Sunday, February 25, 2018

Innovative Detailed Documentation


Last week’s blog talked about how important information technology was to small businesses. This week I would like to focus on documentation. Documentation is important to small businesses because it makes the company run smoother. For example, companies that document job descriptions and functions in detail can cover for someone that calls off work, gets fired, or quits because they know exactly what to do by following the notes that have been documented. Documentation is most important because it is necessary in order for small businesses to scale. Job roles cannot be scaled to whole departments without good documentation.

There is a new type of documentation system called MyGlue that will make managing your small business a little bit easier. The documentation system is an online platform that documents and stores passwords, notes, and detailed information on the company’s assets. MyGlue can monitor computers, electronics, and equipment. It can also store information on venders and services that the business has such as the phone and internet services. Furthermore, alert options that can help mangers stay on track with contract and license expirations. The system serves as a one stop shop for detailed and secure documentation. Furthermore, mangers have the option to set restrictions as well as share information such as passwords with the appropriate people.

MyGlue is user friendly. It is a pay by user platform. There are three different levels of the platform that varies on features to make it affordable for any small business.

I personally use this platform every day at work. I currently have all my employees documenting their jobs with screenshots and notes so the system can also serve as a knowledge base to help new employees in the future. I am certain that using MyGlue as a knowledge base will help with onboarding and training purposes. MyGlue acts as a guide for troubleshooting common problems too. For example, if someone has an issue with their phone or internet they can log into the platform search “problem with phone” and situations that happened in the past along with solutions they can try will come up.

I recommend this documentation platform to any business owner or manager of a small business because it is efficient, cheap, and easy to use. For more information on MyGlue you can check out their website at http://bit.ly/2EPUEEN  and schedule a webinar. You won’t be disappointed with the service.
Below is a screenshot from the MyGlue home screen. I highlighted some of the features talked about above. As you can see there are many different sections and abilities.




Saturday, February 10, 2018

Information Technology Meets Small Business Management


We live in a world that is run by technology. Everything we do involves using some type of technology. Information Technology has changed the way people do business. For example, think about how IT changed the way we grocery shop. We no longer stand in a long line and wait for a cashier to ring everything up. We simply check out ourselves using a machine or more recently we order online and have our groceries delivered to us. IT has changed the way we dine. Restaurants are starting to use iPads as menus where we click a button to order our food eliminating any mistakes the server may have made. People shop online because it’s easier and more convenient than going to the actual store.  IT plays more of a crucial role in business management now than ever before. To be successful your business must stay on top of technology trends and advancements. 

Information Technology continues to make advancements in business. IT advancements have improved business communication. It allowed us to go from mailing to faxing, from faxing to emailing, from emailing to instant messaging, from instant messaging to video chat. These advancements have made business management easier and more efficient.

IT advancements have also created cost savings for businesses. For instance, business meetings can now be held over video chat eliminating travel expenses. Furthermore, IT has made it possible for people to work remotely from anywhere in the world. Remote working has created a solution in times of unpredictable weather such as snow storms and floods.

In addition to advancements and cost saving IT has changed the way businesses store information. Many businesses are now going paperless and storing all information in their organization’s network. This alternative to paper files is not only cheaper and more efficient, it is also safer and more environmentally friendly. Not to mention it takes up less physically room! Just recently I got my wisdom teeth out at a surgery center that had file cabinets in their bathrooms. Obviously, they were not using IT to their advantage.

Business Management and IT are the future of successful business. It is becoming near impossible to run a successful business without information technology helping you. There are now customized systems and software offered to all types of companies to make them run more efficiently.  It is vital that managers use these technology tools to their advantage. I used to work for a property management company that managed over 500 properties. Every time the status of a home changed, an automatic work flow was sent out via email notifying and directing employees on what to do. This is a notable example of taking advantage of technology to manage a business.

Information technology will continue to make advancements in business. Managers must stay knowledgeable on IT trends and advancements in effort to keep their company relevant in their given industry. For more information on how information technology is used in business management please visit http://bit.ly/2Cb4PxL
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