tasks to get a feel for their working style, which will also allow them to get accustomed to yours.

DIGITAL/POCKET-SIZED VA’s
If hiring a human VA isn’t in your budget for the time being, there are some Web applications you can use as a great alternative. While they won’t exactly perform robot functions to rival a person, they can help organise your daily work life a little better to help make you more productive.

Remember The Milk is one of my personal favourite applications as it is Web based and also synchronises with my iPhone (we’ll get into some handy user-friendly iPhone tips in upcoming articles). RTM is a popular reminder service you can use to automate tasks and setup task lists based on different objectives. This would assist you with keeping all of your tasks in one place which is easily managed from the Web via your computer or on your Web-enabled device such as your iPhone or Blackberry.

Another brilliant alternative is the use of a service such as jott.com to record voice reminders that are then converted to text and sent to you via SMS email or both.

If you need a Virtual Phone System to help you manage and route your calls (in lieu of a nosey secretary) you could try a service like www.OneBox.com or www.eVoiceReceptionist.com.

To get the most out of Web applications, you’ll likely have to use several to round out a suite of tools that would otherwise be handled by a live VA. Which brings me back to my point, that they can be incredibly useful and - for R.O.I - very worthwhile and affordable.