Author: Justin Hesser

With more companies switching to cloud computing as a means to store essential documents or work papers, many employees are taking advantage of this by working remotely. Oftentimes working away from the desk can increase morale and cause a nice change of scenery to the usual office space, but sometimes it can cause communication issues that could prove costly.

The use of a custom database software like FileMaker can be very effective for those who are working remotely as it can store and share many important documents and information between employees.

If employees wish to combat these risks and maintain a productive workday away from the office, they may want to adhere to some of these tips provided from major technology website, Wired.

According to Wired, working remotely can be very easy, it just requires a "digital omnipresence." Being in all digital places at one time is needed in order to successfully complete the necessary work and assignments, while still maintaining excellent communication with fellow employees. Wired says that the use of cloud based services can easily help share documents from personal computers to colleagues in the office.

Also, those working remotely will need to ensure they aren't missing anything nor leaving anyone out of the loop by informing co-workers that they will be out of the office that day. This level of communication is critical to the point where Wired suggests that employees and managers working away from their desk take the effort to respond quickly to inquiries and even "over-communicate" to ensure that nothing gets lost between one computer and another.

If business owners wish to give themselves or their employees the opportunity to take advantage of this technology, they may want to consult a FileMaker developer. 

Many companies collect data on their customers, everything from online clicking habits or shopping patterns. But although this data may be stored in a custom database, it won't do much unless the employees know how to use it. To that effect, FastCompany has offered three tips for companies to follow to accurately use its data.

According to FastCompany, businesses should be able to give the customer a sense of control while taking advantage of the data. For example, when major retailer Target first started to recognize pregnant customers based on their purchasing patterns, rather than directly affronting them with prenatal products, Target would send flyers that included only a few of those products with an abundance of random items mixed in.

Although the company was able to increase sales by accurately marketing to the right customer, it was done in a way that wasn't on-the-nose and made the customer feel in control of their decisions.

Also, when companies are directly talking to customers or clients it's important for the employees to have a wealth of data available on hand, but to only mention what is necessary. Although this is very similar to the first rule on allowing the customer to feel as if they still maintain control, this is more about privacy.

When FastCompany's contributor, Sean Madden, was speaking with a representative at Amazon he asked if they could send it to his "Northeast Ninth Avenue" address without previously mentioning that he listed it. The representative said yes and that was it. Discretion has become a key way for companies to use data when it comes to customer relations.

But, in order for employees to successfully practice these tips and tricks, FastCompany says that they must first have the right tools to get the job done. By investing in a database software or custom application development, managers and executives can ensure they will provide their customers with the proper tools to effectively use customer data. 

According to Inc. Magazine, "data is the new oil." As business productivity software and custom database solutions become increasingly popular, it's become even more imperative that companies keep up by investing in a custom application software to help hold and organize all the data that's being used.

This goes for all companies, from major corporations to small business and fledgling startups.

Inc. Magazine states that small businesses need to measure everything in order to get the greatest benefit from using data and analytics in business operations. The magazine gives an example from Ampush Media, a major marketing company, measuring the time customers spend between questions on a mortgage site.

"We started to look at the time between steps," said Jesse Pujji, the co-founder and president of the company. "We noticed that for more than 5 percent of visitors, if they hesitated more than two to three milliseconds at a step, we would lose them. We set up the site so that whenever there was that kind of hesitation, it would deliver an inspirational message, such as 'Low rates are just a few clicks away.' That improved conversion rates by 30 to 40 percent."

Although measuring the clicking habits of online shoppers is extremely important for small businesses – even if they do not primarily conduct e-commerce – measuring other aspects of business from inventory to employee payroll is essential to ensure that this raw data can be turned into information and insight on how well the company is functioning.

Companies can achieve this clarity by investing in a custom database software that can accumulate and display this information to fit the business owner's needs and increase business productivity. 

For many small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) the day-to-day challenges of business operations can be the most expensive and challenging aspects of the company. As many businesses are started to be conducted exclusively online, it has become essential for SMBs to utilize software systems that allow for increased productivity and workload efficiency. Mashable – a popular technology resource – has recommended some ways that managers and business owners can improve in these areas.

Mashable suggests that business owners or managers keep track of software updates that help improve business productivity on software they are currently using. For example, FileMaker recently released its latest update, FileMaker 12, that has since been downloaded more than 100,000 times and includes new features that help improve the usability of the software on PCs as well as on mobile devices, whose use has also become increasingly popular.

Furthermore, by using a custom database software or other custom application development, Mashable suggests managers organize or eliminate "junk" from employees' PCs. By committing regular time to maintenance and organization of hard drives, employees can ensure that their computers – an essential ingredient to the workplace – run efficiently over extended periods of time. This will save the business time and money in not only streamlining productivity, but also saving fiscally by not having to purchase new equipment.

In addition to organizational and maintenance care, Mashable suggests that executives invest in a business productivity software system that is dynamic enough to tackle many tasks. Rather than using multiple programs for similar activities, investing in one database that can be customized to perform an assortment of tasks can eliminate software that may actually be unnecessary. By doing this, businesses should see an increased productivity and organization. 

Organization and document storage is, oftentimes, either an ignored issue or one that consumes too much time and energy from employees or even CEOs. Although some companies may have their own ways of dealing with organizational debacles, one lost paycheck or a misplaced contract can be the difference between success and failure for many others.

To ensure that small businesses or startups are able to perform at their best, Inc. Magazine has listed a few areas of business management that may need some extra technological help for organization.

According to Inc., storage is always an issue with business, big or small. File storage capabilities have gotten the point that having multiple hard drives to back up tax forms and shipping receipts can seem outdated, let alone keeping actual hard copies of documents. Businesses may want to invest in a custom database software that utilizes cloud services to store their documents with little to no physical imprint than the device that was used to file it.

Furthermore, most standard database programs – much like Microsoft Excel – are efficient and productive, but don't fulfill the number of duties needed by business owners to help with customer relationship management. Some companies may need to keep track of when sales representatives have called a potential client or when executives need to document what was discussed in a teleconference. For this, a much more dynamic database may be needed to hold all of the information.

Also, contracts are a major concern with small businesses or startups. Any company that outsources its workload or hires independent contractors may have a number of different types of contracts it needs to use. While cloud storage solutions can assist this process, companies may want to speak with FileMaker consultants that can develop a custom database software that can not only store essential customer information but keep any number of contracts in one easy-to-access location. 

Innovation is a major part of business and technology, especially for small to medium sized businesses (SMB) as major legislation from the government continues to shake up the landscape.

Although one thing does remain certain is that the more a business can expand the better. According to Inc Magazine, expansion of small businesses or startups can seem much like being a teenager in that it can, oftentimes, be measured in growing pains and changes.

The magazine uses CleanScapes as an example. The Seattle-based company originally started as an exterior cleaning service and then grew to an even larger garbage collection company that operates on a pay-as-you-throw business model.

Being able to identify different opportunities for growth similar to CleanScapes' is one of the signs of a small business in the middle of maturation, according to Inc. The magazine states that once a business has set its roots in an industry it may begin to see how it functions or malfunctions, which can create many opportunities for expansion.

Furthermore, these new insights into the industry can help create differentiating factors. As companies develop and mature, their differentiators start to come out. Inc goes on to explain that "disruptive innovation," which is a way to approach an old problem with a new solution, is a way for companies to differentiate themselves and a sign of developing an identity.

Although all these developments mark change – which is imperative for many small businesses to expand – it's important for SMBs to maintain a dynamic database software to keep track of the day-to-day essentials amidst all this innovation. By seeking FileMaker consultants for custom application development, companies in the middle of puberty stand a better chance at developing than others. 

On April 17, I presented the third webinar in the 12 Days of FileMaker 12 series titled Layout Mode Enhancements which discusses powerful new layout tools that will help you design more consistent and graphically pleasing applications. If you haven’t already, you can sign up for this free webinar series at the FM Academy web site.
Here is a link to the video. FM Academy: Layout Mode Enhancements

Logistics and operations can make or break a small business, especially as consumers start to become accustomed to the instantaneous conveniences of e-commerce. With the United States Postal Service (USPS) in a state of critical repair, it may give concern to some small businesses to up the ante on order fulfillment and shipment tracking.

Despite the USPS' obvious influence in the day-to-day life of millions of Americans and small businesses, technological advancements as well as consumer expectations have changed the game a little bit. According to a Washington Post article written by Gloria Larkin of TargetGov, many companies have already begun functioning without the historic USPS.

"My business now e-mails invoices and more than 13,000 newsletters instead of using the postal service. While I personally still send an occasional birthday or sympathy card in the mail, other communications with colleagues, friends and family take place via online social networks and e-mail," wrote Larkin.

Although the USPS is not planning to go out of business any time soon, it is proposing major cutbacks in its services. This includes either eliminating or downsizing nearly 250 processing centers as well as getting rid of Saturday mail service, which could help save billions of dollars annually for the postal service and seriously affect the way many small businesses deliver their products.

With the landscape of logistics and communication technologies changing on an almost daily basis, companies should invest in custom application development and dynamic database software to ensure they can accurately keep track of where, when and how products and business essentials are being transported. 

As technologies change more rapidly, the old theory of the diffusion of innovations starts to prove itself correct. According to the diffusion, consumers can be split into five major groups: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority and laggards.

Their consumption practices function in a bell curve. As the late majority group – who take longer to use or adopt the product or technology than most – makes up the bulk of the demographics with a 34 percent share of a new product or technology's consumption, the innovators – who are oftentimes the ones making the new product or technology – comprise only 2.5 percent as they rest on the outer edge of the bell.

But, nevertheless, as technologies change by the hour this theory continues to hold more water. According to an article by Entrepreneur Magazine, although "mobile commerce" (m-commerce) has been abuzz for quite some time now, it's starting to catch on to the early majority and – pretty soon – the late majority will be purchasing more products on their phone than before.

That being said, many businesses and retailers may want to invest in adopting m-commerce to their business model. According to the article, nearly half of American cell phone users had smartphones back in October 2011. Of those smartphone users, two out of every five used the device to purchase a product in 2011 with 62 percent of Americans open to the idea of using their mobile phone as a purchasing device.

If small businesses wish to get the most out of their new mobile commerce apps or websites, investing in a database software like FileMaker or FileMaker Go for mobile devices, can help them maintain inventory control as well as monitor mobile and brick-and-mortar purchases. Companies who want to invest in this software should see FileMaker consultants.