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Businesses aim to establish enduring relationships, particularly with customers. Believingly, if you are managing it well, then you surely will grow. In the era of digitization, CRM software has marked its presence. The reason is simply its features that confirm its positive outcome for businesses.  It has the magic that manages customers efficiently and assures higher ROI. 

What is CRM software?

CRM is Customer Relationship Management software that enables businesses to handle, organize and track their connections with customers.  The system assists them to store the data, like customer behavior. From here, you can have an idea of how long they are with you, what they have purchased, what their feedback or reviews were, etc. In addition to this, you can find out the areas of improvement for more sales, higher transactions, etc. Collectively, all these practices tend to enhance the marketing and sales process. The software functions by keeping track of the actions and behavior of existing and probable customers from the email marketing campaigns, social media, and business sites. Moreover, it directs the customers via buying or sales funnel with emails or notifying the salesperson regarding customers’ preferences.

Effective Features of CRM Software

Customer Management

The major benefit of customer relationship management software is that it enhances the relationship of businesses with customers. From simply keeping a tab on the general contacts, it saves the essential data such as previous interactions, buying history, and demographics on every channel.

Moreover, it authorizes the others in the businesses to use the information when required. Every single communication of staff members with customers ensures customer satisfaction. If you are able to provide the best services, then, they could be your loyal customers. 

In case there is a higher turnover in business, then, it can harm everything from brand value to sales, etc. While using the CRM solution, there will be automation in customer support, sentiment analysis and behavior tracking, etc. From all these provisions, you can find out and acknowledge the queries beforehand so that they should not be problems in future.  Hence, a CRM system helps you to boost customer satisfaction and confirms their future visit. 

Business process automation

There are many benefits or features of CRM software that make it a valuable asset. However, the most important one is automation. Basically, it is the benefit that streamlines the business processes. To give you a glance:

• It saves the time that is spent on emailing and lead nurturing with SMS campaigns. 
• Regular and customer-oriented communication considering commerce, sales, marketing and service via personalized automation. 
• Capturing leads with customer metrics you fix. Therefore, you can give priority to the terms for confirming the leads to work on.

The CRM software allows the business to spend extra time on generating campaigns that keep well with the audience, monitor data and strategies according to analytics, etc.  

Reports and Analytics

There are several reliable CRM software in the market that let you eye on business insights. Of course, checking them the other way around is not authentic. Additionally, with this, you can compute almost everything regarding customer sentiments, whether you are able to fulfill their expectations or not or if the performance of the sales team is up to the mark or the outcome from the last organized campaign. 

The software lets you make dashboards for customer data management according to various demographics, characteristics and lead qualification automation. However, it lets you target particular parts of customers with various marketing campaigns for higher influence. 

What’s more? The reports will support businesses to understand the forecast accurately and eliminate the guesswork. From insights of customers to sales performance, pipeline, and forecast from data reports, you can make the next right movement, and therefore, boost customer service. 

Integrated Calendar

Nowadays, almost every CRM software has a feature of calendar integration. It believes to transform the sale process into effective and easy.  Indeed, calendar management is absolute to manage meetings, events, schedules and resources. Additionally, with this feature, you can integrate the customer’s profile details with events to check when and with whom you are scheduled next. 

There are systems with a feature of meeting schedules with which a convenient time can be finalized. Rather than long emails, various dates and times can be proposed to various customers by email. However, let them choose a convenient time.  When the date is confirmed, a confirmation email will be received by all and the meeting schedule can be added to the calendar in simple one click. 

Easy email integration

You can send multiple customers or leads simply from your CRM solution effortlessly.  Several software providers in the market integrate an email integration feature into the system.  However, its benefit is not only limited to messages. But, the email correspondences are connected with the customer’s profile. This act quickly shows when the customer is approached and who has done this. 

Few customer management software is there that have email customer integration such as Gmail and Outlook. Email synchronization among the email services and Customer Relationship Management Software results in satisfied customer communication. 

Lead Management

The right method of lead capturing and nurturing, examining their behaviors and services, authorizing them and giving the required attention to turn them into business opportunities is what we call lead management. 

The feature supports the businesses to manage and classify the leads to control the follow-ups and boost engagement.  Usually, the process begins with automatic lead capturing data. Then, the solution starts tracking the behaviors and activities of the lead, such as the website page they have searched and communication you have lately.  Later on, the leads distribute to the suitable department or sales executive, according to their interest, location or other defined factors. 

Concluding Remarks

While looking for the suitable features of CRM software, you may come across some that you have not known before. See, not every business size is the same; some businesses require a comprehensive set of features. 

With so many options out there in the market, look out for the software that has the required functionality you require. Pick the one that fits your budget, business niche, customer base, etc. 

So, have you used any management software before? What difference do you think it has given to your business? Are you satisfied with it? Let us know your thoughts on it!

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Digital calendars, while extremely useful, can be underutilized. This is largely due to there being an overwhelming amount of digital calendars, each with their own uniquely efficient features. These features may include software integrations, personalized customizations, automated scheduling and shared calendars.

The efficiency features below are discussed in detail to give you a better understanding of just how helpful each of them can be. Besides easing the stress that busy schedules can cause, these features will also help you get more out of your digital calendar. After all, spending less time on scheduling gives you more time to do the things you love. So, here are a few simple ways to use your digital calendar more efficiently.

Utilize Software Integration Features

Software integration features are a must if you want to make the most of your digital calendar and free up some time. In a world of software integrations, why not utilize all that is available at your disposal? The more you can take advantage of automation, the more time you can free up for yourself and others.

Let’s say the calendar you use is Outlook Calendar. Microsoft Cortana, an AI software that is included in many Microsoft devices, integrates with that. Furthermore, by integrating Cortana, you can verbally schedule events to your Outlook Calendar. There are many other software integrations that are compatible with Outlook Calendar as well, like ScheduleOnce, Calendar, and QuickBooks. 

Implement Customizations

For the same reasons we adjust our rearview mirrors, we should also adjust our calendars so we can see what we need to in order to navigate successfully. Calendar customizations are a creative way to combine your schedule with your personal preferences so you can have what you need to be successful. 

Many digital calendars offer unique customizations; like being able to set color themes, customize notification settings, and even view the weather. These are just a few of the many customizations a digital calendar could offer. Honestly, customizations can really be a game-changer.

Consider Collaboration Options

Collaborating with others by means of sharing your schedule, for example, allows you to dodge the communication mishaps altogether. When you share your calendar, others can see your availability, and vice versa. Shared calendars are great for large-scale scheduling purposes, like work meetings, sporting events, class schedules, and other recurring events that thrive on successful collaboration.

Shared calendars are also useful for the times you’re only scheduling events with one or two other people. This is because you can simply see when they are busy and won’t need to ask. Just as you can see when they are busy, you can also see when they are free. This way, you can easily coordinate events with them during a mutually convenient time slot to avoid scheduling errors. Being able to share your calendar enables planning to go so much more smoothly.

Wrapping Up

No matter which type of digital calendar you decide to use, there are always some hacks to help you streamline events with ease. Moreover, by implementing the seemingly endless quantity of features available to you, you will be well on your way to utilizing your digital calendar more efficiently.

Overall, just know the impact your calendar has on your time, and understand what it is capable of when used to its fullest. While there are many digital calendars available to choose from, the most important thing to consider is how to choose one that will enable you to be as efficient as possible with your time. 

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Great HR departments do a little of everything— they coordinate with the CEO on salaries and hiring, pick out the snacks in the break room, help the new hire who’s relocating find a house, and a lot more. They’re the architect of the company’s culture, a sympathetic ear for the kid in Marketing who’s having a bad week, and often the only thing protecting employees from their horrible bosses.

So how do they do it? Like any kind of success, HR success is built on habits. Let’s go over some of the habits that can make — or break — your HR department.

Culture is key

So much of an HR department’s work depends on company culture. A healthy, well-defined company culture only needs a light touch from HR, while an ambiguous or unhealthy one is going to generate friction, discontent, and inefficiency — making everyone’s job a lot tougher.

So how do you define and build a company culture? First, you have to understand the values, goals, and beliefs that define the company. If you’re a tech company, maybe you want to chase innovation and disruption; if you’re a real estate company, maybe you’re trying to save sellers and buyers money. This is where the company’s vision and mission statements come in. These documents are like a country’s constitution; they lay out the rules and structures. 

Once these are defined, HR’s job is to make sure these values are built-in to everything they do. For example, hiring impacts company culture — candidates should be evaluated on their ability to add to the company’s existing culture and share a similar vision.

Get leadership on board

It’s a lot easier to build a thriving company culture when you’ve got buy-in from the top. A savvy HR department works closely with upper management to coordinate on company policies that reflect company values, as well as peripheral issues like compliance. A supportive and unified front from management will make sure things run smoothly, and encourage buy-in at the employee level.

Listening solves a lot of problems

When employees come to you to complain, always listen to them — and listen well. Often, employees will tell you exactly where the friction points and problem areas are in your workplace, essentially helping you do your job. Whether it’s just one or several employees sharing a complaint, be mindful of the long-term ramifications of not taking action. It serves a company well to engage with employees’ pain points regularly to maintain employee wellness and prevent burnout.

On the other hand, sometimes employees just want to vent. In these cases, listen, sympathize, and acknowledge. You may not need to take any further action; often, the mere act of listening is enough to dissipate an employee’s discontent and prevent the situation from escalating. Be sure to ask employees what a solution looks like for them.

Remember that rules are made to be broken (occasionally)

Which philosopher said, “there can be no justice without exceptions”? Whoever he was, he must have worked in HR. While one of HR’s most important responsibilities is to enforce company policy, a smart HR executive knows when to bend the rules and make an exception. Employees don’t like to feel subject to arbitrary, inflexible authority, and in times of high stress, like product launches or right before big deadlines, a few small exceptions can cultivate a lot of goodwill.

That being said, every company has fundamental policies that, if broken, should always lead to consequences. A smart HR executive knows when to make an exception and when not to.

Keep an eye on the big picture

Successful HR departments don’t restrict themselves to reductive definitions of HR— the minutiae of hiring, payroll, culture, and training. While those are all vital to the smooth functioning of a company, a great HR department has the vision to match the company’s. 

That means you should have a general understanding of how each level of the company operates, who its most important clients and customers are, the various products and services offered, and even an idea of the market landscape. The better you know the company, the more effectively you can help achieve your collective goals. And exhibiting this kind of deep knowledge is one of the most effective ways of exhibiting your department’s value.

Don’t withhold praise

Company culture exists to produce positive outcomes — so when you see those positive outcomes happening, make sure you acknowledge them! Your top sales leaders may be raking in the commission, but a pat on the back from HR is arguably just as meaningful for their job satisfaction.

Praise makes employees feel good, drives their motivation and morale, and lets them know you notice their good work. It draws a straight line between company culture and its benefits — for everybody. Acknowledging employee accomplishments with praise is the secret to turning your company culture into an organic, self-sustaining organism.

Act as a role model

The best way to encourage positive employee behaviors is to demonstrate them yourselves. Employees look to HR for leadership, so HR professionals should make a conscious effort to embody the behaviors and values they’re trying to cultivate. 

On the other hand, if they fail to exhibit the behaviors they’re trying to encourage, they could seem hypocritical — and employee morale and buy-in will surely remain low.

Don’t overlook your fellow employees when hiring

When a position opens up, always begin your candidate search internally. This is important for two reasons.

One, your employees will notice if you begin your search externally. It will make them feel that you don’t value them and that you don’t have their interests in mind. This can hasten talent loss. On the other hand, if they feel appreciated and have a sense that there’s the possibility of upward mobility, you will retain that top-quality talent.

The second reason is that, unless you’re looking for a candidate with very specialized skills that can’t be found within the company, your best candidate is almost certainly in-house. If you’ve cultivated a strong company culture it’s extremely unlikely that anyone from outside the company will have a better appreciation for and understanding of that company culture than someone who’s already under the same roof. 

Hold everyone accountable

The other side of praise is accountability. Just as employees who exemplify or uphold company values deserve recognition, ones who undermine policies or break regulations should be held fully accountable for their actions. Your workforce will notice when you let a transgression slide, and if they sense you’re not committed to a rule or policy, it will be hard to make them respect it. 

Accountability especially applies to upper management. If employees sense there’s one standard for the employees, and another standard for management, morale will quickly decline.

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A slow-loading page is not just frustrating– it also directly impacts advertising conversions, bounce rate, user experience, and engagement. 

According to research conducted by Portent, the first five seconds of page-load time have the highest impact on conversion rates. The study also found that the highest ecommerce conversion rates occur on pages with load times between 0-2 seconds.

Page speed is also a primary ranking factor in Google Search, and its importance to your site’s SERP positions is paramount. In 2021, Google rolled out the Page Experience update to enhance its algorithm, drawing even more attention to the importance of a fast-loading page. 

These facts make the significance of fast-loading pages undeniable, especially when coupled with Google’s Mobile-First Indexing, which considers mobile sites before desktop sites for indexing and ranking. 

So, what exactly is page speed, and why does it have such an important impact on almost all aspects of your landing page and website? Let’s find out. 

This post will break down the importance of a fast-loading page, how fast your page should be, what slows it down, how to measure page speed, and ways to ensure a fast-loading page.  

Why page speed matters

By definition, page speed is a measurement of how fast the content on your page loads. It can also be referred to as “page load time,” i.e., the time it takes to fully display the content on a specific page. 

Page speed matters because the average users nowadays have dwindling attention spans. This makes it harder for advertisers to convince prospects to consider their offer—it becomes nearly impossible on a page that doesn’t load fast enough. 

So, how fast is a fast-loading page? 

What is a good page speed? 

Though common practice dictates it should take less than 2 seconds for your page to load, there is no absolute “good page speed” number. The page speed depends on the type of page you have and how you measure it. In some cases, the important factor is time to interactive (TTI). For others, it’s the time it takes to load the first bits of content (FCP). 

According to Microsoft speed specialist and computer scientist Harry Shum, a 0.25-second difference in page load time—faster or slower—is the magic number that gives brands a  competitive advantage.

When Mozilla increased its page speed by 2.2 seconds, Firefox downloads increased by 15.4 percent, translating to 10 million more downloads per year. Also, Walmart saw a 2 percent increase in conversion rates for every 1-second improvement in page load times.

The bottom line–the faster your landing page loads, the better. If you want lightning-fast pages, you need to optimize all elements that slow down your landing page. 

Why is your page slow? 

These are the common culprits that may be slowing down your landing page. 

1. JavaScript issues. JavaScript plugins help add dynamic content to your pages. But when incorrectly implemented or overused, JavaScript can result in a significant delay in page load times.
2. Too much flash animation. Flash makes your landing pages more interactive, but it can also slow down your page load speed. The bigger the Flash file size, the more it will contribute to your page speed issues.
3. Unoptimized images. Beautiful, high-resolution photos may look impressive, but they require lots of bandwidth to load. However, image size isn’t the only issue– file formats can impact your site’s images’ loading time. 
4. Large media files. Loading large media files is challenging for mobile devices. Large media files always take longer to load on smaller devices and mobile networks.
5. Too many HTTP requests. Whenever a user comes to your page, the web browser sends a request to your website’s server for information on the page. This file may contain text, images, or multimedia elements. When the server has fewer HTTP requests to make, the faster the site can load. 
6. Lack of caching techniques. Caching allows you to store frequently used data points in the ”cached memory.” The cached content gets served from the cached memory on subsequent requests, speeding up the entire data retrieval process.
7. Bulky code. Bulky code, full of excessive white spaces, lazy inline CSS, empty new lines, inline styling, and unnecessary comments, make your website stylesheet unnecessarily larger and slow down your page.
8. Too many plugins. Every plugin on your page initiates separate file requests, which can slow down the load time. Too many plugins can delay loading time and lead to crashes or even security breaches on your site.

How to check your landing page speed? 

To perform a full landing page speed audit, you can use the following tools. 

1. Google Mobile Speed Score. The Score lets you quickly see which landing pages provide a fast mobile experience that may require your attention. Mobile speed score ranks mobile landing pages on a 10-point scale.
2. PageSpeed Insights. The free Google page load speed tool gives recommendations for page speed improvements and scores your page from 0 to 100 points. The higher your score, the more optimized for speed your site is. A score above 85 is a positive indication that your page is performing well. Anything lower indicates you have some work to do. 
3. WebPageTest. The open-source website performance monitoring tool allows you to test connection throttling and run customized tests. You also can save and view your test history later if you create a free profile on the website. 

How to create a seamless, fast-loading landing page experience

To get visitors to move beyond the ad click and convert, marketers need to create a seamless landing page experience. 

Google recommends using Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) to create pages because the framework provides a faster, smoother, and more engaging mobile experience. 

What is AMP?  

AMP loads quickly because it’s designed for speed. Browsers have an easier time interpreting AMP HTML because it’s more streamlined and is specifically designed to help developers avoid common coding issues that lead to slow page loads.

AMP pages can also be served directly from Google AMP Cache. Whenever possible, Google will choose to serve the cached copy of the landing page, ensuring the page loads fast. Your AMP landing page can load from your web server when unable to serve from cache (due to feature incompatibility or other technical reasons). Although this is not as fast as serving from the cache, it is still much faster than the average non-AMP landing page.

Though AMP landing pages typically load 85% faster than the average page, the framework has Javascript and CSS limitations. This is not the case with Instapage’s Thor Render Engine™.  

What is the Thor Render Engine™?

Instapage’s Thor Render Engine is the platform’s proprietary back-end technology that ensures your post-click pages load quickly so you never lose a lead to slow-loading pages.

The Thor Render Engine delivers 3x faster-loading landing pages without Javascript and CSS limitations, so you can easily capture visitor attention with responsive lightning-fast landing pages.

The best part is that you don’t need to do anything because the Thor Render Engine works silently behind the scenes to make your pages lightning fast. To create an optimized, personalized, fast-loading page, all you need to do is sign up for Instapage—the most advanced landing page platform. 

Conclusion 

Don’t miss out on advertising conversions and a high return on ad spend because of slow loading pages. Utilize solutions that allow you to create seamless, fast-loading landing page experiences for all your offers.

The post How Fast is Your Landing Page? Why Page Speed Matters and How to Improve It appeared first on noupe.

Without any of your inventory moving out for sale, you will see no money coming in from your current stocks. Beyond this concern, it is also important to track your inventory levels and make sure you have enough to sell to your customers. Striking a good balance between the supply and demand of your inventory is extremely crucial if you want to stay in business for the long term.

However, taking control of hundreds of inventory and equipment across various locations is no easy feat. Without a proper inventory management system in place, it’s almost impossible to keep track of all your warehouse and supply chain operations in real-time. Monitoring the number of raw materials that you have, as well as the unfinished goods and ready-to-sell items, becomes twice as challenging if you do not have the right tools for the job. 

Poor inventory management leads to many inefficiencies that can cripple the performance of your business. Whether you have too little or too much inventory, improper inventory management can cost you time and money, negatively affecting your bottom line and business growth. For every hour that your business experiences a downtime, you may lose around $140,000 to $5 million. 

So if you think your inventory practices are no longer efficient and unable to keep up with demand, implementing an inventory management software system is a great way to turn things around.

What Is an Inventory Management Software?

An inventory management software is a piece of technology that helps you monitor inventory levels, orders, sales, and deliveries. It is a helpful tool that automates many aspects of inventory and warehouse management, such as tracking inventory, managing reorders and keeping your accounting data updated. With an inventory management system, you can manage and organize your inventory across multiple warehouses with ease.

Inventory control is one of the most important features you’ll find in an inventory management system. This allows you to categorize products by type, SKU (or serial number), and location. In turn, you can easily search, filter, and view products to ensure you have enough stocks and can reorder supplies as necessary. Inventory management systems also help you audit data and generate reports in real-time. 

Most inventory management systems today are cloud-based, which means your data is stored in the cloud and is constantly updated. This allows you to track your inventory as they come in and out of your storefronts and storage facilities. Mobile-optimized solutions also allow you to access your warehouse activities from your mobile devices, enabling you to remotely manage and organize your inventory. As a matter of fact, 67% of warehouses now plan to take advantage of mobile devices to accelerate inventory and warehousing operations.

Benefits of an Inventory Management Software

Knowing how much inventory you have is critical for every aspect of your business. Aside from keeping track of your inventory levels, there are more ways by which inventory management software can benefit your business. Here are some examples:

Automated Inventory Management

One of the biggest benefits of inventory management software is the automation of your inventory control processes. Instead of manually entering data and recording every action that takes place in your inventory, inventory management solutions do all these things for you. These systems provide you with more accurate, efficient, and insightful inventory data, allowing you to save more time and optimize your processes.

Given the benefits of automation to inventory and warehouse operations, it comes as no surprise that the warehouse automation market is estimated to reach $37.6 billion by 2030, according to a report by BusinessWire. This data reflects the demand for inventory automation systems, which is driven by a need for more rapid deployment and greater efficiency of inventory practices. At this rate, the inventory automation systems are likely to capture a significant market share compared to the traditional methods. Moreover, USPs such as AI  incorporations and efficiency will drive considerable market shares. 

By automating your inventory processes, you can avoid the risk of human error from manual data entry, saving you the time and money that you can potentially lose as a result of any mistake in your inventory operations. An inventory management solution allows you to automate everything, from dropshipping to backorders, stock replenishment, partial fulfillment, and inventory counts to customer tagging and order invoicing.

Prevent Stockouts and Overselling

For growing businesses, stockouts and overselling are major challenges. Based on a report by RetailDive, retailers lose over $1 trillion every year from stockouts alone. Shoppers often encounter out-of-stock items after three shopping trips from the same brand, resulting in profit losses for many retailers.

Implementing inventory management software can help you prevent this scenario. The app lets you take control of your inventory count, enabling you to see which products are still in stock and which ones need replenishment. It also ensures that you have just the right amount of supplies to avoid overstocking. In this way, you can easily meet consumer demands while at the same time delivering financial elasticity to your business.

Aside from those, proper inventory control gives you better visibility of the complete lifecycle of your inventory items, from purchases, reorders, and shipping to warehousing, storage, turnover, and loss prevention. An inventory management system helps you manage the flow of raw materials, goods, and services up to the point your customers receive the items they ordered and consume the goods.

Systematic Inventory Tracking

An inventory management software also helps you to categorize and track your products by SKU, type, or location. This allows you to group similar inventories together and keep them in an organized location, making it easier for you to locate products. By systematically arranging your inventories, you can easily determine which products require reordering and generate sales data for every item that gets sold. 

Furthermore, inventory management systems improve your inventory tracking operations. These tools allow you to monitor every single one of your inventory throughout its entire lifecycle—from the moment it enters your warehouse to the time, it gets sold to your customers. This means having access to each product’s location in your storeroom, relevant sales, and purchase orders, as well as the total number of all available stocks for the same product.

Batch tracking is also a powerful functionality of any good inventory management solution. This system allows you to the group and keeps track of all items that share similar properties. Moreover, batch tracking helps you track defective items back to the batch where they belonged. From here, you can inspect other items from the same batch if they have similar defects, allowing you to ensure the quality of your products before they get delivered to your customers. 

Improves Inventory Planning and Forecasting

Inventory management software products have the capability to use past data, trends, and known upcoming events, such as holidays and peak seasons, to help you predict the estimated amount of inventory levels needed for a future period. This ensures that you have enough products to fulfill customer orders without running the risk of stockouts or overstocking unnecessary inventory ahead of time. 

Through accurate inventory forecasting, you can easily identify trends and patterns in consumer behavior, allowing you to adapt to dynamic conditions and meet the demands of your customers. On top of that, inventory management systems provide you with replenishment of data, such as the timing, availability, and delivery speed of your inventories. This helps you meet the right amount of inventory levels based on inventory goals, supply, and demand for a certain period.

Harness the Power of Inventory Management Software

With all the benefits outlined above, it’s clear that inventory management systems have the power to transform your business and maximize its potential to generate more sales. Implementing the right software product can help you manage and track inventory within your facility and overall supply chain, leading to higher productivity and better profitability for your business. As such, inventory management software can bring all aspects of your inventory operations into one cohesive system.

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