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8 Benefits of Cloud-Based Business Management Software

Posted on by Becca Uptmor

It’s no secret that technology is evolving—and the world of business is changing too. Remote working is on the rise, which is forcing conventional workplaces to pivot the way they work.

One way businesses are changing is in the storage, processing, and collaboration of data. While on-premises ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems were traditionally used, today many businesses are turning to cloud-based business management software, including Mobile Backend as a Service (MBaaS) solutions.

Compared to physical hosting and in-house solutions, these systems are adaptable and easy to use. So how does it work? Put simply, your system is hosted on virtual servers that are easily accessible over the internet. Meanwhile, data is saved on external servers controlled by your service provider rather than on-site servers. 
These cutting-edge data centers are properly managed and feature computer resources dedicated to hosting applications such as digital marketing software on several operating systems. So what other benefits does a cloud-based business management software solution provide?

How Does Cloud Computing Work?

With cloud computing, you can run software remotely via the internet without configuring or maintaining your own server infrastructure. So rather than investing in hardware, you only need a web browser and an internet connection to manage your business’s IT systems. 

Meanwhile, your cloud computing provider handles the installation, maintenance, and upgrades of the software, servers, operating systems, and network switches that make up your cloud.

What Are the Primary Service Models in Cloud Computing?

Remote desktop hosting and data storage are just some of the many practical applications provided by cloud-computing services. The services on offer are divided into three primary models:

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

With IaaS, you can rent servers, storage space, virtual devices, and even networks from a cloud provider on a pay-as-you-go basis. If you’re a small business, this may be a useful option, as IaaS providers offer flexible infrastructure to handle fluctuating workloads. Examples of IaaS providers include Amazon Web Services, Google Compute Engine (GCE), and Microsoft Azure.

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

PaaS is a model for delivering cloud-hosted applications and infrastructure to developers. This covers everything from web portals to gateway software and APIs. Solutions such as Amazon Web Services’ Elastic Beanstalk and even Facebook are excellent examples.

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Chances are you’ve used a SaaS tool before – applications include popular services like Netflix, Quickbooks, Zoom, and Google Workspace. 

This model offers access to various software through the internet. SaaS applications can be accessed via desktop clients, web browsers, or APIs that interface with the user’s operating system. 

Collaborating on projects, sharing data, and accessing specialist software are all made easier with the aid of SaaS applications. Users often pay a recurring cost, either monthly or annually.

8 Benefits of Using Cloud-based Business Management Software

As technology continues to evolve, understanding the latest consumer trends is essential for businesses to stay competitive. One trend that has emerged is remote working, which has forced conventional workplaces to pivot the way they operate. Another area in which businesses are adapting is in the storage, processing, and collaboration of data. This is where cloud-based business management software comes in, providing adaptable and easy-to-use solutions that cater to the latest consumer trends. 

The number of companies using cloud computing is growing. In fact, 69% of businesses accelerated their cloud migration in 2022, and that number is likely to grow. 

Here are some other top benefits of using cloud-based business management software for your business: 

1. Promotes Job Satisfaction 

Cloud-based business management software makes managing who has access to what easier, especially if your workforce is increasingly remote. Employees can log in from wherever they are and use whatever device they like, increasing productivity and allowing for greater autonomy and adaptability across the company. 

With this consolidated method of interaction, your teams will all be on the same page and more motivated to work together. By empowering employees with more autonomy while retaining the necessary level of control, you can increase job satisfaction and employee retention.

2. Improves Data Accessibility

For employees to be as productive as possible, it goes without saying that they need to access data remotely and in real time. Cloud computing gives employees access to company data from any device with an internet connection. With the right credentials, users get immediate access to data by logging in to a single online hub.

Role-based access is also a feature of certain cloud-based services, ensuring that only authorized users can access sensitive information. These security measures help to ensure that only authorized individuals can gain access to private data. Another advantage is that it enables managers to efficiently manage remote teams, which means that employees in different locations, even across the world, can collaborate on the same projects as their colleagues in the central office.

3. Offers Better Protection

Improving your company’s cyber security practices is essential in modern business, as cyberattacks and hackers pose a threat to corporate data. 

By investing in a robust data security process, you can curb data theft and keep sensitive information safe. This means fewer emergencies and maintaining a solid reputation with your employees and customers.

Switching to cloud-based business management software is an excellent approach for strengthening cybersecurity. A cloud-based business management system helps you keep tabs on sensitive information and ensure its safety.

Some methods used by cloud vendors to guarantee data security include the following:

  • Data encryption
  • Web services security
  • The TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocol
  • Network IPSs (intrusion prevention systems)
  • Multi-factor authentication
  • Physical server security 

Moreover, software vendors undergo internal and external audits, so your business can be sure that your data is safe and secure.

4. Improves Scalability 

No matter the size of your business, change and growth are inevitable, whether it’s setting up a new onboarding system or exploring complex topics like model drift detection. With this in mind, your enterprise management system must be flexible to accommodate such changes. 

If you need to add or remove users as your company expands or contracts, you can do it with ease when using cloud-based software.

What’s more, you’ll have far more leeway than you would with a legacy system because of the ability to scale your infrastructure to match business demands. Because you only pay for what you use, there’s no chance of overspending or running out of storage space.

A flexible system that can adapt to technological developments and market shifts is crucial to thriving in competitive marketplaces. When compared to a proprietary system, cloud-based business management solutions’ flexible upgrades and new features are affordable and offer significant growth potential.

Furthermore, cloud-based solutions enable greater opportunities for integration, either between applications from a single provider or third-party software, allowing you to customize your technology to your organization’s specific demands.

5. Offers a Cost-Effective Solution

Cloud management software helps you store data without the hassle of purchasing and maintaining hardware and other equipment. Setting up cloud-based business operations also requires less of an upfront financial commitment than setting up in-house infrastructure and employing a full-time IT department.

The majority of cloud-based services only charge you for your consumption. Like with other services, data storage space is often priced per unit of storage space used. These services are reasonably priced and contribute to reduced costs and a higher ROI.

6. Supports Data Backup and Recovery

Reducing downtime and preventing data loss are key priorities for successful businesses. However, both targets can be difficult to achieve and maintain. Taking measures to limit the severity of data loss and downtime as much as possible is an important first step.

Unnecessary expenses and losses can accrue quickly when even minor problems arise. Data backup and disaster recovery are crucial in the event of unexpected problems. Data recovery and backup functions are built into cloud-based software to mitigate the effects of emergencies such as power outages or natural disasters.

If your company’s data is safely backed up in the cloud, you can rest easy when unexpected situations arise and your system is compromised in any way.

7. Offers Automatic Updates

Speaking of loss of productivity and unanticipated downtime, both are possible results of overlooking software updates. 

Traditional software needs regular manual upgrades to function correctly. This is often a tedious, costly, and challenging task that might require an IT professional’s help or input. 

By using cloud-based software, your business can benefit from the time savings and peace of mind that come with having the most recent software upgrades applied instantly. This automation eliminates the need for costly and time-consuming third-party IT support. If your employees don’t have to spend time on mundane tasks like maintenance, they’ll have more mental bandwidth for more critical projects.

8. Supports Work Synchronization

It’s easy for mistakes to be made when several people are working on one digital file. 

However, if your files are stored on the cloud, you’ll always have access to the most recent version, regardless of what device you’re using and who else is modifying the file. 

This feature is valuable for organizations that prioritize continuity in communications, such as a virtual customer service business. Changes are updated in real time and synchronized across all accessible devices, allowing your employees to make key business decisions using the most recent data.

Take Control of Your Business

The best part about cloud computing is that it simplifies complex business systems and saves you time and resources. 

You don’t have to struggle to maintain vital business systems by expending scarce IT resources. It handles all that, allowing you to focus on more critical business goals thanks to your cloud computing provider.

Nevertheless, cloud computing also has certain drawbacks that you should be aware of before making the switch. To get the most out of a cloud business management system, it’s important to do your research on the services you’re considering, learn about security measures and compliance requirements, and provide your team with appropriate training on how to use the new system.

How to Protect Your Business’s Assets on a Cloud Network

Posted on by Eleanor Hecks

Cloud networks are the wave of the future. The ability to access your business assets anywhere is attractive to many companies—especially those with a remote team. However, protecting digital assets requires sophisticated knowledge and foresight. 

The cloud services market is a $266.4 billion industry and growing yearly. As with anything online, though, cybercriminals will try to find ways to access personal information or take systems down. Protecting your business’s assets is a vital step in ensuring your customer and business data stays safe. 

Cloud security is often a concern of small-business owners. Some may even shy away from cloud computing due to fears of exposing trade secrets or customer lists. That said, you can take steps to protect your business’s assets while reaping the benefits.

1. Choose the Right Provider

Your first step should involve choosing your cloud provider wisely. What steps do they take to ensure secure digital assets? Top cloud-based hosting companies have the best security software imaginable. Because they represent numerous clients, they can invest more in world-class protection.

Ask how they back up information. What happens if a hack does occur? Find out how frequently they update their security systems and what they do to identify and quarantine potential threats.

2. Match Specialties

Some cloud providers specialize in working with particular industries. A company that already has clients in your sector better understands your specific security needs. Cloud migration can take endless hours of moving databases to a new setup. It helps to know which system you want and why. 

Find a provider willing to move information over for you in a secure environment so you start the process with less risk.

3. Secure Your Wi-Fi

blue wi-fi strength indicator for cloud security

It doesn’t matter who your provider is if the devices used to access data are compromised. Make sure company Wi-Fi is secure so that non-authorized people can’t log in and watch what your employees are doing. Instead, set up a guest Wi-Fi if you want to provide convenient Wi-Fi connectivity to on-premises visitors.

The Covid-19 pandemic showed us that remote work environments are effective. Your IT department should pay particular attention to security concerns for employees working off-premises. If remote staff needs to access information from the main office, set up a secure VPN network that’s resistant to cyber-attacks.

4. Require Regular Password Resets

Require your workers to reset their passwords for logging into the office network every 45 days or so. Set complexity rules around the types they can create, don’t allow repeated passwords, and ask them to protect their current login information. Multi-factor authentication, where users receive a secondary verification code on a trusted mobile phone, is a must.

Although not as common as some other attack vectors, there have been occasions when someone works at a coffee shop and a nearby table notes their login and steals it to access a company website.

Identity Theft Resource Center infographic depicting Q1 2023 data compromise statistics.

5. Security

Just because news of corporate data compromise no longer dominates the headlines, breaches are still happening. Most in-house IT staff are well-versed in a number of disciplines, but effective data security practices are a moving target.

Consider hiring a 3rd-party cybersecurity expert. The level of creativity and malice of today’s data theft actors is astonishing and they only need to succeed one time. To avoid catastrophe, your security needs to be right every time.

Today’s outsourced cybersecurity firms offer surprisingly inexpensive services to help businesses stop attacks before they occur. 

6. Train Employees

One of the top things you can do is train your employees in cybersecurity. Explain spoofing and phishing and how they can avoid it. Set policies to never request password information in an email. 

Spend time refreshing your staff about how to keep data secure every so often. They should be very careful when working in public locations.

Should you need to terminate an employee, make sure their account credentials are disabled immediately. Otherwise, you open your brand up to vengeance attacks. 

7. Keep Backups

Even if the cloud hosting company you use keeps regular backups, and most do, make sure you keep them as well. In the case of a severe cyberattack, your entire system, website, and online presence may go down.

The best way to get back online fast and avoid revenue loss is with a recent backup. However, it might take days to restore everything if you don’t. Develop a business continuity and disaster recovery plan before a catastrophe happens. In a worst-case scenario, you risk losing some data forever.

8. Keep Sensitive Data Offline

If your company has some truly sensitive data because you work with patients or the government, consider keeping some things off the internet. No matter how much software you install or how robust your security is, there’s always a chance of hacking.

If something is extremely sensitive, you can code it and use that for your online entries or just take that information to your private servers. However, they must also be kept secure.

9. Encrypt at the File Level

Even if your cloud provider uses encryption, add another layer of protection by encrypting before you upload your files. You’ll need something your remote workers can access, but it’s crucial to take that one added step to prevent sensitive data leaks.

Use database sharding to break up sections and store them in different locations to further protect documents. They may breach your network, but they aren’t likely to find the full information they need to steal private information. They’ll only have bits and pieces.

Business Cloud Security

The rate of cyberattacks has grown in the past year. More people are online, and businesses have to be remote-work-friendly. Cybercriminals are taking advantage of this, but you can stop them in their tracks—and protect business assets on the cloud—by following a few of the tips mentioned above.

Think about the different ways you might open yourself up to an attack and take steps to stop it before it happens. Your cloud provider can help by putting protections in place, and you can ramp up security on your end, too.

ERP Safety and Cybersecurity: What You Need To Know

Posted on by Matt Bernot

These days, it seems like a rarity that cybersecurity doesn’t make at least one headline in the daily news cycle. More accurately, these headlines are primarily instances where there is a drastic lack of cybersecurity.

“U.S. Government agencies fail to meet even basic cybersecurity standards.” 

“The colonial pipeline attack: rethinking cyber regulations on utility companies.” 

“Ransomware: international cooperation is needed to curb these cybersecurity threats.”

In today’s environment where employees are working remotely as well as geographically scattered, security has become everyone’s job—not just the responsibility of the IT department. Every employee of every sized business, from interns to CEOs, SMEs to Fortune 500 companies, needs to increase their cybersecurity diligence. 

Many people treat their cybersecurity responsibilities as they would a recommendation from their dentist—being instructed to floss more and cut back on sweets often falls on deaf ears. 

Without proper cybersecurity hygiene (creating strong passwords, avoiding phishing emails, using outdated software, etc) your business and your bottom line are in danger of rot and decay. 

Fortunately, there are technological solutions that provide businesses and users with vast safeguards against malicious actors. Namely, cloud-based all-in-one ERP software. 

How To Maintain ERP Safety and Security 

erp cloud security business management software

As far as software is concerned, cloud ERP software is resoundingly safer than traditional data centers. In fact, the use of cloud infrastructure generally results in 60% fewer security incidents.

In reality, it is the usage, policies, and mechanisms of control that fail—not the technology itself. 

Jay Heiser, Vice President Analyst at Gartner, has some poignant advice for CIOs in the position of managing their cloud ERP software:

“CIOs need to ensure that their security teams are not holding back cloud initiatives with unsubstantiated cloud security worries. Exaggerated fears can result in lost opportunity and inappropriate spending.”

He suggests that instead of asking “Is the cloud secure?” executives should be asking “Am I using the cloud securely?”

Similarly, a car manufacturer would not be to blame in the event of an accident where the driver was speeding excessively, using their phone, and not wearing a seat belt.

Let’s take a look at the most crucial areas and aspects of ERP software that require the most attention to detail in terms of maintaining network security.

Stay Uniform

As software complexity increases, the possibility of errors increases along with it. For businesses with over 200 employees, some ERPs provide over 800,000 software customizations that can be controlled by users. 

In order to combat this, it’s important to establish data management protocols within your organization and assign access accordingly. Onboarding, training, offboarding, and continuous internal software support will only benefit your organization.

Conduct Internal Audits

Audits are an important part of any well-oiled business, so why wouldn’t the same be true for your software? While the best ERPs adhere to strict security standards, it’s important to conduct audits of how employees and other users under your organization’s umbrella are using the system.

Are their passwords secure? Are they accessing data from unsecured networks? Who has access and the ability to change system settings? 

These questions and more are some that you will want to address and answer internally—every business and every industry has different needs, rules, and regulations.

Utilize Software Training and Support Staff

Your employees—in this case, your ERP users—are at the heart of everything your business does. Security is no exception. If users are cavalier about company data, protocols, and necessary procedures, it can lead to fiscal headaches and wasted time. 

All too often, ERP software systems are implemented without an expert support team. Having a savvy support staff is crucial for successful employee adoption of the software.

Though management may be able to point to the vast benefits of ERP software (cost savings, better communication, improved document management, etc.) it takes a true expert in the software itself to successfully, fully onboard employees.

Benefits of ERP Software: Built-In Security Standards

ERP software is full of all kinds of benefits—risk mitigation is a major one. No piece of technology on earth is entirely invulnerable to malicious activity, but ERP software provides a myriad of ways to protect your business’s valuable data and processes. 

One of the brilliant aspects of ERP software is that it’s able to provide a wide range of solutions to a wide range of logistical challenges. The “all-in-one” nature of ERP software keeps businesses fully connected and integrated—in turn, this allows businesses to address problems with a bird’s eye view, removing the guesswork and wasted energy that often accompanies the problem-solving process.

all in one erp software benefits security

Cloud Security

Compared to other data storage methods that have been prominent in the past (most notably local servers and analog data storage) the cloud is a resoundingly safer solution.

It’s a tried-and-true method that businesses continue to invest in—in the first quarter of 2023, cloud services infrastructure spending increased to $41.8 billion on a global level. Compared to the same period in 2020, this was a 35% year-on-year growth and a 5% quarter-on-quarter rise.

While cloud security as an industry has proven to be safe, scalable, and cost-efficient, it’s important to know who bears the technical responsibility of hosting your data. 

Does your cloud infrastructure provider delegate some hosting responsibilities to third-party organizations? Is your cloud ERP implementation team the same organization that actually does the work of storing your data?

Ideally, none of these questions will ever actually matter because your data will be forever safe and secure. Nevertheless, it’s important to do your due diligence on every organization your data is affiliated with. Most of the time, these answers can all be obtained from a single conversation with your ERP provider.

Frequent System Updates

Software updates serve an important purpose across the world’s entire technological landscape. And, no, it’s not to annoy you with a loading screen that lingers a bit too long for your liking.

Installing security software update

Software updates are vital—they patch security flaws, protect data, and improve system performance. When it comes to ERP software, updates are frequent and full of substance.

Data Redundancy

What’s the only thing more important than keeping your data safe? Keeping your data safe—twice, three times, or more. 

Cloud storage capabilities that are baked into the best ERP software systems allow users to fully access and update data sets while keeping up-to-the-second backups safe and secure. Gone are the days that it’s required to make multiple physical copies or even manually copy and paste documents. 

With a staggering chunk of the American workforce still working remotely—often on personal, security-poor workstations—it’s even more important to have enterprise-level redundancy measures in place. Data redundancy is a central focus of every ERP system. 

Data Encryption

Data redundancy is a crucial piece of the cybersecurity puzzle. Data encryption is an equally large piece, too. The higher the quality of the encryption measures, the higher the quality of protection that your business will enjoy. Fortunately, ERP systems maintain exceptionally high-security standards.

 

By nearly every conceivable metric, cyber-attacks and cybersecurity incidents have increased over the last several years. The pandemic has led to an aggressive explosion of this pre-existing uptrend.

cloud-based ERP data encryption

Disconnected software systems with vastly differing security protocols simply do not cut it anymore—ERP software provides a lasting, secure solution to cybersecurity. 

Installing An Administrator

ERP software needs to be safe and secure every single time it’s used. This isn’t a request or a “wishlist” item—it’s a requirement. In all reality, safety and security is just the beginning. 

ERP software is built to serve people of all roles and responsibilities. The best way to ensure that every user is able to operate in an efficient and safe manner? Choose an ERP with a detailed permissions-based system. 

Some employees will need more access than others. It’s important to be able to have varying roles with differing capabilities while all working under one, unified software umbrella. 

Now you may be thinking “Even if I have a tech-savvy employee, they’re still new to using this ERP system too. How can they be functional administrators?” The answer to this question: training and consulting sessions with the ERP’s native support staff.

The support staff of an ERP system is there to help you get the most out of your software. They’ll answer questions, offer advice on best practices, generate guides and other instructional materials, and so on and so forth. They’ll be able to provide the crucial assistance you need during the initial adoption process. 

They’ll be able to show your organization how to properly assign and edit permissions for every employee, where and when it’s safe to access data, and how to protect your system against phishing attacks, unauthorized user access, and other malicious activities.

Just like a great coach, they’ll be there to guide you while allowing you to learn and explore on your own. 

Modern ERPs are Safe, Secure, and Reliable

Hi-tech cloud software security

Cybersecurity is the framework that ERP software relies upon. Without extended and continuous security measures in place, the benefits that ERP software brings to businesses are all for naught. 

But security efforts don’t end with lines of code—it takes the effort of all of your employees in addition to your ERP’s support staff day in and day out. 

ERP software sourced from cloud computing technology is the gold standard of enterprise data security, and you and your employees need to be the gold standard in making sure safety protocols and precautions are implemented and followed.

The Value Of A Software Support Team That “Gets” You

Posted on by Matt Bernot

Your work is incredibly personal to you. Taking on the task of being your own boss doesn’t come without a personal, emotional, and absolute commitment to the work that you do.

You enjoy the challenge of taking things head-on. You and your employees have found ways to conjure up solutions where others have remained stuck in neutral. You take pride not just in the hard work you’ve done, but the “smart work,” too. 

When it comes to software—and technology in general—every business owner has a differing level of expertise. Some have been at the forefront of integration, others have stuck with older, seemingly tried-and-true methods. No matter where you land on that spectrum, two things are true:

  • The need for total technological immersion of your business grows larger every day. 
  • The software—and the software support specialists—helping to run your business need to work for you.

Not every step this process will be pain-free. There will be plenty of hiccups, blips, and glitches. But hey, that’s nothing new for someone who started their business from the ground up. Just as you’re there for your employees and their needs, you need a software support team that will be there for you and your business every step of the way.

Your Business Is Unique

At the root of high quality customer service is one basic principle: understanding. The support specialists you turn to need to have an intimate understanding of how your business runs. Remember, they are there to serve your needs.

Take this as an example of good customer service: the company you hire delivers a software package as promised. It seems to be functioning as expected. There’s instruction manuals, FAQs, and a 1-800 number to call in case—or, more likely, when—things go haywire. As you’re getting acclimated to the interface, you experience some minor difficulties with a specific functionality.

When you call the support hotline, you’re placed in a queue. When your turn arrives, you don’t speak to anyone you’ve been in contact with before. This person doesn’t necessarily seem like a software support specialist. You’re left with being told that your issue is being processed and that it will be resolved in a “timely manner.”

A couple of days go by, and you get a call from someone doing their best to help. You explain the issue yet again, and they were able to direct you to a solution that left you thinking “Well, that issue wasn’t too hard to fix. It would have done my business a lot of good to have that handled a few days ago. If someone showed me how, I probably could’ve done that myself.”

At the end of the day, you received good service. The issue was fixed, and life goes on. But is good service the standard you’re setting for your business? What happens when the issue is especially time sensitive, or if the issue is severe enough to result in lost revenue? Or both? Businesses like yours are facing more turbulent times than ever before. To navigate through the sea of uncertainty in 2020 and beyond, your business needs great service from top software support teams that you can rely on day in and day out. 

The Hallmarks of Great Customer Service

Software Supports Teams Catering To You

Now more than ever, a personal touch in the business world goes a long way. With so many businesses and families reeling in the wake of this period of economic turmoil, people are turning their attention—and wallets—towards companies that “get them.” In fact, 56% of customers stay loyal to brands that “get them.” 

What does it mean when a business “gets” you? Though the criteria is different for each business and each customer, personalized service is the key.

Smart businesses understand that each customer is unique in their demands and expectations, and will go above and beyond to ensure that each customer is satisfied in their own way. Your product functioning as promised is just the bare minimum, and only the beginning of the relationship. Brands that truly want to retain their customers will do their best to meet their human needs.

Personal Connection

In a study conducted by Forbes, 86% of customers say an emotional connection with a customer service agent would make them continue to do business with the company. This level of loyalty without mention of the product or service offered should underscore the value of quality customer service. For small business tech support services, this level of intimacy is vital.

One way to establish this connection is to be proactive in troubleshooting. Conventional wisdom might tell us that it wouldn’t be wise to alert the customer to a problem or flaw that they may not have known existed. But at the end of the day, transparency, compassion, and genuine commitment to delivering the best product and service reigns supreme. Having a live chat support software will enable real time communication and problem solving.

A Symbiotic Relationship

If you’re a hardened skeptic that believes benevolence doesn’t come without dollar signs attached, you wouldn’t be entirely wrong. It is without a doubt in a businesses best interest—especially in the CRM software support industry—to retain your business. Acquiring a new customer is five to 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing one. This is what we like to call a “win-win.” Your business not only receives a good product, but an empathetic and helping hand every step of the way. 

Invest In People

Just as you place a premium on the value of teamwork and collaboration within your business, the organization behind the software you deploy should share the same ethos in its practices. 

The best thing that you can do for your business is to enlist the help of people who will make your business better—simple as that. Do your research into the people behind the software you’re purchasing. If you invest in the best remote tech support software backed by a team of dedicated, empathetic, and talented people that will unconditionally support you and your staff, your business will be prepared for anything. 

When Employees and Customers Don’t Want to Wear Masks

Posted on by Matt Bernot

Polarization has become par for the course in the United States. It spreads across all facets of everyday life: social media, sports, politics, social justice, news, and even the virus itself. Very few aspects of our culture have been immune to the tidal wave of immoderation. 

family with masks safety that uses all in one business management software

Every business owner in America—and, for that matter, the world—has aggressively pivoted towards a safety-centric business model. While the health of your employees and patrons has been at the forefront of your agenda, your business stillhas a responsibility to maintain fiscal health, too. This requires (almost) never turning away a paying customer. 

With each American business confronting various degrees of noncompliance, disobedience, and outright irresponsible behavior from patrons—and sometimes employees—in regards to public health, business owners have been put squarely in the center of an unprecedented predicament without an obvious solution.

How do you assure your customers, employees, and even your own family that you are acting in the best interests of public health without completely alienating those with antithetical beliefs? Customers with whom you share fundamentally different ideologies are still your customers, and the same goes for your employees.

Health Comes First

When it comes down to it, your business’s commitment to upholding health and safety regulations is priority number one. Creating and maintaining an environment that is diligent in upholding safety protocols starts with you, but it takes a team to make sure nothing slips through the cracks. Your employees can not afford to take a passive approach to combating COVID-19. In a survey done by Accenture, 82% of consumers were fearful for the health of others, as opposed to 64% that were fearful for their own health.

While brick-and-mortar establishments have the benefit of being able to heavily enforce safety rules and regulations, businesses that offer—or are exclusively limited to—field services have been forced to toe the line of overstepping boundaries. Your employees are required to wear masks when in a customer’s home, and you’ve required that customers reciprocate. But what happens when a customer does not oblige? 

After all, they’re in their own home. Does your employee feel obligated to continue servicing the customer, or have you afforded them the autonomy to refuse service? What happens when it’s not the customer, but your own employee ignoring protocols? While each customer and employee is unique in their methods and beliefs, your job is to lay out the ground rules for deeming what is acceptable while on the clock.  

Everyone has differing opinions on what they think is the “right thing” to do is right now. Disagreements will occur—it’s natural. But by doing our best to occasionally take a walk in someone else’s shoes, we can work together towards the common goal of safety. Including empathy in the core philosophy of your business plan isn’t just a suggestion anymore—it is imperative for you and your employees alike to understand that.

Remain Calm in Conflict

Everyone is subject to moments where stress gets the best of us—it’s a part of being human. Whether you have worked directly with customers or have simply been a bystander in a shopping centre, most people have encountered an unruly customer at some point. Before COVID, it was simply an annoyance. Customers—fairly or unfairly—would seemingly lose the ability to use their “inside voice” while hurling insults and vulgarity. Annoying, yes, but most likely not dangerous.

In today’s world, the routine rudeness towards those in customer service positions has escalated. With these professionals often tasked with policing the health and safety measures of their business, they are subject to the backlash coming from those who don’t feel as though public safety measures apply to them. The backlash becomes magnified when your employees have to police this behavior while in the confines of your customer’s home. 

Don’t forget—just because your employees are in charge of enforcing health and safety regulations does not mean they are perfect actors themselves. Be aware and in control of your employees behavior. Their nonchalance about mask-wearing will foster an unsafe environment, and it facilitates further unsafe behavior from the customers who are following their lead. It is up to you to ensure your employees are setting a good example.

This is all uncharted territory. Before 2020, the customer was always right, no matter what. But what happens when the customer is threatening the health of those around them rather than simply being argumentative about returning a pair of shoes? What happens when it’s your trusted employee of 10 years that is neglecting safety protocols?

  • Be empathetic. Most people that are lashing out at you about safety protocols are handling their own frustrations and anxieties about the pandemic in a poor fashion. Oftentimes, they just want to feel heard. Reiterate that you value their business—or their contributions to your business—and simply want them to take part in safety measures for the betterment of everyone. Even when you don’t agree, express understanding.
  • Keep Things Professional. While it is important to be assertive and firm, communicate in a manner that doesn’t resort to raised voices, personal insults, or otherwise unprofessional behavior. Sometimes, people are just seeking conflict for conflict’s sake—don’t indulge them.
  • Work As A Team. As the owner or primary authority on staff, it may be in your best interest to step in during a confrontation with an unruly customer. While your employees should always be encouraged to ask for help, they may be less likely to do so in a situation like this. 

    Give your employees room to resolve the conflict themselves, but if the customer continues to unreasonably escalate the situation, it’s time for you to step in. If there is a scenario where a customer is attempting to hold an employee accountable to following safety standards, take time to pull them aside, address the issue, and reiterate what they can do better next time.
men shaking hands talking about all in one business management software
  • Offer Solutions. During an altercation, it doesn’t always seem possible to find a reasonable solution. But when you’re able to focus the attention on the future rather than the initial problem, people are more likely to participate in the de-escalation process. Whether it’s providing a free mask or offering personalized attention, find ways to progress the conversation. 
  • It’s Their Home, But It’s Your Health. If your business offers field services, your employees may feel a bit uncomfortable enforcing rules in someone’s home. It is important that you address this with both your employee and the customer in advance—laying out the ground rules will remove the ambiguity and awkwardness.

    Your employees and customers need to know when, and if, it is acceptable to refuse service. If your customer reports unsafe employee behavior, take immediate steps to confront that employee so that further issues do not arise.  
  • Know When To Draw The Line. Just because you do everything right doesn’t always mean the other person will follow suit. If someone is endangering the health of you, your staff, and other customers, it may be time to remove them from the premises. This is a last resort saved for only the worst of the worst offenders. That being said, it’s important to know when this option must be utilized.

    While you’ll tolerate some heated vocabulary and minor non-safety related rule violations, the line is crossed when this person repeatedly refuses to wear a mask, social distance, or otherwise not follow public safety protocols.

Put The Situation In Perspective

It can be easy to let personal sentiments trickle into your professional life—especially when it relates to dealing with particularly difficult customers. The manner in which your employees respond to these challenges begins with you. As a business owner, your job is to cultivate an atmosphere that upholds a professional standard of service to every customer regardless of any personal disagreements that may exist. That being said, it is also important that you teach your employees where “the line” is, and what to do when a customer crosses it.

It can be awkward—at the very least—to address these issues with an uncooperative employee as opposed to a customer. Regardless if you’ve known them for 20 years or 2 months, they are people capable of spreading COVID-19 just like you and me. No one is exempt from the responsibility of maintaining public health, and it’s your job to have those uncomfortable conversations to ensure this stays true. 

In our increasingly polarized world, we encounter many people whose words leave us with nothing but an exasperated “Really? C’mon.” Being the bigger person is hard. But when your business—and public health—is at stake, being the bigger person is the only option there is.

Data Security Just Became Everyone’s Job

Posted on by Matt Bernot

Gone are the days when your tech support team was just down the hall, ready to diagnose any dilemma ailing your devices. Even if you don’t have an IT professional on-premise, every office has their de facto “tech expert”. Maybe that person is you, maybe it’s an intern, accountant, whomever. But now that your employees are scattered, what is the proper protocol for handling complex technical difficulties? Or, more importantly, what is the proper protocol for proactively deterring these issues? Google is always ready and willing to answer your questions, but sometimes your employees will require more than a search query.

Cyber Security

Technical malfunctions are an issue in more ways than one. In the midst of the most abrupt shift businesses—and, frankly, modern society—have ever seen, hackers, scammers, and delinquents across the world are digging their seedy fingers into any vulnerability they can detect.

Protecting your business against threats starts with investing in the proper technology, but it goes far beyond that. Your employees need to understand the importance of protecting your business’s data, and need to be aware of the dangers that often lie in plain sight. With the persistent and continued entanglement of personal and business information comes increased responsibility on behalf of you and your employees.

Time Is Money

If your business has never been exposed to a data breach, then consider yourself lucky. Cybercrime has consistently been on the rise for years now, but the COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to even more attacks across the globe. With an unprecedented amount of people working from unsecured workstations, it has been a proverbial field day for cybercriminals.

Now, you may be thinking “Why would someone hack my small business? We’re not Apple or Amazon with trillions in the bank.” It’s a fair point, but put yourself in the shoes of the criminals for a minute. Would you feel more apt to launch an attack on an organization with arguably more money, power, and cybersecurity systems than most world governments or on a small to medium sized business with (relatively) less money, power, or cybersecurity infrastructure?

From the eyes of the criminal, it seems wise to steal $1000 from 100 different uber-vulnerable small businesses rather than heist $100,000 from a Fortune 500 company. Insidious as these criminals are, they are savvy enough not to pick fights they cannot win. 

According to a study published on Vox.com, 1 in 5 small businesses have fallen victim to a cyberattack. Of those, 60% go out of business within 6 months. Considering that—according to IBM—the average time from identification to containment of a security breach is 280 days, your business simply can’t afford not to take preventive measures against cybercrime. 

Securing The Workstation

Many businesses have been fortunate enough to be able to give employees the hardware they need to continue operating remotely. For others, they’ve had to rely on their employees’ personal computers to get the job done. By now, in either case, you’ve probably read up on standard security measures to take. You’ve mandated VPN software, ensuring passwords don’t actually contain the word “password”, and educated your employees on the dangers of phishing emails.

Even if you put all of these procedures in place, sometimes they are simply not enough. No business is unique—true cybersecurity can’t be achieved with a “one-size-fits-all” approach. By using software that can mold to the contour of your business’s specific needs, you’ll be able to have the peace of mind knowing that your data is safe.  

With all of your employees operating, communicating, and sharing documents under the same umbrella of security, you’ll be able to better handle any issues that arise. More importantly, you’ll be able to prevent them from even happening in the first place.

People, Not Computers, Make Choices

As a business owner, your job is not only to put proper security protocols in place, but to ensure they are actually being followed. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link—it only takes one less-than-diligent employee to compromise your data. How can you make sure security measures are consistently being adhered to without disrupting the atmosphere of trust that has become so crucial to remote work?

Online Trust

The answer is proper training. Whether that is coming directly from you, your IT department, or an outside agency enlisted to help your business, it is critical that your employees know what’s at stake. Cybercriminals are cunning, heartless, and unrelenting—they will always be pursuing new tactics of subversion. When your employees are properly educated and trained on how to best hinder the actions of malevolent actors, they will better understand the gravity of the situation.

Act Early, Remain Diligent

Not all problems can be avoided, especially during a time like this. But if you find your business playing catch-up when it comes to a security breach, it may already be too late. By taking tangible, preventative steps to install the proper systems you can rest assured that you’re doing everything in your power to keep your business afloat.

Keep your employees in the loop—their understanding of the critical role they play in data security is paramount. Cybercrime will never truly cease to exist, but when it comes to your business, your fate doesn’t have to be determined by anyone but you.