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When it comes to customer interaction social media is a great choice, but email campaigns are one of the best – and underrated – avenues that companies can take. While many companies are a little too weary at annoying their customers with email updates, Inc. Magazine provides some tips for the trade that will allow businesses to get the most out of these campaigns, oftentimes with the use of a custom database software.

According to the source, businesses should email more often. While most companies will send out one or two emails per month to promote a sale or a new product, the standard should be around one every one to two weeks.

That being said, crafting emails can be a timely procedure. But, the use of a custom database can help marketers store an email template they can use to help structure each email. Although many company emails may have a similar aesthetic, it's important for businesses to change up the content, especially if they're emailing more often than previously. Adding variety to an email marketing campaign can help keep customers engaged and looking forward to the next email the company may have to offer.

Furthermore, using "remails" is a suggested way to increase the amount of customers who will look at each email. By storing emails in a custom database software – as well as keeping track of analytics and statistics such as how long customers will spend looking at emails and which get opened – businesses can access them and send the email again under a different subject title. This may increase an emails return on investment from 20 percent to up to 100, according to Inc.

While these practices for creating and deploying emails are important, the analytics of the effects of the emails are just as important. In order to maintain a custom database that can efficiently hold and deliver these statistics, businesses may want to consult a FileMaker developer. 

In today’s digital age, it’s become almost imperative that companies maintain social media accounts on all platforms, from Facebook to YouTube. But, in order to get the most out of these avenues of customer support, they need to participate in the social networking aspect, most effectively doing so by providing customer support.

Using custom database software can help these companies with social media campaigns as a means to organize projects and posts as well as maintain analytics, which can be important for participation considering that many consumers expect companies to be organized and efficient with how they use social media.

In fact, according to a survey by American Express, 42 percent of social media users are more likely to inform other consumers if they have a good experience with a business whereas 53 percent will warn their fellow consumers about a bad experience with a company. Although social media users are most likely to admonish rather than praise, they are also willing to spend more for great service.

Many consumers will use Twitter and other social media as a means of communicating with customers on problems they may be experiencing with their products. According to an experiment by STELLAService – a consumer resource service – that was conducted on 25 major companies, more than 50 percent of the consumer related questions they asked on Twitter were left unanswered.

In fact, there were only two companies where consumers were guaranteed to get an answer from and they were L.L. Bean and Zappos. The latter of which would respond to every single question in under an hour.

If companies wish to excel in this type of customer service as well, they may want to invest in a custom database software where they can maintain and easily access social media metrics and analytics as well as useful customer information for marketing and PR managers to utilize when answering customer questions.

Expanding a company can be a time consuming task. Between training new hires and integrating them into the workflow, managers may not be able to maintain required productivity levels – especially in fast-paced industries much like advertising and marketing. To quelm these necessary conflicts, firms may want to invest in a custom database software that can aid in training new hires as well as maintaining productivity within the rest of the company, especially as many firms plan to expand.

According to a survey by the Creative Group – an advertising and media staffing agency – 15 percent of marketing and advertising executives plan to add full-time staff within the next three months. But, while only 4 percent plan on reducing staff, this makes the net percentage of hiring managers at 11. This statistic is one point up from the group's second-quarter forecast.

According to the survey, social media, account services and web design/production are the areas that are in the highest demand. All of which are positions that may rely heavily on software like FileMaker that can allow them to track analytics, account statistics and necessary information as well as post projects.

"Investments in online projects and, in particular, social media initiatives continue to grow," said Donna Farrugia, the executive director of The Creative Group. "Hiring managers at organizations of all sizes and in every industry seek professionals who can help develop and execute digital campaigns, and cultivate online communities. Agencies also are looking for account services professionals to help manage new and existing client relationships, as well as identify opportunities for growth."

While many positions within the advertising industry require communication across all departments, the use of a custom database software may alleviate the conflicts that can come with new hires who are still learning any given firm's mode of operating. This is done by providing an easy and efficient way to post project results and manage tasks and projects. 

When it comes to completing high priority projects or overall company productivity, warmer summer weather can have an adverse effect on these important goals. But, rather than locking employees in their offices until the projects are done, most companies have actually given their workforce benefits during the summer months that allow them time out of the office, increasing the importance of a custom database software to track productivity.

In fact, according to a new survey from OfficeTeam – a nationwide staffing agency – the most coveted perks that employers are looking for with the summer months rolling up are flexible schedules and the ability to leave work early on Fridays. The former was the top prize with 41 percent of votes and the latter pulling 28 percent of votes. These results are very similar to the same survey conducted in 2009.

Furthermore, 75 percent of HR managers interviewed by OfficeTeam said their company has instituted a flexible summer schedule for employees while 63 percent have begun allowing workers to leave early on Fridays. While these incentives may increase morale for employees and keep top talent happy with their current positions, it may also curtail production, which OfficeTeam warns against.

“Businesses introducing flexible work arrangements should establish clear policies to ensure productivity isn’t negatively affected,” said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. “Its beneficial to stagger schedules and cross-train individuals so there’s always staff coverage. Conducting regular check-ins with team members who have alternate hours also helps keep projects on track.”

By using a custom database software, managers can track employee productivity and project progress to determine whether these schedule benefits are too loose or offer the appropriate amount of rest and relaxation. FileMaker is a database software capable of fulfilling these demands. Furthermore, the mobile version, FileMaker Go, can be used for any employees or managers who may be out of the office.

Customer satisfaction should be at the head of every business’ priority list. But, oftentimes, most companies don’t exactly have the means to judge whether their customers are truly satisfied or not. One way to combat this is by using a custom database software to store customer complaints or suggestions, and also maintain customer information that will allow them to cater towards each customer differently. In fact, FastCompany states that being able to not only maintain customer happiness, but also employee satisfaction is incredibly important.

According to the source, companies should take the time to remind customers on certain “housecleaning” issues. For example, informing a customer when a warranty or guarantee period is about to expire, warning them before renewing a subscription of charging them for an extended service agreement. Or on the other hand, informing customers when they’re eligible for a free upgrade or benefit. All of this data can be tracked using a custom database software

Furthermore, this technology can help track employee benefits as many experts consider keeping talent happy just as important as keeping customers happy. By letting workers know when they’re eligible for paid time off or a commission on a certain sale can help increase morale and confidence. In addition, when these perks are aligned with customer satisfaction goals, both parties benefit.

In addition, being able to track customer analytics is hugely important for all businesses, especially those attempting to enhance customer satisfaction. If companies don’t know what their customers want, how can they give it to them? A custom database software much like FileMaker can help businesses differentiate certain customers by their needs and not just by their overall business value, allowing the company to adjust how it services each customer to benefit them the most.

When it comes to competing in the modern business world, it’s imperative that companies not only utilize the internet but do so to its fullest extent. Oftentimes, in order to make the most out of a website and what it can do for businesses, managers and owners must track the statistics and behaviors of the site’s viewers. One way to do this is by using Google Analytics, another way is through a custom database software that can retain all this data.

Google Analytics is a program from the major search engine and technology giant that allows companies to access important statistics that give an image of the overall effectiveness of their website. One of the major components of Google Analytics is its ability to track audience behaviors and information.

According to an article from Inc. Magazine, companies that use Google Analytics should be sure to keep track of the language, location, mobile and visitor flow statistics under the audience feature. These key metrics allow companies to get a very clear picture of exactly what demographic is being driven to their website. This is hugely important as it can reveal whether a website is attracting the appropriate customers for what the business has to offer.

But, with these four metrics constantly being updated, maintaining their relevancy can be a feat too large for an Excel spreadsheet. By using a custom database software much like FileMaker, owners and managers will not only be able to recall previous analytics figures but also graph and sort them. Without being able to recall these statistics through a custom database, businesses won’t get the perspective that can be crucial to understanding whether any changes that may have been made are actually beneficial to the website.

With the economy slowly recover from the recession, many small businesses across the United States are starting to see an increase in demand. In order for these businesses to capitalize on this demand, they must be able to create the supply.

Therefore, productivity is, obviously, a major component to running a small business and supplying that consumer demand. Being able to get orders out on time, adhering to customer service requests and even the simple act of sending emails are imperative to maintaining a successful business.

According to a new survey from SurePayroll, Inc., small businesses showed 64 percent of owners were optimistic about the economy while hiring and paycheck distribution barely changed (in fact, both went down 0.1 percent over the month of May). Showing remarkable productivity, often through the use of technology.

“We’re seeing small businesses circling the runway right now. They’re not sure when and where to land,” said SurePayroll CEO Michael Alter. “Small businesses have made themselves more efficient through technology during this recovery, which is a good thing for them. However, it creates a holding pattern situation for the economy where increased hiring is not yet necessary.”

Custom database software is an incredible resource for small businesses to use as a means to not only measure but increase productivity and performance. As the survey found 50 percent of respondents are experiencing an increased revenue and growth while productivity is out pacing hiring, the use of a custom database software like FileMaker can help the companies that have not experienced this type of success reach these goals. Furthermore, FileMaker Go is an excellent resource for businesses who utilize a mobile strategy to help with productivity outside the workplace.

While many analysts and experts believe that taxes are the bane of small businesses, a recent article by Slate stipulates that licenses, rather than taxes, are the biggest thorn in a small business' side.

While many companies may use a custom database software to keep track of their expenses, payroll and taxes, it may behoove them to use these custom application softwares to maintain their licenses and records as a form of backups as these are, according to the news source, not only important but can also be very convoluted and becoming a problem for many businesses.

For example, in Nevada, Louisiana, Florida and Washington D.C., all aspiring interior designers must complete 2,190 hours of training and apprenticeship as well as pass an exam before practicing. Meanwhile, the rest of the country requires no such training to be proved to lawmakers.

Furthermore, while most states don't require any sort of licensing or age requirement for being a locksmith, in Oklahoma locksmiths must be at least 21 years of age, New Jersey requires a high-school diploma and Tennessee makes those yearning to be a locksmith to pass two exams.

In fact, licensing has seen a rise in professional requirements, especially since once a licensing system is in place it becomes easy for those currently licensed to lobby for more restrictions to increase barriers of entry for competition. According to the source, in the early 1950s less than 5 percent of American workers were in positions that required a license, now, that number is "well over 20 percent."

While the red tape of licensing becomes an increasingly popular problem for small businesses, the use of custom database software can help those who need to maintain these records in case they are called upon to prove or show them. 

According to an article in Harvard Business Review (HBR), in order to make the most of "big data" you need to know how to crunch the numbers. While Google can attract fleets of top-notch data analysts, many smaller companies can't afford to maintain or even hire that kind of talent. Some of them go young and seek out college grads but others may invest in a custom database software that can provide the analytical tools needed to process data. Others may even outsource this service with data consultants.

Once companies are able to understand the data, it's time to decide which aspects to use and what are extraneous. HBR uses the example of VinoEno – a winery – that set out to use data to improve its operations. VinoEno's employees not only need to know how to read the data efficiently, but also access it across multiple platforms. The company needed to make a choice on what collection and analysis tools were going to handle its needs.

After this, companies are going to need to decide which types of information make the cut and which are going to stay as numbers in a database. Not every statistic is important to a business, and, for the most part, the statistics any given company will use can vary from one to the other.

The way a company shapes a custom database to handle the data they intend on understanding is determined by the type of company they are. Without a firm understanding of the way they operate, small businesses are not going to be able to get the most out of this increasingly popular way of looking at data. 

When it comes to running a successful small business, it’s paramount for you to maintain a custom database software that holds crucial information and documents. If businesses happen to find themselves in the midst of a lawsuit, having access to this database can be the difference between showing the necessary documents and information for litigation and conducting what is known as an electronic discovery, or e-Discovery.

According to Inc. Magazine, e-Discovery is the process in which analysts are able to extract data from the internet to be exchanged and analyzed during litigation, or as part of an investigation by government bodies. It’s time consuming, exhausting and very expensive.

“E-Discovery is a complicated, messy process,” said Andrew Sieja, founder and CEO of kCura, a major Chicago data and analytics software company, to Inc. “The collection phase involves the snatching of data from, say, the laptops of 50 different people. It requires experts to really understand where to pull data from the network.”

The expertise needed to pull off a competent e-Discovery has sparked an entire industry. The market has grown by an annual rate of 14 percent over the past few years and is predicted to reach a $1.7 billion worth by 2014.

While the major industry tycoons in tech, oil, finance and energy were the first to issue the use of e-Discovery experts, small to medium sized businesses have started to catch on despite its costs, as all it takes is one lawsuit to significantly harm a company. E-discovery is becoming one of the best ways you can defend yourself in court as it provides a massive amount of data from a very complicated medium.

To help protect against data loss and the costliness of e-Discovery, you should utilize a custom database software much like FileMaker that will allow you to store and access these necessary materials in the chance they are needed for legal issues.