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From time to time we all have to contact a customer service, maybe because we bought something that is faulty, or maybe we have not received a product that should have arrived some time ago. There are so many reasons to contact such services these days that most of us have probably had some dealing with them during the last month or a couple of months.

Depending on the customer service I have contacted, I am sometimes left feeling hot or cold. Of course, I can easily recall those situations in my life when I was happy with the service I received (you will know what I am talking about here once you visit www.contactcustomerservicesnumber.co.uk), but at other times I was completely unsatissfied or even offended.

Probably the biggest complaint I have towards many customer service employees is their rudeness. I understand that not everybody is a happy person like me, but being rude on the phone for no reason just doesn’t justify the means. I just hope that every time I speak to somebody who doesn’t seem to be fit for the job he or she is going to be soon replaced by somebody who actually enjoys speaking to people and helping them instead of just choosing to be not nice for no apparent reason.

Below you can find a very interesting infographic that shows that the customer service has generally improved for the last couple of decades thanks to the progress in technology. You can join a discussion at #AtYourService if you feel like voicing your opinion on the topic. How has your recent experience leave you feel: hot or cold? Was there anybody in particular recently who either was very helpful and friendly, or on the contrary: rude and unhelpful? Feel free to share with me your experiences as I myself would like to know that I am not the only one who wishes that some people out there working in customer service behaved better than they currently do.

Find a home when you�re a student is no picnic. People give conflicting advice. Some say you need to look early or all the best houses will go, while others will tell you that is intended to create a false panic. Universities might have a list of trusted landlords, but in practice demand for housing might by far outstrip what they can offer.

When you�re young and searching for a home, maybe for the first time, this can be very intimidating, and it�s hard to know what to do for the best. If you�re studying the in North, finding yourself moving out of University of Huddersfield accommodation and into a private house could feel more like a gamble than a proper choice.

One group of Cardiff students was so put off by the situation, they decided to something about it there and then. Jack Jenkins is the founder of a new Zoopla-style solution for students across the country.

He registered the name �University Cribs� in the heat of his frustration as he and friends tried to find somewhere to live. He didn�t have a business plan yet, just an idea that things had to be better and the beginnings of a plan to get there.

Today University Cribs has launched: it�s been rolled out to more than 24 University towns across the country, and valued at �1.1 million. It links students with the landlords who let to them. More than Zoopla and the like, though, it offers interactivity, specific to the student housing situation. The University Cribs site offers advice and articles to help students navigate the housing market, and through their social media presence offer events to help students looking for groups to share a house with.

University Cribs is making waves by really serving the needs of students: it helps to inform them about the housing market and how to navigate it. It gives them the chance to meet other students in the same situation to pool resources and find places to live. University Cribs stops the endless trudge around different letting agents, looking at different houses, so students can group up and make a short list of houses to look at over an hour in a caf�, in the pub or in bed: wherever they have wi-fi.

If you are like me, you like to shop a lot and you don’t have a really big house that would allow you to store everything in it (who has big houses these days anyway and who can afford to buy anything they want without having some sort of option to store their belongings somewhere other than their own house?). As a matter of fact, this is something I have been struggling for a really long time now: I want to buy even more, but there is absolutely no way I would be able to store all this stuff at home. Because of this simple fact already some time ago I started thinking about hiring a self storage unit that would allow me to store without the need to sell absolutely everything that I have.

If you have just realized that you store in your house more stuff than you have space to put it in, this does not have to mean that you have to move out or throw some of your things away. There is another simple solution: storage units such as storage units Columbia.

Self-storage facilities became very popular recently and it seems that more and more people around us start using them quite successfully really. The question many of them ask is the following: Why would you throw some of your stuff if you can store it in a unit in a storage facility, to which you can have access at any time you want?

You will have to consider many things prior to renting a self-storage unit. A good self-storage facility will offer you everything you need. In order to have peace of mind, you need to know that your stuff is safe somewhere where nobody can access it. When you decide to choose a facility, make sure to choose one that offers temperature control, security and safety, possibility to access it any time, remote access keys, and much more. Once you are satisfied with your unit, be ready to pack your stuff up. It is time to move it where it is going to stay for many years.

Starting and managing your own business is a dream come true for many people–especially if it involves doing something you enjoy. Are you thinking of running a DJing business? The good news is your services will be in demand.

There are countless events, parties and festivals that require good music. And, when you come equipped with the ultimate in VST plugins, your set will be the talk of the town. Keep reading to learn more.

Get Experience First

The only way to understand your business inside and out is to start working. If you want to run a successful DJ business, you must first get to know what it’s like to be a DJ. Understand the rates and the demand for your line of work.

Network with people who can either give you business or refer you to people who can give you business. Check out your local market and your competition. You’ll make better decisions as a business owner when you have first-hand knowledge and experience.

Write Out Your Business Plan

Regardless of the business you’re in, you will need a smart business plan. This is what is necessary to get your business off the ground. Your plan should include a budget and capital requirements. In addition, it should include a marketing plan–this is how you plan to attract a steady stream of clients to your business.

You also want to think about expansion plans. Do you want to keep your services strictly to your home base, or would you like to expand to other markets? If you would like to eventually expand, how would you change your advertising techniques to attract clients from other towns, cities and countries?

A business plan is essential because if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Raise Money

Every business venture requires capital, even if you operate out of your home. There will be marketing costs, equipment costs, communication costs, travel costs and more. You might even have equipment storage costs when it is not in use. If your business expands, you will have to hire employees.

The best thing you can do is put some of your own money aside for your business, and then find someone or people who would be willing to invest. If you’re good at what you do, then this shouldn’t be much of a problem. You can ask family members if they would like to invest, provided they are willing and interested.

Moreover, you can also apply for a SBA Loan through the U.S. Small Business Administration or your bank. If you start small, you won’t need to raise a lot of capital at first. If you can’t afford to buy equipment, you can always rent it.

Think of What You Can Offer

How will your business operate? Often, a DJing business will feature packages such as hiring a DJ by the hour or even a full day package. You can even offer master of ceremonies services. Think of your target market/markets and audience. Then, think of what types of services they would like.

In Conclusion

As you can see, it is not that difficult to start a DJing business. Although, it helps if you have experience and capital before you launch.

 

 

 

 

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Now is a tricky time to be running a business. With Brexit on the horizon causing economic uncertainty, it�s hard to make plans past the next year. It�s easy to worry about the problems you can run into with your business and not enjoy the unique rewards of the entrepreneurial life.

Doing a bit of research and planning can help your mind to rest a little easier, and with that in mind today�s short guide covers a few of the issues you might run into and some suggested solutions.

Losing Your Premises

One of the most devastating things that can happen to your business is losing your premises. Whether it�s due to extreme weather like storms or flooding or a sudden rise in rent from our landlord, not knowing where you can call home could put a stop your company altogether.

Looking into local storage facilities can help to assuage your fears here. If you�re looking for storage London alone has so much to offer you�ll be spoilt for choice. You�ll know you have a fallback: somewhere to store your most important assets and even carry on some of your work if you can, to keep up a trickle of revenue.

Ballooning Costs

In the early days, most businesses are founded on one USP: a service or product that you can provide cheaper or better than anyone else. Preferably both. It can be dangerous if this foundational offering becomes too expensive: a supplier unexpectedly raising prices might mean you�re not able to remain open.

To avoid this, you need to diversify as soon as possible: once you have loyal customers you can start researching for other products and services that serve them. Finding more to add to your offering without eroding the identity that brought people to you in the first place is the key to success.

Losing a Key Client

This is the opposite of the problem above: the last issue was caused by being too reliant on one product. This is caused by being dependent on one customer. While a big contract from a single client is important early on, if they go elsewhere you have nothing to fall back on.

As above it�s important to take steps to diversify out. You could try asking your primary client for endorsements or recommendations, possibly in exchange for a small discount on future orders. It�s also worth looking into mutual marketing schemes with complimentary businesses: where you�re not in direct competition you can benefit from each other�s customer base and build your market together.

If you’re an entrepreneur at heart and are looking for ways to make your business dreams come true, know that being strategic is a big key to success. Use the strategies outlined below to get started now:

1. Be Economical.

While you certainly don’t want to be cheap when purchasing business-related items like marketing material and office supplies, you also don’t need to break the bank to keep your company functioning optimally. In fact, you’ll oftentimes find that you can attain high quality materials for reasonable prices if you’ll do a bit of price comparison. In the event that your organization is in need of used office furniture, note that you can obtain the items you need from retailers such as Office Furniture Direct.

2. Get Marketing Help.

In addition to being economical, make sure that you get marketing help. Doing so will empower you to develop cutting edge strategies that will enable you to connect with your target audience in an organic, exciting manner. These days, online advertising has emerged as a highly effective way for business owners to communicate with people and convert them over to the brand. Blog work, online reputation management, and social media optimization are just three of many digital advertising strategies that can be used to enhance the communication and conversion processes.

3. Don’t Take Your Health Lightly.

Savvy business owners know that they need to maintain their mental and physical equilibrium in order to operate effectively within the work setting. With this reality in mind, make sure that you’re implementing health techniques which will ensure that you maintain the holistic wholeness to optimize performance in the business environment. One great technique you might want to consider is doing yoga every morning before going to work. This technique will help you remain centered in your mind while also activating your body in a manner that makes you feel alive. Yoga modalities such as Baptiste yoga really help individuals accomplish a state of mental and physical wholeness by emphasizing things like steady breathing and developing a focused gaze for the purpose of optimizing alignment and concentration.

Another health strategy that can work wonders for you is meditation. In the Baptiste yoga tradition, meditation is thought of as a way to get and remain present in the moment while also awakening in a manner that promotes more authentic, enlightened living. You may want to try the visualization mode of meditation to keep your mind in a centered, positive, peaceful place during work!

Start Now!

Entrepreneurial success doesn’t have to be a profoundly problematic endeavor. To make it as simple as possible, utilize the instructions and ideas discussed above!

If you feel that you are being underused in your current position, take heart. There is plenty of time for you to move on to an exciting new career. You can move to a new job that gives you excellent pay and benefits. All you need to do is get the training for this new position. Luckily, this training is easier than ever to receive. If you are interested to move up to a new highly paid industrial position, there are plenty of centers where you can train for the job that will satisfy your personal and financial needs. Read on for more details. Now is the time for you to learn more.

A Whole New Level of High Quality Industrial Training is Available

You should be aware that a whole new level of state of the art industrial training is now available for people who are interested in taking these highly paid positions. You no longer have to learn on the job in dangerous or unsanitary conditions. You don’t have to sit in a boring classroom memorizing facts and figures from abstruse and frequently obsolete technical manuals. Today’s industrial training classes are designed to give you up to date training in a casual and comfortable environment. You can easily pass the course and graduate to a job you will be proud to be employed in.

Where Can You Go to Get the Industrial Training You Require?

Schools like ARC provide logistics courses in all of the positions that a student might be interested in, such as business, retail, manufacturing, warehousing, logistics and community services. You can take the course and quickly get up to speed. These courses have been specially priced in order to be easily within the budget of the average student who is looking to improve their position in life. ARC, for example, is a fully accredited learning institution where you can quickly become fully qualified to seek the position that you desire. It’s a first class learning facility.

Why is Industrial Training Becoming So Important Around the World?

If you are wondering why the new breed of industrial training schools is so crucial, consider this. More and more students are traveling throughout the world to find the schools that offer them the best possible training for the jobs they are looking to perform. This means that you have the advantage of being able to train in your native country for the position you desire, after which you have your choice of staying here or seeking employment in another area of the world. Wherever you go, your training will follow you.

The Sooner You Get Qualified, the Sooner You Can Find a New Job

It all comes down to being able to use the education you have received to find a job that offers excellent working conditions, pay, and benefit. This is the ultimate goal of any student that attends an industrial training facility. ARC has been specially designed to offer students the highest possible quality of training so that they can quickly graduate from the school and proceed directly to the workplace. For more info concerning ARC and what they can do on your behalf, feel free to contact them at their official site on the web.

The best way to ensure that you receive repeat business is by maintaining a high level of customer service. Letting the standard of your customer service slip is a sure way to send your clients into the open arms of your competitors. When it comes to customer service, you should be aiming much higher than satisfactory. It is vital that you listen to all of your feedback and make sure that you adapt accordingly. If you receive a customer complaint, changes should be made immediately. You also need to compare your level of service to other companies that are operating in the same area of industry as you. If you are offering similar services or selling similar products, the way that you treat your customers could be the deciding factor in terms of who gets the most business. Make sure that the customer is the priority in every aspect of your business, this level of dedication will pay off in the long run. Why wait? Below are four ways for you to improve the standard of your customer service.

Awards

A fantastic way to set yourself apart as a company that values a high level of customer service is by winning awards dedicated to this area. Don�t just wait for awards to be given to you, make sure that you apply for as many awards as possible. Start small and work your way up. Even a local award will help to draw in customers. If you haven�t yet managed to ensure that all of your staff are on the same page, why not place the focus on a particularly commendable employee? Nominate them for an award and maybe even promote them to a position where they are responsible for encouraging others to match their levels of enthusiasm. You could also introduce an employee of the month scheme. This way, even if you don�t win external awards, you can still impress your customers by introducing them to your award winning employees. If you are struggling to secure a deal or you�re dealing with a customer that is particularly hard to please, being able to reassure them, by handing them over to the employee of the month, will be a handy card to have up your sleeve. However, you definitely shouldn�t give up on external awards. Winning a high profile award will be fantastic for your business�s brand. Make sure to capitalize on the free publicity by arranging as many interviews as possible.

Improve your customer feedback

It is important to establish a strong relationship between you and your customers. You need to make sure that they feel they are being listened to. If not, they may become disgruntled and are unlikely to feel any loyalty to your business. That is why it is so important to respond to all of your customer feedback. Try not to rely on automated responses. Even a simple detail, like calling somebody by their name, can help to avoid making a situation worse. Make sure that you set yourself, and your staff, a time limit in which they have to respond to queries. Ideally, you want to sort out any problems as soon as possible.

Even if your customers are entirely satisfied, it is still worth receiving their feedback. Try to be as interactive as possible when it comes to gathering their opinions. Why not set up a live chat where your clients can talk to specially trained members of staff directly? Advise your employees to take as many names and contact details as possible. This way, if you decide to act on a customer�s advice, you can send them a note of thanks. By using the personal touch, you will forge strong connections of loyalty. Often, it is the little details that are remembered. If you go above and beyond, you might even find that your customers begin to recommend you to their friends and family. Invest in your customer feedback now, and your business will feel the rewards.

Offer a high level of service

Your customers will also pay attention to the service you provide and how well it is executed. One way of speeding up your processes and ensuring accuracy is by relying on technology. If your business operates online, you may already use an eCommerce platform to manage your operation. However, in order to achieve the highest levels of customer satisfaction, you will need to consider how you can make the most out of this software. It is suggested that one in four businesses use Magento 2. If you are one of these businesses, Magento 2 commerce integration with NetSuite ERP, could help to streamline your operation. By integrating the two elements, you will be able to achieve timely order fulfilment, accurate product availability, real-time statuses on orders, and efficient cancellations and refunds. Instead of having to wait for data to be entered manually, your integrated system will register any actions automatically. This will ensure that your customers receive the fastest possible service. It will also help to remove the possibility of human error. This way, you won�t have to worry about costly mistakes that could upset your clients and disrupt their orders. Integrating your system will also save on the hours your workers would have needed to manually input data. These hours can be dedicated to improved customer service.

Staff training

By freeing up a number of hours for your staff, you can give them the opportunity to learn everything they need to know about customer service. Invest in their training as much as possible, as this will be hugely beneficial to your company�s success. Organize outside speakers to come into your business and give talks on customer service techniques. If you are short on finances, you could sign up for online webinars or TedTalks. You could also find lots of useful resources online, and there are even YouTube videos created by customer service experts. Whatever you do, it is important that you let your workers know just how much you value a high level of customer service. If they can see it really matters to you, they will know that impressing their customers will help them to succeed at your business. Hopefully, they will also be motivated by your enthusiasm. It can be extremely unrewarding to work for a company that doesn�t value its customers and has a bad reputation. Conversely, it can be very exciting to be employed by a company that is well respected and has established a strong ethical brand. A business that hopes to achieve longevity will always invest in its staff training.

All offices and businesses require some refurbishing from time to time. If you are a small business owner, you either have a choice of hiring somebody for the job, or doing everything yourself if you feel like you are up to the task. If the second option suits you most, there are several tips I would like to offer here to avoid #DIYDisasters, after which you will be better of contacting slatergordon.co.uk immediately. Here they are and these are only some of them as DIY safety is a very broad topic and I believe that I won’t have time nor space to cover everything in this post. Instead, I will focus on just a few important ones that should be taken into account first:

1. You are what you wear during a DIY project. Make sure to wear appropriate clothing during a project to protect your eyes, mouth, ears, and all other important body parts from dust, splinters, etc.
2. Make sure that you have the right tools to refurbish your office. Don’t try to improvise, don’t modify any tools, and finally don’t use the tools the way they weren’t meant to be used.
3. Make sure that you switch all the power off prior to working with fuses, appliances, and wiring. In any doubt, make sure that you hire a qualified electrician for that part of the job as making even the slightest mistakes can turn to be deadly.

4. Always remember to unplug any tools that are not in use. Not only will it save you electricity, but nobody else will have a chance to mess with them.
5.Be very careful with ladders. Make sure that they are always stable. Ideally, have someone hold one for you while you climb it.
6. Make sure that you ventilate your office or other business premises on a regular basis while conducting your works. There is a lot of dust in the air while you work, so making sure that you get rid of the particles of pain and other substances should be your top priority.

As you can see, the list of tips goes on and on. You might also use common sense while deciding what to do and what to avoid. Also, the more experience you have while conducting your DIY the better you will be at ensuring that you have a smooth and safe journey.

In this day and age, the way we do business is changing rapidly. Now all you need is a computer and a basic webpage to get your business or venture up and running, rather than the complex and lengthy procedures that more established ventures have gone through over the past few decades. That said, using the internet, and using it well are two very different factors. Sure, we all think we can schedule a few tweets, or post a video on a friend�s Facebook page, but failing to use your online presence successfully or wisely in the business world could spell quite literal social suicide.

As businesses look to make that difficult shift from more traditional models to creating an established online presence, those not in the now can soon get left behind. We are all led to believe that the future is digital, and this is even reflected in our increased use of smartphones, laptops and a whole variety of gadgets to make our daily lives easier. Yet, in the business world, owning those devices and using them to have a significant effect on your business plan, and ultimately your revenue, are two very different concepts. So if you are new to the digital era, or think you know it all, check out the below tips to see if your online presence is working for your business � and if not, why is it failing?

A lack of consistency

No matter how big or small the size of your company, consistency is key when it comes to improving your online presence. Firstly, look to use a logo generator to help you position your company and logo design. Once you have decided on your brand architecture and have rolled out your logo across any social channels that you use, you should also ensure that your tone of voice and color schemes are consistent too. A lack of attention to detail and poor maintenance of your brand will make you look amateur and inexperienced compared to other businesses in your field, so don�t let things slip. If you are thinking of setting up a website for your company, then it�s crucial that all these areas marry up � as these are why customers recognize and respect you. Remember that the online world is even trickier to anticipate than the physical, so don�t give your competitors any potential loopholes that could be used against you. Taking the time to establish who you are and what you represent as a business online is an essential first step before you can explore other outlets, such as content creation and social post timings.

Sporadic updates

Remember that the online world never sleeps. In fact, as no one physically owns the internet, you are free to conduct business 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you so wish � but that would be exhausting to say the very least. Remember that using effective, well-written content will set you apart in the digital space. Unlike writing marketing materials or brochures, writing for the web is a different ball game, so your approach needs to change accordingly. Factors such as your sentence structure, the tone of your content and the length of the words that you use will all have an impact on any visitor to your website or social pages. You could consider running an online readability check to review your scores against rival businesses in your industry � and see what they do well, if you are lagging behind.

Now that your content is up to date, be sure to keep your fledgling online community happy, as this will be crucial for your success. Sporadic posts and a failure to respond to posts or comments will irritate customers, plus it looks like you don�t care about clients. Nobody likes to be left in the lurch, and it�s the same in the digital world. Take time on a daily basis to check and tweets or comments and be sure to tailor each response accordingly. Remember too, that you will want to schedule your posts using a social media management tool, so that people all around the globe are kept up to date with what�s happening in your world, no matter the time of day or night.

If you aren�t doing any of the above, then now�s the time to give your social media strategy a serious overhaul. So don�t be a failure, make sure that you are keeping an eye on your updates and content on a daily basis.

Analyse and review

You�ve improved your social media presence, your website has now gone live, and that�s all there is to it, right? How very wrong you are. In fact, your work is now only just beginning, and this is the point that the majority of businesses get complacent and fail. In order to succeed you will need to take stock of how you are performing online and review your progress. Setting clear timings and goals, such as a quarterly review and half-year website refresh are a good place to start, as you will need to check out your digital presence with a fresh pair of eyes. If there are areas of your website that need work, then be sure to make this a top priority for you and your business, in particular, if these are the areas that are of most interest to your customers. Don�t worry about being ruthless either, if your site isn�t delivering then you will need to make some serious changes before you can use results. Do make good use of Google Analytics to track your performance over time, and check that your visitors are increasing, rather than dropping drastically. Reviews are a key part of digital upkeep; so don�t scrimp when it comes to this important stage.

Posts scheduled, website reviewed and branding on point? Congratulations, you are well on your way to improving your online presence, those hours of hard work were most definitely worth it!