5 Ways to Get Good Tech Support

22 December 2011 StephanieE Small Business Tips, Uncategorized

Thank you to librarianinblack.net for this blog post which features the great reminders on how we can all get better technical support. Visit this link to see the full post. http://librarianinblack.typepad.com/librarianinblack/2007/07/5-ways-to-get-g.html

As someone who has both given and received copious amounts of tech support, I thought I could offer a few pointers on what works and what doesn't. If you have anything to add, please leave a comment!

  1. Don't be afraid or sheepish to ask for help. If I got a nickel for every time someone came to me asking for help saying "This is a stupid question," or "I'm sorry to ask you this, but...", well, I'd be rather wealthy. This is what the tech support people are there for! It's their job. You can certainly be nice to them, but don't be afraid to straight-out ask for help.
  2. Ask for help right away. Instead of plugging away for hours to try to figure out a problem, go ahead and tap their expertise early. The earlier you get to them, the less frustrated you will be and the more likely that you will have a pleasant interaction.
  3. Explain what you are trying to do when something went wrong and then what happened--exactly. Please don't give the whole story about where you are trying to go with your project and why you are trying to do what you're doing, and why you hate this particular program... If you can list the exact steps that took you to the problem point and then what happened, including any error messages you saw and screenshots, that will help the tech support person help you.
  4. Keep your goal in mind. Remember your goal is to get good tech support and to get your problem solved. So many tech support people get burned out. They're dealing with problems all day, never anything nice or a "wow this works great!" Remember that the tech support people are not the ones who built the product that is annoying you; they are the ones who are trying to help you. They want to help you. Remembering that, it will serve you well to say thank you when the solution is solved, and to be pleasant to the person during the interaction.
  5. Don't turn your emergency into someone else's. This goes out beyond tech report, but it also applies here. When we find ourselves in an emergency, or we left something to the last minute, we become crazed. As a result, we infect others around us with our craziness. If you infect tech support with your panic, you will not only get worse service, you will probably become "that guy" -- the person that the tech support people avoid in every possible way. You don't want to be "that guy," so calm down, get the help you need, and continue solving your emergency.

When calling about help with software issues, there are a few additional things to keep in mind…

  • Start with a reboot of your pc before you call support. They are machines and machines have fluky days too. Sometimes just simply rebooting (Shutdown or Restart) can correct the problem.
  • If you receive an error, write it down or take a print screen of it. And if you can, note exactly what key strokes or actions were processed right before the error was displayed.
  • Take a minute to think about what has changed on the computer recently? Did the operating system do an automatic update? Was a new printer or other hardware installed? Were any software updates installed (for the software having problems and others; sometimes an update to something like virus protection software can affect other programs installed on the same pc).

Best Accounting Software

20 December 2011 StephanieE Accounting, Small Business Tips

What is the best accounting software available on the market? Good question! And though we’d all like to believe there’s an answer out there just waiting for us to find it, the truth is, there are so many different accounting software programs available for your business; the answer is largely based on your needs. So, what do you need to do to find the best accounting software for your business? Follow these steps to make sure you find your optimal solution!

Decide who will be involved.

For a small-medium sized business it typically includes the CFO/CEO, staff accountant or controller, IT person, bookkeeper, and often will expand to other employees. Since the decision will affect most employees, it’s good to include them, at least in some part. Of course, only the major decision makers will be involved in the actual search processes, but you can keep employees happy for years to come and make their jobs easier by considering their feedback in your decision.

Develop a ‘must have’ and a ‘wish list’ of features.

For your best accounting software, there are certain things you must have for your business, and other things you want but don’t need. Sort out your absolute needs from your wish list items and write them down on paper. Have others who are involved do the same, and then organize them neatly on one document, so it will be easy when you talk to vendors. Use this accounting software checklist to keep you organized.

Search for potential vendors.

Once you have your list in hand, you are ready to start your search for potential vendors. There are many ways to start creating your short list, whether it’s asking your accountant for advice, asking friends and business associates for recommendations, or searching on the internet. Searching on the internet can be a challenge, since there are so many Web sites available. Use FindAccountingSoftware.com and search by need to start narrowing down your choices.

Contact vendors.

Now it’s time to start contacting vendors and see who has the best accounting software for you, your business and its specific needs. Remember, every accounting software is the best in somebody’s eyes. But the only one that’s best for you is the one that can handle your specific needs, and remain within your budget.

Payroll Software: What to Consider Before Your Search

15 December 2011 StephanieE Payroll, Small Business Tips

If you are searching for new payroll software, you are either just starting up, or you have outgrown your previous system. Either way, there are certain problems you must solve with your payroll software! Before you begin conducting your search and calling vendors, take the time to consider these four important points. They will leave you better prepared for your search.

Issues.

Maybe you need to keep track of employee garnishments in a certain way, or you want to use direct deposit rather than issuing paper checks. No matter what your needs, be sure to write them all down on paper so you don’t forget them during your search! Use this check list to organize your thoughts.

Scale.

Several things can affect the scale of payroll software that will fit for you. If your budget is $2,000, then that’s where your search efforts should be focused. Having said that, you might find that your needs exceed your budget. Things that can affect the cost of your payroll software are the number of users, employees, and companies managed. Some of the features that typically affect cost are: direct deposit, tax filing method, multiple state tax filing, custom payroll setup, and more. Therefore start with a budget in mind, but understand that your needs may require you to adjust the budget accordingly.

Hardware.

Do you have the computers and/or networking capabilities necessary to run your payroll in-house? This is the major question you need to answer to help you decide whether to use in-house payroll software or software as a service. Some people like the control of having the whole system in-house, while others do not want the cost or responsibility of purchasing and maintaining hardware. If you are one who doesn’t want to deal with the hardware, then software as a service is probably the right direction to go. On the other hand, if you have the staff and hardware available, and you desire more control, then go down the road toward the payroll software option. Both in-house payroll and software as a service are extremely popular; it just depends on the needs of your business.

Future needs.

The reason many people switch software is that their payroll needs outgrow their software. They need to manage payroll for more employees, or need more flexible pay entry, etc. The list of reasons all depends on that company’s needs. You can prolong the life of your payroll software by projecting your needs for the next seven years or so. Ask yourself, will you expand to paying employees in other states? Will you add another business location? Will you want to offer employees debit cards or direct deposit for their pay? These are all things that should be considered, and then you should choose the payroll software accordingly.

Being prepared for your payroll software search can help ensure you get a payroll system that fits well and can grow with your company for years to come.