MSPNetworks Blog

One of the biggest things that businesses need to consider today, from an IT front, is how artificial intelligence fits in. One way many companies are integrating AI into their businesses is through chatbot technology. Today, we will tell you everything you need to know to get started with chatbot technology.

Running a small business comes with many challenges: managing customers, handling inquiries, scheduling appointments, and marketing your services, just to name a few. While these tasks are mandatory for the creation of a successful business, they can also be extraordinarily time-consuming. That’s where chatbots come in.

QR codes are a handy way to direct someone to the right place online, like your business’ website, but did you know that they are also pretty easy to make? Let’s go over how you can whip up your own with the help of Microsoft Excel.

Do you want superhuman productivity? Thankfully, it doesn’t take much to be more productive than the majority of workers out there, and a couple of small tweaks to your day can make a world of difference. Today, we’ll cover some strategies you can use for prioritization, time management, and focus, allowing you to get more work done.

Business technology can sometimes seem like a hedonic treadmill: you maintain a baseline level of operation with your IT, but it will inevitably fail, leaving you in the tough situation of having to replace it. Today, we want to help you get ahead of the curve a bit with a technology needs assessment. We’ll discuss the benefits of a needs assessment, as well as what it focuses on both now and in the future.

Financial management and accounting are two business needs that apply to all organizations of any size or industry. Fortunately, these organizations have access to tools like Intuit QuickBooks to help them fill these needs in a way that is accessible and convenient.

Let’s review some shortcuts to help you be more productive in managing your business finances via QuickBooks.

Successful businesses need to adjust to changes in the market, what customers want, and new industry trends. This means they have to know their business well and be willing to try new things. Let’s look at six key areas where businesses often make changes to stay successful.

Downtime can be lethal to businesses, not only because too much can lead to failure, but it can easily waste a lot of your team’s time as everyone shifts gears to find a solution. This is why is it best to avoid it as often as possible.

That’s why we’re discussing three of the most prevalent causes of downtime, and what you can do to prevent them.

Efficiency is extremely important for any business to maintain consistent revenue generation. Technology is a big part of that. Today, we’ll discuss two ways that technology can help build a more efficient business. 

Unexpected downtime can wreak havoc on businesses large and small, which is especially bad when so many paths lead to it. Let’s explore some of downtime’s causes, and equally importantly, how it can be avoided.

Information technology—IT—is a necessity for the vast majority of modern businesses to function. For the sake of these businesses and their operations, it pays to optimize this IT by any means available.

Let’s go over the benefits that a relationship with a managed service provider gives businesses, particularly regarding the overall efficiency these businesses see as a result.

One of the most important considerations that a business that relies on technology needs to make is how efficiently its technology works. Let’s discuss some ways to measure this benchmark and ensure that it is optimized to meet your business needs.

Keyboard shortcuts are undeniably useful—to the point that some are almost ubiquitous. However, there are a lot that aren’t, and they are just about as useful. We wanted to introduce you to these shortcuts so you can incorporate them into your workflows.

You might have noticed that some of your younger workers are leaving your business much earlier than you might expect them to. This could be because of a phenomenon called “shift shock,” which examines employee engagement and satisfaction. Let’s consider how shift shock could potentially harm your business.

Change is inevitable, especially in the dynamic world of business, where it is the driving force behind growth and innovation. Yet managing change can be a daunting task. It requires strategic planning, effective communication, and strong leadership.

This is where change management optimization comes into play. It's about refining your approach to change, making it more efficient and successful… particularly when it involves your IT and related processes.

If you want your organization to be efficient, you must increase productivity. However, this is often easier said than done, as plenty of obstacles, communication challenges, and resource allocation issues can stymie even the most well-thought-out plans. Let’s look at how you can improve productivity for your business by considering these common issues.

Today’s businesses have more technology involved in their processes than ever, making it essential to have access to the support that will keep them in operation. Nowadays, that kind of support is best obtained through a relationship with a managed service provider.Now, I feel it is appropriate to acknowledge that all this is coming from a managed service provider… but that’s just because we feel strongly enough about the benefits of managed services to offer them over the traditional approach to business IT support and services.

In mobile operating systems, each fresh iteration tends to bring forth marginal improvements and refinements to enhance the user experience. Apple's newest mobile operating system, iOS 17, follows suit in this tradition. Let's take a brief look at some of its noteworthy additions.

Streamlining Verification Code Messages

Basic multi-factor authentication is commonly employed for secure account access, with codes sent via email and text messages. Dealing with a barrage of these codes piling up in your inboxes is a familiar scenario. iOS 17 introduces a feature allowing automatic deletion of these messages once codes are entered through AutoFill. Navigate to Settings, then Passwords > Password Options, and you'll find the option to Clean Up Automatically under Verification Codes. This ensures that codes inserted via AutoFill are promptly removed from the Messages or Mail applications after use.

Elevated AirPod Capabilities

We've all witnessed or experienced the awkward fumbling with AirPods as a conversation kicks off. Thankfully, users with the second-generation AirPods Pro and iOS 17 can enjoy new features, such as Conversation Awareness. This feature enables AirPods to sense when the wearer speaks, reducing media and background noise volume while enhancing voices in front of you. Combined with Adaptive Audio and Personalized Volume, iOS 17 significantly enhances the capabilities of AirPods.

Siri Receives a Boost

"Hey, Siri." Repeat it three times, right? Not anymore. iOS 17 eliminates the need to say "hey" before Siri's wake word. Moreover, users can seamlessly string together a series of queries without repeating "Hey, Siri" or even "Siri" before each one.

Effortless Message Retrieval

If you're like most people, your Messages application likely harbors hundreds, if not thousands, of accumulated messages. Locating a specific message amid this digital haystack was a daunting task—until iOS 17. The updated system introduces a Search function in Messages, allowing users to pinpoint messages based on the sender's contact, the presence of a link, the inclusion of a photo, and more.

This is just a glimpse into the array of offerings in the latest iOS version. While we advocate for regular software updates for security, the added features are a delightful bonus. May your device find renewed utility with these enhancements.

Running a business may never be totally smooth sailing, but it doesn’t have to be a complete grind all the time either. Managing complexities with your business’ technology is a good way to ensure that things move ahead with some efficiency. Today, we look at four ways to effectively handle complexities in the realm of business technology.

Strategic Planning and Alignment

The first thing that has to happen is that you need to assess your business’ goals then work to align technology initiatives with these goals to ensure that any IT investments contribute directly to the success of the business. You’ll want to create a comprehensive technology roadmap that outlines how different systems and technologies will evolve over time. This roadmap should account for strategic changes inside of a business and allow for the integration of emerging technologies that can bring better efficiency.

Integration and Interoperability

If possible, you’ll want to select technology that is scalable and can grow with the business. Scalable systems are better equipped to handle increased complexity and the quickly growing data volumes that businesses have today. Another thing that has to be considered is how to improve data flow. One of the best ways to do this is through integration, as it ensures that data flows efficiently across the organization, reducing the complexity of structuring data. 

Cybersecurity and Risk Management

Cybersecurity is one of the most pressing issues any organization has. One of the best ways to thwart risk is to monitor your systems. By implementing a robust cybersecurity framework and regularly monitoring endpoints for potential vulnerabilities, you can better detect and respond to security threats in real-time, minimizing the risk of data breaches and other cyberattacks.

You’ll also want to educate employees on cybersecurity best practices. Establish clear policies and procedures for data protection and ensure that employees are well-informed and trained to follow them.

Agile Project Management

The last point is about building business agility. You’ll need to embrace agile project management methodologies to increase flexibility and be able to respond to your changing needs. Additionally, your business can become more agile with a comprehensive cross-platform training program. The more people that know how to do a job, the more apt that you’ll be able to complete a project efficiently and effectively. 

By adopting these strategies, organizations can navigate the complexities of technology and position themselves inside their market. It’s best to regularly reassess and refine your business’ approach to stay ahead of emerging challenges and opportunities. If you need help getting started, give IT experts at MSPNetworks a call today at (516) 403-9001.

As much as we try to structure our productivity throughout the day, there are always those moments that seem to slip by—both at work and in our personal lives. It can be tough to find time to commit to projects whether your goal is personal or professional.

So, let’s go over some tips that help make this time easier to find. 

The Truth is, the Time is There… You Just Need to Be Ready for It

Most people underestimate the amount of time they actually have available to them—although, to be fair, this time is often hiding in plain sight. Do you find yourself sitting through a long bus trip to get to work, or relegated to the back seat in an uncomfortably silent carpool arrangement? When working from home, how much time do you spend in the morning waiting for your coffee maker of choice to produce your preferred cup (or pot, no judgment from me) of joe? 

The fact of the matter is that in these little moments we chalk up to time wasted, there’s the opportunity for productivity. Small as these moments may seem, nobody said that productive work has to be of a certain duration. By taking advantage of the spare moments before a meeting starts, or when your usual breakfast is cooking, or any other time that would otherwise be lost to the ether, you can accomplish that much more.

How often do you find yourself having some of your best ideas during these moments?

You Just Need to Be Ready for When These Moments Arise

By having the right tools and strategies prepared, you’ll be in a good position to take advantage of every spare moment. Chances are good that you regularly have access to a mobile device with some form of a note-taking app. Get in the habit of quickly typing up your ideas.

If you’d rather rely on a low-tech option, make sure you’re always carrying a pen with you. Everything from a receipt to a napkin can be used to quickly store a thought until you have the opportunity to more permanently record it.

Furthermore, it is important that you manage your expectations. It’s very unlikely that your quick notes will be an earth-shaking idea. Much more likely, it’ll just be the first draft of many ideas that eventually become a real strategy or initiative.

While We Can’t Give You the Inspiration You Need, We Can Give You the Tools You’ll Need to Act Upon It

Reach out to us to learn more about our IT services and support options, and how we can help you and your team accomplish more. Give us a call at (516) 403-9001 to get started.

Your business only has so many resources, from its budget to its time to its employees’ capabilities. This is what makes it so crucial to properly manage all of them.

Let’s run through some basic practices that can help you make the most of what your business has at its disposal.

Resource Management Practices for Business Success

Focus More on High-Demand Resources, and Prioritize Appropriately

As we’ve established, you’re only going to have so much of any given business resource at your disposal. Your circumstances will dictate where you have feast and where there is famine.

As such, it is important that you are aware of where your resources are needed the most for your operations, and where they will be able to contribute the most to your success. The 80/20 principle is helpful to keep in mind.

Think about it this way: 80% or so of your resource shortages are going to refer to just 20% of your resources—the people, materials, time, or what have you that are in highest demand. Carefully planning how these resources should be allocated, based on which processes and outcomes are most important, will ultimately help your business accomplish more.

Apply Strategic Planning

Different tasks will need different levels of investment, in terms of your resources, and organizing them based on the aforementioned priorities we discussed earlier will help you to adjust your processes accordingly.

It’s important that this process takes the different levels of your tasks into consideration, with more resources spent where they are needed. 

Track Time

Tracking your time greatly helps define how resources are being used, giving you the data that you need to better plan for the future. 

Evaluate and Adjust

Finally, it’s important that you take the time periodically to take account of your progress and make improvements. Where did conflicts appear in workflows, specifically where your priorities and goals are impacted? Take note of these conflicts and address them in future repetitions of your given process.

We Can Help Equip Your Business with the Tools for Success

From the IT support to keep you in operation to the strategic investments to improve your technology as a means to further grow, you can turn to MSPNetworks. Give us a call at (516) 403-9001 to learn more.