How to Prepare for Another WFH Quarter

 

2020 has been a year filled with personal and professional challenges. To promote social distancing, many companies have gone to a work from home (WFH) model. The longer employees complete tasks from the comfort of their homes, the more likely it is they’ll want to continue for the foreseeable future.

According to Stanford economic researcher Nicholas Bloom, 42% of Americans now work from home, with only 26% working in essential positions and service jobs. There are also many still unemployed due to lockdowns and the subsequent recession.

Bloom points out that there are both positives and negatives with a WFH-centric economy. As we near the one-year mark of being on a pandemic shutdown, here are some ways you can prepare for another quarter of remote work for your business and employees.

1. Audit Your Expenses

Although the first coronavirus vaccines have arrived in some areas of the country, it may be many months before everyone gets an injection and life returns somewhat to normal. It’s also possible that another virus or threat arrives at the tail end of COVID-19, throwing the country into a longer social distancing period.

Now is a great time to look ahead and decide if you want some roles to continue in remote work even after the threat eases. If so, you may be able to reduce some of your expenses. Do you need such a large office space if you have half the workers in the building?

2. Offer Better Security

One concern many people working from home have is how to keep their network secure. They don’t have an IT department in their home as they have in an office building. They may worry about accidentally spilling company secrets or someone getting on their private network and tapping into their personal computers and smart speakers.

Research shows that about 50% of all remote workers fear security threats in a new setting. Tactics such as multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, and biometrics help ease these worries.

3. Encourage Communication

There are pros and cons to not having someone in the same building as you. One big drawback is that you can’t talk to them anytime you want without picking up a phone or initiating an online meeting. One significant advantage is that you can’t distract your workers by constantly popping into their office for a chat.

How do you encourage communication without taking valuable productivity time away? You can host stand-up meetings via Zoom to start each day. Each person gives a quick update on where they’re at, and you offer some words of inspiration. These meetings should be short and to the point.

You should also have an open-door policy where your remote workers can text, instant message, or email you throughout the day. Make responding a priority, even if you have to assign one person to chat with employees and help with issues.

4. Utilize Third-Party Project Management

Using third-party project management tools keeps all your employees on the same page. Cloud-based solutions update in real-time. So, if your graphic artist logs in, she can see if there are notes on her phase of the project and implement them, thereby avoiding wasted time and effort.

Sites such as Trello, Basecamp, and Asana help everyone stay on track. See at a glance where you are on a project. It’s one of the best ways for people from different locations to work together without confusion. You can even loop in a client to approve a graphic or mockup.

5. Onboard Everyone

Many of your employees may have been thrown into the role of a remote worker when they never planned to work from home. Their initial training was likely in-person through the human resources department. Now, they face a situation where they may not feel fully equipped to finish tasks independently.

The Human Capital Institute conducted their 2020 Talent Pulse Priorities survey with 462 human resources leaders. They found the biggest priority is retaining high performers. The best way to ensure engagement is excellent and applicable onboarding.

Your onboarding process must look different for remote work. Go through some basic concepts with everyone, such as securing their computers, protecting passwords, and what a nondisclosure agreement really means.

6. Improve Time Management Skills

One of the biggest challenges your employees face is time management. For many working parents, their children are home and may even be doing e-learning at the moment. Juggling family responsibilities and work is challenging.

You can help them navigate this time by allowing for some flexibility in the schedule. Let them start the day early before the kids wake up. Give them longer breaks so they can ensure their children sign on to meet with their teachers. Allow them to work later into the evening.

You can encourage higher productivity and loyalty if you provide flexible scheduling. This only works for some types of positions, though. A salesperson must call prospects when they’re most likely to answer the phone, for example. However, someone working on a graphic for a new website design can do the work at any time, as long as they meet deadlines.

Ask for Input

Going from an in-person office setting to a remote environment presents unique challenges. Be open to ideas from your workers. Ask for input on how to improve every process. They deal with co-workers and clients daily. They can see where any wasted time goes and pinpoint a better method to complete tasks on time.

The more you give your staff ownership of projects, the more likely it is they’ll develop brilliant ideas. Anything that improves productivity and team morale is a positive change for your brand, especially when everyone works from home.

Lexie is a digital nomad and graphic designer. If she’s not traveling to various parts of the country, you can find her at the local flea markets or hiking with her Goldendoodle. Check out her design blog, Design Roast, and connect with her on Twitter @lexieludesigner.

Content is originally posted at https://www.pxmediainc.com/how-to-prepare-for-another-wfh-quarter/

Why You Should Upgrade Your Business Site Right Now

In a matter of weeks, the world as we know it changed. Whether you were already an exclusively online business or you've jumped into e-commerce because of a temporary closure of your storefront, you want your conversion rate as high as possible. You may be getting more traffic than you did before the social distancing recommendations came into play. 

The number of people utilizing consumer packaged goods (CPG) shopping was already on an upward tick. With the limitations in travel and local shopping, even more people shopped online in the last few weeks. According to Nielsen, the two weeks ending on March 21, 2020, saw an increase of $8.5 billion in sales, which is about 15 times the usual sales for that period. 

Increased traffic is just one reason to improve your site during the COVID-19 pandemic. You likely have a bit more time than when your brick-and-mortar stores keep regular hours. Here are eight different upgrades that would benefit your site during this time.

1. Review Navigational Hierarchy

Navigation is what site visitors use to orient themselves to a new website. No matter where a person lands on your site, they can use the navbar to figure out how to move around your pages and get where they want to go. Over time, it's easy for the navigational structure of a site to become a bit cluttered and off-kilter. Figure out what your main categories are and what subcategories fall under them and rework your directional cues throughout the site.

The Rocks has a left vertical navigation bar. What works particularly well for the site structure is that it limits the main categories to only four selections. There are some subcategories/links under those main categories, but it is clear from the bolder and larger typography that these four are their primary focus for the site. 

2. Get Faster

As internet connection speeds increase, people expect websites that load at lightning speed. There are several things you can do to increase the speed of your site, such as paying for a virtual private network and compressing images. If you aren't sure what else to do to decrease load times, hire a professional to review your site and make improvements. You can focus on sales and running your business and let a site manager make backend changes. 

3. Cut the Clutter

Each page of your website should have a specific goal. The objective might be to convert a visitor into a newsletter subscriber or collect information from new leads. Whatever your goal, look at your page and cut out anything that isn't related to moving the buyer toward the target. 

Korem Geospatial has a beautiful minimalist look with flat modern design elements. Notice how there is plenty of negative space, so the user's eye is drawn to the most pertinent areas. The overall look is clean, with a limited number of colors and typefaces, and pleasing to the eye. 

4. Upgrade Images

Consider the images on your website. If you're using stock photos instead of unique pictures unique to your business, it's time to upgrade. Hire a professional photographer to take product shots, and replace generic graphics with more specific ones. 

5. Improve Your CTAs

Your calls to action (CTAs) can make or break your closing rate. CTAs should use actionable words, be in a contrasting color and guide the user to the activity you want them to complete. You should always try out your CTAs with A/B testing and see what changes your users prefer.

Knapsack used the action word "meet" and offers site visitors the opportunity to chat with a designer. Note how the button color contrasts sharply with the white background and pops on the page. The eye goes immediately to the CTA button. 

6. Check Responsiveness

Statista projects that between 2017 and 2022, mobile data traffic will increase sevenfold. More people will visit websites from their smartphones. If your site doesn't present in a usable way to those browsers, you risk them bouncing away. Access your site through a mobile device and see how it looks and functions. If you have a signup form, how difficult is it for mobile users to fill in fields? Check for both usability and aesthetics. 

7. Engage Users

The average person has limitless distractions, and with COVID-19 worries and kids being home for e-learning, the interruptions may be more than normal. Assess your site to see how well it engages users. From the moment they land on your page, they should be interested in what you're saying and highly entertained. Get them moving, clicking things and checking out what you have to offer. Help them focus on only the most essential elements. 

Cellular Agricultural Society (CAS) has a highly interactive site that grabs the user from the minute they land on the page. First, you move your mouse to morph the screen from a simple circle into an image of cows looking at the city and leaves blowing in the wind. A slideshow starts offering various information about CAS. You can add elements such as animation.

8. Add Content

No matter what type of business you run, you likely have employees whose roles changed a bit with the stay-at-home orders. Tap into your talent pool and task them with creating exciting content for the website. Great photos, infographics and videos give you something to share on social media and hopefully drive even more traffic to your pages. 

Tap Into User Emotions

Step back and think about what your typical customer is experiencing at this point. People feel fear, anger and frustration. If you can offer something that alleviates their worry a bit, they will remember that you cared about them during a difficult period. Look for ways to tap into an emerging online market. Be fair with pricing and shipping policies, and do your part to make the new situation we face one that is a bit more palatable. 

Lexie is a digital nomad and graphic designer. If she's not traveling to various parts of the country, you can find her at the local flea markets or hiking with her goldendoodle. Check out her design blog, Design Roast, and connect with her on Twitter @lexieludesigner.

Content is originally posted at https://www.pxmediainc.com/why-you-should-upgrade-your-business-site-right-now/

Critical Technology Options Your Small Business Can’t Afford to Ignore

This probably isn’t the first time you’ve heard about how you need to use tech so your small business can keep up with the times. There’s no question there are expensive tech trends being used today that may not help your business all that much. However, not all tech is created equal, and some of it is downright critical for small businesses to realize their potential.

If you’re a small business owner who wants to make the right decisions on what tech you should invest in, look no further. This article will cover some of the most important tech options that can end up saving (and making) your company money.

Point-of-Sale System

Nowadays, customers expect a fast and easy checkout experience whenever they make a purchase. Also, they expect to be given a variety of payment options. That’s why it’s so important that your point-of-sale system is up to date for your in-person and online transactions. A good POS system, such as the one offered by Square, will not only help you provide the quick and seamless checkout experience that customers want, but it will also enable you to securely accept several types of payment, as well as manage your inventory across locations. 

PHP Development 

When it comes to having a reliable website that works well for users, it doesn’t matter what type of business you run — you need one. Hiring a PHP developer will help make your site more powerful through back-end development. PHP is the most-used website coding language (most popular websites use it). If you choose a qualified PHP developer, you can have a powerful site with an easy-to-use interface; that way, you can make changes yourself and not have to hire a developer every time the site needs updating.

Upwork points out that the PHP developers you consider should be experienced with different PHP frameworks (Zend, Laravel, etc.) and possess a thorough understanding of web fundamentals, among other desirable skills. When you talk to a candidate, be clear on how much work you require and the skills they’ll need to complete the project. Also, when putting together a budget, it’s important to keep in mind that hiring a good PHP developer can range anywhere from $25 to $150 per hour. 

Website Design

You also want to make sure your website is secure and attractive; nearly 85 percent of consumers won’t make a purchase from a website that isn’t secure. And if you own a brick-and-mortar shop, this statistic may grab your attention: 97 percent of consumers have used the internet to search for a local business, and 54 percent do it at least once a month. Having a secure website helps your company show up in search results, which, in turn, helps increase the traffic coming through your site.

It’s essential that your website looks professional. A lot of potential customers will judge the credibility of your company based on what your site looks like. Plus, your website will be a primary source for showcasing your products and services, and you want this done in the most attractive way possible. There are several user-friendly platforms that allow you to design your own website, but it takes time. If you want to ultimately save time and money, invest in bringing in a web designer so that you can focus on growing the business.

Every tech trend out there is not beneficial to every kind of business, but some of them certainly are. Make sure you have an updated POS system so you can provide the optimal checkout experience for your customers. Consider investing in a PHP developer to add essential back-end support so that your site functions well. Finally, consider investing in website design to make your site more attractive and take advantage of increased traffic. Each of these options may cost money up front, but they will make you money in the long run.

Photo Credit: Burst

Content is originally posted at https://www.pxmediainc.com/critical-technology-options-your-small-business-cant-afford-to-ignore/