The post Electricians: All the Gear and Big Ideas appeared first on Okappy.
]]>The starting point of course: you need the right tools for the job, any electrician knows that! However it’s about keeping up to date too. Technology moves quickly, so ensure your skills and equipment are right where they need to be. Reading online blogs or becoming part of electrician online communities might seem like a waste of time, however here is where the ideas will be, promotions for the latest tools and knowledge on the latest developments that you can pass on to your client.
Having the right look is important for your brand. Branded clothing is a must not only to help clients identify your team, but also to build a reputation as a professional and reputable company. Sites such as Performance work clothing offer many options which can be personalised with your company name and logo.
Transport should shout about your company name too, so consider sign writing on the side of your van from companies such as Signage, 4Imprint are great too for printed merchandise, everything from pens and key rings that you can leave as mementos for your clients, to torches for your team! They might seem like small things, however it’s the little touches that can make all the difference to your business.
Communication is key when it comes to growing your business! Investing in job management software means you have your growing business in the palm of your hand. Job logging software means being able to add jobs to the system from your mobile and send them to employees, so everyone knows the job in hand, and a real-time update on how the job is progressing. Customised, electronic invoices can be sent to the customer quickly and easily, meaning you can track late payments and chase them quickly and easily. Electrician job sheets will never be late either, as they can be easily completed with the software.
As well as being practical, it demonstrates to the client that you’re investing in your business, and you’re there for the long-term. It might seem simple, but a messaging app where you can contact clients and employees simply and easily, allows you to keep a steady line of communication, keeping clients informed and helping field workers still feel part of the wider business.
You also need to invest in your brand from a marketing perspective! It’s no longer enough to choose one publication and hope for the best, you need to have a fully rounded marketing plan so you can reach the most potential clients. Social media is so powerful, and free! Setting up a Facebook or Twitter account allows you to promote your business on a daily basis, with handy tips and advice that consumers will want to read. It’s vital your website reflects your brand too, and has regular posts, here are a few ideas to get you started: Electrician Blogging: 10 Blog Post Ideas for Electrical Companies. If you wonder how you’ll find time for your own marketing, then Peopleperhour is great, as you can hire designers, writers and marketing professionals for an hourly rate.
Registering with referral sites such as RatedPeople and TrustaTrader is part of being an electrician, but it’s not simply about being on the site. You need to ensure your information is up to date, try and manage any negative comments and positively promote yourself to potential customers.
If you’re serious about growing your business then you need to make sure you have the right gear to make your big ideas happen!
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]]>The post What the New National Living Wage Means for Your Business appeared first on Okappy.
]]>Here’s a little more information about the New Living Wage and what it means for the trades industry:
From April 1st 2016, the national minimum wage across the UK will increase by 50p from £6.70 to £7.20 per hour. Workers over the age of 25 will benefit from the rise, the first of a number planned over the course of the next four years. The idea of the increase is to reward those that work hard and encourage others back in to work.
As you might expect, the biggest impact is in the increase of overall labour costs. Whatever the size of your team, whether it be electricians or plumbers or engineers, you’ll have to find an additional 50p for every hour each employee works, certainly not a small amount, making an impact on your bottom line.
Following the announcement, research conducted by the CIPD and Resolution Foundation, revealed how employers felt they would manage the increase, with 30% of employers questioned saying they would find ways to improve productivity. It is also hoped that the increase in salary will make employees more loyal and therefore increase staff retention, feeling they are being rewarded more appropriately.
There’s a real concern that the increase in hourly rate could lead some businesses to simply not replace or hire new staff, leading to a slowing of the job market. Within the trade industry this could mean staff required to work extra hours to cover the lack of an additional member of staff.
It is believed that apprenticeships will become increasingly popular as the trades industry struggle to reduce costs following the increase. Apprentices are paid between £3.30 and £3.87 per hour, so it would make a huge cost saving for a business trying to reduce the effect on the bottom line. This is fantastic for young people wanting to join the trade, however there is the potential for a detrimental effect on experienced tradesmen who could find they are overlooked for new roles, or simply too expensive, and replaced by a more affordable apprentice.
The introduction of the National Living Wage will of course have an impact on the price the customer pays. Increased costs will be factored in to the price of work done, and passed on to the customer. Alternatively those in the trades industry may decide to absorb the cost and secure their customer base.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you’re paying your employees the National Living Wage. This means you need to change your payroll ready for the implementation of the new wage on April 1st, 2016. You’re also required to inform your staff of the change and their right to the increase.
HMRC have threatened to take action against those that do not pay their staff the new National Living Wage, including public shaming for larger companies. H&M, the high street clothes retailer, recently came under fire for not paying their staff the minimum wage. Not great publicity for your business!
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]]>The post 10 Tips to Make Your Work Day Easier and Be Okappy appeared first on Okappy.
]]>1) Prioritise your tasks.
Doing things that take up a long time but provide little rewards should be avoided. Focus on your top tasks and avoid unproductive things which are not going to help you move forward.
2) Don’t over plan.
Planning is important. However, its too easy to spend all your time planning leaving no time to actually getting anything done.
3) Learn to manage Email.
Just reading all your emails can take up a large chunk of your day. But how many of the emails are actually important. If you deleted a chunk of emails would you be any worse off? Managing your emails better will free up time. Only look at emails at certain points in the day, use email filters to allow you to concentrate on the emails that matter and send quick replies with a follow up phone call rather than writing long essays.
4) Learn shortcuts.
Setting up auto-text on your mobile allows you to respond to office messages on the go. You do not need to type the entire thing every time while responding to messages.
5) Say “no” when necessary.
In addition to removing a few things from your ‘to-do’ list, saying “no” also becomes vital in the work place. Saying “no” conveys that you are capable enough to distinguish between work priorities, productive and unproductive work.
6) Question what is not clear.
Question the things that you are not sure about. Getting on the same wave length with your customer will help ensure tasks are done quickly and efficiently without having to come back to problems and disputes later.
7) Keep communication open.
The way you interact or communicate with people defines how smoothly you can manage your work. Hence, maintain professionalism, yet build personal rapport with colleagues, customers and subcontractors. Keep all your communications clear to avoid any misunderstandings.
8) Delegate work.
Have a long list of tasks? Make it easier by delegating. Also consider the longer term, it may take a a bit longer initially to train a colleague but could pay big dividends in the long run whilst also improving their morale.
9) Don’t stress.
You cannot maintain the same level of energy every day and for every task. Enjoy the flexibility of being your own boss and allow time to rest, recuperate and think about your business.
10) Get organized.
The key to make your work easier is organizing everything- from your desktop to Email inbox, and from interactions with colleagues to meetings!
Okappy cannot help in all aspects of your business. However, Okappy can help improve communication, help you delegate your jobs and ensure you are organised.
With Okappy Job management you can allocate jobs to your employees and subcontractors and see the status as the jobs are completed. Key information is automatically recorded meaning less potential for disputes with clients. You can also improve communication via instant messaging between your computer and your employees and subcontractors mobile telephones.
Find out more about Okappy Job Management and how it can help make your work day easier and Be Okappy!
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]]>The post Benefits of Job Management Software appeared first on Okappy.
]]>Having the ability to view the status and details of each job from anywhere at anytime, enables you as an owner to know exactly what’s going on with your employees and business as a whole. No more chasing phone calls, no more frustration!
With real-time update of job completion, you can raise an invoice straightaway without having to wait for job sheets to come back to the office. The sooner you raise the invoice, the sooner you get paid! The sooner you get paid, the better your cashflow, in return giving you the opportunity to invest back into your business.
While on site, your engineers can update the job details, attach pictures before and after, fill in all your required check sheets and finally get the client to sign for confirmation. No more reminders and no more forgotten information. Happy engineers, happy customers and happy you!
Having all information stored in one system, you can access and retrieve information within seconds from anywhere at anytime. It’s simple, you can action tasks and transfer data with just a click of button. No more going through files after files nor digging through piles of paper to find that piece of information. No more copying and pasting data from one system to another.
No more missed and forgotten invoices. Save money from postage, printing, servicing and even rent as you won’t need all that space for your files! The time saved on doing admin and filling in job sheets by each of your engineers, can be better spent on doing an extra job which generates revenue.
Software like Okappy gives you the additional benefit of connecting to your customers or subcontractors. Removing the need to email or print and send off job sheets or invoices at either end of the chain, they can simply log onto the network and have visibility of their own jobs.
Also you can customize how features are displayed according to your needs. You can upload your own check sheet or even customer feedback form. Produce reporting based on the search criteria with just a few clicks. These are all essential and right tools for running a well-managed business.
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]]>The post 4 Essential Cloud Services to Help Grow Your Business appeared first on Okappy.
]]>Office space, size of workforce, budget or skill level no longer have to be a limiting factor, as the cloud connects you to a seemingly infinite network of resources, software and storage facilities. Whether you need to train employees, collaborate or check your cashflow, it’s no longer just useful to embrace the cloud – it’s essential.
Your business isn’t going to achieve much unless you have a productive workforce. Job management software can help manage a remote workforce, collaborate and communicate on important data and content from any location, simultaneously.
Creating a business can require reams of sensitive and important documentation and data. Storing it all on one device or piece of hardware can be problematic, if that device has finite capacity or worse, breaks down. The cloud allows for secure and almost unlimited storage of files and data at very little cost.
File hosting services such as Dropbox, Box, Google Drive and OneDrive offer online storage for little or no cost depending on your needs. Data can then be accessed from any internet enabled device, ensuring it’s always accessible and you’re never going to lose it. You are also able to control who is able to access and edit any shared files.
The cloud is not only helpful for sharing and editing documents but also offers accounting software that mitigates the hassles of complicated and tedious financial admin.
Online accountancy software providers like Sage and Xero can help make accounting and payroll processing easier. The latest software is simple and easy to use, so even if accounting isn’t your strong point, you’ll be able to approach it with confidence and have more time to focus on running your business.
These programs are targeted and tailored to small businesses and start-ups and are designed with your needs in mind. You can keep track of your cashflow, the lifeblood of any fledgling business, check tax and expenses and send invoices.
With a myriad of communication methods now available, for many modern businesses traditional phone and communication systems are either no longer up to the task, or are simply not cost-effective.
There’s no denying the importance of email to any small business, but while in the past setting up an email system would involve the cost of a server and software licenses, the cloud can offer a low-cost alternative with no hardware or software required. Both Microsoft’s Office 365 (which offers Exchange Online) and Google’s Gmail offer far greater scalability and flexibility than server-based solutions. Employees can access email from anywhere on the go and work collaboratively. For business owners there’s the benefits of no server maintenance and lower costs as well as easier disaster recovery.
And it’s the same story when it comes to phone systems. Unlike static phone systems that are tied to your desk, VOIP services allow you to work from multiple locations with one local number and calls routed automatically. This helps you communicate with each other and with your customers.
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