Key factors for the growth of Small Businesses

Every company wants to grow their prospects as fast as possible. However in the process of growth, they lose track to success. There are several factors that got to be looked upon of a growing business. Every time your solutions and your products do not remain the factor of your growth. I have a few points which can help out in the growth of a small business.

Management of Employees: For every business, effective management of their own employees is the key factor to success. A Time Office Software must be implemented in the office to check the records of each employee, including arrivals, departures, leaves, holidays and other parameters. This will increase the punctuality and help to maintain the transparency in the administration, also the efficiency will increase.

Implement Systems/Solutions: You can't scale your business exponentially if you insist on handling everything yourself. The solution is to systemize everything that makes sense. Look and look hard at every aspect of your business for ways you can streamline, automate and delegate your way to maximizes efficiency. So, implement systems and solution that can be helpful in processing every process effectively.

Sell! Sell! Sell! : Selling is the key to success of the business. One of the most important skill to grow your business is the ability to sell yourself and sell your products to your customers.

All successful businesses begin with a single person who is excited about the product and who is good at selling it to others. He likes it so much that he cannot resist himself talking about it to others. Whenever and wherever he finds any potential customer, he sells it. But if there's no eagerness about your own product, service will fail.

Uniqueness of the presentation: There are numerous of competitors for a single product. But the one who is successful in selling his product is the one who can present themselves unique. One must know the marketing rule: "Better isn't better. Different is better".

So, you must find out the point of difference that your company offers the things that no other business can provide. Therein lies your opportunity.

Deliberate Marketing: Marketing is the key strategy to attract customers. The more you will advertise about yourself, about your products through different platforms, the more is the possibility of attracting customers. As quoted above, there are a large number of competitors, so don't lose any single chance to advertise your company. May it be your support staff, sales-person or any employee; everyone must be amplifying the company's image, as it's not the sole responsibility of only marketing guy, as he is doing his job.

Customer satisfaction: According to some people, the purpose of a business is "to make a profit". No, it's not correct. The real purpose of business is to "create and keep a customer". All emphasis should be on creating and keeping customers. This is the cost-effective way of marketing your reliability and credibility in the market.

Everybody must think about selling and satisfying customers all day long. Perhaps one of the most important principles of a business is strong momentum in the sales department.

So, when above factors are put together the magic starts. It's not every time your products or your services, sometimes these few factors play a vital role in business growth. Your ability to think, analyze and decide is the key determining factor of your profitability. 

Are Your Customers Ready for Biometrics?

Q: I've heard about new computer-based fingerprint identification systems. How do they work, and how can I determine if this technology is right for my business?
A: What you refer to is called biometric technology, which measures human traits such as fingerprints, retinas and irises, voice and facial patterns, and sizes and shapes of hands. This technology has been used by airports, law enforcement agencies and assorted businesses for security purposes and to provide access into secure buildings. During the past few years, biometric fingerprint identification technology has drawn interest from the retail sector to serve as a way to identify customers, reducing credit card and check fraud. The technology can also be used in conjunction with a payment terminal to actually transmit payments, which results in faster transactions.
Numerous manufacturers now make these biometric systems. Companies such as Indivos, BioPay, Identix and International Automated Fingerprint Card provide biometric software and sensors, which are then installed on point-of-sale terminals manufactured by Hypercom, VeriFone, Biometric Access Corporation and Sagem Morpho Inc. A few companies, such as International Automated Systems Inc., Keyware Technologies and Digital Persona, offer both the software and the terminals.
Biometric payment systems are most widely used by supermarkets, but they are also being pilot-tested in several fast-food restaurants nationwide and have applications at gas stations and hotels as well. Customers register a fingerprint scan with a store or restaurant and enter their credit or debit card account numbers to set up their accounts. When it comes time to make purchases, customers place their fingers on the sensors for identity purposes and pay without ever having to show their cards. The systems can also be used with checking accounts, where electronic checks are processed through an automated clearing house at a reduced cost to merchants, who pay only 8 to 12 cents (compared to the 54 cents it costs to process a conventional check). Once customers have registered, merchants can also use the technology to keep track of loyalty programs and eliminate paper coupons.
There are a few drawbacks to these systems, including the possibility of a customer being misidentified, which could lock him or her out of the system, or a scanner that fails to scan someone's print because the finger has dry or cracked skin or skin with shallow ridges. Despite these challenges, biometrics can offer merchants a reduction in fraud and chargebacks (disputed transactions), faster transaction turnaround times, easier-to-manage loyalty programs and improved reporting methods.
To encourage customers to use this new technology, some retailers have tied fingerprint identification registration to customer loyalty programs by offering additional loyalty points to those who register their fingerprints. Biometric systems allow merchants to:

• Confirm a customer's identity.
• Offer customers another payment option.
• Verify check history to weed out potential bad checks.
• Make customer payments more secure.
• Offer more efficient service.
• Maintain better reporting methods.
• Reduce fraud because fingerprints are unique to each individual and cannot be forged.
• Provide faster transaction times.

Merchants' interest in biometric fingerprinting technology is increasing as scanners decline in price--some sell as low as $100. The fingerprint scanners are compatible with most point-of-sale terminals. The technology also has applications for restaurant drive-up windows and gas pumps, for automated check-in systems at hotel counters and for ticket-driven businesses such as movie theaters and amusement parks. However, none of these options is likely to happen in the near future--until the systems become more accurate. Currently, some scanners misidentify individuals (for the reasons mentioned earlier), denying them access to the system. According to some analysts, it will take several years for merchants and their customers to accept this technology as a substitute for credit and debit cards and as identification for checks.
When you investigate biometric fingerprinting systems for your business, keep the following guidelines in mind:

• Determine what your needs are. For example, do you need the system as an additional noncash payment option, as a way to identify a customer who writes a check or as a tie-in to loyalty programs?
• Look for units with built-in security, encryption and verification software.
• Don't believe any biometric manufacturer who tells you the system is foolproof.

No technology eliminates all fraud and chargebacks. However, if you want to investigate state-of-the-art customer identification technology, faster transaction times, an easy way to manage loyalty programs and an additional noncash payment option to offer your customers, then biometric fingerprint scanners might be identification and payment solutions to pursue.
Cardservice International Senior Vice President of Sales John Burtzloff is in charge of sales strategy and execution and thus is responsible for managing all aspects of the company's marketing, communications, telesales, check guarantee, new accounts and sales support activities.

Article Source:  Entrepreneur.com

An Effective Step Towards Workforce Management at Tea Gardens

For every workplace, where large number of employees are working, has to be managed effectively. Effective management of employees and workers help to save a lot of administrative losses caused. Also, managing employees is really a tough task, especially where a large number of workers are employed. Human effort is put for longer durations, to prepare their paycheck and other reports.

In this technologically driven era, every company is looking forward for some solution to maintain all these work. The HR managers want a solution that can help to make the reports easily and also process the salary in no-time. To serve this process, there are many solutions in the market which works effectively. But if not wrong, there are certain workplaces where handling workers are pretty tough in respect of everything. Tea Garden is one of the workplaces, where management of employees are very tough task. It requires much more members comparatively to manage them.

For effective management of workforce at Tea garden, a new solution has been designed, namely Tea Garden Solution. This solution is designed keeping in mind, the working at tea gardens. As different group of workers are involved in different kind of works; so for all those kind of work head and workers, this solution is effective.

Following are the excerpts from Tea Garden Solution which proves its credibility in effective management of workers.

Different Work-Heads: In tea garden, workers are involved in different kind of work at different places. So, to manage all of them is quite hectic. For effective and productive work, workers involved in different kind of works are given work-head cards defining their work and this will help to know the detailed working status of each employee.

Tea Weighing Records: The measurement of tea plucked by each worker are saved against their name. Suppose tea leaves are measured by each worker 3 times a day, then this solution displays the cumulative sum of the tea leaves plucked by them. This keeps the transparency and help to maintain the records.

Multiple Report Generation: This solution allows you to generate different kind of reports like location report, work report, weighing of tea leaves, missing entry, missing weighing and other. These reports can be generated daily, weekly or monthly depending on the requirement. And each report generated is in .xls format for easy access.

Efficient Production: With the help of Tea Garden solution, production will be efficient and also be can be controlled and checked properly. The efficient production will help the company in different ways.

Reduces Manpower and Monetary Losses: The effective management of employees through Tea Garden Solution reduces the manpower involved in the maintenance of records and managing employees. Also, the monetary losses involved in improper management of workers and other activities are reduced.

As a whole, in a nut shell Tea Garden Solution can be considered for effective HR practices in management of workers and other employees. It will definitely help you to save a lot of money, time and human effort.

What Are Biometric Safes and How Do They Work?

Biometric safes are on of the most hi tech ways to protect your valuable property. They're becoming more and more popular as the technology gets better and better. Only 10 years ago, biometrics were the thing of movies and science fiction for most people, although biometric identification like retinal scanning did exist in super secure installations, like military bases or government buildings as far back as 1981. What are biometrics exactly? It's methods for uniquely recognizing people based on an intrinsic physical or behavioral trait. Examples would be recognizing people by fingerprint, voice, iris (of the eye), face recognition, etc. The strength of biometric methods to identify people is the uniqueness of individual, much like snowflakes no two people are exactly alike. Let's take a look at some of the other advantages and disadvantages of Biometric Security, and what applications biometrics have.

Advantages of Biometric Security

When using biometric methods characteristics need to be used that are unique and universal. For example, eye color is not unique, there are many people that have the same eye color. The pattern of the iris is unique to each individual. In fact it's one of the most universal traits, it has the fewest number of people that can't use it of all biometric identifiers. Because it's also something that doesn't change it's one of the identifiers that seldom needs updating. This uniqueness of humans is one of the strength of biometrics, it's basically impossible to make one persons iris pattern look like someone else's. That isn't to say that a biometric security system can't be fooled. One of the easier systems to trick is one of the most common.

Some Disadvantages of Biometric Security

Fingerprints are unique to individuals just like their iris, and it's simple to take a fingerprint - no hi tech equipment needed. In fact we all know that law enforcement has been doing it for years. However it's easy to trick a biometric fingerprint system. The television show Mythbusters fooled a fingerprint recognition security system by using a high quality scan of a fingerprint. In fact many biometric systems can't distinguish between the real living tissue and a high quality photograph. That is actually one of the biggest failings of a biometric system, the fact that they can't determine between real and a photo. Another disadvantage that has been mentioned by experts is that the danger to the biometric user is increased. There was an 2005 incident in Malaysia in which thieves cut off the finger of a Mercedes owner to use it to start his biometrically protected car.

Uses for Biometrics

So what applications would a biometric safe have? Protecting valuables is obviously one use, but consider what happens if the user is somehow incapacitated. If family need access to vital papers or belongings will they be able to access it if the owner dies or is unable to open the safe? In that case the biometric measures along with other security features make more sense. A good application for biometric measures are where the contents of a safe have to be accessed quickly. Many manufacturers of gun safes are adding biometric measures to them. A biometric gun safe can keep firearms away from children or unauthorized users yet still allow quick access.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3928009

Global Positioning System (GPS) for Mobile Workforce Management

When it comes to adopting new technologies into workforce management and automated tracking, Star Link proves itself to be a pioneer leader. Incorporating every latest technology into their devices to serve in a much better way. The picture is changing very fast as the technology is growing rapidly.

Adding GPS to mobile Attendance Tracking

The latest and most dramatic addition to the attendance system is Global Positioning System (GPS). Initially, GPS was developed for military purposes and it works off a system of satellites. Later, a few years ago, it was made available for civilians. In a few days, GPS enabled device became popular and affordable within consumers. The introduction of GPS in attendance systems has created a kind of revolution in real-time positioning of mobile workforce management.

The GPS enabled attendance systems provides real-time location with punching details of employees. These active GPS systems show the location of the device with geographical locations (longitude and latitude) details.

Workforce tracking with GPS

The introduction of GPS is a big step in the evolution of mobile workforce management. It allows to track employees with job-site, location, timing continuously throughout the day is an easy way for a company to boost its operational efficiency.

Workforce attendance tracking with GPS extends the capabilities of mobile attendance systems already in use. Replacing other handwritten timesheets and manual tracking, GPS will provide the same real-time location. These are also another time and money saving factor of GPS in attendance systems.

Advantages of GPS in attendance System

GPS and work-site attendance tracking can be combined to track worker attendance as it occurs and can verify workers' locations. With GPS capability built-in, it can track not only when workers punch in and out, but also where. It can track employees in the field, their locations, and can also track them by pay codes.

Data from the device can be transferred from the field to a central server. The software enables users to see a map of the region that pinpoints job-sites and graphically displays attendance data. Printed reports breaking down the work that was performed can be used for a number of tasks, such as payroll or estimating the duration of jobs.

Another valuable aspect of GPS equipped systems is that you can define the geographic boundaries of a job-site, it is easy to track whether a worker is within a predefined range of a job-site when clocking in or out.

Services which can use GPS-enabled devices

Almost, every service with a mobile workforce can use the GPS Enabled Attendance Devices. This includes following:

• Logistics and Courier services

• On-site service/support/sales

• Construction buildings

• ATM cash services

• Security Services

• Manpower supplying agencies

• Multiple location workers

• Tea Gardens

• Coal Mines

• Manufacturing units

• Delivery services

• Transportation services

• And many more...

Now its the time to update your attendance system in the office as you keep on updating your mobile phones with new and advanced features. 

Access Control Systems And How They Work

Owners of businesses need to know who comes in and out of the building. This kind of knowledge is important for reasons including security and safety. The problem, however, is that tracking every single person who enters and exits the building would be difficult, and hiring a security company to monitor the building can be expensive. This is what the Access Control System is made for; it allows you to monitor the times when people enter and exit the premises. They can also keep unwanted people out, while letting authorized people in with no problems. These are more or less the automated gatekeepers of the building, and you will learn more about these systems by learning how they work.
The Systems' Mechanisms
Access Control Systems are made up of three important mechanisms: a controller, the locks and the access device. The first mechanism, the controller itself, is a multi-level device with a computer that controls the entire system. It is in the computer that you are able to do things like control access, create new accounts and review logs of entry and exit. Depending on the kind of options you want for your controller; more detailed and flexible controllers will cost more money.
The second mechanism, which are the locks, are what allows and denies people access from the building. They are activated and deactivated with a simple command by the central control system, which is the computer in the controller. There are two kinds of locks available: magnetic and electric. Electric locks are the more cost efficient choice, but magnetic locks are more favored for their ease of installation, power usage and overall performance.
The third mechanism, the access device, is the most important part of the Access Control System. The access device is what determines the type of security for the area, allowing a number of security options. Each of these security options can be used depending on the type of business you are doing and how secure certain parts of the premises should be. Among the different security options available are the simple pass code entry and magnetic card system, as well as the more complex biometric fingerprint scanner, which are highly preferred by many for its combination of absolute security and ease of access; with a fingerprint scanner, you cannot get in unless the computer knows you.
Final Words and Thoughts
Security is important in today's world. You will want to ensure the safety of everyone working in your building. Businesses of all kinds today value its importance, and as such, employ the use of these Access Control Systems, as they are the most useful pieces of security technology. They need to know who is in the building at all times; making sure that only those who are allowed to go in can enter it. This is made possible thanks to these new wonders of technology.

Security is imperative and as such, it is good to use the best security system and choose the best company to do business with. If you are searching for state of the art Access Control systems, use Starlink India. They provide top quality products and services at the best prices found anywhere

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7485205

Things that Makes Star Link India, Different from Others

In biometric industry, the competition is increasing every day with implementation of new technology. In the process to deliver outstanding products and services to customers and clients, Star Link India manufactures biometric attendance machine with the latest technology. Every device is incorporated with latest and recent technology to ease process of attendance management. Depending on the quality and features incorporated in devices with advanced technologies, the pricing is done.

In market, there are several other products in various range but the devices from Star Link India has unmatched features and specifications. Each and every feature is designated by our R & D Team to ensure high-quality product delivery.

Following are the few points that make us different from others:

Indian Manufacturer: Since we are Indian manufacturer based in the heart of Delhi, we try to deliver the superior product quality with outstanding features. Our presence is PAN India; name a place and we are there. So, it reduces the tension of service and support after sales. But other trading companies wash their hand off after sales and take no responsibility.

Multiple locations connectivity: The biometric devices installed at different locations can be connected to the server with ease. Internet communication makes it easy to operate at different locations. Real-time data transfer makes Star Link Devices more versatile in every nature.

Online/On-site support: Many other trading companies don't provide on-site support or online support. But, Star Link offers 24*7 online/on-site support with dedicated and experienced Engineers. Our service and support policy is totally client oriented.

Availability of spare parts: Since we are manufacturer, we don't depend on other companies for spare parts. So we have surplus backup of spare parts of our devices. Whereas other trading companies don't have any kind of spare part availability.

                             

Customized Solution: We at Star Link India offers customized solution according to the need of the customer whereas other trading company have standard software with comparatively lower features We also synchronize our software with existing SAP, HRMS, ERP or other modules.

Long range of solutions: Depending on the requirements, Star Link offers long range of solutions with unique features to solve different purposes of client. Leave management system, Time office software, Canteen management system, GYM management system, Payroll Software, Data capture and many others.

And many other innumerable features makes us different from other which can be well described by the 4000+ satisfied customer in every segment of the industry. Every big name in different industry is our satisfied client.