Category: Insights

Can You Trust a Machine That Thinks Like Us?

Miley on August 21, 2019

Trust, specifically the lack thereof, is one of the challenges currently facing the artificial intelligence industry right now. The critical underlying assumption of No trust, no use is making it difficult for developers, tech companies, and AI engineers to build trust in AI and facilitate faster adoption or usage.

Despite the many great promises AI hold, the potential dangers and the issue of not knowing how it works to make people wary of using the technology. Notable figures such as Elon Musk, Stephen Hawking, and Bill Gates have previously expressed concerns about the dangers that AI poses to humanity, with some of them going as far as speculating that AI will eventually make humans extinct.

But before we delve into this controversial topic, let us first define what artificial intelligence is. Artificial intelligence, widely known as AI, is all about building machines that can think and act like a human. It has a wide and varied range of applications, some of which we interact with every day. If you’re using Siri, Alexa, or Cortana, then you’re already engaging with AI. Google’s search algorithms are also a form of artificial intelligence. Software testing automation tools, which is becoming popular among developers, are also applications of artificial intelligence. Soon, self-driving cars, independently-operating appliances, and other AI-powered machines will become a common household item.

Trust Issues

Despite the benefits, people are finding it hard to trust AI. The lack of trust is also one of the common reasons why some of the best-known AI efforts failed. IBM’s Watson for Oncology, for example, failed to impress cancer doctors during its PR attempt, causing the project to become wasted. The doctors didn’t trust Watson’s results because they didn’t understand how the machine came to its conclusions.

This begs the question; how do AIs think? An AI’s decision-making process is too complicated for ordinary people to understand. The only people who know how a particular machine works are the developers and the company that manufactured it. But the end-user usually doesn’t have any idea what goes on inside these machines’ “brains.” And it is part of human nature to feel anxious when people don’t understand something, making them feel that they are losing control.

This is how the concept of explainability becomes critical. In the case of Watson’s, if the doctors understood how Watson came up with the results, they might have had a different opinion of it and their trust level may have been higher. AI developers and tech companies should do a much better job at explaining to people how their systems work and how they arrive at certain decisions to avoid misunderstanding. Some AI systems are easy to understand, but most of them will need to work hard to simplify the explanations or ‘dumb down’ AI algorithms to make them explainable.

Unfortunately, complicated algorithms such as deep learning and machine learning will be harder to interpret, so these trust issues won’t be going away any time soon.

Machines That Think

One of the amazing, and probably scary, characteristics of AI is its ability to ‘think.’ Being able to analyze data, make deductions, and arrive at a decision based on them reveal the infinite potential of artificial intelligence. The concept of Terminator’s Skynet may not be even far off in the future. With AI’s machine learning and deep learning concepts, a world filled with self-thinking machines is getting closer to reality.

Machine learning and deep learning are common AI buzzwords, and examples of them are everywhere. It’s how Netflix predicts which flicks you’ll want to watch next or how Facebook recognizes the people in a photo.

Machine learning is defined as:

“Algorithms that parse data, learn from that data, and then apply what they’ve learned to make informed decisions.”

This concept is commonly used by services that offer automated recommendations, such as music and video streaming services. By understanding the user’s music selections and comparing it with other users who have similar preferences, the AI can list out songs or movies that the user might like. And this algorithm is designed to be constantly learning, just like a virtual assistant. The more you use the service, the more accurate the AI will be in predicting what you like.

Deep learning, on the other hand, is a subset of machine learning, except with different capabilities. Most basic machine learning models usually become progressively better at what they do, but they still need the guidance of some form. For example, if the algorithm comes up with an inaccurate recommendation, the engineer or developer has to make adjustments. With deep learning, the algorithm can decide on its own, whether the prediction is accurate or not using its neural network.

Google’s AlphaGo illustrates how powerful deep learning is. This computer program created by Google has its neural network that knows how to play the board game Go. Go requires sharp intellect and a lot of thinking, so it is amazing how AlphaGo can play against the level of professional Go players.

Should You Trust Thinking Machines?

The debate about whether AIs should be trusted or not is a hot topic in the tech world. No matter how powerful AIs are, they still lack man’s judgment capabilities, causing them to make mistakes or provide inaccurate results. The processes behind AIs thinking process is hard to explain and people tend to be wary of what they don’t know of.

Should we trust AI? The answer probably depends on these questions:

Does it perform well?
Is the machine safe and was it built correctly?
Does the machine perform the way it was intended?
Can we predict the results?
Does the machine adhere to ethical standards?

Computers are becoming an integral part of our lives, and automation is only going to become more popular over time. It has become increasingly important to understand how these complicated AI and machine learning systems are making their decisions before people will come to trust them.

Author Bio

A Computer Engineer by degree and a writer by profession, Cathy Trimidal writes for Software Tested and Outbyte. For years now, she has contributed articles focusing on the trends in IT, VPN, web apps, SEO, and digital marketing. Although she spends most of her days living in a virtual realm, she still finds time to satisfy her infinite list of interests.

Development Insights Martech SEO

5 Tips for Effective Web Design and Boost Business

Miley on August 20, 2019

These days, every business requires an engaging website as it is one of the most important elements for a business. However, a website is more than just exceeding in limited aspects like solely content or design. A functioning website needs to have a design that feeds into your visitor’s experience, functionality, and suitably complements your content.

Your site needs to clearly and accurately communicate with your visitors what your business is about, why you do what you do, and the type of people you do it for. The five tips listed below will help you create an effective web design and create the impact you desired.

1. Keep users in mind

Technically your website is about your business and you, but in reality, it is a lot more about your consumers and the market. Your site is about speaking to your visitor about the market and how you can help them with whatever they are looking for. That means the website design is for them, the content you created is for them, and the sales funnel has to be created with your visitors in mind as well.

You need to be clear on what your brand represents to your visitors and the market. So, you need to be clear who your visitors are, their behavior pattern, and the type of content they are looking for on a site.

2. Optimize the load speeds of your website

If the people that come to your site are met with awfully slow load speeds and inept design, they will be far gone before you have the chance to make your pitch. According to a study, 75 percent of internet users will make judgments about the credibility of a business solely based on the look of their website. And a Kissmetrics infographic shows that you have already lost 25 percent of your potential customers by the time your site reaches four seconds of loading time.

If your site hosts data-intensive photos and graphics, it takes much longer for it to load than a cleanly designed and sleek site with minimal graphics. So, when developing your website, use design elements smartly for quicker load speeds and maximum impact. Several websites are photo-heavy, so ensure you reduce your photo file sizes as much as you can while still maintaining quality. Clever use of white space, text, and color can also go a long way.

3. Implement calls-to-action

The instance people land on your website, do they know the next step to take? They won’t know what action to take or pages to view without any direction. One of the several elements that point to the next step visitor should take on a website is CTA. While several people know this, it can be challenging to use them accurately to guide visitors through your site. It is easy to load your website with several bottoms of the funnel call-to-action and forget that you still need to properly nurture your visitors with several other calls to action that are more middle/top of the funnel.

After going through your website, are you finding most of the pages with only a CTA for consultation, trial, and demo? Then, it is time for you to update your website. Take the time to add CTA that provide the resources to educate your visitors and help them take care of their needs. Once your visitors recognize your website for this, they will feel more comfortable using your service to see if you can offer the answers they need.

4. Design should be unique and simple

Whether you are designing your site on your own or hiring a professional website design company like SketchCorp. Brisbane, your aim is to develop a site that reflects your brand. The first impression is very important as it can either attract or repel visitors. If you use any of the run-of-the-mill template and your site is similar to the tons of others on the internet, you may never be able to create an impact on the visitor’s mind.

Your site homepage can clinch the deal for you; this is why you should make sure it is the anchor for your entire website and remarkable enough to catch the attention of your visitors. Bad website design is awful for your business and can make you lose a significant number of customers. Your potential and customers look forward to flawless navigation. And a clean, user-friendly, and simple website design without any unnecessary embellishments and frills is the way to go.

5. Optimize your business for mobile access

The way people perceive and access the internet has changed. Through the years, the number of people using the internet from desktops has reduced significantly, while considerably more people now access the internet from their mobile devices. Now, mobile devices have become the most popular platform to access the internet, and this is particularly true for the younger audience.

When you create a website, you must optimize it for mobile users; else you will be losing business. Your business website design must be very responsive. And that means you need to design it to be visually adjustable to the screen shape and size of whatever devices it appears on. However, the most functional and responsive sites are not only about having the feature to adjust to new screen sizes, but the site must also be easy to navigate and intuitive. So, whatever you do, ensure you hire a talented web designer to help you create responsive website design.

Conclusion

The tips above can help you integrate different techniques to improve the look of your site and eventually gain potential customers. So, when creating a website, your primary goal should be to build an excellent web design that is not only engaging, interactive, and eye-catching but also has an incredible load time.

It is essential to note that sometimes, good fixes are not essentially quick fixes. Good fixes require persistence, effort, a lot of testing, and investing. As you continually enhance your website designs, you will be able to convert your potential customers.

Insights Products

Gaming Headset – Importance and How to Buy the Best One?

Miley on August 19, 2019

Gaming headsets help you in communicating with the machine and enjoy better gaming experience in the process. You have a speaker that gives the sound output and a microphone for sound input. In comparison to an ordinary headphone, the gaming headsets are advanced and have better features for the optimum and realistic gaming experience.

You will come across many such headsets and depending on your budget and requirement; you can order one, either online or get one from a store near you.

Essential aspects of gaming headsets

If you have a good headset, you can feel being a part of the gaming experience and sense your involvement in the game even if it is virtual. You can connect better with the gaming environment. Since there are speakers and also a microphone, the acoustic is realistic.

1. Aside from the acoustic speakers and excellent sound quality and real-life experience, you also enjoy the option of noise cancelation. It allows you to choose the optimum sound balance and equalizer selectively.

2. Since you have the option of using wired and wireless headsets, you can connect the different devices to your LCD TV for a better experience. Also, the better the devices, the more realistic is the experience.

Almost all reputed brands have their collection and variety of headsets. And you can invest in your favorite gaming rig best gaming headsets reviewed and tested one.

How to buy the best gaming headset?

There are a few crucial features or aspects that can help you to zero-in on the right device. More about the same has been mentioned below in the points-

1. Your gaming headset must be comfortable

Having a headphone that fits well on your head is one of the essential requisites. That is because while gaming, assuming that you will have them on for a considerable time, settle for one that will not pinch and dig into your head or ears.

2. Quality of the material

You will come across many headsets that are usually made up of plastic that is not of good quality. These are cheaper, but the performance is not good. As such, you may not have the optimum gaming experience. Opt for a sturdy one, usually one that is made up of wireframe or metal. Also, the cheaper quality ones will not last long.

3. Sound quality

There are 2 things that you must check while buying a gaming headset, and the first one is the headphone pad, and the other one is the size of your headphone. It holds true, especially for the games that have low “directional audio cues.”

As such, if there is poor isolation, you will not be able to enjoy the real sound output. Regardless of whether it is the headphone pad or the overhead piece, it must fit properly. If it is not, change and get one that will be best for the shape of your head. A poorly fitting headset can also lead to a headache.

When you take into account the sound quality, make sure you consider the surround sound as well.

In a nutshell, gaming is a recreational activity that will help you to relax and unwind. Make sure you have the best gaming experience with the right set of devices.

Insights

Contact Lens for First Time Users

Miley on August 15, 2019

Wearing a contact lens for the first time can be tricky, but it can be better than eyeglasses in some occasions. The sensitive nature of the eye, however, demands you to be extra careful when putting on and removing contact lenses. This fact usually scares traditional eyeglasses users away. So if you are in the middle of deciding whether or not to switch, here is your ultimate guide to getting your first contacts.

Eyeglasses vs. Contact Lens

Glasses and contact lenses share the same purpose: vision correction. But they are different in many ways than they are the same.

Eyeglasses are the traditional device used to help correct one’s vision problem.

1. Pros

The top advantage of eyeglasses over contacts is its ease of use. You don’t have to be nervous about getting your eye infected or irritated since there’s no need to touch your eyes when wearing eyeglasses.
Eyeglasses also require minimum maintenance.
It comes cheaper. When the need to change lens arises, you can keep your current frame and pay for a new set of glasses.
It offers a shield from some environmental factors, such as wind and dust, which can easily irritate our eyes.

2. Cons

Eyeglasses do not offer maximum correction. Since it is placed at least half an inch away from your eyes, it cannot provide the field of view accurately, causing some distortion.
Spectacles get in the way of your activities. You can’t run without dropping your eyeglasses. A special kind of glasses is needed if you want to play sports.
Its weight depends on the thickness of the lenses, which can sometimes be too thick.
Some patients complain of constant headache and discomfort due to the pressure from the sunglasses’ bridge and arms.

The interest in contact lenses rose recently due to the many things it can offer that eyeglasses could not. However, skepticism about the ocular prosthetic device remains despite the many benefits it provides mainly due to the process involved with wearing one.

1. Pros

The thin lens is placed directly on the surface of the eye, allowing it to conform to its curvature.
Contacts provide a full field of view.
Contact lenses reduce vision distortion and blurriness.
It does not get away with your physical activities since it is technically attached to your eyes.
It corrects most vision problems without the need for thicker lenses.
Some contact lenses have specialized technology that can reshape your cornea or temporarily cures myopia.

2. Cons

The most debated disadvantage of contacts is its application. There is a need for direct contact with the eye, increasing the chances of irritation or even infection, when not done correctly.
Oxygen cannot reach your eye as quickly as when you’re not wearing contacts, causing it to dry up.
Contacts require regular and proper lens care. It is a tedious task.
Falling asleep with your contacts put your eyes at risk of irritation. However, if you’re someone who frequently falls asleep with contacts on, you can opt for extended wear contact lenses that you can wear for up to 30 days.

Getting Your Contacts

Where you get your contact lenses matter. Given the sensitive nature of the eye, it is recommended that you visit an eye care practitioner to get an eye exam during which an assessment of your vision-related problems will be conducted. Your contacts will be custom-made to the condition of your eye.

Even if you’re only wearing contacts for aesthetic purposes, you have to be sure that the contacts you’ll be wearing are safe and won’t irritate your eyes.

Before Wearing Contacts

Wearing contacts for the first time can seem too complicated. But with practice, you can soon be more at ease with the process.

Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Before touching your contacts, wash your hands and make sure it is clean to prevent transferring dust or any particles to your eyes.
Make sure the lens is positioned correctly.
Rinse your lenses with the solution.
Always handle your lenses gently since it can tear easily.
Use your index finger to hold the lens and your other hand to keep your eye open then insert the lens slowly and gently.
Close your eyes and wait until you feel the lens is correctly placed in the center of your eye. You can blink if you think it will help.

While Wearing Contacts

Give your eyes time to adjust to the contacts.

You may feel a little discomfort since it’s new to you. You may even feel the edges of the lens during your first tries. It could be a bit unpleasant, but these are all part of the adjustment period. Wearing contacts for the first time may feel odd, but you will get the hang of it in time. This is also the best time to check if your lens fit.

If you feel a little burning or irritation, check again. There could be some outside element that’s stuck between your eye and the lens. But if the irritation persists even after you check, then it’s time to go back to your eye doctor.

Removing Contacts

Switching to contacts from your traditional eyeglasses will feel daunting since it comes with a lot of procedure.

Removing your contacts – except for those special ones that could stay longer in your eyes – is required before going to sleep. Just like before putting it on, you have to ensure that your hands are clean.

While looking upward, pull your lower eyelid downward.
Using your other hand, pinch the lens to move it off the surface of the eyes.

Caring and Cleaning Tips

Clean your hands before putting on and removing your lenses.
Do not sleep with contacts on.
Gradually increase wear time to let your eyes adjust.
Store your lenses the proper storage to avoid damage.
Always bring a lens solution with you.
If there is any sense of irritation, contact your eye doctor.

Wearing a contact lens could sound a lot of work since you’re used to the traditional eyeglasses, but it has a ton of benefits to offer. With proper care and a little practice, you’ll surely see why millions of people are switching to contact lenses.

References

https://www.optometrystudents.com/event/handy-list-recommendations-first-time-contact-lens-users/

https://www.youandeye.com.au/what-to-expect-when-wearing-contact-lenses-for-the-first-time/

https://www.lensdirect.com/blog/contact-lenses/wearing-contact-lenses-for-the-first-time/

https://www.en.acuvuearabia.com/lens-care-wear/tips-for-new-contact-wearers

https://www.perfectlens.ca/articles/first-time-wearing-contacts-what-to-expect

https://www.perfectlens.ca/articles/8-tips-wearing-contact-lenses-for-the-first-time

https://coopervision.com/blog/five-tips-for-first-time-contact-lens-wearers

Development Insights Products

All Round Business Management and Customer Support with Salesforce

Miley on August 10, 2019

Managing a business is about handling many departments. Hence entrepreneurs and business strategists look for solutions which can handle many wings at once. One such solution, which is deemed as one of the most preferred and methodical solutions in Salesforce. It is a complete mixture of all business-related things sorted together.

Salesforce is for customer support

When you have integrated the Salesforce platform into your business, then your customers can get support in various ways. A customer can interact with a person in the business directly through the platform. There are chat services, which can be used to communicate directly with users. This is a great way to make contact. Also, customers can troubleshoot their issues on their own by the following guide. Customers may even follow social media and other forums and discussion boards to interact with other customers and discuss problems or find solutions. Therefore, whether a business support executive is supporting a customer through the platform, or a customer helping himself/herself, it’s possible entirely through the platform.

Salesforce is for marketing

Salesforce helps in marketing in several ways. It has its artificial intelligence, which you can use to interact better with customers and target customers better and smartly, based on their interests and behavior. Here are important points about the marketing-related Salesforce solutions, which you must know:

The consumer-centric platform and design of Salesforce lest you interact with consumers one on one.
Integration of all-important components in marketing, which builds up the business is possible here. You can integrate sales with marketing, with e-commerce, and that with branding and app development, and what not!
The AI of Salesforce works awesome in predicting customer behavior and pick the best engaging solution for the customer based on the data.
The interface allows templates, and great flow of messaging in streamlined ways, and easy integration of mobile apps with this, so that cross-campaigns can be design.
The same platform can be used for integrating both B2B and B2C business.

Altogether marketing with the power of data of every customer you have, to plan things in a customized way, and set email marketing, SMS marketing, and all such campaigns in a targeted way is possible with it.

Salesforce is for Sales

Plan sales with the help of Salesforce too. This is such an efficient platform that has every answer to everything needed in your business. Sales interface powered by the AI of Salesforce has great efficiency in finding customers based on data. This can help you find and pitch to the right target customers and can help close deals better and grow revenue. Sales get a lot easier with the help of AI integrated Salesforce, which offers multiple tools, for you to talk to the customer, solve queries, and work with customer data.

Salesforce is a cloud-based CRM

The best part of using Salesforce is that this is a cloud-based CRM. The software is entirely cloud-based, which offers immense benefits when it comes to data storage. Now it’s understood that when you are handling a business, then sales and marketing only fetch so much of daily data, which is huge. With such a huge volume of data, if you plan to store in your data center or some hosted server, then it would cost you a good amount. Also, the continuously proliferating amount of data on the storage would be impacting the data maintenance bills too. Rather instead of taking all that hassle, with Salesforce, you can store your data on the Salesforce data cloud-only or if you want other professionals to do your job you can always acquire and pay for salesforce development services. This is not going to incur you any extra cost. In fact, with this system, your data would stay safe and secure, while you will never have to worry about separate storage for data. Moreover, with the cloud-based system, you can access your data from anywhere and any computer or mobile.

You can operate it from anywhere- even from smartphones

The best part of having a cloud-based CRM is that you can operate it from anywhere. The good news for mobile users is that, with an app-based interface, Salesforce can be used from smartphones too. That’s why you can now use Salesforce from smartphones easily and can manage your entire business over the phone, without having to look for a computer or browser-based interface.

The platform helps connect customers with the company for better interactions

Consumers can connect to the company in multiple ways through the platform of Salesforce. If you are using Salesforce to communicate with your consumers, then you can help consumers reach you too with the same model. This eases communication through the mode of chat, email support, discussion forums, questions and answers, and social media. Therefore, customers can not only communicate, but also can find other similar issues that they are facing to address their problems better.

Personalized apps

Using Salesforce, you can create personalized apps which can be used for bringing automation in the business in multiple ways. You can increase your productivity, and can also act innovatively when you design apps for better business operations. This is a great side of Salesforce, which is helpful.

How to integrate Salesforce

The best way to integrate Salesforce is to contact a good third-party service which installs it for you, train you initially to handle the CRM and helps you absorb the whole concept. You can contact services like Flosum.com, where you can get all this help, and also get their help whenever you need an upgrade and related help with Salesforce. With native release version and version control feature, there are good solutions for those who already are using the platform and need an upgrade, and definitely for those who are new to Salesforce.

Finally

The sooner you integrate Salesforce into your business; the better would be your grip on marketing, sales, and customer support throughout. Hence you can start now and feel the difference. Whatever Salesforce solution you try, you are bound to feel improvement in business operations.

Bio: -Evans Walsh is a freelance content writer. He has written many good and informative articles on different categories such as Flosum.com technology, health, fashion, beauty, education, career, travel, etc. He is very responsible for his job. He loves to share his knowledge and experience with his friends and colleagues.

Development Insights Martech Products SaaS

5 Types of MarkTech Software and How It Can Power-Up SMEs

Miley on August 10, 2019

As marketing evolves, marketers search for solutions to streamline and scale their daily marketing activities without spending too much time or effort on them.

Choosing the right vendors and products can benefit SMEs and help them establish their presence in our fast-growing and competitive market.

To succeed, SMEs need to invest in the right tools that will make their Marketing Technology Stack their most powerful ally to compete with the largest brands out there.

What is MarTech?

MarTech is a blend that comes from the words “marketing” and “technology”.

Here is the definition:

“Marketing is a function that relies increasingly on technology, and as more technology tools emerged to meet the needs of modern marketing, these Marketing Technology tools have collectively become known as MarTech.”

Modern marketing is all about finding the best set of tools to promote your brand to people all around the world.

While competing with big brands might seem a little terrifying at first, there’s nothing that SMEs can’t do when they employ the right tools.

Now Let’s See 5 MarTech Tools SMEs Need to Start Using Right Now

1. Email Marketing Automation Software

With 3.9 million users, emails have become one of the most efficient digital marketing channels marketers use to promote their products.

The first thing you need to do to start your email marketing is to search the market for a good email marketing platform that suits your needs and company goals.

Out there, you’ll find a plethora of MailChimp alternatives to provide you with the right technology and knowledge to plan and automate your email marketing strategy.

Moosend, for instance, is a great alternative to help you design your next email campaigns and automate them.

How it helps

Since sending emails to every single subscriber of yours by hand can be extremely time-consuming, the need for email marketing automation is dire.

A platform like this will simplify the process and allow SMEs to reach multiple subscribers at once in the most effective way possible.

And since, emails are one of the best ways to build customer relationships and brand credibility, using an email marketing platform will allow you to get more with less effort.

2. Subscription Analytics Software

Now that you’ve found the perfect software to attract more customers to your SMEs, the next step to ensure that your business will keep thriving is to track your business metrics.

To do so, you need to invest in a good subscription analytics tool that will show you which elements work well and which don’t.

A great subscription analytics software that allows you to monitor your active customers and your monthly or annual growth is Profitwell.

Here’s an example of what the metrics dashboard looks like:

How it helps

When it comes to SMEs with stricter budgets, knowing which elements have the biggest profit and greatest loss can determine the success of a brand.

With a tool like Profitwell, SMEs can optimize and measure their subscribers’ efficiency and take certain actions that will reduce their MRR churn, and increase their ARR.

Tracking brand performance will give SMEs the chance to improve their digital marketing strategies and establish themselves among larger brands.

3. Social media Software

Facebook and Instagram are some excellent media platforms to promote your products, either through sponsored ads or social media and influencer marketing.

With 37% of consumers using social media to find inspiration for their next purchase, neglecting to use social media ads can reduce your brand visibility significantly.

To take advantage of these platforms, you can start by using Facebook Ads, a tool that promotes do-it-yourself ads for everyone with or without expertise.

Here’s what the Facebook Ads quick creation looks like:

How it helps

Facebook ads have the lowest median cost per click compared to other famous social media ads like LinkedIn.

While the cost can vary depending on the number of impressions you want, Facebook ads can work well with since they can find you cheaper clicks to match your budget.

Facebook ads can help SMEs create awesome Facebook lead ads that will have maximum visibility due to Facebook’s massive number of users.

4. Employee Management and Communication Software

The success of a business doesn’t lie exclusively on successful product marketing, but also on the excellent communication and co-operation between different teams like your product and marketing team.

A good platform that can benefit SMEs not only with its simplistic user interface but also with its integrated apps is Slack.

How it helps

Slack’s success stems from apps, shared channels and search features that SMEs can get for cheaper prices.

Using some of the best Slack apps like Google Drive, Meekan and Monkey Test It can help SMEs get more things done and contribute to the simplification of the communication process.

5. App Connectivity and Integration Software

To save invaluable time, SMEs need to find software that will automate most of their daily activities and let them focus on other important tasks.

Since the main advantage of using MarTech is the ability to automate pretty much everything, using a web automation tool like Zapier will make your business tasks easier and faster to complete.

Here’s what a Zap looks like:

How it helps

Zapier offers a selection of more than 1.500 integrations to help you connect your apps.

For example, through the platform, SMEs can connect popular apps like Trello and Gmail to create new cards from new labeled Gmail emails.

By creating Zaps, SMEs will be able to mix and match triggers that will save time and provide updates about important tasks.

Takeaway

Using MarTech software is the best thing SMEs can do to increase their productivity and visibility in a market where businesses constantly try to surpass one another.

Adding such tools in your MarTech stack will help your business grow and connect with your target audience in the most cost-rewarding way.

So, what are you waiting for?

Start building your MarTech stack now and you’ll see your business go from zero to hero in no time.

Author bio

Marilia Dimitriou is a Creative Writer working for email marketing software Moosend. Her passion for writing has made her find new ways to combine the art of Creative Writing with SEO Copywriting. When she’s not writing articles, you’ll find her spending time on her drabbles.

Insights Martech Products

Shopify and Other Advanced eCommerce Platforms Can Benefit Your Online Business

Miley on August 9, 2019

Planning an online store is both challenging and exciting! The thought that you will give shape to your online business is inspiring. However, you also need to do all the work to get your website running. You need to make sure that it functions in the best way possible so that your customers have a good time navigating through your website. It is the reason why you need to opt-in for eCommerce platforms.

The digital world is expanding at a fast pace! And your website needs to have all the features to impress your online audience. When you are opt-in for fully integrated eCommerce platforms, you can impress your online customers effortlessly. To know more about this, you can opt-in for Sun Bowl Systems Shopify help.

Some of the unique advantages of eCommerce platforms are:

It makes website navigation smooth and easy

If your customers aren’t able to navigate through your website, then they can’t see the services and products you have to offer! Hence, you need to make sure that your website interface is smooth and easy to navigate. The eCommerce platforms like Shopify, make it easy for online viewers to shift from one menu to the other without any disturbance.

You have access to an excellent customer service

It’s not you alone who requires customer service! Even your online users need it as well. You can opt-in for an eCommerce platform which will help your brand to reflect a positive brand image. When the consumers notice that they aren’t receiving the service they want, they might leave your website and never revisit it. It is interesting to note that the same applies in the case of software. When you know that a platform is not getting supported, make sure that you can escalate it to an in-house team. There’s no need to inflict this on your customers.

You will not witness any downtime issues

When you are opt-in for an eCommerce platform that’s operating at the best level, chances are you will see a significant boost on the website’s performance. You will not find your online users getting deterred by any error message that otherwise could have stopped them from completing the online purchase. It saves you valuable time that you can spend in expanding your business. Else you might have to spend the time troubleshooting all your platform related issues. So you can spend your time enhancing your online brand reputation, website presence and also improve the customer experience. Also if somehow Shopify or any other eCommerce platform stucks and makes you a trouble, you can migrate Shopify to WooCommerce for instance and make the customer’s experience even better.

You get a secure platform

No online user wants to be on a platform that can get them into trouble. They want to secure payment channels so that their customer and financial data doesn’t get compromised. Also, they want to browse through a website that doesn’t have irrelevant pop-up ads, which leads to counterfeit sites. An advanced eCommerce platform helps to keep your site secure from all these negative factors and save it from any online reputation damage.

These are some of the important reasons for you to opt-in for an advanced eCommerce platform! You can choose the platform by researching online and after determining what your business most requires.

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Top 5 Marketing Tips for Improving Business on Instagram

Miley on August 7, 2019

Majority of the folks these days are making the use of Instagram. More than 400 million people are using Instagram for a business that is reasonably quite higher than others. If you are one who is facing a lot of complicated problems while improving the sale of a business, then it is highly recommended that one should make the use of an Instagram business account that is proven to be beneficial and offering a considerable amount of benefits to the users. After creating an account, one has to share content regularly.

More than one billion people are making the use of Instagram that is quite higher than the others. If you are one who wants to create the visibility of the page, then one has to share interesting content regularly that can catch the attention of the audience. Here are 2 important marketing tips that will assist you in improving the visibility of the business on Instagram.

-Use free tool

Nothing is better than a platform like Instagram that is offering a lot of benefits to the users. It is completely different from Facebook and others. Lots of people are using the business account and promoting their brand on a platform like Instagram with ease. In order to attract the users from a particular area, then one should make the use of sponsored ad feature that will surely attract the users from the target area. Before promoting the business, it is your responsibility to customize a lot of important things like location, gender, and other things. Majority of the folks are taking a significant amount of benefits of the Instagram tools, like Replug’s Bio link feature for Instagram. It would be better to add a call to action feature that is considered to be great. By sharing content on a regular basis, one can easily improve the reach and engagement of the business account without having any complicated problem. If you are regularly sharing content, then it will surely create strong engagement with users. Nothing is better than лайкиинстаграмнакрутка that is providing Instagram likes that will surely improve the engagement and reach of the page.

-Promotions

It would be better to make the use of Instagram posts that are considered to be far better than others. Along with Instagram, one should share the content on other social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and others. Make sure that you are inviting others to follow Instagram. If you are fairly sharing content regarding business, then one can easily attract the users from the targeted area. Some promotions are fairly effective, that is improving the visibility of the brand with ease. Before initiating the promotion, one has to set the budget that would be great for you. All things depend on the requirements only; if you are facing a lot of complicated problems while promoting the business, then one should make contact with professionals who will surely assist you in promoting the Instagram business account.

-Use relevant hashtags

Hashtags help you “compose and order pictures and video content” to discover content all the more effectively. They’re a straightforward method to label your substance to make it simpler to discover for other people. They run from the nonexclusive – #love is the most utilized hashtag starting at 2017 – to the, quite certain. What’s more, they are so prevalent on Instagram that they’ve basically turned out to be required. In the event that you need individuals to locate your substance, you have to utilize hashtags.

Here are a couple of hashtag best practices:

Try not to try too hard: five focused on hashtags are superior to 25 arbitrary ones.
Maintain a strategic distance from abused labels: including #love or #instagood is comparable to pointless.
Try not to spam: keep them significant to the picture.

From that point, you have two fundamental alternatives when picking hashtags for your posts:

General Hashtags

These are hashtags that anybody may utilize, contingent upon the substance of a picture. “#Sunset” springs to mind, as do “#food” and “#wine.” However, to be perfectly honest, these models are broad to the point that it might be difficult to get seen utilizing them. Rather, attempt to discover specialty hashtags inside your industry. This expands your odds of pulling in the perfect group of spectators to your substance.

A fast Google search will bring you arrangements of specialty hashtags by industry. Post planner has a pleasant rundown, for instance, as does Soldsie. In the event that you need to get increasingly inventive, see what hashtags your current adherents use. This is a more astute approach to locate the correct individuals to engage.

Marked Hashtags

In case you’re propelling an Instagram battle, a marked hashtag is an unquestionable requirement. This applies to challenges, influencer shootouts’ (continue perusing), or new item dispatches.

Marked hashtags are explicit labels that just apply to your image.

They could be your image name, the name of an item or individual, or something unique you’ve made for your battle. Moving further, these are some important things that would help promote the business on Instagram.

-Create Beautiful Visuals

Posting incredible substance is constantly indispensable for online life advertising. It’s what causes them to draw in with your image, and keeps them returning for additional.

On other interpersonal organizations, this can mean sharing connections, posting fascinating articles, and beginning discussions. On Instagram, it starts and finishes with pictures.

The entire system was made to give individuals a chance to share their photographs.

This is particularly valid in case you’re selling items on the web.

As indicated by one examination, 93% of choices in the purchasing procedure depend on visual appearance. Great pictures are imperative.

Besides taking amazing photographs, how might you make your Instagram content all the more engaging?

Pick a topic

The best Instagram records will, in general, have a fundamental subject or tone. You need something that rouses or interests devotees, past basically your items. For instance, Under Armor utilizes the hashtag “#IWILL,” and its presents quite often relate on physically defeating deterrents. Under Armor’s adherents seek uplifting messages and get a little marked promoting every once in a while.

-Work With Influencers

Influencers are industry VIPs, and their pledge goes far with purchasers.

Regardless of whether you’re attempting to manufacture your Instagram nearness or make deals, their support is exactly what you need. To do this, you first need to distinguish the ideal individuals.

Great influencers should:

Have a reasonable crowd (that may really purchase)

Be vocal and noticeable in your industry

Have a background marked by impacting their devotees’ choices

At the end of the day, they really should be persuasive.

Simply having a gigantic after isn’t sufficient.

Moving further, these are some important things that would help promote the business on Instagram.

Author’s Bio

Pete Campbell is a social media manager and has immense knowledge about email marketing and Instagram promotion. He delights clients, helping at лайкиинстаграмнакрутка them to buy real Instagram likes. He loves to travel, write, and play baseball.

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Accounting & Legal! The Two Significant Business Pillars!

Miley on August 7, 2019

Legal and accounting are the only professions that complement each other in every business industry. However, from years, these professions have always been in the controversy across the business world in order to establish which is more important. These two professions differ in their unique challenges, specific degrees which are licensed from the state government, and services offered by them.

Many entrepreneurs don’t know how to use these professionals at every stage, and without thinking for a second, they take the risk, which ultimately leads to the insolvency of businesses. First, understand the importance of these professions and then make a better decision.

So, Let’s Start with the Legal Profession!

Whenever entrepreneurs ground up for their businesses, they have to meet the legal team to stay compliant in the business environment. Keeping the business secure from every legal obligation can enable you to run your business for a long-term.

Top 4 Legal Challenges faced by a Business

1. Successfully Registering the Business

For successfully registering the business, one has to go through a lot of paperwork and legal formalities which are discussed as under:

Getting a license for your business: A business license and special permit (for some) is required before you can execute the business operations.

Registering your business: DBA or “doing business as” name is required to register your business.

Choosing the legal structure: This structure is all about the tax filing procedure and the role of different team members in it with the following business structures to choose from:

Sole Proprietorship
Partnership
Corporation
S-Corporation
Limited Liability Company (LLC)

Getting a Tax Identification Number: Tax or employer identification number (EIN) enables IRS to track your business taxes and is extremely vital for a business.

Registering for State and Local Taxes: Based upon your state and local tax rule, you would be required to register for various fiscal needs.

Patent and Trademark Application: Applying for a patent and trademark is essential if your business model constitutes a new invention or is highly brand specific.

2. Ensuring Seamless Contract Management

Make every team member to sign a contract with the definite inclusion of the following:

Job title
Job responsibilities
Personal information
Name of the company
The direct report personal
The payment schedule
Pay rate
Non-disclosure clause
Hiree’s tax obligations (if applicable)
Company benefits

When it comes to signing a contract you have to be cautious to avoid future disputes, therefore, refering to your contract management resources and seeking lawyers help will an ideal way here to get rid of these contracts as they will guide you at every facet so that you make a beneficial deal.

3. Protecting your Assets

If you have an intellectual property for which you would like to file a patent, legal professionals can help you at every footstep. Securing intellectual property is crucial so that no one can steal your unique business concept, copyrights, trademark, geographical location, etc., at any cost. Including the following sections in the agreement will definitely help you in the same:

Method & schedule of payments
Names of the involved parties
Offered services
The price
Refund policy
Confidentiality clause
Contract termination points
Venue for dispute settlement
Disclaimers

4. Avoidance & Settlement of Disputes

Every business has to go through some sort of dispute during their lifecycle. It is important to get prepared for the same mentally as well as legally in order to avoid the disputes in the first place and if required, take appropriate steps to settle it.

So, if you have to face any business dispute in the future against contract breach from your partner or if any of your employees files a lawsuit against your business, opting for legal support services is the apt choice. Hiring a lawyer at the initial phase will help you to avoid such disputes in the future.

Now, Let’s Talk about Accounting

Accounting is the core of every business as, without an adequate amount of money, a company is unable to function properly. Being an entrepreneur, you don’t want to lose out to your competitors due to poor accounting which is considered as the biggest element for business failure. According to researchers, 93% of small businesses fail in their initial years because they neglect their accounting.

The following 4 points explain as to why having an accountant is essential in the first place:

1. Accurate Accounting Records

Manage & Grow a Business: When records get managed properly by an accountant, you can easily focus on your core business activities
The Organized Structure: When records are organized well, dealing with suppliers and customers along with producing quotations, invoices, and estimates are easy.
Preparation of Management Accounts: You can easily get to know if you are making profits or facing losses by comparing one period to the other.
Advance Tax Payments Planning: It is always sensible to plan the taxes in advance and this is only possible when the records are maintained regularly by an accountant.
Easy Tax Filing: If regular record keeping can help you plan the taxes in advance, it will definitely make the tax filing an easy process.
Avoiding the Penalties: Interests and penalties can be avoided for sure when you have a professional accountant working for you.

2. Gather Appropriate Market Funding

Initially, entrepreneurs have to gather funds and taking a loan from the bank is the only thing that comes to their mind. Taking a loan from the bank is a good option for sure but with the help of one of the following funding options, you can meet the funding requirements of your business as stated by your accountant.

Term loans
SBA loans
Equipment financing
Invoice financing
Short-term loans
Business lines of credit
Angel investors
Venture capital firms
Crowdfunding
Friends & family

3. Cash Flow Management

The cash flow in every business should be well-maintained to secure the business against any cash crunch. Entrepreneurs have to maintain bookkeeping functions that include accounts payable, receivable, bank reconciliation and keep a record of every transaction daily. More so, prepare financial reports to analyze the financial position of the company and to plan the budget.

All this consumes time and demand expertise, therefore, seeking the help of an accountant can help you attain everything in one go. They can also help you with saving and budgeting strategies so that you can strictly adhere to that.

4. Timely Tax Paying

Tax preparation creates havoc in every business and making mistakes is very common. However, mistakes in filing the taxes can lead you to heavy losses because errors usually alert IRS and they may knock your door for a tax audit.

Thus, opting for accounting services is an ideal way to streamline your tax preparation tasks and further you can ask the CPA to file your tax. CPAs went through difficult training and exam in order to get a license, so be sure, they are super professional and knowledgeable in these things.

Bottom line

If works of both the professions are in tandem, that means your business and you are on the right track. This is a common sign of success as these professionals are available to serve you at every footstep, allowing you to build a strong business foundation.

You don’t have to worry about the changing legal obligations or IRS rules on taxes because lawyers and accountants always keep themselves updated with the changes in the country’s regulation and technology ruling the market. So stay focused, work hard, and explore your dreams!

Author Bio

Eliana Manon is a legal writer and marketer for Legal Support World, a California based LPO, since 2008. Providing legal back-office solutions to law firms and legal professionals nationwide, she is a certified attorney committed to providing information that lawyers need to make successful relationships with their clients.

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Importance of Big Data Analytics For All Companies

Miley on August 7, 2019

Staying on the cutting edge of technology is a must for any business trying to stay competitive. In a recent study, nearly 80 percent of the executives polled proclaimed that businesses without a big data strategy will be unable to compete in today’s marketplace. Instead of letting the power of data analytics pass your company by, now is the time to embrace this technology.

Some business owners hear the term “big data analytics” and immediately get intimidated. Instead of shying away from this technology, you need to find an IT professional to help you embrace it.

Source: Pexels

Here are some of the reasons why big data analytics are so important in the world of business.

A Great Way to Improve Efficiency

If you are like most business owners, the main goal you have is improving productivity and efficiency levels. There is a misconception that big data is only collected to analyze consumer behaviors and purchasing patterns. In reality, data is routinely collected internally and analyzed to see where improvements can be made.

Not only does this help your employees, but it can also improve the other pieces of technology you have in place. For instance, if you have created apps for your team to use, you want to make sure they are working correctly. The best way to do this is by collecting data with tools like Loggly. Collecting and organizing the error logs from these problems can help you figure out where problems exist and how to properly address them.

Understanding Your Market

The main ingredient of a successful marketing campaign is an in-depth understanding of your audience. Without this information, you will struggle to customize campaigns that appeal to modern consumers. The best way to figure out what your audience needs and wants is by using the power of big data.

By looking at data regarding marketing methods your audience is responding to and their buying habits, you can achieve the success you are after. Trying to develop a marketing campaign without this information will be nearly impossible. While using big data will be challenging at first, over time you and your team will start to become familiar with this methodology.

Source: Pexels

Make Important Decisions With Ease

One of your main jobs as a business owner is to make decisions regarding the path your company will take. As your business starts to grow, you will have to make important decisions in order to avoid slowing down this growth. Instead of using things like your “gut feeling”, you should use data.

Before you make a decision regarding expanding into a new market, looking at data from this market is a good idea. By using cold hard facts, you can avoid leading your company astray. The ability to make sound decisions in a timely manner is essential when trying to make your company a huge success.

Working With the Right IT Professionals is Vital

Getting the right tools in place to collect and analyze data is no easy task. This is why you need to work with experienced IT professionals. With their help, developing a big data strategy will be much easier.