Creativity Outside the Kitchen

Today, restaurants need to be more than four walls and a ceiling. The most successful restaurants have become destinations of sorts– places that people long to visit and return to, and not just for the food. These popular eateries go far beyond tasty dishes and hand-crafted cocktails.

Read on for 6 ways that contemporary restaurants are changing the game.

#1 Going for Curb Appeal

In the retail world, a customer will decide in seven seconds whether to purchase an item or not. The same can be said of a restaurant. To capture a potential diner’s lasting interest, you’ll want to pull them inside from the moment they lay eyes on your building. Therefore, it is incredibly important for restaurant owners to carefully consider the outer appearance of their restaurant.

While the classic hole-in-the-wall eatery can become a popular mainstay in the community, it’s best to put as much effort into your look as possible.

When designing the exterior, consider the aspects that might make a customer interested in stopping in for a bite. Be sure to consider every possible visitor, working to visualize what your potential customers see. Ensure that all signage is clear, and the premises are effectively illuminated.

#2 Taking Full Advantage of Lighting

While you aren’t likely to tear down a wall to create more windows, it is important to utilize your building’s natural light to the best of your ability.  Consider this as you work on the seating arrangement. Place the tables and chairs in a way that allows the room to get the most outside lighting. Additionally, be sure to carefully design the view outside of the windows, ensuring that customers have something pleasant to look at. Many restaurants are even using their front and back doors as an opportunity to let in fresh air and light throughout the day.

When planning for artificial lighting, consider more artsy options such as string lights, candles, tea lights, gas lamps, and more. You’ll be able to curate a distinct look with the right lighting fixtures.

#3 Giving the Entrance the “Wow” Factor

Always make it a point to think about what your customers will see as they enter your restaurant. In this Instagram-heavy world, customers tend to make every second a photo opportunity. For this reason, many innovative restaurants are choosing murals, decor walls with hanging plants, large freestanding sculptures, and the like to place at the front of their restaurant. These act as a unique way to capture a customer’s attention, as well as set your restaurant apart from competitors.

#4 Allowing Customers to be the Audience

“Theatre” is already an important part of the art of fine dining. Depending on the design of your restaurant, you may find that you can easily give diners a view of the kitchen. As your customers become the audience, the join in on the actual creation process of making the food.

If you are considering an open kitchen, installing a glass or mesh screen can add a bit of elegance and mystery to the experience. While diners will be able to get a view of the food preparation, they won’t be privy to the garbage disposal.

#5 Making Menus Actual Works of Art

A piece of art is a one-of-a-kind, awe-inspiring object. It draws the viewer in, leaving them wanting more. For this reason, many restaurants are turning their menus into art. With the right design, your customized restaurant menu will express the ambience and mood you will be trying to make. As customers read through the folded leaflets, they will be enticed by the colourful pages and the unique design.

Consider hiring a professional graphic designer to handle the imagery and branding. With the right look, your restaurant will be easily recognizable, standing out among competitors. A good graphic designer or printer will help you select papers that are attractive to the eyes and touch. Quality paper, along with the right texture and colour will change the appearance of your menu.

#6 Taking Over Social Media

With great content and graphics, your restaurant’s profiles should easily succeed on social media. Make a distinct effort to share exciting posts, with high-resolution photos and interesting copy. Many restaurants that are enjoying their fair share of Instagram popularity tend to post high-quality images of their mouth-watering dishes.

Whether they’re traditional dishes or innovative recipes, eateries with great content are always sure to post the best-looking bites. Similarly, social media is a great way to connect with customers and future diners. Encourage people to come to visit and share their experiences by using a specific hashtag for your restaurant.

Don’t let all this artistic direction go to waste; be sure to analyse how you can use these creative tips in your own restaurant. By giving these details extra attention, you’ll be sure to pull in customers that come from the experience and stay for the great food. As you work to implement these design tips, remember to keep innovation at the forefront of your mind.

The post How Businesses Are Getting In Touch With Their Creativity appeared first on Tech Web Space.

In the digital age, clients have high expectations from developers, brokers, and agents. Home buyers and investors get so much information, that drawing their attention towards your business offer is a real challenge.

You need to come up with a relevant message to convert total strangers into clients. Moreover, technology can help you reach your target audience and convince your public about the quality of your products and services.

Real Estate Must Embrace Online Marketing

According to Realtor.com, millennials can reach 43 percent of home buyers getting a mortgage this year. Your new clients are digital. They like to get information fast and are obsessed with their smartphones.

99 percent of millennials search on websites when looking for a home. Offering details on properties and publishing relevant photos can influence buying decisions. Technology has brought real estate online. To build a successful real estate marketing strategy, you need a robust online component. This way, you take your message right where your people are looking: into their smartphones.

You need a mobile-friendly website, where home buyers can learn more about your properties and your business. Give information about deals, houses, tax bills and other related topics. Millennials want to know everything before buying.

Don’t forget to leave contact information and to add some reviews from previous clients. Social proof is essential online, as it helps you gain trust and convert visitors into clients.

Apps and Social Media Put You Closer to Your Audience

As more people become smartphone owners, developers have created an app for everything. Real estate included. There are hundreds of apps available for home buyers that estimate home values, track upcoming open houses, and have search features that allow users to filter properties by their preferences.

You need an app to make things easier for your customers. Millennials love self-service. You don’t have to hold their hands through the entire process, as they want to do a lot by themselves.

Give them an easy-to-use app where they can browse properties and learn more about features and prices. After a first filter, they’ll come asking for help. So, make sure your agents’ contact information is updated and easy to find, and you’ll have more chances to convert.

Promote your services and your app through social media. Facebook may have lost popularity, but social media together still have more than 3 billion users. That’s many business opportunities that you could miss by not creating a strong social presence.

Times have changed, and social networks have developed a wide range of services for businesses. You must invest in high-quality content and pay for exposure. Ads have a good ROI, and your efforts will pay off.

You Must Learn to Use All Types of Content

Home buyers are hungry for valuable information. For many of them, their homes are the most critical investment in their lives — one followed by long-term mortgages, taxes, and maintenance costs. Brokers and agents who take the time to educate their public are more likely to close deals.

You need to make information easy to find and to understand. Use content to add value to your readers and to teach them how to make better decisions for their financial future.

Publish images, videos, and audio content to make your website interactive and information appealing to your public. Use your social media accounts to promote valuable content, like must follow real estate podcasts or white papers that can teach your audience more about investing in property.

Drones Add Another Dimension

Drone-level images have created a revolution in real estate marketing. They take the homebuyer up, to see constructions from 10m above, showing properties from a perspective we couldn’t even imagine existed a few years ago.

Videos and photos obtained with drones are spectacular and allow home buyers and investors to see the property from a different angle. In simple words, drone images have added another dimension to traditional real estate imaginary.

Drones give you the possibility to show homebuyers and investors the entire neighbourhood or area where they buy a property. Also, it allows you to promote your products and services in a modern and innovative way.

Virtual Reality Takes Your Business to The Next Level

Marketers have seen the potential of virtual reality (VR) in real estate marketing. The new technology opens a new way of doing business in the industry. Virtual reality allows you to walk your customers through a building that is still under construction and show them how their home will look like.

Using virtual reality, you can demonstrate to home buyers how some small changes in a project can transform an old house into the home of their dreams. With a simple headset, clients who don’t have time to inspect a property can walk into it from thousands of kilometres.

Virtual reality is still a new thing for most real estate marketers. But, as the technology improves, virtual tours are more likely to become popular. It could be a useful tool to help your customers to filter properties before deciding to visit houses in person.

Technology improves many processes in real estate marketing. Big data, insights, and blockchain are other innovative elements that are meant to change the industry for good.

Keep an open mind a try to remain updated about the new trends. This way, you can anticipate your customers’ expectations and provide them with a better experience when interacting with your brand.

The post How Technology Has Changed Real Estate Marketing appeared first on Tech Web Space.

 But is that really a good thing? Or are we preparing to bite the bullet?

 For decades, there has always been the fear that technology would become so advanced that it hijacked the human race, deeming us unworthy. Although, this may be taking things a tad too far. It is hard to not take in the rapid changes in the manufacturing industry, thanks to technological growth.

The Impact That Technology Has On The Workforce In The Manufacturing Industry

“One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man” – Elbert Hubbard

 The manufacturing industry took a massive hit during the 2009 recession, dropping to an all-time high in unemployment rates. However, with the economy more stable, and machines helping streamline the processing – there are currently 12.3 million jobs in this industry. Alone, this industry stands as a whopping $2.17 trillion market in the US economy.

 The question is did machines help make it what it is today?

 Globally, technology has been implemented to revolutionize the processes throughout the manufacturing industry. Resulting in a 47-percent increase in production.

 The catch?

 As robotics are steadily becoming more “human-like”, fewer people are willing to study the necessary skills for the industry. Experts predict that there may be a shortage of qualified human workers in less than a decade. That means a 2-million skills gap for the ninth most important sector in the U.S economy.

Is There A Benefit For Those Who Work In The Industry?

Some experts claim that we are just at the peak of the digital era. Meaning there will be huge leaps to technological advancement throughout the next couple of decades.

 But what does that mean for those who work in the industry?

 Let’s take laser printing as a prime example.

 Instead of having a line of employees constructing a project from scratch on an assembly line, technology is introduced into the process. Namely 3D printing.

 Now, instead of a horde of employees, these warehouses only need skilled engineers to develop, shape, and design products in the factory. Thanks to technology, manufacturing is turning into a ‘highly-skilled workers’ needed industry.

 The good news for those with the necessary qualifications is the huge increase in wages. Technology has helped increase the wage by 27% for the average U.S worker. Making the manufacturing industry far easier, and more lucrative.

Eradicating The Risk Of Defect Products Due To Human Errors

If we had to travel back a few decades, things would look vastly different from what we are used to seeing today in the manufacturing industry.

Instead of robotics handling the complexities of intricate electronic goods, human workers were responsible for fixing the necessary components as needed.

As us humans tend to say whenever we make mistakes, “But I am only human!”

The major benefit of introducing robotics into this process is eradicating the chance of human error. Back in the day, the biggest fear was that workers would be replaced by robots that were able to do a better job then them on the line.

Unfortunately, this exact fear has passed. But it has improved life for consumers drastically. After all, no one enjoys investing in a broken car, a malfunctioning cell-phone or a broken kids toy.

Improved Worker Safety

In the past, one of the main problems of going into the manufacturing industry was the high number of work-related injuries. Although for the more dangerous jobs, there is an extra financial incentive for employees – no one wants to get injured while on the job.

Robotics may just be the solution for that.

With technology taking the lead when it comes to the more dangerous jobs, such as assembling electrical components, manipulating heavier objects, and so forth – work safety has been drastically improved in the industry.

But the problem is when the machines themselves break down – it can be dangerous to perform repairs. If you do happen to get injured on the job, be sure to make sure you know what questions to ask your personal injury lawyer.

What Does The Future Hold For The Manufacturing Industry?

Robotics are still babies, nanotechnology has only just started the process of evolution, 3D printing is still in development phase. The funny thing is, as far as we have come – the above-mentioned technological leaps…. Are no older than 2-decades.

Now imagine… picture how much further another 20-years will get us. Will machines be running self-propagated factories? Will advanced engineers control dozens of machines like a video game? Who knows. But we know that big things are in store for the manufacturing industry, for better … or worse.

The post How Technology Is Changing Manufacturing appeared first on Tech Web Space.

Building a business from scratch involves a lot more than the actual process of producing and delivering products and services to customers. Whether you intended to or not, you will have to commit to a series of acts of self-discipline, self-education, self-motivation, and personal development.

Here are some useful tips to help you wade through the process and emerge on the other side with a thriving business:

#1 Only Work on a Validated Idea

The only way to know if an idea is worth your time is if you can get someone to pay you for the service or product you plan to offer. If no one is willing to give you money for your product or service, you won’t have a business. In the age of PPC campaigns, you can validate an idea by just driving traffic to a landing page and pitching your leads on your product or service.

If it is a product that can be put together in a few days and delivered on time, you can accept prepayments. If not, you can gauge the interest for the product based on another metric such as the number of people willing to join the waiting list.

#2 Delay Outside Investment as Much as Possible

You should always aim to retain as much of your company as you can. You can delay accepting outside investment till you run out of money or till the point where further expansion requires greater capital than you already have. The more progress you make with your business, the less equity you will have to give to an investor. With this strategy, you should be able to retain most of the equity and put yourself in a position where you can negotiate with investors who already respect what you’ve already achieved.

#3 Focus on Sales

According to Mark Cuban, sales cure all business problems. He is right. With money coming in, you can survive most of the business problems you will face. In a healthy business, sales and marketing is a core department and most departments are sales-support units. You won’t have a business without revenue and it is sales that bring in the revenue.

#4 Retain Your Most Valuable Customers

It is far much easier to get business from your existing customers than to get a new customer. Having one-off customers is not a good business model not unless you are selling very high-ticket goods. Even then, you can use cross-sells and up-sells to get your high-ticket customers to buy more products and services from you. While it is good to retain customers, if you encounter troublesome customers, don’t hesitate to let them go. The energy spent making a bad customer happy can be spent on getting new high-quality customers.

#5 Productivity: Focus on Results

Getting a startup to a point where it is generating a profit is a lot of work. You don’t want to weigh yourself down by focusing on things that don’t matter. In the startup phase of any business, you should focus on the few things that will actually move the needle. Fundamentally, the business functions that can’t be done away with but that actually move the business forward are product development, sales and marketing, and product distribution or delivery to customers.

You will find that the things that actually get you results are boring and hard. Cute and fun things such as networking and attending seminars rarely move the needle as much as the fundamental activities do.

#6 Don’t Fear to Delegate

Some new entrepreneurs fear to bring new people to work for them or delegating tasks they’ve been working on since they started their company. In the process, they make their company’s growth process slow and painful. They become overwhelmed with mundane tasks that can be easily delegated to new hires. Don’t fall into this trap. Delegating things that can be done better by other people will free up your time so that you can focus on activities with bigger payoffs.

#7 Have Your Employees Adopt Best Practices Early

Habits, once developed, are very hard to get rid of. You want your employees to do things the right way from the start. Taking the time to show your workers how things should be done to get optimum results will lead to amazing results. If you want to learn how to manage projects properly, you can take a PMP training bootcamp.You should start shaping organizational culture from the moment you bring your first hire to work for you. Both their good and bad work habits and mindset will influence how your subsequent hires operate in your company.

Conclusion

While turning an idea into a thriving business will be one of the hardest things you have ever done, the rewards far outweigh the sacrifice. Understanding that there is a price to be paid for every reward your business will give you will make it easier for you to roll your sleeves and get to work. It is a business after all. You can’t treat it like a hobby.

The post 7 Tips to Help You Turn an Idea into a Thriving Business appeared first on Tech Web Space.

And that’s just the start.

CRM is an acronym for a customer relationships management software. It helps businesses better handle, transact, and interact with customers. Through this article we discuss why such a simple system is important for your business.

Let’s Start By Explaining What A CRM Program

The mistake most blogs, and affiliate networkers make is not actually taking the time to put it in layman’s terms.

What is a CRM (Customer Relationships Management software)?

Essentially it is a collection of tools that help improve your ability to track and communicate with both current customers, and prospects. The idea behind it is to help you build better relationships with these individuals, which should consequently help your business improve sales.

So, let’s get into the “When to invest in a CRM program”

Struggling To Find Important Information Due To Scattered Data

As a start-up or small business, data management is incredibly difficult. If you find your critical prospect and consumer data is scattered all over the place – a CRM software is what you want. 

If your anything like me, your busy. So when you grab some important customer details, you jot it down on a piece of paper and forget about it. Lo and behold when you need to contact that customer… woops. 

This is where you want to have a CRM software in your business. This will help you centralize all of your data, which also helps extend the lifespan of this critical data. Making it easier to contact, and communicate with both prospects and current customers.

Control And Monitor Customer Reactions And Interactions

More than just a few customers decide to take their money elsewhere when they experience poor service. Or when businesses seem to not pay attention to their needs. 

From a business perspective, it can be increasingly difficult to monitor every Tom, Jack, and Harry. Never mind working on building long-lasting relationships with these customers, which is where a CRM program will come in immensely helpful. 

This tracker with help you monitor and create a collaborative environment, which shows consumers that you do genuinely concern about solving real-time problems that they are having. This will not only help you build long-lasting relations but also improve customer retention.

Centralizing Data Will Help You With Your Next Lead Generation Campaign

94% of businesses without a CRM program underestimate the power data can have on their lead generation campaign.

A prime example is simply including the first name of potential prospects in your sales letter. Having separate email lists for different consumers based on what they have purchased from your company. Or which service plan they have registered for.

Personalization is everything when it comes to generating leads and improving conversion rates. You may even consider sending video in an email to put you over the top of the competition  But how can you possibly handle knowing all these miniscule details about potential customers.

A CRM software is more than just good looks!

If You Feel Like Customer Support Is A Snail In A Snowstorm

Customer support is incredibly important for any business. Certainly more so when we are talking about SaaS providers. Which is why you want to be able to quickly handle, and solve issues that customers are having. 

But if you can’t find the information you need to deal with these problems… the likelihood is your customer support is creating more problems than they can solve – and it’s not their fault. 

This is where having a centralized platform to manage different potential problems customers can have and handling a ticket-based system for issue resolution comes in incredibly useful. All of which can be done with a nifty CRM software.

Email Boxes Overfilled And Emails Getting Missed With Internal Communication

We have all been there. You know, waiting for cornerstone information for a specific project. Something you need before reaching out to the next lead. But no matter how many emails you send, your colleague never seems to see them.

Because your business is undergoing what I like to call a communication overload.

Emails are no longer the most efficient communication tool. There are other tools you can use such as Slack. But having a simple CRM program can help solve communication problems, client and prospect problems, and so much more.

If you want to find other ways to improve your business management and project management skills. Perhaps in addition to a CRM program you should look into getting a PMP certification. This certification is likely to enhance your skills and expand your marketability.

Make Your Business the Best it Can be

You want things in your business to run as smoothly as possible. Thanks to software such as CRM – this is possible. You will be able to keep track of all of your data without losing anything in the meantime. It seems like a no-brainer to consider using CRM software in your business. Keep these tips in mind the next time you are considering changing things up.

The post When It’s Time To Invest In A CRM Program; Should You Do It? appeared first on Tech Web Space.

Automation is incredibly useful for improving your business. You can do the same job, but use fewer employees to carry out your work. The right software programs can create reports, calculate your finances, receive information, and organize your information. Other than convenience, these programs can also make your work life easier. Here’s how:

Regulation Compliance

Most businesses have certain financial regulations to meet. At the very least, you have to store your financial records and taxes. If you are in an industry like finance or healthcare, you also have complex regulations to deal with. To make sure that you do not unintentionally break the law, you have to review all of your compliance measures.

The right software programs can keep you from breaking the law. It can inform you if information is missing while encrypting your data. This software can track metrics, restrict users according to certain parameters, and use safeguards to protect your company.

Keep Your Customers Happy

Consumers already expect technological solutions from their shopping experience. The right technology can help you boost customer satisfaction, increase your revenue and manage how you offer rewards. You can collect information about new customers. With this information, a software program can help determine the right sales offers and emails for the customer. While the customer is unaware that all of this is automated, they still enjoy a better experience.

The right disaster recovery tool can also make sure your customers are happy during an emergency. This software ensures that your data is safe. It protects you from a data breach or a natural disaster. Even if an emergency happens, your customers will be safe and will remain loyal. Your employees will also feel at ease knowing that there is a plan in place in case of an emergency.

Automated Production

One area that is rapidly evolving is social robotics. These robots are mobile, so they can walk, fly, swarm, or swim around a room. They can be programmed for new tasks and can automatically do routine tasks. The more advanced versions can even do non-routine tasks.

For example, Amazon has adopted Kiva robots to improve their order fulfillment process. Before, humans had to walk around to find the right packages. Now, they can stand still as an army of robots locates the packages faster. Because of these changes, Amazon’s employees can now fulfill orders in 15 minutes that used to take 90 minutes. On average, these robots have increased efficiency by 20 percent.

Boost Growth

Many business owners spend countless hours working for their business instead of developing their business. You see a job that needs to be done, so you automatically start to do it. While this is a natural inclination, it can actually hurt your business. Owners end up doing the day-to-day workflow instead of focusing on innovation and new ideas. Using automation and technological solutions can give you more time to focus on developing your business.

Organizing Your Information

Automation tools can help you store and transfer information. This type of program helps you store data in a place that is completely secured. Even if there is a natural disaster, it is protected. Automated tools can help you collect information from online orders and create the shipping labels. By taking the human element out of information collection and transfer, you prevent mistakes and speed up the entire process.

Save Money

With automation, you can save on labor costs. You can do the same job with fewer people actually doing the work. This can help you grow painlessly or downsize your workforce. Your employees are also able to work faster.

For example, consider automating your accounts payable department by using e-invoicing software–this means no more paper invoices. Tedious, routine tasks can be completely automated. This allows your employees to focus on the tasks that require human focus and avoid the tasks that only tire them out.

Have Happier Employees

Most employees do not mind working hard. If they feel intellectually stimulated and enjoy their job, working hard provides them with a sense of satisfaction. This is especially true during busy times of the year. The employee knows that the rush is temporary, so they are able to put in more effort.

At the same time, most employees dislike repetitive, monotonous tasks. People like to use their minds to solve challenges and think of solutions. If they are forced to do the same thing over and over again, they will quickly begin to grow bored and may even begin to hate you. Eventually, they may even leave the company for a better job. Automation tools can handle all of the routine, boring tasks that employees tend to hate. As a result, you can enjoy having a better employee morale.

Everyone Wins

With the right tools, you can have happier employees and more satisfied customers. At the same time, automation can boost your bottom line and protect your data. These techniques provide business owners with smart, simple techniques for developing their business.

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