Category: Development

Agile Development Tips to Supercharge Your Development Projects

Miley on May 31, 2019

Agile is the way forward. More and more development teams and startups adopt Agile as a methodology. Paired with approaches like continuous delivery, Agile development is a project management method that will completely change the way you handle projects.

Agile as a method is also very flexible. It is a method that is primarily implemented in app or web development, but you can adopt Agile to manage other types of projects too. To supercharge your development projects from the start, you want to keep these next few tips in mind.

Get Management Support

One thing you cannot live without when implementing Agile is the support of top management. Agile is a very top-to-bottom project management approach, which means you will have to get approval of your superiors with every iteration of the development project. That approval process is a known bottleneck in many Agile workflows.

Getting the support of top-level management from the start is also beneficial for the projects you are managing using Agile. Projects can be completed faster and more accurately, which means iterations can be released to the market at an equally fast pace. You will be surprised by how many new features you can introduce once the ball is rolling.

Involve More People

The more your team members understand the Agile method and how it is best implemented, the more effective your implementation of Agile will be. According to the survey of agile adoption, 60% to 25% of the time has reduced operation management This is where bringing everyone up to speed and getting all stakeholders involved is highly beneficial.

Today, you can provide team members with Agile training sessions. The courses and different programs available on the market are designed for people of different backgrounds and understanding levels, so there is a training course for everyone (not just the project managers).

Eliminate Hardware Bottlenecks

Providing developers with capable hardware for both development and testing is a must. Investing in better development and testing devices will yield substantial results. For starters, you no longer have to worry about the development machine not powerful enough for the entire team.

At the same time, you can go through iterations faster thanks to faster deployment and testing. Rather than waiting for the right time to test new microservices, for instance, you can have them deployed in a local machine and tested immediately.

Once the pods – the microservices – are completely stable and bug-free, you can continue with deploying those pods to the cloud and updating your app or web service. The process also results in zero downtime and higher user satisfaction.

Implement Continuous Delivery

Continuous delivery is a crucial part of the Agile method. While there are different approaches to adopt when implementing Agile, CI/CD remains the most attractive one for teams of developers. Combined with the use of containers like Kubernetes, continuous delivery becomes the best way to go through multiple iterations quickly.

With Kubernetes and CI/CD, you always have the option to revert changes if needed. More importantly, you don’t have to alter the entire app for the update to be committed. You just need to update certain pods or microservices, and Kubernetes will handle everything else for you. There are also training programs on how to fully maximize the benefits of using Kubernetes in an Agile environment.

Put Emphasis on Results

Another thing to remember about Agile as a method for managing projects is its near absolute focus on results. When you use Agile to manage projects, you are expected to combine resources and come up with the right features to add. Executing the development of those features is something that needs to happen quickly as well.

Putting emphasis on results lowers the stress you put on your team. While quality is still a primary factor to take into account, getting great results becomes something that can be achieved without making the development project too complicated.

This is also where the support of top management matters. Every result needs to be checked and approved and having top managers who are involved in the decision-making process supporting your move towards Agile will be a huge plus as you work on more iterations in the future.

Adjust Your Cycle

You don’t have to stick with the conventional cycle of Agile development. In fact, there is no Agile rule that you cannot break if it means adapting the method for your own team. Seamless integration of the Agile method is far more important than following best practices.

For example, you can do a Go or No Go for every feature that passes the ideation stage. This means development can focus on individual features rather than a big update. As a result, those smaller features can reach the market (and the users) much faster.

Adjusting your cycle also works in reverse. When you see a drop in quality as you push for more iterations, perhaps it is time to extend deadlines and make adjustments to the way the project is managed. You are safeguarding the success of the whole project by doing so.

Integrate Automation

Automation is your best friend whenever you need to boost output without expanding the team. Automation comes in different forms these days, and integrating automation with existing workflows is very easy to do. You can, for instance, automate Git commits or organize notes into project documentation without doing it manually.

Automation is about to expand to more areas of the development project too. Automated testing and monitoring are already very popular on the market, so it is only a matter of time before more parts of the development tasks get automated and streamlined.

Speaking of streamlining tasks, automation also lets you focus on the more important tasks and understand the bigger picture clearly. Some teams even go as far as being able to spot errors before they have real impacts on the rest of the system.

Get Ready

One last thing you must never forget about implementing Agile is the people. Are your team members ready for Agile? Do they have what it takes to succeed in the new environment? Will your team members adapt to Agile as well as you did?

Answer these questions and you will be able to set an effective team ratio based on functions required in your project. You will always have the right UI designers, capable UX designers, and smart programmers, making getting closer to your dream app – and development workflow – easier.

One last thing you will need is perseverance. There will be challenges to face along the way. Some team members may complain about the complexity of Agile as a system. Agile is also not the easiest method to master, but mastering it is well worth the time, money, and effort spent. Mastering Agile will transform the way you work. Soon, more startups will adopt this method and start rolling out updates on a regular basis. You and your company can too. Once you adopt the Agile method, you will not want to return to conventional project management.

Development Insights Startups

Starting an Online Retail Business (The Road to Success)

Miley on May 22, 2019

The competition in the retail business of today is more than fiery and the biggest rivalries can be found online. Even websites that had been trading for years are running into difficulties and they are forced to shut down so a newbie on the scene will have to have their work cut out for them. Any enthusiastic entrepreneur needs to acknowledge the main features his online shopping platform must have in order to succeed in the online retail business. The road to success is by no means easy but if you stick to the following guidelines you stand a huge chance of coming out on top in a relatively short period.

The importance of a good product description

Posting and advertising thousands if items for sale can tedious at times, so people are tempted to cut corners by simplifying the description and the name of the product. For instance, if you are selling an office swivel chair with an adjustable backrest, you could just write “office chair” in the description box. Such a move will significantly decrease the chances of anyone finding the chair either by browsing the office “furniture category” or typing in the type of chair he or she needs in the search box.

You are probably aware of the importance of SEO on Google by now but you ought to know that search optimization is important on online retail websites as well. Let your hand go and imagine you are writing a novel because you are not setting down mere words, but keywords that will help people find your merchandise. Have a talk with the webmaster in order to improve the search box as much as possible.

A picture is worth a thousand words

You can have the longest and the most exhaustive product description possible but it’s not accompanied with great pictures, then you’re products are less likely to sell fast. Human are visual learners and often it is enough for us to the shape of an item like a teapot or a car and we will instantly know what the object in the image is. By posting clear images that are large enough and not blurred, you are ensuring that your marketing message is put across fast. That is why hiring a professional photographer will help a lot not just when it comes to image quality but you will benefit from the uniformity of all images on your website, thus establishing an unmistakable visual identity.

Image source

The call-to-action button in the dead center

An online shopping platform needs to have a well-chosen and a well-positioned call-to-action button or buttons. In most cases, you are going to place the search bar in the center of the page because that is going to be the feature that visitors are immediately going to go for. In addition, you can have an outline of the most popular categories on either side of the homepage so your website can be browsed by desired categories as well.

Proper storage space

A major advantage of online trading is the fact that you don’t need to have a physical location of the store. Of course, you should list all the contact details on the website, including the exact address, phone number, and an e-mail even if you don’t sell offline. This is done for reasons of credibility to assure potential clients that you are not running a scam but that you merely wish to avoid tete-a-tete contact with your clientele (and the tax inspectors).

The fact that you don’t have an actual store doesn’t imply that you are selling mist but items that, by all means, needs to be stored somewhere. Unless you are willing to pay high rental fees, running your own warehouse will require a lot of work that you have to be prepared for. Transporting fragile boxes and crates would be impossible without the right materials handling equipment that you have to own from day one. Even if your beginnings are humble and you are running the online retail operation from your garage or basement, you are still going to have to take great care about logistics.

Simplifying the ordering process

Once a customer settles on a particular item he or she likes and they click “order” or “buy,” you need to ensure that it is all smooth sailing from there. The button should be large enough to notice immediately and the number of pages that subsequently open should be decreased to a bare minimum. Firstly take the address of shipping and contact info and then allow the client to fill out the necessary information regarding the credit card payment. Any additional info should not be mandatory but optional, such as polls, quizzes or personal preferences. People visiting your online shopping platform need to leave the website happy they have made the purchase in the shortest time possible.

“You might like as well…”

Not burdening your clients with additional shopping options doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t exist. Just take a look at how people passionately collect coupons they receive at supermarkets and you will realize that there are many fervent shoppers out there. For those people who want more from an online shopping experience include links to other product and product categories they might like. You, something like that pop-up: “people who bought this product also liked …” The content on the website should be interlinked and each product should have links leading to similar items. By including these features on the website, customers will get the impression that you care about their preferences and shopping habits.

The final piece of advice we can give you is to update your online presence. If you are passionate about starting your online retail business then you will have no trouble logging in every day to add new items or improve the description of the existing ones. Also, try to be in vogue by starting seasonal sales or offering holiday decorations. In other words, the person opening pages on our shopping platform needs to recognize the dedication and hard work you have put in the success of your enterprise.

Development Insights Products SaaS

Ways to Make Your Smart Home Work for You

Miley on May 17, 2019

Over the last few years, smart devices have managed to get everywhere — in your television, your refrigerator, your speakers and even your door locks — but you might not have paid them much mind. You, like 63 percent of the population, might find smart tools “creepy,” or like 55 percent of the population, you might believe the tech to be totally untrustworthy.

In truth, smart technology is in its infancy; compared to another tech, which has developed over decades or centuries, smart tools are brand-new, which means they still have many of the kinks that untested inventions typically have. However, just because smart devices aren’t perfect doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use them. In fact, there are many ways that smart tools can make your life better in major ways. Here are a few ideas to help you make smart technology work for you, so you can enjoy a better-functioning home.

Consider Your Home Troubles

It’s tempting to buy the exact same smart tools that everyone else is buying, but blindly jumping into smart home tech is a near guarantee that you’ll waste your money and be dissatisfied with smart devices. Instead, you should take time to consider exactly what ways you wish your home worked better; muse on what struggles you consistently have with your home and how smart technology could improve it.

A good example of a common home issue is getting locked out of the house. Many people tend to be forgetful with their keys or the locks on their doors, and homes with children might need a way to let their kids get inside without entrusting them with a key. Smart locks allow recognized users to gain access to a property without a key but instead with their smartphones. Users can lock and unlock their homes from anywhere using a mobile phone app, which can be exceedingly useful and anxiety-reducing.

Because there are a near-unlimited number of smart home tools on the market, you can find a device to solve nearly any problem around your home. You should make a list of common problems or else a list of home features you think could better suit your lifestyle and search for smart tech to fit.

Investigate Your Smart Options

It still isn’t time to make any purchases. Once you have a good idea of the tools available to you, specifically those that would enhance your home and life, you will have a good foundation for making a few key decisions about your smart home. In particular, you need to choose which smart home ecosystem is right for you.

Currently, there are three major smart home players: Amazon, Google, and Apple. A handful of smaller players are easy to find as well, to include Samsung, Wink, Hive, Logitech, and Yonomi. Generally, the larger, better-known smart home systems have more devices available, but those devices might come at a steeper price, and, perhaps more importantly, you might not prefer their interface. Because every smart tool that you acquire should be able to integrate with the ones currently in your home, it is imperative not only that you remain consistent in the smart system you use but also that you understand and enjoy using the system.

You can read reviews online to get a sense of how homeowners like you are reacting to various systems, and you can also sample a few systems out at big-box tech stores like Best Buy. After you determine which system is right for your home, you can start purchasing smart tech — but you should make absolutely sure that the devices integrate with your desired system.

Bolster Your Smart Network

Even after you have a cadre of smart tools throughout your home, your job of setting up your smart home isn’t done. That’s because you need to keep your home safe from digital attackers, who utilize relatively insecure smart devices to infiltrate your network and steal your data.

Fortunately, it is rather easy to guard against this type of attack. First, you should acquire a smart device manager, which makes it easier to see all the smart tools on your network and keep them safe. You might also consider setting up your smart tech on a separate network from the one you connect to your computers, so any data saved on your computers is completely inaccessible from your smart devices.

Even with these protections, you need to be diligent about keeping your smart tech up to date in patches for software and firmware. Most cybercriminals use known vulnerabilities in outdated firmware to infiltrate home networks, so with simple updates, you can trust your smart tools to do their job and keep you safe.

Smart technology might seem like a trend now, but it’s unlikely to go away. The sooner you accept some smart tools into your life, the sooner you can benefit from a fully functioning smart home.

Development Insights Startups

Business Strategies that Give Your Restaurant an Edge over Others

Miley on May 15, 2019

Every restaurant owner wants to earn profits by providing the best service to their customers. From elegant decor to the chef-curated menu, they want to cater to every customer requirement. Today, the food industry is flourishing at a fast pace. People love to visit themed restaurants for fine dining with their friends and family. They expect complete value for money. Hence, it is important to incorporate a few strategies that can earn profit and consumer goodwill.

Are you planning to open-up a multi-cuisine restaurant? Do you want your customers to revisit your restaurant? Do you want maximum recall value for your brand? If yes, then you can consider the following business strategies:

1. Update your customers on the new menu

For a restaurant, it’s the menu that is the core product. So, whenever you have a new line- up of the best cuisine delicacies, it is essential to inform your loyal customers. If there’s a menu update, occasional discounts or a food festival over a weekend, ensure that you inform your customers through SMS marketing or email marketing. Customers use their Smartphone to check messages as well as emails. Hence, they can check the message and email and visit your restaurant accordingly. It will enhance your brand awareness and also increase the recall value.

2. Implement a food labeling software

People today are making better lifestyle choices. And many people who love food are also health-conscious. They want to know the food ingredients and the nutrient quotient of each platter. It helps them to keep a count on their calories and carbohydrate intake. It is here that you can opt-in for food labeling software, which lets the customers know the ingredient and the nutrient content in a platter. It helps customers to order for their best dishes and maintain a food balance. Another thing to consider is to use a restaurant bookkeeping expert to maintain your accounting system to ensure accurate financial reporting and maximum profitability.

3. Work on the ambiance

Your restaurant ambiance needs to be thoughtful. Today, customers are not just attracted to the menu, but also the ambiance and the theme. You can have a distinct theme in your eatery or restaurant. For instance, if you are keen to position yourself as a Tibetan restaurant, then you need to implement the required aesthetics that will create the correct backdrop. Your ambiance will complement the food platter as well and result in an immersive experience. Check out some rooftop bars that have amazing ambiance here.

4. Include a suggestion box

Every business wants to generate happy customers. And when you listen to your customer, it makes them happy. Every customer has suggestions they want to share. If you listen to these suggestions, it might carry valuable perspectives that will help you to enhance your business. Hence, you can keep a suggestion box in your restaurant. Alternatively, you can also request your clients to email your suggestions.

Going forward you can arrange for freebies or promo codes for customers who share the best suggestions that you decide to implement. It will help you bond with your customers better, increase sales and customer goodwill. These are some of the essential business strategies that will help you flourish your restaurant business manifold. You can also add another strategy that you deem fit.

Development Martech SaaS

Custom Software Development – Relevance and Benefits

Miley on May 15, 2019

Simply put, custom software which is also termed as “Bespoke” software gets developed for catering to a specific business or corporation to cater to individual needs. Usually, customized software gets designed to address the business requirements of one client or many clients that state the process and features of software they wish to use.

The relevance of custom software development

You always have to consider the after-effects of purchasing software packages off-the-shelf. Also, you need to consider the essential pros and cons of creating specialized software with the help of credible software development services to cater to particular business requirements.

There’s no obligation for you to spend your time with the development team for designing your software. These applications are all generic concerning the end-user needs. And it might provide you with a set of features that might tally with your specific needs. Hence, even when you spend a huge amount of money, you might need to struggle the business automation process, as you might not have access to a couple of features in the ready-made software.

Today, there are several advantages of developing and designing custom software catering to your business requirements. Some of the essential benefits are discussed below:

1. It helps in optimized business methods

Every company comes with its specific business model as well as in-house practices. It is indeed challenging for companies to alter their business procedures, to cater to a particular software application or package, regardless of its potency or efficiency. Hence, the software requirements should get developed and designed in a way that can easily sync it with the best business models. It should also follow a company’s in-house procedures. The custom software development process also enables in optimizing the business procedures instead of substituting it.

2. The advantage of the invention

With software being customized, you can determine the type of software development technology to make use of when you’re designing your business app. You can evaluate and choose the new age technologies for developing customized software. Go ahead and make it work the way you feel it’s apt.

3. You can focus on your business insight

Are you completely invested in developing the software depending on the business requirements? If yes, then it indicates that you consider the in-house business processes necessary. It also speaks volumes about the commitment for your business as you simplify the working models and process flows, for it to perform seamlessly.

4. Dependability

The capacity to maintain and also follow the business procedures over some time enables you to become successful gradually. Reliability is one of the essential aspects that determine success. You need to test your custom software adequately to make sure that you have consistent IT tools that will help you to develop your business.

5. Helps you to be unique

Every business has a unique advantage over the other! One solution can’t be applied to all the business processes. When there’s software custom-made to cater to your individual business needs, it can add value to your business model. Furthermore, the process of custom software development also enables you to develop your “unique” business identity.

There are several other advantages of custom software development that you can experience and put to your advantage. For this, you need to join hands with an ace service provider that understands your requirements to customize the software.

Development Insights Martech

Are you a Local Business – Here is what you should know about your online reputation

Miley on May 14, 2019

Your reputation online dictates the responsiveness of your target audience and how they perceive your brand. By using a local business review management tool you can identify, monitor and enhance how your customers find you. It is also instrumental in helping you determine what exactly it is they are looking for and their experience with your website and customer service.

The online reputation you have harnessed from previous users isn’t going to be enough to attract future customers. You have to maintain and enhance it so that you can reel in potential customers and provide them with the same level of experience. Consistency is the name of the game here.

The importance of streamlined online reputation management

Managing your digital reputation may sound like a service required to win you the next presidential election or if you’re launching a cutting-edge device. The fact of the matter is, if you want people to spend money on your products or services, you need to first make a good first digital impression. For example, you need to be able to respond to user comments on Facebook in a timely manner. Customer service is what is essentially all about.

In light of this, here are six dynamics you need to understand about your online reputation.

It impacts buying decisions and sales

Source

According to the Local Consumer Review Survey posted by BrightLocal in 2017, it was determined that around 97% of users based their buying decisions on reading online reviews on local businesses. Moreover, according to the same survey, 12% of consumers searched for new local business each day.

There is no question, online reputation management acts as a bedrock for local business success and popularity. Consumers value positive online reviews. You’d be shocked to learn that as per a Moz report back in 2015, four to five bad reviews on any company online cost them 70% of future customers!

Your existing customers will still read new reviews about your product or service or company as a whole, which is why online reputation management can either make or break your digital footprint.

Your digital reputation is eternal

While we aren’t immortal, our business reputation will surely be around for generations to come. The online world has significantly evolved, becoming a sort of a public archive for a variety of things. This includes things that are known and unknown to most. Simply put, in a business sense, your company will always be what people say about it – and it could be frighteningly difficult for you to change anything.

Even if a user says something that is simply not true, there isn’t much you can do about it, other than to not give them a reason to say anything bad. However, comments such as “it’s a scam!” or “don’t shop from this business” can put a lot of potential customers at the backfoot. What is done will remain done; the only thing you can do is effectively manage your online reputation and ensure consistency.

Word of mouth – faster than a speeding bullet!

Source

The speed by which information travels on the web is phenomenal. Social media networks are a great example of how people spread the word around on new businesses and products. As much as this can help businesses grow their brand visibility, it can also destroy them before they can even lift off. Just look at the backlash United Airlines got after it forcibly removed a passenger from an overbooked flight in 2017.

The point is, your customers can either leave you with a 1-star rating or a 5-star rating – both actions depend on a slew of important variables, such as customer service, delivery, quality of the product, response rate and sometimes, boredom. You have to understand that if a customer doesn’t like your website or how sluggish your customer rep was to respond to his queries, one bad review, and down your company goes.

That is why it is so important to keep a check on these incidents and ensure consistency. As per a research report posted by Vendasta, 95% of unsatisfied users or customers will come back to you if you solve their problem on time.

The opportunity to set the record straight and make things right

Have you looked back on something that you did wrong then jumped on the opportunity to set it right? The feeling is overwhelming, and you don’t have any regrets about anything. Online reputation management is a surefire way to convert a potentially adverse perception of your target audience into trust.

Bad reviews and constructive criticism can be a very good way of acting quickly to change everything that is wrong with your business. You can improve your quality and services and learn from your mistakes. However, repeating the same mistake twice may not give you the opportunity to correct it again.

Sure, it can be heartbreaking to hear a customer talk bad about your business; however, attentively listening to them and converting their criticism into a healthy discussion is a good way of improving your business. That is exactly why a local business review management tool is so important!

The inability to get rid of a bad review

Sure, you can try your best to solve a customer’s problem quickly and effectively, and you can overshadow some bad comments as well. But what you can’t do is delete negative comments. Sometimes an angry customer is just looking for validation or a refund. Good reputation management includes taking on-time actions on resolving and de-escalating consumer complications in a harmonious yet professional way.

You can also try to overshadow bad comments by pushing your content at the top of the SERPs, getting rid of the negative search results on Google. After all, most people don’t go past the first page on Google when searching for information or products.

Final words

Overall, these are some vital elements that will dictate your online reputation for better or for worse. If you are meticulous with your digital strategy, ensure quality and consistency, and are willing to solve problems on time, there is nothing for you to worry about.

Development Insights

Some of The Most Vital Aspects of Google AdWords for Real Estate Investors

Miley on May 9, 2019

We are living in the most advanced scenario, where people are engaging with the internet. These days, many people are taking advantages of AdWords in their business. If you are a real estate investor, then you must understand the outcomes of AdWords. People those want to make the use of PPC advertising can easily able to access its AdWords Account wisely.

If you create an effective strategy which is useful in the AdWords, then you must pay attention to it because it would be supportive in the business. You can call these guys in order to collect more information regarding Google AdWords and understand the process of using the AdWords.

Eight smart steps away from a victorious campaign

If you find yourself a typical real estate investor, then do not get pessimist because this is the time to show yourself. Here are some steps that will help you to get a successful campaign –

Step 1–Create a perfect plan; you need to design a plan for the campaign and try to think about the ROI. Try to write some plan down and revisit it properly. A successful investment plan always works, so simply choose the type of campaign that you want to build. Instead of this, you can also determine the acquisition cost of the customer.

Step 2 – Now the time is to find a perfect keyword, so let get yourself in the research. Once you get the directions plan then the time is to research your market, some keywords and the most important is the opponents that will give you high competition.

Step 3 – Now, the time is to control the Unique Selling Proposition. Basically, USP would be a great benefit that you take.

Step 4 – Audiences offers and ad copy make it possible to analyze everything. One thing that you keep into the mind is that the idea offered by the competitor is unique but do not copy it.

Step 5 – Try to write ad text that stands out because this would be the best formula for you that can grab more and more traffic on the site and enhance the chances of getting the best outcomes.

Step 6– Pay attention to the quality and high converting landing pages which are mobile approachable. If you have the well-optimized landing page, then it would be supportive for enhancing the conversion rate and pull down the cost per clicks.

Step 7– Now the time is to install the conversation and lead tracking, so it will help you to enhance the ROI from AdWords, so you must trace the sales funnel by the help of keyword to the consumer.

Step 8 – Setting up the campaign for the AdWords search campaign. You should simply use the search and try to disable the Display network when you are newly making the campaign.

Well, we have covered all the significant 8 steps away from a successful campaign of which you can take benefits.

Development Insights Products

6 Ways to Manage Your Complicated Solar Projects

Miley on May 7, 2019

Back in 1997, the price of a solar panel was approximately 227 times higher than what it is today. To be specific, the rate stood at $101.5 per watt back then, and it is currently at $0.447 per watt. Moreover, the US stands at number 3 as the country with the leading annual solar power installations.

In fact, there is a new solar panel system installed every 4 minutes. These numbers reveal the lucrative market for solar PV systems. On top of that, more and more people are becoming aware of the need for clean energy, another reason why the solar market is doing so well.

Having a solid market demand, however, does not mean that your solar business is going to run smoothly. If anything, complicated solar projects are common. Only effective management can prevent roadblocks.

In this context, here are some useful tips for managing your complicated solar projects;

1. Sit and discuss the issue with your client

The first and foremost step to a successful project is client communication. To this end, it is essential that you understand your client’s concern, so that you can solve the issue accordingly.

It’s best to communicate effectively since the start of the solar roofing, installation, or any such work. Proper communication here that aims to understand the client’s requirements genuinely can help prevent obstacles throughout the project.

2. Research your audience

Although this step comes before you launch your business, you can always do it later on as well. In fact, audience research continues as your solar business grows. Keep in mind that your business is to serve your audience by providing solar energy solutions to them. And, research is the basic element that can help you comprehend what your customers want.

Understanding your audience via research will help you in two ways majorly. Firstly, you can dive into your customers’ pain points and develop a marketing strategy that focuses on solving those problems.

Secondly, you can get an in-depth look at your clients’ common problems. Once you note these regular issues, you can devise a strategy to solve them, which can assist in removing the complications from your solar projects.

3. Educate your prospects and consumers

A lot of problems surface when existing customers and new prospects fail to understand your services, pricing, or anything else related to the solar PV system. An easy and effective way to solve these issues is by educating your audience.

To this end, you can start an email newsletter, send an informative pdf or leaflet, or blog regularly. As you research your market, you’ll learn what troubles your customers. Take these pain points and convert them into topics for your blog posts.

This tips will not only help simplify your business projects, but help increase your solar sales. A report reveals 81% of the interested buyers conduct online research before sealing a business deal. Furthermore, research confirms that47% of the prospects read at least 3-5 content pieces from your blog before they get in touch.

Hence, by putting educational and valuable content on your site, you show your expertise to your potential clients, which can help boost sales and revenue.

4. Simplify the first steps

More often than not, complications in a solar project arise even before work on the project starts. If you wipe the hiccups in the first stages, you will simplify, at least, half of the process. Moreover, in this way, the entire process of working with you won’t be complication-ridden.

In this context, one of the most common issues consumers face is the lack of contact information regarding the business. You can always help them with the information on where to get solar panel maintenance or anything related to your solar panel systems. So, make sure sufficient contact details including your business number are given on your website.

It is also best that you enhance customer experience on your website by improving its page load speed. Surveys by Gomez.com and Akamai highlight that half of the visitors on your site expect it to load in two seconds or less. Any delay in the page load speed would translate into the prospect abandoning your site and business.

5. Enhance customer experience

Aim to boost customer experience in everything that you do. For instance, striving to communicate well with your customer is one way to boost the client’s experience. When your customer’s experience is good, he feels valued. This reduces the likelihood of your customer getting annoyed when problems poke out of a solar project.

If anything your client will put in more effort into explaining his problem, which can help in reducing and solving the obstacles in the path of project completion. Again, this tip works in favor of your solar sales as a happy customer irrespective of the project complications shares his positive experience with other people.

On the other hand, an unsatisfied customer passes on anti-referrals to about 16 others. Therefore, you should focus on improving the customer experience. Another closely related point is getting customer feedback. This will give you an idea of how you can improve your solar products or installation services business as per your audience’s requirements.

6. Use tech to improve your product as well as services

Lastly, employ technology to solve your complications. For instance, use tech to boost your product quality. On average, solar panels convert less than 14% of the solar radiation into energy.

This is pretty less.

However, by offering another efficiency-boosting tech, you can solve a lot of your customers’ problems. A case in point here is offering solar concentrators. These can optimize the output of the PV system by roughly 50%.

Similarly, you can use software and CRM services to streamline work on several projects and manage things better. This can help chop the odds of snags in your work.

Final thoughts

Complications in your solar projects are inevitable. However, by managing them adequately, you can move forward with your business. The best way to sail through such issues smoothly is striving to understand your client’s problem, trying to effectively communicate with him, and finally putting all efforts in solving the issue.

Bear in mind that the chances of selling to a customer who is happy or getting referrals via him are fourteen times higher than selling to a new prospect. Therefore, you can’t choose to ignore these issues. If anything, work to remove them from the start or boost the quality of your work as you gain experience in your line of work.

Development Insights Martech Products

Everyday Items that Can Change Your Branded Giveaway Game

Miley on April 29, 2019

Promotional products are integral parts of tradeshows and product campaigns. They should never be an afterthought. Sometimes, brands spend months trying to find their one “magical” promotional product that can turn their business around. Whether you aim to sell your products or to introduce a new service; you can leverage promotional items to reach that goal.

Why should your promotional product be common but useful?

The first mistake most brands make is choosing something rather uncommon or unique as their promotional product. Your promotional product should increase the engagement between your consumer and the brand. If it is unique and the target consumer only uses it sparingly, you should think twice before buying and customizing the item in bulk. The product you choose for promotional purposes should be useful and durable. Something as familiar as a pen with customized branding can deliver higher recall than something unique like branded beach towels or snow shovels that people use only in particular season and limited areas.

While surveying items for promotional needs, do not forget to look at everyday things that people buy and keep in their homes, cars or offices. Visit https://www.superior-resource.com/services/promotional-products-nyc/ for a fresh look at the things you can customize for your promotional campaigns.

The seven every day but useful branded giveaways

Here are seven grand ideas for promotional products your brand should leverage in the upcoming trade shows –

1. Throw pillows

Who does not have throw-pillows and cushions at home or office? People love using throw pillows, and no one can have enough of them. There is no reason you cannot use them as giveaways. Create a nice design, keep the logo small and tasteful, incorporate your brand colors and make sure they are plush! Customized throw-pillows are the new “pen” of the promotional product world. Since they don’t have a seasonal factor, people tend to use them in their living rooms or office all year round.

2. Kitchen sponges

Move over coasters; it is the time of the kitchen sponge. With a drastic increase in microwave resistant cookware, people are buying and dumping sponges every week! There is a sudden surge in demand for good quality, reusable kitchen sponges. While a good sponge is not necessarily great looking, you can design one with your brand logo and colors that works great and looks stunning. They are the perfect low-budget giveaways when your target audience is a homemaker or a person, who takes special care in keeping their house clean.

3. Picture frames

We have all been in love with photo frames since time immemorial. Your customer can choose to display family photos, pet photos or graduation photos in a frame with your brand colors. Customization of a frame can help your brand engage with the customer and his or her family every time they look at their photo. Be careful to keep your logo small and tasteful.

4. Storage containers

Storage containers from recycled wood pulp and fiber are our favorites. No homeowner has ever said he or she has enough storage bins in the house. There are always new books, new clothes or new toys that require discrete storage. Design containers from recycled material to uphold your brand’s environmentally friendly image. Don’t forget to include your logo and message on the unique but useful gifts!

5. Socks

Unisex, ankle-length socks are perfect for almost everyone. Whether you are targeting kids or their parents, designing socks in attractive colors and patterns can become your brand’s best chance to lure in more customers. Socks are so easy to customize and design! They are always within the budget. You can think about creating only ankle-length socks or customize a variety of lengths for your target customers. More brands should think about using them as promotional giveaways in events and tradeshows.

6. Water bottles

If your consumer loves the outdoors, you should think about designing eco-friendly and BPA-free water bottles that can keep their drinking water cool for hours. Get a custom labeled, see-through bottle with a water drinking guide. It should not only help your consumers stay hydrated, but it should refresh your brand’s memory each time he or she takes a sip.

7. Scented candles

Scented candles are the black lights and fairy lights of 2019. Do you sell coffee? You can think about giving away coffee-scented candles with your logo on the lid. Give away candles according to seasonally trending smells. The next time your target consumer comes across the same fragrance in a mall, he or she will think about your brand only! It is an entirely scientific method that helps link memory to a scent. Studies show that this method is effective more than 90% of the times.

Brands should consider their demographics before they select the products they want to customize for promotions. These seven items are only suggestions. There are hundreds of budget-friendly, durable and high-quality items out there that you can use to establish high brand recall. Research shows that conducting consumer surveys on promotional products they have used often yields a guideline for new brands.

Development Insights Products

Cracked iPhone Screen: Here’s What you Should Do!

Miley on April 25, 2019

What happens after your drop your prized iPhone? Panic! Pure panic sets in because we know how fragile those touchscreens can be. When you manage to shatter or crack your display screen, you should immediately start thinking about repair options. Sometimes, you even need to consider using it with minor cracks after a soft fall.

No matter what you decide to do, this guide can be of help.

Keep your fingers safe

If you have a broken iPhone screen, first check if sharp shards are sticking out. You don’t want to break your iPhone and land up in the emergency room on the same day! Secure the pieces with clear wrapping plastic so that the repair person has access to it.

Inspect the damage

How damaged is the screen? Is it one clean crack? Can you still use it? Does the screen look like a cobweb? Is it wholly shattered with pieces falling off? Assessing the degree of damage can help you make the next decision.

In the event of minor damage, Apple might make an exception. You might be able to get authorized service from Apple stores in Orlando for minor repairs.

However, since Apple does not cover any physical damage to its products, you might have to seek out local repair services. Local repair shops in Orlando are often cheaper than Apple repair services.

Call a service center – repair options

1. Come to your repair services

The modern service centers for Apple products provide door-to-door repair service to their customers. They understand how important a phone might be and how impossible it is for some to get away from their jobs or homes for even an hour. These enterprises send highly skilled and specially trained technicians to their client’s doorstep to cater to their need. Check out Love My Phone Orlando iPhone screen repair for “come to you” repair options near your location.

2. Mail-in repair services

In case you don’t have access to a “come to you” repair option, you can check with mail-in repair services near you. You don’t need to go and wait listlessly at service centers for fixing your broken screen. You can mail your broken phone to a registered and authentic address in Orlando. Before you send your precious phone, always ensure that the company has excellent reviews. The only downside to mail-in repairs is their return time. You may have to wait for more than a week for the repair or replacement of a screen.

Self-service!

Fixing an iPhone screen is not rocket science, but it is the option only accessible to tech-savvy iPhone owners. Repairing the touchscreen of any iPhone model is a delicate process that requires confidence and finesse. You might be able to master it after watching an endless number of YouTube videos, but it is still risky. There are uncountable numbers of small cables that are fragile and require delicate handling. Apple warranty services will not cover tearing these cables or damaging the iPhone while trying to fix the screen.

Keep using it

When your iPhone is still working, and the screen does not have multiple scratches, you should be able to use it for a couple more days till the replacement becomes imminent or it is time to buy a new phone. Unless you are planning to resell it, trading it or giving it to someone, you can keep using your iPhone with minimal cracks and scratches.