Vendor Management – Taking the Next Step

August 30th, 2010

First of all, what is Vendor Management?  Vendor management allows us to build a relationship with your suppliers and service providers that will strengthen both businesses. Vendor management is not negotiating the lowest price possible. Vendor management is constantly working with your vendors to come to agreements that will mutually benefit both companies.

1) The “Tried and True” Approach – Many times when companies choose vendors, they may choose on price or features but are not quite sure how this is going to mesh with their current environment.  At Solace, we utilize the vendors that we would suggest, therefore taking away many of the guessing games.

2) One Company to Call – When Solace handles your vendors, whether they be your T1 vendor or even your copier vendor, we are able to speak with  them on a technical level to ensure that issues are resolved.  And pride ourselves on being able to communicate that with our customers in a way that’s easy to understand.  Now you have only one number to call when you need assistance.

3) Company Savings – Imagine how much time that a company spends on managing its vendors per week.  Even if it were an hour a week (which is usually much more), that’s 52 hours a year.  Multiply that out by the hourly cost of the employee that handles vendor calls and trouble situations and you can see how the costs can compound over a years time.  Solace helps save that money and time for you to run your business.

4) Monitoring – Solace will monitor your contracts with your various vendors and help negotiate the best solution for your business when the times comes for renewal or replacement.  Since we maintain relationships with many different vendors in many different areas, you have one concise location for business resources.

5) Risk Management – Due diligence at contract signing is only one portion.  What is the risk of using one vendor over another?  We want to make sure that your company is not put at risk by helping to choose the solution that is right for you strategically and financially.

Apple iPad Sets Path to Productivity, Paperless Office

July 28th, 2010

Tim Markley recently ordered three Apple (AAPL) iPads for his warehouse. He put them on the forklift and the carts that workers push down aisles while they pull items off the shelves to fill orders. Previously, employees would carry lists (on paper) and once they completed an order they’d find a computer on the 20,000-square-foot warehouse floor to update the inventory database. That meant a lot of time spent walking around looking for a computer, then entering data—not filling orders. “In a warehouse, your travel time to pick orders is 50 percent of an employee’s time,” says Markley, president of Elkhart (Ind.)-based Markley Enterprise, a 75-person firm that designs marketing displays for stores and trade shows. “We put pedometers on our people and we actually saw steps decrease by 30 percent with the iPad,” he says. Another benefit: Markley now e-mails orders to each iPad, eliminating the need for paper.

Markley isn’t the only small business owner to embrace the iPad. Others have begun experimenting with the lightweight tablet computer, using it to outfit delivery staff and salespeople, as well as to dramatically reduce the amount of paper used. At the Rydges Hotel in Sydney, Australia, diners are handed iPads instead of more traditional menus. In New York City, De Berardinis Salon gives clients iPads rather than magazines to keep them entertained during beauty treatments.

As a device to cut down on paper costs, there’s certainly a large market for the iPad. In the U.S., companies spent about $8 billion on paper in 2007, not counting costs for ink or toner, according to John Maine, an analyst with RISI, which tracks the global forest products industry. Copier giant Xerox (XRX) estimated that for every dollar spent on printing documents, companies pay an additional $6 in handling and distribution costs.

Delivery Device

No wonder going paperless can save a small company a small fortune—if they use a lot of paper. Arhaus Furniture estimates it will save $100,000 in paper costs annually when it gives its 50 drivers iPads to use when delivering furniture from its stores. Arhaus uses software from TOA Technologies to track drivers on their routes and to predict within a one-hour window when they will arrive at a customer’s home. TOA is now creating an iPad app for Arhaus.

“The unique features of the iPad are the ability to use the built-in GPS function and the ability to collect electronic signatures,” says Irad Carmi, co-founder of TOA Technologies, adding that the size of the device is just right for drivers to carry. TOA may add a piece to the app that lets Arhaus drivers show customers photos from the catalog so they can sell accessories during the delivery process. Arhaus wants to have its drivers equipped with iPads in time for the holiday season.

Some small business owners say that the combination of the device’s ease of use, always-on capabilities, and large screen size could help them improve business processes. That is, if there’s an app—or someone willing to write one—that will let them streamline current operations.

“In the long term, it [the success of the iPad as a small business tool] is going to be very dependent on the availability of apps,” says Dan Shey, an analyst with ABI Research, which forecasts trends in communications and emerging technology. “Some of these devices are going to be designed so they are specific to a worker’s task, almost like an appliance,” he adds.

To make the iPad work, Markley needed an application that would properly display data from an online order-management service on the iPad’s large screen. He didn’t want to create his own app, so after a thorough search of Apple’s App Store he finally found one for $1.99 written by a Japanese developer. “For years, we’ve used Apple products and that’s put us at a disadvantage because most [business software] is written for PCs,” says Markley. The iPad may be changing that.

source:[businessweek] Rachel King

Technology Increases Small Business Profitability

June 28th, 2010

http://www.2-small-business.com/blog/images/equity_capital_for_small_business.jpgDuring times of economic struggle, most small businesses end up making cuts and changes to keep their businesses in the green. From laying off staff to decreasing business travel, reducing marketing efforts and ending bonuses and raises temporarily – there are a variety of ways small businesses look to cut their expenses. At the same time, they look for ways to increase profitability – especially when operating with reduced staff. Technology becomes even more useful as small businesses strive to increase productivity and efficiency.

There are so many gadgets and technology solutions out there that it can be easy to buy more than you need, or to buy the wrong types of products that just don’t deliver the solutions your business needs. When deciding what types of technologies can help your business reach its goals, here are a few things to look for:

Communications – technology is well known for its capability to improve the ability for people to communicate with one another. Whether you’ve got employees on the road or down the hall, virtual phone systems can route calls to cell phones and keep everyone in touch regardless of location. Instant messaging and email provide quick ways to communicate with the written word and keep documentation of these conversations for future reference. Social media and networking sites provide a way to keep in touch with co-workers, customers, and the competition at a glance.

Data Storage, Warehousing and Search – If you find employees are spending a lot of time looking for certain reports, forms or other data that they need to perform their job responsibilities, investing in network hardware and software to keep track of the whereabouts of your data can be useful.

Telecommuting – many small businesses also find that there isn’t a need for all employees to work in the same office building in order to get their work done. Having employees who telecommute requires the technology to make that happen (a secure network for employees to access data they require to do their job; improved communication systems to receive incoming phone calls at their homes or on their cell phones and the ability to keep in touch with co-workers in different locations). Having employees telecommute can save you from needing a larger office space, which keeps your overhead costs lower, too.

Customer Relationship Management – having some sort of CRM software to help you manage your database of clients and prospects is well worth the investment. Many businesses will tell you the “money is in the list”; meaning the amount of money a company earns is directly proportional to the number of people on their mailing list. Some companies use software like ACT, Goldmine or SalesForce to track their clients and leads. Others have custom-built software developed to handle unique needs that can’t be addressed with existing software.

Technology makes it possible for small business to increase productivity and compete with larger businesses on a smaller budget, thereby increasing profitability. Efficiency and organization is improved through the use of appropriate data storage, search and mining, customers are better managed through customer relationship management systems, and it is possible for money to be saved when employees telecommute from home. Before investing in any new technology, identify the unique needs of your business and determine which technology will best meet your needs.

BloomBox – The Next Big Thing In Energy?

February 23rd, 2010

http://onlygizmos.com/content/2010/02/black-n-green.jpg In the world of energy, the Holy Grail is a power source that’s inexpensive and clean, with no emissions. Well over 100 start-ups in Silicon Valley are working on it, and one of them, Bloom Energy, is about to make public its invention: a little power plant-in-a-box they want to put literally in your backyard.

You’ll generate your own electricity with the box and it’ll be wireless. The idea is to one day replace the big power plants and transmission line grid, the way the laptop moved in on the desktop and cell phones supplanted landlines.

It has a lot of smart people believing and buzzing, even though the company has been unusually secretive – until now.”

[source CBS]

Solace Networks Brings You Clear Peace of Mind

January 13th, 2010

http://hirestandards.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/clear_logo.jpgSolace Networks has teamed with Clear in order to offer the latest in 4G WiMax technology to its customers in the DFW Metroplex and beyond.  The emerging wireless technology allows 3-6Mbps download speeds and 1 Mbps uploads for your business.  Depending on your area, we recognize that this technology may be a viable supplement to your existing Internet connection for either backup purposes or a needed speed boost.  With the Service Level Agreements in place with Clear, it may also be a welcome replacement for some as their primary connection to the Internet.  Still curious as to how WiMax works?  Click HERE for a WiMax Diagram that will help.