Tips to Gain Small Business Customer Loyalty

Many small businesses in Australia are still up to their neck in paperwork. A recent global survey of 2,000 small businesses by Intuit found that Aussie business owners consume 25% of their time on admin tasks and only 22% are actually working to expand their business. The item that was listed as the “biggest barrier to business goals” was admin.

Can trusted advisors help you? In what way?

Trusted advisors are your life raft

Trusted advisors should come in when a small business lack the time or funds to perform manual bookkeeping, or internal capability to search for a digital solution for admin tasks.

Four out of ten business owners haven’t got a clue who to call for help on how to strengthen their business, specifically for financial dealings and strategic planning. Experienced accountants or bookkeepers have the know-how to provide advice and guidance on these matters to small businesses.

Technology advisors

The people you go to if you want to go digital as they can advise you on software and solutions. An Intuit research found that one in five small businesses are not yet using cloud technology. Of those who have adopted cloud, 80% revealed that it saved them money. With cloud technology, small businesses can use a “single ledger” for universal access and real-time collaboration.

Business consultants

A business’ entire operations can potentially be transformed by business accounting software. Accountants and bookkeepers can teach their clients how to automate invoicing, billing and other business processes.

According to research, small businesses that have adopted mobile technology are saving as much as nine weeks annually, in time, and boosting their revenue by an average of 8%. Automating processes and adopting mobile technology will boost a business’ operations exponentially and allow their advisors to advise them on where to focus business and sales activities.

Strategic partners

Many small businesses prioritise growing their business. This is where accountants and bookkeepers can expand their services by offering more strategic, high-level business insights to their clients. They have the opportunity to become a strategic partner to businesses, with data showing that only 6 out of 10 owners have a trusted advisor and businesses are open to turn to an advisor with the expertise to value and benchmark their business.

Find your pain points

Small businesses must turn to experienced and cutting-edge accountants and bookkeepers, who can find their pain points and devise a reactive business plan, moving forward. The essential job of a strategic advisor is to win customer loyalty and take the initiative in identifying parts of the business where there are problems, such as invoicing, account reconciliation or payroll.

There are small businesses that overlook the help and advice that their accountant or bookkeeper can provide in financial matters. It is the task of trusted advisors to make the business world become aware about the new roles they can play for small businesses.

By finding unresolved customer issues and attending to their unmet needs, trusted advisors can establish trust with small-business clients. This will help build business relationships and, in the long run, ensure customer loyalty.

If you or your business is in need of bookkeeping, accounting and other business-related processes, contact PJS Accountants. We have over 30 years’ experience with local Redlands businesses. Call us for enquiries on how PJS Accountants can assist you.

Lessons to Learn from a Business Losing Money

“Don’t waste a good mistake, learn from it” – a piece of wisdom from popular money guru Robert Kiyosaki.

But not only should you learn from your mistakes, it is also wise to learn from the mistakes of others. Here are some important lessons that business owners have learned from the terrible experience of losing money.

1. Get a mentor – and be careful when making your choice

Having an experienced adviser is not optional. It is one of the most vital decisions you have to make as a business owner or investor.

Experience is the best teacher. If you can have at least one adviser and add their experience to your own, you significantly boost your lessons and speed up your learning process.

Learn from all the questions you can think of to ask, especially in the areas that you consider your weakness.

2. It is okay to commit mistakes

Though mistakes can be distressing, they are not lasting. Some people can be so scared of committing mistakes that they avoid taking any risk at all. It is okay to take your chances on calculated risks because, as you know, the higher the risk, the higher the return. This is particularly correct in investing.

Many entrepreneurs will tell you that they wish they have committed mistakes earlier. You can learn early from your mistakes and make the most of the lessons from those mistakes.

It is a fact that the people who committed the biggest mistakes, turned out to be the most successful, because they learned essential life and business lessons from those mistakes.

3. Be accountable for the consequences of your actions

The common reaction when losing a significant amount of money is to look for something or someone to blame. You point the finger at anyone other than yourself.

Other factors may be the culprit for the loss, but take on the main responsibility for it. It may not feel good for your self-esteem, but moving past it means that you’d taken on the task of how to offset it. By doing this, you will mature quickly.

4. Watch out for opportunities

Losing money does not only include the loss of cash on hand. It could also include the failure to take advantage of opportunities.

New trends are always surfacing, so you have to be aware of these. Have funds ready so you can invest when a good opportunity arises.

It is also worth considering hiring a full-time broker who can advise you on which risks and investments to take and which ones to not.

5. There is no quick way to make money

You will be disappointed if you think that there is a magic formula when it comes to making money. You know that get-rich-quick schemes are out to scam you.

Don’t be obsessed with the idea of getting rich but it becomes your life’s goal. Don’t forget that money can’t buy the most important things in life, like family friends, health, honour, personal values, and so on.

6. Work hard and work smart

It is nice to have money to buy the things we want. But remember that it doesn’t mean that you have to forget about your business dreams if you lose it.

Meet the challenges that come your way. If you fail at some, press on. Learn from your mistakes and those of others and try again, this time as a wiser and more motivated individual.

One of the best mentors that you can have is financial experts like experienced accountants. If you are in need of one, contact PJS Accountants. We offer accounting and other bookkeeping services to individuals and companies, big and small. We have the experience and expertise to provide intelligent financial advice to grow your business.

How to Get Moving Again If You’re Feeling Stuck

If you’re feeling like nothing is working the way you want them to or your path towards the future is blurry, you can easily find yourself in a state of paralysis or reluctant resignation.

If you want to take control of your destiny, you mustn’t stay stuck or accept defeat. Here are steps to help you get moving again if you are feeling stuck:

1. Stop beating your head against a brick wall.

If you’re not seeing any results despite doing everything you can to get things moving, there’s no use continuing them. What you can do is reserve a block of time in your schedule to devote to the issue, and then do nothing until the scheduled time arrives.

The objective here is to go back to the issue with new perspective, restored energy and a change in attitude, so if the issue comes to your mind in the interim, tell yourself that you have set a time for you to revisit it. While waiting for this time do something else, like going for a walk or even going on a holiday if the problem you are experiencing has more significant consequences.

2. Take a look at the big picture again.

Usually when we’re stuck, the reason is we’re focusing more on the problems rather than on our objectives. When it’s time to go back to the topic, the first thing you should do is re-acquaint yourself with the reasons why the topic is crucial for you and what your objectives are for embarking on it.

Perhaps, if you stop thinking about the ways you can make things happen and instead concentrate on your best-case scenario outcome, you’d change from a defeatist attitude into a can-do one.

3. Focus on what you can do.

If you’re analysis of the big picture reveals that you’re on the right course and the issue you’re pursuing is one that you are fully committed to, you may still be hindered by still being clueless about the steps that you need to do to make a breakthrough.

But in most cases, we have some idea on what needs to be done, even if you don’t yet have a complete grasp of all the things that you should know.

When you find yourself at this stage, it may help to move away from the computer and go old school with pen and paper to come up with a list or a mind map of all the tasks and objectives you need to complete to accomplish your big picture outcome.

After you have done this, you will usually realise that you can’t fix everything in one go, but there are some things you know how to deal with and you have a starting point.

Finally, you can get moving, and as you do, it becomes obvious that you are starting to get un-stuck, often due to the fact that you are tackling the project with renewed energy, rather than feeling weighed down by it.

4. Have fun doing your project.

If you are still feeling overwhelmed, or you’re feeling like you’re not gaining any traction, why not make a game of some aspects of it?

For example, you’d decided to pursue an opportunity that you did budget for and the cost is so far out of your reach, but it’s a smart move on a big-picture perspective. If you commit to doing it, you can challenge yourself in thinking of the cheapest ways you can participate in this opportunity. Think of wild and wacky ways you can reach your goals while spending the least amount of money.

A process that had initially caused you stress becomes much more fun, and you can also learn some really important insights about ways you can think outside of the box when you need to.

5. Applying what you’ve learned in future projects.

If you don’t commit to learning everything about yourself, your business and what works throughout the process, and applying what you’ve learned, none of the steps recommended above will work.

Usually, an undertaking that is big enough to overwhelm you will also be big enough to encompass multiple layers or moving parts. Applying the steps repeatedly can help you get unstuck.

If you are considering outsourcing your bookkeeping, accounting and other business-related processes, while still involved in making the big decisions and remain in control, contact PJS Accountants. We have over 30 years’ experience with local Redlands businesses. Our team will be at your disposal, always ready to receive your calls and provide services, to help you to stay in charge of all aspects of your business. Call us for enquiries on how PJS Accountants can partner with you to improve your business.

Tips for Staying Productive on the Road

Giving your team fancy gadgets is just one way to make sure they stay productive on the road. There is also finding the right tools to help you and your team make the most of each work day.

Mobile productivity drive

On impulse, you’d probably think that shopping for gadgets is the first step to begin your mobile productivity push. But treat this as any other IT project; the first thing you should do is consider your requirements and identify your objectives.

With your objectives in mind, you are more capable of evaluating the appropriate apps, hardware and services for your requirements.

For sharing documents among your team, you should first look at online office suites, such as Google Docs, Microsoft’s Office 365 and Apple’s iWork.

Coordinating among team members can be done using corporate messaging apps such as Slack and project management tools like Basecamp. With so many collaboration services available, it would serve you well to research and do a trial instead of buying the first thing you come across.

Find apps or services that work well with any device and consider carefully before using closed ecosystems that would lock you to specific providers.

Free services are tempting, but don’t close your mind to paid business-grade options. Don’t limit your review on just advanced features, but also consider improved customer support and service level agreements.

The proper gadget for the task

In terms of portable productivity tools, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. You have to find the balance between portability, usability and battery life, taking into account how the team members spend their day.

If you’ve decided on using apps and services that work on any device then each member probably doesn’t need to have the same hardware. This way you can freely review all kinds of smartphones, tablets, notebooks and hybrid devices.

Business-issued and Bring Your Own Device options are also worth considering.
Rather than wasting time deciding between Windows and Mac, or Android and Apple, focus on defining a few use cases and user profiles.

For example, some employees spend most of their time on their desks, while others are always on the field.

Some need batteries that can last all day, while others are within easy reach of a power outlet or car charger. Some personnel always have access to Wi-Fi, while others require mobile broadband to be on hand.

Portability is an important requirement for devices that will often be used while on the road, while screen glare is a consideration for devices when used outside.

Employees whose task is to create and edit documents may require a decent physical keyboard.

When you identify what each of your employee needs in a portable productivity device, and the work they will be doing on the device, it would be much easier to pair them with the right hardware for the task.

Maintaining constant communication

Access to a reliable mobile voice and data service is important to stay productive on the road, but you have to consider other things aside from receiving a great deal on your handset.

There are many business-grade mobile plans out there, but nowadays there’s a good chance you would need mobile data more.

Find options like the ability to integrate separate data-only SIM cards for notebooks and tablets and combine data allowances.

If you are running a large organisation, you would have to find business-grade tools like a central portal to oversee all of your mobile accounts.

It is also important to read the fine print about excess data charges and global roaming rates so you won’t be shocked when you get your monthly bill.

If you require bookkeeping, accounting and other business-related processes, contact PJS Accountants. We have been working together with local Redlands businesses for over 30 years. We will be accessible at all times, always ready to receive your calls and assist you to make sure you remain in charge of all aspects of your business. We will be your reliable partner as you strive to improve your business.

What Do You Do When A Key Employee Leaves?

How do you deal when a key employee resigns from the company, or worse, decides to go to your competitor?

For small businesses, the impact of a key employee leaving can be significant. The impact on the business will be are the more obvious if the one leaving is client-facing.

According to HR experts, the best way to handle this is for a business to acknowledge that employees will quit sometime in the future, and that more often than not it would happen without your prior knowledge.

Conducting constant conversation with employees about their goals and dreams is a good idea, but there is minimal effect when this is done in a proper setting in the pretext of a performance evaluation.

As an alternative, maintain some kind of formal system for reciprocal feedback and review and at the same time ensure that you are talking to your team members on a regular basis about what their goals are with their function.

Reasons Employees Leave

Nowadays, people resign from their jobs sooner and more frequently, particularly if they are younger. You’d be disappointed if you expect people to remain with your company for five to 10 years.

In most cases, the main reason why people leave jobs is not because of how they were being paid.

What was discovered during exit interviews is that the key reasons people go is the training and the manner on how they were managed. They were not being given the opportunity to grow and learn, or the way they had been managed was not right.

It was also found that a company making a counter-offer of higher salary to the employee doesn’t work very often. In most cases, when the employee does accept the counter-offer, they still leave within six months anyway.

People look for intangible things from their role, which they get from having constant communication with them about their role.

Uncertain business

The key is to be prepared, if a key person in your organisation is leaving and you can’t do anything about it. Businesses must carry out a risk audit, drawing up the roles and responsibilities of each employee.

Ask yourself what the impact to your business would be if employee X walks out tomorrow? Does this person do a task that only he or she can do? Do they have several clients that need to be informed of their leaving?

The audit will give you a rough summary of the skills and capabilities that you have to take care of in the short and medium term should a key employee resigns.
This will put you in a better spot to come up with a strategy.

An essential thing that you can do if a key employee resigns is to have an exit interview. This can be done by you, but an independent party will most likely obtain more truthful views on an employee’s time with the company.

The next course of action

It can be disturbing when a colleague resigns and you didn’t get the reason for their leaving. This lack of information can result in office gossip, amplifying the complaints the employee may have had. By being open and transparent as much as possible about the reason why the person resigned, you can provide the right information and handle the narrative.

It is also important to have a plan for your next course of action.

Provide employees the information about what you are going to do to handle the person’s leaving. For example, you can inform them on when the employee’s last day in the office is, when you will begin the hiring process for the replacement, or the date you expect to have a new person on board.

Lastly, if the employee is leaving to take a post with a competitor, make sure to run by them again any IP protection or confidentiality provisions in their contract. While not offering full protection, this would protect you in some ways.

After all of these, don’t forget to rally the troops. Any time that something bad happens in the business, getting people together is crucial. This may even allow you to give someone else the chance to fill the void left the by employee’s resignation.

If you are in need of accounting and other related services, contact PJS Accountants. We offer accounting and other bookkeeping services to individuals and companies, big and small. Allow our team to evaluate your business and advise you on the right measures to create an excellent financial management strategy for you.

Making the Hard Decisions for your Business

Running a growing business is a constant challenge. But the hard part for business owners comes when they have to make tough decisions that can impact their employees, which they already consider family and therefore, making them people they care about.

These hard calls come in various forms, such as terminating an employee, promoting one team member or choosing the person to lead a project. Business owners face these kinds of decisions every week, which could affect their business, family and the industry they’re in.

Owners are advised to think “it’s just business” and to stay tough. This is good advice but many business owners still find it difficult to make the hard calls. When next you hear that phrase, remember that the heart of any business is its employees.

Caring about your employees is strength, not a weakness. Promoting trust and fostering a strong team culture is what makes a great leader.

So, how can a business grow its teams, keep a solid culture and make the difficult decisions that are needed for growth?

Think of the big picture

Ask yourself the following questions when faced with making a decision:

  • What would happen if you don’t do anything?
  • What is the long term consequence?
  • Will the business be put at risk?
  • Will it jeopardise the business as a whole?

If you don’t make the necessary hard decisions, there could be after-effects that you will be responsible for down the road.

Identify your values

It is important to know why you do what you do and what you don’t do. Identify your values as a standard or sieve for decision-making. Those values will build strong boundaries, which will shield you, your staff and your business. Identify your values, write them down and regularly convey to every person you meet.

Communicate

Establish good communication with your staff and give them the facts they need to realise the reason why you made the decision. This action shows that you respect them, which in turn will strengthen them. Make sure you also give them the chance to share what they think and what they feel and be prepared to respond to questions they may have.

The bottom line

It might happen that your figures don’t just match. When it comes to business, figures must add up. If they don’t, you are putting your business at risk.

Make the decision

Not making a decision is the worst decision of all. Business owners are privy to an exclusive view of the happenings in their company. There are times when operating without a decision is similar to viewing a car crash. No person will make the decision unless you do. So go do it.

Business owners will make mistakes and people will be affected. But by following the tips discussed above, know that you did the best you could for your business, your investors and the people you are responsible for.

Business owners make decisions all the time, both easy and hard ones. If it is money- or finances-related, consult your accountant, or contact PJS Accountants, to guide you. We offer accounting and other bookkeeping services to individuals and companies, big and small. Allow our team to evaluate your financial situation and advise you in making the right decisions.

Key Changes to Annual Leave Entitlements You Need to Know

A number of very important changes have recently been made by the Fair Work Commission to annual leave entitlements for employees contained in the Fair Work Act 2009.

It is now critical for you to familiarise yourself with these changes because:

  • The changes are now officially authorised for implementation.
  • Prosecution and penalties apply to those who will not comply.
  • Employers must now update their existing annual leave policies and procedures.

Below is the detailed explanation for each important change:

New Cash out Policies

For the first time, all employees covered by the Modern Award are now entitled to cash-out a part of their accrued annual leave. However, there are four very strict rules to follow in order to cash out:

  1. Employees can only cash out a maximum of two weeks’ annual leave every 12 months.
  2. An employee must always have a remaining balance of at least 4 weeks after the cashing out has been processed.
  3. Each agreement to cash-out annual leave must be recorded in writing, and
  4. The amount paid to the employee must be no less than the amount they would have received had the leave been taken.

The following must also be noted by all employers:

  • Employees under 18 years of age will also need their parent / guardian to sign the cashing-out agreement, and
  • Employers remain strictly prohibited from coercing or misleading employees into cashing-out their accrued annual leave.
  • A small number of Modern Awards are still subject to variation to permit cashing-out of annual leave. Always check the applicable Award carefully.

The cash-out leave policy is still in effect for employees who are not covered by either a Modern Award or an Enterprise Agreement. However, it is subject to the separate rules contained in section 94 of the Fair Work Act 2009. These rules are similar as those listed above, however there is no limit on how much annual leave can be cashed-out in each 12 month period.

Excessive Annual Leave

The issue of unwieldy leave balances is common in many businesses. With the latest changes, employers will now find it easier to guide employees to take annual leave and thus minimise, or do away, with excessive leave balances.

What is ‘excessive leave’?

  • If the employee is not a Shiftworker: 8 weeks’ annual leave
  • If the employee is a Shiftworker: 10 weeks’ annual leave

Most, but not all, Modern Awards now have a ‘model directed leave term’. This new provision will permit employers to direct an employee to take annual leave. As is the case with cashing-out of annual leave, very strict rules apply:

  1. The employee and employer must firstly meet with one another and discuss ways of reducing the excessive leave balance. If they’re unable to reach agreement on when or how annual leave should be taken, your business can then direct the employee to take some of their annual leave. This is referred to as ‘directed annual leave’.
  2. The directed annual leave period must begin:
    • no earlier than 8 weeks, and
    • no later than 1 year from the date the annual leave direction is issued by your client
  3. The directed annual leave period must be at least one week long, and
  4. The employee must have at least six weeks of annual leave left after the directed leave period has been completed.
  5. The Employer’s direction must not be inconsistent with any leave arrangements already in place. This includes any annual leave policies or procedures which apply in their workplace.
  6. An employee may subsequently request annual leave despite the employer’s prior direction for it to be taken. If this happens, the employer must disregard their previous direction when considering the employee’s new annual leave request, and in the case where an employee has had an excessive leave balance for over 6 months and the employer has failed to issue a way for the leave to be taken, the employee is allowed to unilaterally take some of their leave. In this case the same rules as mentioned above for employer-directed leave will also apply.

Leave in Advance

Under most Modern Awards, employers are now allowed to grant their employees with annual leave prior to that leave having been accumulated by the employee.

Notably, the new ‘model clause’ also specifically permits employers to deduct any subsequent ‘annual leave debt’ from the employee’s last pay if their employment terminates prior to their accrued annual leave having been restored to a positive balance.

The following rules apply to annual leave provided in advance of accrual:

  1. The mutual agreement must be recorded in writing.
  2. The agreement must confirm the amount of leave in advance being provided, the date when that period of leave will commence.
  3. The agreement must be signed by both the employer and the employee, as well as the employee’s parent or guardian if they’re under 18 years of age, and
  4. A copy of the agreement must be kept in the employee’s records.

Payment of Annual Leave

Several Modern Awards have historically required employees to be paid their full wage or salary in-full and upfront when they begin a period of annual leave.

Most Modern Awards applying this rule have now been changed to permit employees who are paid via EFT to continue getting their wage or salary payments ‘as usual’ during their period of annual leave.

Any advice stated above is of a general nature only. For guidance on your individual business situation, consult with your human resources department or accountant.

PJS Accountants offer accounting and other bookkeeping services to individuals and companies, big and small. Allow our team to evaluate your business and advise you on how to create an effective strategy for employee annual leave management. For enquiries, contact PJS Accountants.

Overcoming the Distraction Syndrome

Our attention space has been one of the major casualties of the information age. According to a Microsoft study conducted in May 2015, an adult human’s average concentration span had decreased from 12 seconds in 2000 to only 8 seconds in 2015. Putting this finding into context, the attention span of humans is a second shorter than that of a goldfish, which has an attention span of nine seconds.

The constant barrage of emails and phone calls is relentlessly assaulting our ability to concentrate. Moreover, social media has accustomed us to frequently change tasks and divide our attention. Being frequently distracted can put our mental health at risk as well as our physical well-being.

Danger Posed by Distractedness

A Pew Research found that in 2015 alone the number of pedestrians in the US who were seriously injured or died as a result of wandering into traffic while looking at their phones totalled 8,000. In Augsburg, Germany, stop lights have been installed at busy intersections for pedestrians who are distracted with their phones.

Impact on the Workplace

Office workers are interrupted every three minutes recent studies have found. Once interrupted, it can take about 23 minutes to get the focus back on the original task. Whether it’s the chat between colleagues within earshot that you can’t tune out, the never-ending meetings and memos or a co-worker stopping by your desk to ask a question, the current open-plan set up in offices is tailor made to break focus and concentration.

Here are five tips to fight this frequent attack of distractions and interruptions, especially if you are working on detailed or creative tasks:

  1. Deactivate notification for new messages for email, text messages, Facebook and LinkedIn. Your work life will be transformed by following this one tip alone.
  2. If you have an office door close it and ask everyone not to disturb you unless it is a real emergency.
  3. Turn off your mobile phone and stand firm against FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and remind yourself that it wouldn’t be the end of the world if you are incommunicado for a while.
  4. Save a time in your day for intentional thinking. Intel recently launched a program letting employees set aside several hours each week for ‘heads down’ work. During this time, employees can choose not to reply to emails or join meetings. The results were really positive, as within the first few months after the program’s launch a patent-worthy innovation was developed by an employee during ‘heads down’ hours.
  5. Be in charge of your email. Consider using an email management tool such as SaneBox if you always end up being a slave to your inbox. By using SaneBox or similar tools such as Mailstrom, Alto or Inky, you can control the frequency and flow of email communication. Alternatively, place clear restrictions around your access to email during the day. Many people have become very productive by developing a habit of checking their email for only 20 minutes, four times daily. Between these periods, their ‘out of office’ notice is turned on informing when they will check their email next so people know when to expect a reply.

To be able to establish momentum and slip into a low state, it is important to be able to concentrate and focus intensely on critical tasks. Remember these words from famed American author Og Mandino: “It is those who concentrate on but one thing at a time who advance in this world”.

If you are in need of accounting and other related services, contact PJS Accountants. We offer accounting and other bookkeeping services to individuals and companies, big and small. Allow our team to evaluate your business and advise you on the right measures to create an excellent financial management strategy for you.

New Communication Trends to Help your Business Stand Out

There has been a dramatic change in the manner we communicate in business. For small businesses, deciding on the most economic, efficient and effective strategy to communicate internally and with customers can be difficult. With the changes in the manner by which consumers want to receive information, it is wise to keep up to date with the latest trends in technology and communication.

Email is still No. 1

Majority of small businesses still prefer email as the medium for outbound marketing and communications, according to the 2016 SME Direction Survey. Email is also expected to grow as an important part of any business’ marketing mix with over 50% of the respondents considering emails as a vital growth platform.
The growth driver of emails is the advances in technology, i.e. the business intelligence metrics available and integration with systems like Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platforms, personalisation and automation.

Social media

Using social media as a small-business communication tool has been growing for some time and does not appear to be losing momentum. According to a survey of Australian SMEs, social media is expected to have the second-fastest growth among different types of communication media in 2016.

Businesses are beginning to recognise the potential of social media as being more than a broadcast medium. It remains as a tool to promote content, like blog posts and product promotions, but forward-thinking companies are utilising social media to connect with customers and prospects.

Shared conversations

The expectation of millennials for prompt, two-way conversations is one of the major impacts they have on business conversations. People now are not afraid to respond to communications and are more likely to talk to a staff of a business, whether a sales rep or the owner, using one of the platforms now available. They are now also more at ease connecting with businesses on social media, like the way they connect with friends.

Adding a personal touch with videos

Video conferencing is now a quick, easy and accessible way to communicate. It’s now easy to meet with customers or teams in different locations via video using free tools such as Skype, Join.me and Facetime. It is also now easier to start video chats, with laptops and mobile phones now featuring front facing cameras.

Video meetings add a personal and human touch to communications, further promote shared conversations, and provide all the advantages of body language and facial expressions.

However, while technology is making it easier to communicate with clients in increasingly various ways, it also means that customers are being flooded with messages from many fronts, including all kinds of messages from your business rivals.

To distinguish yourself from your competitors, convey your message across and have meaningful conversations with your customers, consider leveraging technological advances that are easily accessible today. Moreover, consider utilising several tools such as email, face-to-face, social media and video chats to create meaningful connections.

Do you need assistance in organising your books and other accounting-related services? Contact PJS Accountants. We offer accounting and other booking services to individuals and companies, big and small. Allow our team to evaluate your financial situation and advise you on the right measures to gain repeat business.

What is the Real Cost of Recruitment Advertising to You?

A major factor when deciding between using a recruitment agency and recruiting using in-house systems is COST. The hiring process involves many types of costs, and all of them can pile up. One type is the outlay to advertise your position, which can be expensive, if done incorrectly.

Here are three tips to remember when undertaking your recruitment campaign:

1. Posts outside of mainstream job boards too

The quality of responses you receive will depend on where you advertise your vacancy. You may immediately post on mainstream job boards, but consider your position and the places where your prospective applicants may be searching. Many people blow their recruitment advertising money on job boards that they know because they are popular, not because they’ve checked candidate traffic or quality. Check out niche job boards. While some may be more expensive than mainstream job boards, but if you can find your target candidates there then it’s a good use of your money.

2. Don’t forget that an employee may not be quick to manage your posting

You have to constantly check on candidate quality if you want a well-managed recruitment campaign. Don’t wait until the end of your allotted advertising month to assess your applicants. Do it as you go. If you think that you or any of your staff don’t have the time to check the campaign every week, consider how much you would lose, if at the end of the moment you discover that you have lost a most deserving candidate to a more diligent employer.

3. Review your figures

You may be wasting so much in recruitment advertising by not bringing in the deserving candidates. You’ll never know if you are spending your advertising dollars right if you neglect to do a report at the end of every campaign to identify which job boards gave the best results. You can avoid making the wrong advertising decisions if you ask your candidates where they saw your job ad and make a month-on-month comparison.

The recruitment process, particularly job advertising, is one area where there is no need to waste money. If you want to know if your advertising dollars are being spent in the right manner, talk to your accountant or call PJS Accountants. We offer accounting and other booking services to individuals and companies, big and small. Allow our team to evaluate your financial situation and advise you on the right measures to gain repeat business. Contact PJS Accountants for enquiries.