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4 Best Practices for Choosing a Field Service Management Software System

There are numerous reasons service companies initiate their processes to purchase, review, and implement the new field service management software. Regardless of the many reasons that make your service company make that decision, many important ways are available to organize the purchasing process that eliminates the significant and unexpected increase in your success chances with the new system. Here is a combination of the top best practices for choosing the bet field service software.

1. Understand your Business Case
For any field service management system to make a difference in your business, you are required to invest your money and time. Documenting, understanding, communicating the case of your business into the new system , and the achievements you expect the new system to bring to you are the most important steps to justify the investment as well as directing your vendors. A good field service management system will ask you about the business case and understand your objective.

2. Engage the Field Technicians
Your service technician does not only perform your inspection, maintenance, or repair but also interact with your clients as well as living the methods used in recording the work. You must include these technicians in the process of purchasing the field management service software from evaluating the software and building the business case. Doing this may reduce field resistance in the system and uncover new ideas to do things better. In the recent years, mobile application, network, and technology has made a leap. Learn more information at the Miracle Service website.

3. Take a Dive into Customer Support
Your field service management system is in charge of running the system. Like it is with most service management systems, you are equipped with team members who want to develop solutions for other in the organization and those who want hand-holding personalities. In such cases, you can’t be sure that the field service software will pull you out of the mud when you get stuck. Preventative maintenance is important so that the system can be capable, accessible, and affordable. Will software experts be available on the phone or at call centers? Are there parameters to determine whether service will be paid or included?

4. Check References
An important often neglected step when selecting the best software is reference calls. Reference calling regards, as well as many other factors, field service scheduling. Don’t let your enthusiasm over a particular vendor of your choice make you lose sight of the important factors that emanate from the fruit of the system you will gain on a daily basis. Ask a wide range of questions by making the most of your reference calls from system stability and usability to customer communication and support. Moreover, you can also choose to talk to the operations users and the company management.

The Top Three Printers Every Small Business Should Have

Many startups overlook the importance of buying business printers. Office printers come in different colours, designs and performance. You need to get a printer that can help you execute your business operations smoothly. Here are the three top printers you might want to consider.

Laser Printers

Laser printers come in different varieties. There is the colour laser printer and the black and white variant. Coloured laser printers have the best text quality prints, fastest speeds and most economical usage. If you do a lot of scanning, photocopying or sending and receiving faxes, you might need a multi-function laser printer that can execute all these tasks.

You should also consider connectivity when buying a laser printer . A standard printer has a USB port and an Ethernet or wireless connectivity. Ensure the printer supports all the devices in your business. This includes devices running on Apple, Android and Windows. You might also want a machine that allows you to print from cloud-based platforms such as Google Docs, Dropbox and OneDrive.

Inkjet Printers

Inkjet printers take more time to produce a page, but their output is quite impressive. The inkjet’s cartridge has sophisticated components capable of spraying controlled amounts of ink on a printed page, creating high-quality texts and graphics. You can combine the right settings on your computer with different kinds of papers to get the outcome you desire. A basic inkjet printer is far much cheaper than a laser printer. Some are even cheaper than office photocopiers.

There are four things you need to consider when buying an inkjet printer. They include functionality, workload, cost of ownership and connection. You need something that can print a document in black and white as well as in color. Consider how many pages you print in a week. If you usually print more than 400 pages per week, a laser printer might be the right option for you. You also need an inkjet printer that has high-capacity cartridges and good connectivity. To gain more information, Hub Technology Group Inc may be able to provide additional insights with their online resources.

Impact Printers

An impact printer for small business produces printed pages by striking ink ribbons using dot-matrix mechanisms. The printer moves across the paper and makes dots that form characters and graphics. An impact printer is far much less sophisticated when compared to inkjet and laser printers. They also have lower operating and maintenance costs. Companies who use multi-part documents such as checks and invoices can greatly benefit from impact business printers.

Before you buy any printer, it is important to identify the specific needs of your business. Determine the tasks the printer will perform, how many people will be using it and what documents you will print. You must also consider your budget. You don’t want a printer that will make you strain financially.

What You Need To Know About Studying At a Canadian Business College

Canada has always been voted as one of the best countries in the world to do business in. Just a couple of years back, an Economist Intelligence Unit report ranked Canada as the best place to conduct business, globally. But that’s not all; the country also boasts to be the home of some of the best business schools in the world. The country offers an extensive range of business-related academic opportunities for aspiring business professionals. You can choose to pursue a certificate, a diploma, or a degree in business from one of the many reputable business colleges in Canada, depending on your academic needs.

Getting Into a Canadian Business College

Enrolling for a program at a business college in Canada is fairly easy for both locals and foreigners, just as long as you meet the entry threshold. However, the process of application will vary across institutions and resident provinces. The next step is to choose a specialty, and it’s probably best to do that before you choose the college itself.

Language proficiency and finances are the two most important factors when it comes to studying in Canada . Courses are offered in English and French, which are the two most spoken tongues in Canada. For international students, a language proficiency test may be required for enrollment.

Second Career

Some people go back to college while still working for additional degrees that earn them promotions and professional designations, both of which attract fatter paychecks. Sometimes, people get laid off from their jobs as a result of the company’s financial troubles. In some cases, these individuals have a hard time securing another job because they don’t meet the academic qualification or their skills are no longer marketable, which may lead to the need for a second career. If you are one of these individuals, you can go back to college and pursue a business degree in a highly marketable field such as digital marketing.

If you live in Ontario and happen to be laid off from work, you can join the Ontario government sponsored second career program that offers an opportunity to learn more skills that can land you a job in high-demand professions. This program is offered to people who really need it, and in some case, the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities (MTCU) in Ontario may ask you to make a small contribution (whatever you can afford) towards your training. For more information, there are additional resources available at Canadian Business College .

Grants for Small Businesses: Understanding How It Works

Every year, small businesses are awarded billions of dollars in form of government grants. Although most people know that grants exist, few clearly understand where to get them, how to qualify for them, or even how to apply for them. In connection to this, the following are a few facts that you need to understand to leverage on grants for small businesses.

Coin Bronze Dollar Sign Small Business Loans Versus Grants

Small business loans and grants are two completely different things. While a business loan may be easier to obtain in terms of the procedure and qualification procedures needed, it is never “free money”. The money has to be paid back with some interests. On the contrary, grants are awarded to small businesses with the knowledge that they don’t necessarily have to pay them back.

Coin Bronze Dollar Sign Qualification

Grant-giving institutions in Canada seldom provide grants to individual entrepreneurs looking to start or expand their businesses. In fact, these institutions don’t even supply grants to individuals who are planning to start their own non-profits. Most institutions are interested in providing grants to specific types of organizations and groups. Although there are some grant–giving organizations that might consider grant requests from certain non-profits, they only do so if they are located in areas where the institutions have existing business presence. In other words, these institutions only offer grants to projects that are, or will be consistent with their goals and objectives. On the other hand, government grants are only available to educational institutions and non-profits whose major focus is scientific research, education, medicine, or technology development. Moreover, if you do qualify for government grants for small businesses, it is important to note that the proceeds must be consistent with the funding institution’s objectives.

Coin Bronze Dollar Sign Partial Cover for Business Costs

Unlike grants received by government bodies and institutions, project-based grants require applicants to provide alternative or counter funding. Additionally, grants for small businesses may only cover just a fraction of the project’s cost. In fact, it is very rare to get a grant that covers 100% of the total cost needed to start or expand a small business.

Coin Bronze Dollar Sign Bottom Line

Contrary to what many people believe, “free money” in form of grants are available—real business grants exist. In fact, every year, hundreds of small businesses and other minority-owned businesses in Canada receive such grants from a wide range of government agencies and other non-profit organizations. While grants don’t have to be repaid, they have to be used to at least start a new business or expand an existing one—and based on the funding institution’s goals and objectives. Other types of grants must also be used for innovation research. If you would like to learn more, visit Ontario Centres of Excellence and check out their online resources.