5 Key Indicators for Managing Any Business

Indicators: essential tools for measuring business

The amount of indicators a company can measure is huge, but not all indicators are important to our business. Analyzing values ​​that don’t tell us anything or give us information about how to improve in the future, turns out to be a waste of time. However, there are key indicators that apply to all businesses and should be evaluated frequently to help managers evolve. In today’s article we present the 5 key indicators for managing any business.

Productivity Indicators

These indicators measure all resources of the company, be they human or machines. They want to evaluate whether what they produce in a given time is the maximum they can do and what contribution they have to the final result. Undoubtedly, these indicators are the most important ones that exist in the companies because the ultimate goal is always the profit, so high levels of productivity are essential for achieving the objectives.

Quality Indicators

These indicators are true allies of productivity indicators because they help us to understand any deviations or changes during the production process. A good example is a product’s failure level, which measures the amount of damage vs. the acceptable value.

Strategic indicators

These indicators help us to understand the state in which the company is in relation to the previously established objectives. A strategic indicator shows us the current scenario of the company and compare it with the scenario that should have existed at that time. These are the most important indicators since they serve as guidelines for all business activity.

Satisfaction indicators

These indicators are very important and are often devalued by managers. And we speak not only of customer satisfaction, but also of employee satisfaction. Managers cannot forget that employees are the first public of an organization and they must keep up constantly. Satisfaction surveys are very important for these indicators and action should be taken if there is discontent.

Indicators of effectiveness

These indicators measure whether the objectives proposed for a given period of time have actually been achieved. This analysis is done after the results have been produced. Some questions that can be answered to understand the usefulness of these indicators are: Has the new project made customers loyal? Has the project contributed to increasing profit and lowering costs?

Analyzing the business in all its aspects is essential to its success. Managers must continually measure the results of their actions because only then they will be able to obtain inputs that allow them to evolve. Download our e-book about business monitoring and meeting objectives and learn how a BAM tool can help you to manage!

Find how to deal with changes in consumer behavior in recent years

Consumer behavior: key changes and tricks to deal with it

The consumer has changed a lot in recent times and technology is the main “guilty” of this change. The constant daily access to the Internet has transformed the way we buy and how we relate to brands. Increasingly, today’s consumer seeks to solve their problems quickly and efficiently, which forces companies to keep abreast of new market needs in order to act proactively. Today we are all more demanding, more informed and less patient. In this article we will give you some tips on dealing with changes in consumer behavior in recent years!

Multi-channel Communication

The current consumer is no longer satisfied with a single way of communicating with the company. Given the multiplicity of conversation platforms, customers expect to have several alternatives available to contact the company. As they seek immediate response, they now prefer chatbots, Whatsapp, or any other instant chat platform.

Create empathy

The current consumer likes to be heard and needs to feel that their doubts and complaints have been heard. Listen carefully to what he has to say to you and then repeat what he said in order to get the clear message that you understood his problem. Ask clear and objective questions about what he feels and show him that he is committed to finding solutions. The current consumer wants to be treated as unique and not as another member of a large group.

Offer interesting content

We currently receive dozens of emails per day with the most varied offers. Most of the information we receive is not really useful and its destination is going to the Trash folder. So, many companies spend a lot of time producing campaigns that will not have any return because they don’t care about what their target audience really needs and only focus on the dissemination of their products and services. The trend is to create valuable and really important content for the consumer. Articles about your area of ​​expertise, a news funnel or an e-book are good ways to create a stronger bond with your target consumers. Keep in mind that talking about yourself and your brand will be too egocentric and new consumers will not tolerate such brands.

Clearly define policies

It is essential to know how to proceed if there is a complaint. If you have a clothing store, you must clearly state how the exchange policy works. If you have a company that provides telecommunications services, it should be clear when explaining how to contact technical assistance. Informing the customer of everything is the first step to avoiding problems in the future. In an era in which people share experiences online (especially bad experiences), it is necessary to avoid any situation that may lead to disagreement with the client.

Never make the customer wait

This is our last tip and one of the most important. The current consumer doesn’t allow waiting. He wants an instant response to his problem and it is only with complete knowledge of the market and current needs that companies can effectively respond to situations. Analyzing the business in real time helps you to fully understand the current state of a business. That’s why software like Multipeers gain increasing importance.

What is data management and why you should start using it today?

Data-driven management: everything you need to know

The terms Big Data and Analytics have brought a new challenge for managers: using the data to support their decisions. If decisions were made in the past based on feelings and a forecasting perspective, today they need to be taken based on true and up-to-date data, because only in this way companies can prosper in a market as competitive as the one we have at the moment. In today’s article we will talk about data-based management and realize why your company should start using it today!

What is data-based management?

The speedy pace of business today forces managers to make strategic decisions at all times and with great urgency. Decisions define the success or failure of companies and therefore a data-based management is essential to reduce risk in the decision-making process and contribute to the business success.

Data-driven management is one that is guided by the large amount of information circulating throughout the organization every day. The data comes from internal and external sources, such as customer profiles, market analysis, competition analysis, quotes, among many other information. Managing on the basis of concrete data is a very important step in deciding correctly.

Why should I manage based on the data?

First of all, managing on the basis of data is essential to making the right decisions. Data-driven management must rely on business monitoring solutions, such as Multipeers, because this way you will always have the most up-to-date information about your company. A delay in decision making can mean the loss of business, especially in the current market where everything changes so quickly. Information is the most important asset in today’s businesses and needs to be managed in the best way possible.

Besides being important to have updated data to decide, managing based on real information allows you to set concrete performance indicators to evaluate the performance of your company. Knowing the actual performance level of an organization allows you to discover failures and improvement points, maximizing the company’s performance to the fullest.

Data-driven management also helps companies to reduce operational costs by being able to more easily identify the company’s most-spending sectors. Based on the information gathered, managers will be able to change processes to reduce costs.

Finally, real-time data-based management allows you to identify changes and failures at the exact moment they occur, and it is possible for the manager to act immediately.

Business information is one of the concerns of current managers because there is already the awareness that knowing is power and only with a concrete knowledge about the operations of the company and the market is that you can beat the competition.

Download our e-book about business monitoring and meeting objectives and learn how real-time data management can help your business grow!

The main advantages of document management for companies

Document management: find the main advantages for companies

Document management is essential for the correct functioning of a company. Nowadays, there is more and more data in companies, which delays quick access to information, leads to loss of documents and complicates decision making. The implementation of a document management system allows companies to manage their unstructured information. In this article we will talk about the key advantages of document management for companies!

Dematerialization

A document management system allows paper documents to be scanned, giving rise to electronic documents that are classified and available according to certain criteria. In this way, it will be much easier to consult invoices and contracts, for example.

Control of information flows

With a document management system it is easier to guarantee information security because there is knowledge about where it is. With these systems, it is also possible to define processes and ensure that they are fulfilled from the moment a new document arrives at the organization until its treatment and cataloging.

Reducing costs and increasing productivity

This is the advantage that most pleases the managers. As there is greater speed in the availability, access and treatment of documents, employees are free to perform other tasks that bring productivity to the company. The reduction of costs is a consequence of this increase of productivity. Another factor contributing to savings is the reduced need for storage space, which is a heavy expense in most businesses.

Facilitated search

Document management systems provide a search engine capable of performing document searches for its content or features, instantly locating it, anytime, anywhere. Documents can also be connected to business monitoring systems such as Multipeers, making them important data sources for decision making.

Reduction of number of documents

The use of specialized software in process automation is essential for organizations and allows to reduce the number of documents. The advantages are immense, starting with the ease in finding the information until the decrease (or even elimination) of the use of paper in the companies.

Lower risk of information loss

Paper documents are harder to catalog and more likely to get lost. With the great volume of information that comes to companies on a daily basis, it becomes humanly impossible to manage all the available data. With the use of a document management system it is easier to save the information and ensure that no important data is lost.

The current economic situation means that companies have as their main objectives to increase productivity and reduce costs. The technology, when well used, is an important ally of business management and contributes on a large scale to better levels of income.

How artificial intelligence will change the way we work

Artificial Intelligence: most significative applications

Artificial intelligence is one of the themes of the moment. There is also the misunderstanding that this concept only relates to the existence of intelligent robots that aim to eliminate the human race. However, the various advances in artificial intelligence, also known as AI, are meant to save us. Among AI’s main fields of action is medicine, which has shown significant and very important results in finding a cure for many diseases. Also in the business world, artificial intelligence will have a big impact. In today’s article we will address the most significant changes!

Chatbots

Chatbots are revolutionizing customer service. A chatbot is nothing more than a robot that talks to people. Chatbots help the user in a series of activities that until very recently required human intervention. If you’ve already ordered an Uber or a pizza for a mobile app, you’ve already used a chatbot. This tool aims to facilitate interaction between customers and companies. The applications are the most varied: from the possibility of checking the price of a currency, through scheduling a medical consultation: with chatbots everything becomes easier and companies are closer to your target!

Management

Artificial intelligence helps companies to interconnect all their information, which plays a very important role in management decisions. A company that analyzes your information in real time and has all the important business information in one place will be able to make more assertive and accurate decisions, which enhances the success of the business.

Watson

It’s the great star of IBM and a highlight in cognitive computing. This is a system that speaks and understands what people say. Bradesco was the first user of this technology in Brazil and believes that it will have great importance in the areas of customer service, training of employees and capital management. Watson has also been used in the health sector to assist doctors, drawing on scientific publications. The system is able to learn from its own experience, delivering increasingly accurate results.

End of repetitive tasks

Artificial intelligence helps employees stop wasting time on overly bureaucratic and administrative tasks. Through rules, it is possible for robots to perform the function of personal assistants, giving information on day-to-day tasks, meeting schedules, and travel times.

The use of machines and software capable of learning and operating without human supervision grows in companies with the aim of improving performance and reducing operating costs. In an age when technology dominates our daily lives, it is critical that companies follow this evolution and develop strategies to implement artificial intelligence in their processes.

Get to know the importance of internal communication for meeting the objectives

Internal communication is made up of interactions, information exchanges and relationships within a company. Internal communication is often undervalued because managers are not always aware that the employees of a company are the first public of an organization and that they must be informed about the current state of business so that they can act in order to fulfill the objectives required. In today’s article we are going to talk about the importance of internal communication for accomplishing the goals!

Eliminating the semantic barriers

In a company we all speak the same language, but we don’t always understand the linguistic used. An organization is made up of people of different backgrounds and if we use a very technical language we run the risk of not getting the message we want to pass. Internal communication helps to ensure that this awareness exists and that messages are always passed in simple, objective language. This is the only way that employees will understand the state in which the company is and what they will have to do to help them achieve their goals.

Increasing competitiveness of teams

Competitiveness in the right dose is very positive in order to increase the delivery of employees in the performance of their duties. Knowing the goals of everyone and of the company in a global way allows employees to be stimulated to achieve their goals.

Better working environment

Internal communication transforms the organizational climate, improving interpersonal relationships and impacting very positively on the company’s productivity, making the whole business more profitable. When there is good communication, people communicate more easily with each other, exchanging ideas and finding solutions more quickly.

More knowledge

When there is an effective internal communication policy, it is easier to form collaborators because they exchange information between them and share knowledge. In a company that encourages good communication, employees will not be afraid to say “I don’t know” and will be able to learn from more experienced professionals.

Better financial results

In addition to all the advantages that effective internal communication brings to the company, the financial results of the organization also undergo very positive changes. A study carried out by Tower Watson revealed that companies that have effective communication had a 47% appreciation in the stock exchange over a period of 5 years, and this result is much more positive than in companies that don’t invest in internal communication.

The Best Tips to Announce Your Business

Find the best options to communicate your business

It is no longer a secret that in order to succeed with your business it is necessary to invest in communication and in ways of dissemination. In a time when digital channels multiply and traditional forms of communication seem to be slowly disappearing, it becomes difficult to decide which forms of advertising we should bet on. In this article we will introduce you to the best tips to advertise your business!

Create a strong online presence

Nowadays if a business doesn’t exist online it doesn’t exist! Having a good website is key to being able to attract your target audience. People are not currently looking for information in phone books: they search in Google. If you don’t appear when people are searching for your business, it is most likely to lose a customer to the competition. It is also very important to be present in the social media that your target prefers. Do market research and realize in which digital platforms your target consumer spends the most time. Then create relevant and interesting content and create interaction with your followers. Another advantage of using social media is the ability to create paid campaigns, where you can segment the audience that you want to target. Digital campaigns can be measured in real time, which is an advantage for marketers as they can quickly adapt an unsuccessful strategy and avoid unnecessary spending of money.

E-mail marketing

The e-mail is still viewed with some mistrust by modern communications professionals. However, when email marketing is used correctly you can retain many customers and lead potential customers to buy. E-mail marketing campaigns should not focus on selling the product, but rather on the relationship with the customer, so that he feels important to the brand. Sending articles related to your business area and exclusive discount coupons are good ideas for email marketing campaigns.

Presence in fairs and events

Who is seen is remembered and despite the success of the communication in the digital media it is essential not to forget that marking presence in events “offline” is also very important. Choose the most important fairs and events in your industry to be present. Distributing flyers and giveaways by potential customers is still a strategy that works out very well. These events usually have very high participation values, so you should analyze all the possibilities very well and choose the ones that can bring you a higher return.

Produce videos

If your product is visual or if you have a service that requires an explanation to be used by your customers, a video is a very good option. Communication through videos has gained a great attention in recent months. Putting short videos on Instagram is essential to building a closer relationship with your customers. For more complex and longer videos, YouTube is the best option.

Analyze and measure results

This is the last tip and it is the most important of them. There’s no point in launching campaigns and creating content if you don’t then analyze the results of your actions. It is only through frequent analysis that you can understand whether your efforts are having the desired return. If they are, you can continue with the same strategy. If you are not achieving the expected results you should think about a new strategy. Only in this way can your business evolve.

Get to know 4 tools that facilitate business mobility

Use the best applications to facilitate business mobility

Technological evolution has made business mobility an increasingly present reality in the business world. The possibility of responding to urgent situations at a distance, brought greater agility and efficiency to the companies and allowed to reduce operating costs. There are applications that facilitate business mobility and in this article we present you the 4 most important!

Microsoft Office 365

Office 365 is a solution in the Cloud that offers features for creating Excel documents, texts and presentations. All these documents are essential to perform the administrative and communication tasks of any business. With Office 365 you can create and edit documents anywhere, giving business mobility. The access to this tool is by user account and there is no need to install the program on all devices that the company uses.

Videoconferences

Videoconferencing tools were the first tools to enable enterprise mobility. Nowadays, they are advancing on a large scale for mobile platforms, which significantly increases the scope of mobility. Programs that were only initially designed to be used on fixed devices have won a mobile version. Nowadays, we can already use Skype and Hangouts on mobile devices, which allows us to have meetings anytime, anywhere in the world.

Corporate Email in the Cloud

Changing the corporate email system to a cloud-based solution is very important to increase business mobility. These solutions facilitate communication between the various departments of the company, because the information becomes accessible even when you are using tablets and smartphones. Using email on mobile devices allows for a faster and more efficient response, which contributes to greater management efficiency.

Multipeers

Analyzing data in real time is an increasingly necessary reality in the business world. Managers often complain that they don’t have current and reliable information about which they can make conscious decisions. Multipeers is a business monitoring system that allows you to analyze everything that happens in the company in real time. Multipeers will search data from all of the company’s sources of information and present it in a graphically clean and intuitive way, making it easy to make decisions. It also has the advantage of allowing you to set business alerts: whenever a situation that requires your attention happens, Multipeers will send you an email or an SMS to notify you.

7 Tips to Improve Customer Relationship

With digital evolution, communication with the customer is easier, given the multitude of ways to reach it. However, if communication is easier for us, so is it for our competitors, so the battle for the attention of the target audience is greater than ever. There are important tips you can follow to improve your relationship with the Customer and in this article we’ll introduce you to the 7 best tricks!

Meet deadlines

To satisfy the customer in the immediate, many companies make the mistake of setting deadlines too short to solve complex issues. It is tempting to show our customers that we are fast and efficient, but if we cannot meet the deadlines we are going to get an image of lack of professionalism. Therefore, it is essential to be conscious when defining a deadline because we have to take into account all the limitations of time and resource that may exist.

Focus on meeting customer needs

The relationship with the customer doesn’t expire when customer buys. It is increasingly essential to keep track of the level of consumer satisfaction through satisfaction surveys.

Update information in real time

Whenever you receive new data about a customer or potential buyer, you need to update your CRM right away. Don’t leave this task for later because you run the risk of forgetting and losing important information for the realization of a sale. Running your information systems in real time and analyzing all changes with a business monitoring system such as Multipeers allows you to make more conscious decisions and close deals faster.

Establish emotional relationships

According to a study published by Harvard Business Review Brazil, turning satisfied customers into people emotionally connected with the company is far more advantageous than making dissatisfied customers happy. A client emotionally attached to a brand spends twice as much and is worth 52% more than a satisfied customer. A good trick to connect emotionally with customers is to create a kind of VIP club, where you offer special promotions and exclusive offers.

Have a good presence on social media

People no longer go to the Internet today: they live online. Therefore, it is essential that a brand is aware of the social media most frequented by its target and that defines a strategy of action in these platforms to ensure close contact with the customer. If you use a Facebook page, offer interesting content and be always available to respond quickly to your followers’ questions. Don’t just talk about yourself; you should share content about your area, to attract the attention of your followers.

Be human and not mechanical

Consumers feel more confident with companies that treat them with education and transparency and feel no empathy with companies that use a standard, quasi-robotic service. Talking to the client empathically.

Be objective

Customers hate when they feel like companies are fooling them with beautiful words. You must always be objective and go straight to the problem that the customer wants to solve. Don’t be afraid to say “no” or to make a mistake. You must always offer solutions to the customer in order to minimize the negative effects that a purchase had.

The 5 best business ideas to invest in 2018

Find the best business ideas to invest in 2018!

2017 is fast moving towards its end and 2018 is right there. With a new year coming, ideas of change and entering a new business are always present in our mind, but it is not easy to decide which area to bet on, as markets change at a dizzying pace. In this article, we present you 5 businesses ideas that will be a trend in 2018!

Healthy and alternative food

More than just fashion, betting on healthy eating is a must for all people who want to live well. 2018 seems to be the year of maturation of the healthy and alternative food market. More and more people are intolerant to gluten and lactose and prefer a food without animal products. If you are thinking about betting on a restaurant business, a restaurant with healthy food seems to be a great option in the coming year!

Creation of mobile applications

It is no secret to us that technology has changed our way of working and even living in society. Smartphones and mobile devices are increasingly becoming an important part of people’s lives and are no longer just an accessory but an obligatory item. Therefore, the applications that facilitate the daily life guarantee a great success in 2018.

3D Printing

It is a market trend and promises to evolve and grow next year. It is still an unexplored area, so the opportunities are immense. Although it is a very attractive area, it is important to take into account that betting in this sector requires a lot of training and investment.

Virtual reality

Just look at the Snapchat to realize that virtual reality has been a part of our lives in recent times. However, its applicability goes far beyond entertainment. It is anticipated that the future will be dominated by this type of technology, despite the high cost of research and development of this sector. The area of ​​medicine will be one of the most positively affected by virtual reality through surgical simulations. This factor may lead to new cures and new forms of treatment.

Coworking spaces

There are more and more liberal professionals who work alone. However, working from home can be a real problem as it lowers motivation and makes people unhappier. Many professionals look for spaces where they can work close to other people, in order to exchange ideas and find forms of synergy. Coworking – a work space divided among people from different areas – is already a reality in the United States of America, but has not yet been explored in many regions. Betting on these spaces is a good idea in the coming year.

Whatever your business is, there is a universal truth: analyzing data in real time will help you make timely and informed decisions. Download our e-book and learn how a business monitoring system will help you improve your performance.