Daily Cup of Tech

Five Ways AP Automation Solutions Resolve Common Problems Faced By the C-Suite

Miley on March 10, 2019

Each day the C-suite seeks innovative ways to resolve common obstacles. Modern management teams are learning how to stay ahead of the curve through the smart use of human resources and technology. Discover five ways AP automation solutions can resolve some of the common problems faced by the C-suite in a continually evolving international marketplace.

1.Reduce Errors Associated with Manual Processing

For generations, the AP team processed invoices manually. This tedious process was time-consuming and required ongoing attention to detail. To err is human, even for the best team members, and inevitable mistakes occurred. Unfortunately, errors can cost the organization money and put a strain on relationships with key vendors.

Adopting AP automation solutions reduces or eliminates the errors associated with manual processing. Achieving the highest level of accuracy helps companies save money and maintain strong vendor relationships that can lead to additional money-saving opportunities, such as discounts for loyalty and early payment. And the AP team has emerged from the back office to become strategic partners with the C-suite, looking for opportunities to reduce operating costs.

2. Access to the Latest Financial Data

With manual accounts payable processing comes uncertainty about the latest financial data. It can take hours or days to process invoices, prepare financial reports, and share them with the C-suite. In the meantime, the management team is depending on outdated data to make crucial business decisions.

The days of invoices and updates sitting on a desk for approval and review are over. Data on new invoices, payments, cash flow, and more are all updated in real-time with the use of cloud-based AP automation solutions. The C-suite has instant access to the latest financial data to make educated choices based on current facts rather than speculation.

3. Collaboration in Real-Time – Anytime and Anywhere

With invoice approvals in mind, the process of paying vendors often takes days when the work is performed manually. The passing of paperwork between the financial team members can lead to errors, such as overlooking the payment to an important vendor. A ripple effect may occur, such as an interruption of essential supply deliveries that halts production and impacts profits.

The days of waiting for invoice approvals are over for companies with AP automation solutions. Invoices can be shared and approved in seconds rather than days to avoid late payments that lead to costly fees and vendor dissatisfaction. And the C-suite can collaborate with the financial team in real-time, anytime and anywhere, to make well-informed decisions on-the-spot.

4. Discover and Create Money-Saving Opportunities

Manual processing takes longer than automated processes. Robust AP automation solutions now handle routine tasks once performed by humans. The AP team no longer spends all its time on mundane projects and enjoys a better quality of work focused on thoughtful processes to create money-saving opportunities for the company.

The AP team is using the extra time to find ways to reduce costs, such as making early payment arrangements with vendors. The efficiency of using AP automation ensure timely invoice payments, which opens the door to asking for loyalty discounts from vendors.

5. Improve Working Capital and Boost the Bottom Line

As a strategic partner, the AP department is supporting activities to free up cash and improve working capital by examining processes such as contractual reviews, invoicing, sourcing, master data, accounting and reporting, and procurement. Ways to optimize working capital include negotiating volumes or early payment discounts and negotiating longer payment terms.

Data is synchronized between the AP automation solution, ERP, and the procurement system for true automation. Accuracy is improved to eliminate the mistakes associated with the inaccurate entry of data, such as payment errors. Eliminating account delinquencies prevents fees, fines, and regulatory penalties to help companies build a trustworthy reputation and boost the bottom line.

AP automation solutions are no longer a luxury, but a necessity. Companies that fail to make the transition from manual processes to automation will soon be left behind. When the C-suite calculates the potential ROI for investing in AP automation solutions, the decision is clear – automation improves operations, eliminates errors, and helps companies be more competitive and profitable.

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What’s the Status of Women in Tech in 2019?

Miley on March 8, 2019

It’s no secret the tech field is dominated by men. Even though women now make up roughly 46 percent of the workforce, they only hold 24 percent of computer science jobs and about 11 percent of executive-level jobs in Silicon Valley. Of the women who do make it into Silicon Valley, they make 61 percent less than their male counterparts. That evens out to an average of over $16,000 less per year.

There is no direct reason for the gender discrepancy; however, speculation largely lends itself to the rise of the “male tech geniuses” like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs whose overpowering success overshadowed females in the field. Additionally, women are viewed as too emotional and face the problem of pregnancy bias that men do not.

When a man fails or makes a mistake at work, they are allowed the opportunity to explain themselves and fix their mistake. The same can not be said for women. When high-powered women make a mistake, they are met with a much higher level of scrutiny. Their failings are seen as a reason they shouldn’t lead rather than a simple misstep.

**How do women actually stack up?**

Although women are not as prevalent as men in the tech industry, that’s not due to lack of skill. On the contrary, female-powered companies have historically performed 3 times better and generated 12 percent higher revenue than those led by men.

Furthermore, in a GitHub study, code written by women was actually accepted 4 percent more often than code written by men. The catch? The coder’s genders were not disclosed prior to the acceptance of their code. Women in the study were in fact, better coders, but only when the judges were unaware they were women.

What is the effect on women?

The turnover rate is more than twice as high for women as it is for men. 41 percent of Women in tech are leaving their jobs as opposed to 17 percent of men. Of those women, 56 percent leave in the middle of their careers; 24 percent of whom leave the tech field completely, 20 percent leave the workforce altogether.

Why? Most often it’s because 30 percent of women over 35 still hold junior level positions while they see their male colleagues moving up around them. Rather than stay in unfulfilling jobs they will never advance in, women choose to leave in search of fulfillment elsewhere.

What are companies doing for women in tech?

Diversity initiatives

Many companies are dedicating time and money to work on diversity initiatives. Though only the companies who are truly diverse tend to be the ones who report, they’ve proven organizations with a more diverse workforce perform better. But that’s not all. High-diversity businesses also have more satisfied workers and a leg up on the competition.

Pinterest has one of the most diverse executive teams at the moment; however that number is only about 8 percent. Google also has higher numbers than the national average with a 30 percent female workforce but that number is still much lower than men. Tech companies are putting in the effort to catch up, but still, have a long way to go in diversifying their teams.

Reducing pregnancy bias

Pregnancy, maternity leave, and motherhood seem to be the largest biases against females in the workforce, especially in the tech industry. The United States is one of the only countries that does not require paid parental leave for businesses. As a result, many women are forced to choose between their careers and their children and leave the workforce. Some companies though, are making a point of actively combatting that.

For example, Netflix provides unlimited paid parental leave for a year following childbirth or adoption. Tech giants Google and YouTube give new mothers 18 weeks of paid leave while also give families $500 to invest in the stock market for their children.

Women still only account for about a quarter of the workforce in the tech field and are often overlooked. However, they have proven to be just as successful as, if not more successful than, their male counterparts. Though the tech industry has a long way to go before bridging the gender gap, they are slowly adapting practices to get there.

A big thanks to Amanda Peterson, to writing and submitting this piece to us.

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Which Microsoft Azure Services Should You Pick for Your Next Application?

Miley on March 7, 2019

Microsoft Azure, which started its journey as Windows Azure in 2008, is now a digital force to reckon in the cloud computing space. It is one among the enterprise-grade cloud computing platforms that offer the trinity of cloud services – Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) under one roof. Each service has several offerings within it making Azure a vast sea of cloud-based services.

Image Credit: Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure also supports a number of third-party systems, programming languages, and frameworks under its ambit of offerings. Additionally, there are 600+ Azure services covering mobile, storage, data management, messaging, CDN, media services, computing and much more. Even the Internet of Things and Machine Learning are available under the Microsoft Azure platform.

In other words, it is a one-stop-shop for digital enterprises that want agility, flexibility, and quick scalability. But, the sheer range of services offered by Microsoft Azure makes it difficult to pick the right service for a business. Also, Microsoft being a continuous innovator keeps changing and updating its Azure offerings on a regular basis. So, a choice made based on last month’s study may not prove to be the right one today.

Although it is challenging, it is not impossible to pick the right Microsoft Azure service. Like any decision-making related to IT, the right Azure service can also be selected for your business by seeking answers to a few specific questions.

How much control do you need?

Each Azure service offers a slightly different degree of control over infrastructure, application calling, load balances and so on.

Image Credit: Microsoft Azure

IaaS (infrastructure-as-a-service) offers Azure Container Services and Azure Virtual Machines. They provide maximum control but also require you to take care of the updates and infrastructure maintenance. Even ensuring security for the applications would fall on your shoulders. IaaS would prove to be a good choice if you want to run development and test modules, need high-power computing or run isolated applications.

PaaS (platform-as-a-service) gives you control over the applications, all the data and how it will run. But, you will have no control over the operating system nor do you have the responsibility of controlling it.

The last one, software as a service offers very little control over the infrastructure. But, you will be able to derive maximum business value out of the system using applications built and maintained by someone else.

Where do you want to run your application?

Azure offers an elaborate cloud setup that can accommodate all your application requirements. But, there could be instances when you have to strike a balance of utilizing Azure Cloud as well as public cloud facilities.

If you want the application to run purely on Azure, then you have to opt for services like Azure Stack, Azure Public Cloud, or on-premises.

The extent of application usage

The extent of your application usage is another decisive factor in your choice of Azure service. Your application could be running round the clock (like a website) or could be a serverless application that runs on request. The infrastructure requirements for both scenarios are different.

In the always-on mode, you need to pick the classic model which has to be maintained and paid on a monthly basis. It will prove to be a good fit for applications that need to be up and running round the clock, like an online store or a customer service portal, etc. where customers are expected to check in at any time.

But, if your application is used rarely or during specific times which can be predicted, as a background application, then the serverless model is recommended. It is also charged on a monthly basis, so you won’t have to pay much to use the resources on a random basis.

Match your service functionalities to the app requirements

Apart from the control and usage, you also have to consider the functionalities each service offers to make the right choice. For instance, IaaS offers functionalities like VM ScaleSet, Virtual Machines, and Container Service. Platform as a Service offers App Service, Cloud Service, and Service Fabric. App Service will fit better for CMS like WordPress, Umbraco, Joomla, Drupal, and the likes. If running microservices is your requirement, Service Fabric which offers round the clock availability, containers, multi-cloud support, and scalability should be your choice.

The Final Choice

Making the right choice from the vast spectrum of Azure services is not an easy task. You will have to figure out all your requirements elaborately and in fine detail to find the right fit. In fact, there are several other types of requirement categories that you can explore like, analytics using Azure, securing applications using Azure, running applications using Azure and so on.

What we have explained above should help you get around making a fine choice of Azure services.

Author Bio

Digital Marketing Manager with 7 years of experience. Passionate about the latest trends in Digital Marketing, Technology, Cloud Computing, Healthcare Development, and App Development.

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Applying Automation Testing on Real Devices Vs. Emulators

Miley on March 5, 2019

There are a few differences between automated testing on real devices versus emulators. Majority of the companies consult automation testing companies for this purpose. Let’s do a comparison to evaluate the best way for your company to take with respect to your test automation practices.

Keeping this scenario in mind, we are presenting you the list of pro and cons of automated testing on real devices and emulators.

Benefits of Real Devices

Testing actual world situations (network, location and weather etc.) are very simple and offer a deeper understanding of app functioning in various situations.
Picture brightness in various lighting scenarios, screen resolution etc. can be very easily tested.
Interoperability testing is much simpler with a real device.
Device performance is quicker than conforming virtual frameworks. This means that assessing app performance will produce more accurate outcomes.

Drawbacks of Real Devices

Conducting automated tests on actual devices is a relatively expensive affair, which would hinder projects that are restricted by time and budget
Because of the wide range of platforms and devices, it is difficult to efficiently carry out testing in a limited time period
In the app development phase for unit testing, actual devices are very difficult to link to the Integrated Development Environment (IDE) in comparison with emulators, which would stifle the project.

Benefits of Emulators

In the circumstances with extreme deadline pressure, attaining access to actual devices might be difficult. Therefore, emulators serve as a realistic alternative for testing in such scenarios.
Budget constraints can influence the team’s decision to capitalize on actual devices. Virtual environments help to save time and money by permitting testers to continue with their tasks without spending on devices that may not be completely suitable for the specific tests they want to implement.
Emulators are easily downloadable and open source.
Web app testing can be done conveniently with the emulators.

Drawbacks of Emulators

For protracted periods of evaluation, emulators are not suitable because protracted usage can be evaluated best on an actual device.
The costs perhaps increase when your team notices that their emulator may be unsuited with certain app elements or apps. In such scenarios, they might require to invest in software patches to enable testing to continue.
Perhaps the emulators support just a restricted number of mobile operating systems. This could render them useless in many scenarios.

After summarizing the pros and cons of everything, let us have a quick overview of some testing tools for the Android platform. This is the most famous mobile operating system these days and has an obvious option to consider.

MonkeyRunner: A famous tool where tests are developed in Python, MonkeyRunner can perform tests on both emulators and real devices. However, an important constraint in this tool is that you are required to write scripts for every device. Moreover, the test requires to be changed every time there’s a modification to the UI of the program being tested.

Ranorex: Can offer wide-ranging reports and pictures. However, the element search facility is a little inactive.

Robotium: Robotium is known as “Selenium for Android” which is a free UI testing tool. Nevertheless, you are required to allocate time with program source code to run your test automation suite. This is not completely suitable for interacting with system software.

Appium Automation framework: Utilizes the WebDriver interface to perform tests, and supports numerous programming languages and mobile web browser testing. Nevertheless, its reporting facility is not appropriately implemented.

In the light of the above discussion, QA teams are required to measure their own project necessities and decide what amalgamation of real devices and emulators would best suit their requirements for a given app, and what sacrifices they would be willing to make when selecting a test automation tool.

Author Bio

Ray Parker is a senior marketing consultant with a knack for writing about the latest news in tech, quality assurance, software development, and travel. With a decade of experience working in the tech industry, ray now dabbles out of his New York office.

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The Secret Ingredient In The Online Dating Market With A Tinder Clone App

Miley on March 5, 2019

Modern technology is bringing a record change in the relationship between man and machine which is also impacting our interpersonal relationships. Sending hand-written letters to friends or loved ones has almost gained vintage status. The main reason behind this is the abundance of electronic tools redefining our communication modes.

A similar change can also be seen in our dating life as people are seeking out partners in the virtual space. This is leading to rhetoric popularity of dating apps. If you are thinking of devising a dating app, then you can walk in the footsteps of Tinder – the pioneer of such services.

Tinder gained an edge over its competitor apps with the revolutionary left swipe for dislike and right swipe for like. People previously felt shy while venturing into the world of online dating. The gaming spirit of Tinder is gaining an edge over this stigma. Keeping such a thing in mind, we have come up with a dossier containing the main causes of its success and things you need to keep in mind while building a similar app.

Stand Out Features of Tinder

You can log onto Tinder either through your phone number or Facebook ID. The basic information gathered from Facebook buffers its users from having to undergo a time-taking form-filling process while creating a profile.
Users can add a display picture and some brief information after their profile gets auto-filled. Usually, the Tinder profiles contain information pertaining to age, location, mutual interest, and mutual Facebook friends.
Proximity has an important role to play in applications like Tinder. People have an affinity of connecting with others living in nearby localities. This makes geolocation an extremely critical functionality in a tinder clone script.
Swipe is a unique value proposition of Tinder making the date fixation process an extremely entertaining affair.
Users of Tinder can adjust their discovery settings in accordance with gender, age, and distance. However, the search radius of a user stays limited to 10 miles while using the free version.
App developers cannot coerce users to interact with fellow users unless they share mutual likes. Thus, users can begin chatting with each other only after the match is made. Once the private chat window is opened, users can share messages, GIFs and even emoji to vouch for their feeling.
Tinder keeps on notifying its users about new app updates and matches which might suit their preference. This helps in maintaining user engagement and ensuring frequent returns.
The Snapchat and Instagram profiles of Tinder users can be integrated with their Snapchat and Instagram account for generating more interactions and conversations.

You can stand out in the online dating market by adding in a few more special features in your open source tinder clone like the following:

Implementation of advanced artificial intelligence algorithms which help in understanding the individual preferences of users for better results.

Spam messages can bring down the reputation of an application. Your dating app clone can have a spam detector in place for sending notifications to users whenever the same message is forwarded to multiple users simultaneously.
You can add to the credibility of your app by generating a risk score while signing up. Artificial intelligence helps in delivering a risk score by conducting ID verification. This feature brings down all chances of catfishing to create a safe online dating environment.

Apparently, most of these tinder clone script apps are available for free. In spite of that, there is a big opportunity for monetizing the same:

Freemium – This provides limited access to app users. They have to shell out an extra amount for availing the premium options like sensing GIFs or custom emoji’s in messages. OkCupid is an open source tinder clone which offers its users with paid boosts. This leads to more matches and higher profile matches.

Paid Subscriptions – This highly popular monetization method comes with a time ceiling which could be monthly, quarterly and even yearly. However, it is advisable to adopt a subscription strategy once the app has gained sufficient recognition. Tinder, for example, has launched two highly popular Tinder Gold and Tinder Plus schemes. These plans allow its users to rewind their actions for changing accidental swipes. Some other paid Tinder features are Super likes, unlimited swipes, smart photos, location change, boost, and others.

Advertisements – If your app has a large number of non-paying users, then in-app advertising can serve as a lucrative money-making option. Native advertising can be of great help in such scenarios as it adheres to the app functionality. Such apps shouldn’t meddle with the seamless experience of users as doing otherwise can lead to mass uninstallations.

Gifts – Users can even buy chocolate, teddies and greeting cards as a token of affection for their beloved. This can boost up the revenue meter during special occasions like Valentine’s Day and Women’s Day.

Conclusion

Clone scripts of Tinder have ushered in a revolution in the field of online dating. Users are notified instantly on creating an account in the application. They can even alter the visibility of their profiles from the clone app in accordance with their personal preference. Locational parameter helps in conducting efficient matchmaking. Just a swipe is enough for scanning through the profile of potential dates. There is also a rewind option helping users to alter their last swipe changes. Users can either reject a chat request or engage in a conversation with potential dates.

One of the biggest roadblocks faced by an app owner while marketing his dating app is the lack of adequate trust. Women especially doubt the online dating portal which leads to a problem with user acquisition. But once you get over the same, you can easily climb up the ladder of popularity.

About the author

Hemendra Singh

My name is Hemendra Singh. I am Managing Director and co-founder of The NineHertz, a Mobile App Development Company. I am having a keen interest in the latest trends and technologies that are emerging in different domains. Being an entrepreneur in the field of IT sector, it becomes my responsibility to aid my audience with the knowledge of latest trends in the market.

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Benefits of Using IoT In The Fleet Management System

Miley on March 5, 2019

Fleet management as the term says, adequate management of the company’s vehicle fleet. It helps the fleet owners to properly manage weight monitoring, fleet location tracking, etc. Every transportation business must have an appropriate fleet management system. Proper management of fleet is a daunting task but IoT in transportation helps business owners to easily manage the truck/fleets without any hassle. Here in this post, I will tell you the important advantages of using IoT in the fleet management system.

Let’s check the advantages of using IoT in the fleet management system

#1 Provides real-time road climate data to fleet managers A large number of injuries to fleet drivers take place because of hazardous road climatic conditions that arise time and again. At some cases, the worst road climatic condition also leads to the death of fleet drivers. Irrespective of the fact that fleet managers evaluate climatic predictions to regulate when and how extreme climate will have an effect on operations of the fleet, but wrong climatic forecasts and wrong road climate data are highly injurious to operations. Here, the Internet of things technology comes into the picture. Sensors embedded devices are attached to the axle of the truck or fleet. Real-time road climate data is given to fleet managers with the help of these sensors. In case of bad climatic conditions of the road, fleet managers can immediately contact the drivers to go at slow speed or divert trucks to another route that does not have the worst climate conditions. #2 Helps to know traffic conditions on the road IoT Smart transportation is also useful for fleet managers to contact their drivers whenever there is traffic in a particular area. This helps drivers in saving much of their time for reaching a client’s place faster because fleet managers will help drivers to select the route with less traffic. Internet of things in fleet management can also easily control the movement of traffic as to how fast or slowly traffic is moving. Sensors attached to truck’s axle continuously provides real-time data about road traffic and accordingly fleet owners can help keep their drivers safe by helping them move through clear roads without traffic. This also decreases much of the accidents happening because of traffic conditions. Fleet owners also receive the current traffic data of roads for decreasing unwanted accidents of fleet drivers well in advance. #3 Tracking the real-time location of the fleet Another important advantage of using IoT in fleet management system is to track the exact real-time location of the truck quickly. This feature is best because sometimes the truck driver takes the truck for his personal use to another area and as a result, the truck does not reach on time at client’s place and fleet managers pay for the mistakes of fleet drivers. In such cases, IoT plays a vital role. Fleet owners can easily trace the location of the fleet in the blink of an eye through geo-fencing the area in which your fleet business is operating. #4 Fuel management is carried out effectively One of the best advantages of using IoT fleet management is adequate management of fuel. Therefore, IoT helps fleet managers by keeping a track of fuel utilization in their fleets. Irregularity in fuel consumption of trucks can be easily monitored by fleet owners and accordingly they can take necessary measures to decrease unnecessary fuel consumption to a lot of extents. Moreover, during fuel theft cases, the fleet manager immediately gets alert. As fuel theft is on the rise, it’s going to be a must-have feature for all small, medium, and large fleet operators. Fuel monitoring doesn’t always come cheap so it’s best to run a comparison before committing to a single provider. Such comparison sites, much like iCompario, https://www.icompario.com/, can compare fuel cards and telematics systems to help tackle fuel theft. #5 Smart reporting of fleets IoT in fleet management system has an important role to play regarding fleet reports efficiently. Reports are received in real-time to fleet owners about operating of fleets and clearing all deliveries on regular basis. Efficient reporting enables fleet owners to make the right business decisions to enhance revenue from their fleets. #6 Improving fleet maintenance IoT in fleet management system also enhances the overall condition of fleets to improve their functioning. IoT fleet management system has the potential to gather data from different fleets and later on, this particular data can be put to use for precise and complete maintenance plans of fleets. Also, IoT enabled sensors can effectively monitor wear out of truck parts (example: tires) and fleet owners get a notification on the web or mobile app. For instance, when the tire pressure goes below the dangerous point, fleet managers immediately receive an alert about the problem on the web or mobile app of IoT fleet management. Moreover, fleet owners can also contact their drivers quickly to fix the problem before it worsens.

Smart fleet management into action

Introducing problem To know the true potential of the smart fleet management system, let’s take an example of weight monitoring of truck. What happens in the traditional fleet management system? In this case, fleet managers are not able to get a real-time weight of the truck and it further leads to fines being charged from truck drivers for over-weight of the truck. What happens in a smart fleet management system? In case of a smart fleet management system, IoT devices in transportation enable fleet managers to receive a real-time weight of the truck so that whenever truck has over-weight then fleet owners can immediately contact the truck drivers to unload some goods. In this way, unwanted fine charging can be reduced to a lot of extents. Closing Thoughts In a nutshell, it can be concluded that fleet management has wide-array of advantages for the transportation industry and it further leads to increased profitability of the business. If you are looking forward to getting IoT end-to-end solution for transportation business, then feel free to contact us and we will assist you further.

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Why You Should Deploy Online Training in Your Organization

Miley on March 5, 2019

Learning and development (L&D) departments are constantly working on identifying new opportunities for employees. Thanks to the new emerging technologies and software solutions, such as LMS and LXP software (you can view a comparison of LMS vs LXP here), all professional growth and development efforts can be streamlined now.

Since there is a lot of buzz around corporate training software, and online training in general, but very few resources that go in-depth, giving organizations reasons to implement it, we decided to give you exactly that.

Here is why you should deploy online training in your organization.

Cut Down Training Expenses

You are probably aware of the high costs of traditional training. First, there are physical copies of all the learning materials, then you have to deal with trainer’s fee, and not to mention the price of the certifications everyone expects to get by the end of the course.

In some instances, you will also have to rent the space for training. Online training removes all these factors from the equation. All the materials are stored online so that anybody can access them. There is no need to rent any space, as learners can study from wherever they want and the certification is in digital form. Your employee can choose whether they want to print their certificates or not.

Make Training More Convenient

When it comes to training, you have to go the extra mile to make it convenient for the workers. Keep in mind that most of them work from 9 to 5 and having to go to training after they are done with their work might be overwhelming for most of them.

If you decide to take another course of action and organize training during weekends, your employees may feel like you’ve robbed them of their free time.

This is where cloud-based LMS software comes in as a true savior. All of the courses can be stored in the cloud and your employees can access them whenever they want. For instance, they can do a short quiz on a coffee break, finish a course chapter while commuting, and so on.

True Mobility

The online training has gone through some transitions along the way. Improvements have been made to make learning as easy as possible.

Just a few years ago, learners had to log in an LMS via a desktop computer only. Today the connectivity and accessibility issues are definitely resolved.

Your employees will be able to learn whenever they have Internet access. And since we live in a mobile era, you will be happy to know that the best LMS software tools on the market are completely mobile-friendly. This means that learners can access learning materials, take tests, and communicate on the go.

Save Time and Effort

In a traditional setting, both learning and exams take a lot of time and effort. If there is someone who doesn’t understand the lecture, they might interrupt the presentation to ask questions, thus taking a portion of the time reserved for training. Not to mention the unit tests that have to be graded after any exam.

You will be happy to know that all this is automated by the corporate training software. You can leverage the automated corrections so that trainees can go back to read that specific material again and give the right answer.

The grading is automatic and the reports are immediately generated and sent to the manager.

Better Knowledge Retention

LMS software is also designed to improve knowledge retention. It supports the use of all sorts of media to increase the engagement potential of the learning material.

You can use images, animations, videos, and gamification to make it easier for trainees to learn.

Furthermore, corporate training software can be used to engage trainees in solving real-life situations. This can help them live the experience and learn in a better way.

Learning by participating in real-life scenarios is a great way to nurture employees for more demanding positions.

Progress Report on Demand

In a traditional setting, it is impossible to assess the performance of training and trainees. At least not in terms of objectivity. With online training, assessments are made easy.

You can see the reports at any time – how many participants are there, how much time each one of them has spent learning, and the average score of each individual.

You can use these reports to identify the learning material that’s causing problems to trainees. Whether it is too complex or too boring, you will be able to pinpoint it and improve it.

Streamlined Communication

Corporate learning software comes with a brand new line of communication. In fact, several of them do so. Course creators and trainees can communicate via message boards or direct private messaging. There is no need to stop the lecture to answer a question.

New enrollees can communicate both with trainers and among themselves. Streamlined communication improves efficiency and affects knowledge retention as well.

Individualized Training Paths

Creating individualized training paths for each employee is borderline impossible in traditional training. The main reasons are cost and time.

On the other hand, doing it with LMS software is easy. How? Modern LMS solutions come with Tin Can specification that tracks, records, and stores every learning effort made by an enrollee in the form of statements.

In just a couple of days, you will be able to gauge the reports and see the personal growth and development levels of all your employees.

Wrap Up

Deploying online training in your organization will help you reduce training costs, make it more efficient, and improve knowledge retention, among other things. Since the success of your online training efforts depends on the quality of LMS software, we suggest that you dig a little deeper to identify the best software for your company.

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What You Need to Know for a Successful Digital Marketing Campaign

Miley on March 4, 2019

What keeps a business on its track? Many would say a good strategy. This strategy encompasses all the areas of your business, including the marketing aspect. And in the age of modern technology, a good marketing strategy is more important than ever.

If you want your business to grow and innovate, having a good strategy that you can integrate into your marketing campaign is a step in the right direction. The people behind SerpWatch have underlined the importance of a powerful marketing strategy in the infographic below.

The infographic presents the hottest statistics and trends that define the digital landscape today. Keeping an eye on these ensures that your marketing strategy will remain effective in 2019. Here are some of the important points you should remember before formulating your marketing campaign.

Local SEO

Having a general SEO strategy is great, but you should also focus on growing your local customer base. Stats say that over 40% of business revenue is driven by organic traffic. This means you need to rank in search engine results pages to gain more exposure which, in turn, can increase your leads.

But while general SEO is hugely beneficial, it also makes sense for you to give more attention to your local SEO in case you run a local business.

Many consumers go online to search for a company or store near them. In fact, 72% of those who do a local search end up visiting a store within five miles. What’s more, 28% of customers searching for a local business make a purchase.

That said, improving your local SEO ranking could help you build a strong relationship with customers who are within your business location.

PPC vs. Organic Traffic

Paid online advertising has been growing by the minute, but it must be used with caution. Studies show that 64.6% of people click on Google ads when they are looking to buy an item online. This means that they already have the intention to buy when they conduct a search.

But what if a person is looking for information and weighing options? The statistics are just as damning. For one, 80% of people ignore paid search results and opt to click on the organic listings instead.

Ads on mobile devices tell the same story, where 70% of respondents admitted to disliking mobile ads. There is also a significant increase, around 90%, in mobile ad blocking.

What does this mean to businesses? Paid advertising across different online platforms could help your campaign, but you should also make sure to weigh its pros and cons. Will it do more harm than good?

Content is King

Content marketing still holds an established place in any marketing strategy, whether it is on your website, social pages, or through emails. Producing valuable and relevant content across all your marketing channels can cement your credibility and authority in your niche.

Content marketing gets three times more leads than the paid search. Buyers have become more discerning, with 47% of them consulting 3-5 pieces of content before engaging with a sales representative.

There are many more trends that you need to consider when you start creating your digital marketing campaign this year. Take a look at the infographic below to get started.

Insights

How technology can help boost your productivity

Miley on March 4, 2019

We have come a long way in finding ways to boost our productivity, and today we are on the threshold where we are able to look back and see the long winding road behind and be satisfied that we have achieved something. But should we be happy and contended that we are on the threshold or could we do better. We could do better and we have many things to learn and by doing so we could achieve greater heights and be superhuman somewhere in the future. Whether that would be a reality we may not see it in our generation, but the future is bright and that dream would be realized one day.

There are no limits to where we could go in the future and the more technologically advanced we become using it to increase our productivity and through it a better life is our paramount objective. There may be some very irrelevant distractions that could hamper our progress to that ultimate goal. One that we are encountering today wherever we may be is the very distracting prospect of being disturbed. Disturbance has become a very alarming factor which has put paid to concentration.

Concentration is paramount

To be able to accomplish anything we would need to concentrate and telescope our energies to ensure that we complete the tasks we accept or are delegated. If we are unable to concentrate then it would be an immense problem to concentrate and ensure completion.

Whether it is an office environment, field endeavor or even if you are flying in the air concentration would be what you should enjoy because most of what we do could depend on it. This issue has been a perennial problem especially for those living and working in an urban environment. The noise of traffic, the chattering of colleagues, the sound of machinery and a host of other sounds could put you off your concentration mode and your work could suffer.

Technologies to assist us

Today we are surrounded by technology and use and utilize numerous devices, equipment, online apps, machinery and many more to ensure we increase productivity. Every invention that has come before us beginning from the wheel which is considered the best invention of Man, are all geared to increase productivity. The list of the technologies that we use to increase productivity would take us around the Earth many times over but one issue would always stand apart.

That would be our ability to concentrate especially in the rat race environment that we live and work. A solution to this problem is now found and we are able to concentrate on anything from working to even sleeping which would increase productivity. Some may think as to why we would need to concentrate when we are sleeping, it is because if we are constantly disturbed during our sleep we would not be able to concentrate in our work the next day and productivity would drop drastically. Hence sleep is a very important component if we are to be productive. It we don’t get adequate sleep our wok could suffer and that would have a string of adverse consequences.

White noise technology

Research has found and it is a very important breakthrough in human behavior that we are constantly disturbed by the many sounds that emanate in the environment. If these sounds are completely and totally eliminated whether it is in an office, factory, any other work place or even at home our concentration levels would rise substantially. This would be easier said than done because such an ideal situation would be a near impossibility.

It is to help in this impossible endeavor that the white noise machine has been developed which could be considered as a breakthrough in technology which directly affects productivity. This small but effective contraption does a very simple chore and that is, it emits a constant sound neither loud nor silent but just to be heard by those around. This sound when it pierces our ear drums in a continuous sequence it tends to tune our ears to that particular sound and eliminating all the other disturbing sounds that would otherwise be picked up by your ears.

The white noise machine is proving its effectiveness and is becoming an integral part with all other technologies being employed to increase productivity. It has taken the need to concentrate and increase productivity to greater heights and is fast becoming one of the most important technologies, though simple it could be to ensure a new working environment for many.

Tests have proven that it is bringing positive results wherever it has been used and is being introduced into many workplaces. Whether it is an office or large factory it does not matter as it is providing the right impetus and the foil to the inability for many to concentrate in their tasks.

It could be used in your bedroom to ensure that you get a good night’s sleep undisturbed from all the honking, banging, shouting and other noises manmade and otherwise. If you get up fresh in the morning that too would be the first positive step to increase productivity. Deprivation of sleep especially over a prolonged period of time though you may get a few winks intermittently would still take its toll on your body.

A sleep-deprived individual would be half less or more unproductive compared to one who would have had a good night’s sleep. Hence it is imperative that you grab some quality bedtime every day to be at your best spirits the next day. If you are being disturbed take home a white noise machine today and see the wonders that it could do to you. This is technology at its best and none other could put you to sleep like you have never had before.

When we talk about technologies our minds would float to how we could get to the Moon, but there are many little things that we need which are also technology-based that would do better for us here rather than getting to the Moon. The white noise machine is just one of them.

Insights Martech Products SaaS

Ideas, Formulas and Shortcuts for Audio Manager

Miley on February 28, 2019

Let’s look in the device manager to look at the status of our Realtek audio driver. Generally, a business development manager will carry out tasks like product development, promotion, and distribution. Android Assistant was made to be compatible with different Android brands from various manufacturers. Your property manager should offer you a summary of how he is going to be handling your properties. Only the very best property managers ought to be hired!

Audio Manager has an excellent little profile feature built into the application. Easy Audio Manager is also an extremely fundamental app. Business management is just one of the main areas in every organization. The automated frequency management employs a new algorithm which also evaluates the reliability of available frequencies.

DSP Manager is a great application that may be employed to achieve vibrating bass in spite of your stock headphones. Being a real manager is never simple. Realtek HD audio manager is quite vital for your PC. To make sure that one’s music playlist does not become lost or distorted, it is necessary to employ music file administration.

The majority of the moment, you merely will need to update your audio driver. Before downloading the new Realtek drivers, it is going to be required to uninstall all present drivers.

The Downside Risk of Audio Manager

Audio is among the essential features of any computer. Windows Audio will then be enabled. It’s essential for practically any sound to be made when a program is operating in Windows. In the event the sound is working then the issue is solved and you need read no more. In addition, in addition, it provides a high-quality sound to your system during the audio card.

What is Actually Happening with Audio Manager

There are a lot of audio manager apps, so it’s essential for you to choose from an audio manager for your Android. Whichever it was, click the suitable link for your audio device so you are taken to the right page.

The 30-Second Trick for Audio Manager

Once an item of hardware is not functioning, it’s highlighted for attention. Although the true audio hardware is HD Audio, it is going to allow utilizing the AC’97 front panel like that. In case the computer doesn’t have sound, proceed to the next process to fix the error. You may then register the software to go for automatic Driver Updates. Free software is a good example. Instead, you may use a tool designed particularly for the purpose of managing and searching for samples.

Ok, I Think I Understand Audio Manager, Now Tell Me About Audio Manager!

If there are simple ways on how best to hide your apps in your Android, in addition, there are quick steps on how best to unhide the apps that were hidden in your menu. In the majority of cases, you should install an audio device to acquire your sound working. The very first thing you ought to do is determine which two audio devices you need to change between. Utilizing a system without sound will help it become incomplete.

About the author

Usman Raza is a marketing specialist at PSDtoWPService.com and co-founder of Christian Marketing Experts. He has been writing for magazines and newspapers since 2001, and editing and managing websites since 2006. A generalist, his most covered topics are business and technology. Follow him on Twitter @usmanintrotech.