Travel Manager



That’s right – we will soon have our very own TV channel on the Internet – with all of the video tutorials on how to use TravelManager as well as hints and tips on how to get the very best out of doing business online.

Keep watching this space icon wink TravelManager TV coming soon....

Regards

Mike

A decent article on the BBC yesterday re: economic growth

One of the lines that stood out for me was:-

“If growth is to be sustained over the years the key is a growth in investment and productivity. This is partly down to scientists and engineers in developing new efficient techniques and new products, but partly down to getting incentives right to encourage investment.”

We at TravelManager firmly believe in that. We have developed a set of tools that make running your business more efficient and allows you to gain revenue from currently untapped sources.  Businesses that truly adopt new technology in their businesses will stand to reap the rewards when the tide turns.

Now is not the time for cutting costs arbitarily but to focus on what needs to happen to ensure you maximise productivity in your business and drive out unnecessary costs.

Talk to me if you need more information on getting your business more efficient.

Regards

Mike

As many business around the globe in many different industries look to leverage new technologies and web-based business opportunities, SaaS, or Software as a service is fast-becoming a popular mode of operation.  Software as a service is a business process that means the provider of a software solution not only supplies its business customers with the solution, they also service the solution by hosting the application.

When businesses look to software solutions for customer interfaces on the web, store and use customer data, or otherwise manage business processes, there are basically two ways to go about it.  One method is for the business to host and maintain the software solution on its own premises and manage the solution.  The alternative is to pay the solution provider a regular and ongoing service fee for them to host and maintain the application.

There are distinct benefits to both methods of software management.  However, SaaS benefits are becoming more popular in the high productivity, low cost growth plans of many companies.  Self-hosted software solutions mean that the business customer must purchase and maintain all hardware on its own premises.  This means a higher upfront cost for hardware and potentially server and wiring upgrades for facilities.  Additionally, maintaining a self-hosted software solution requires knowledgeable and trained staff who can service the solution in a dedicated fashion.  Many companies simply lack the expertise for the IT and business maintenance necessary with the most advanced solutions.

SaaS means that the vendor of the software program hosts the application itself or contracts hosting to a third party vendor.  The cost arrangement is essentially opposite that of the self-hosted solution.  The upfront cost is much lower with a hosted application, but there is generally a regular service paid to the solution provider for hosting and maintenance.

There are some great business advantages with SaaS that are causing many companies in many industries to use this setup for software needs.  First, not only is the upfront cost less, but the onsite hardware, server, and wiring requirements are diminished or eliminated.  In addition, human resource demands are significantly cut as the service provider takes care of the expert servicing and maintenance of the software, and its performance.  The service provider, as the developer and expert with the software, is generally always going to be able to better manage problems and maintenance with the software solution.

Essentially, a business that relies on software as a service arrangement for its solution can focus in its own expertise and allow the solution provider to deliver on its expertise.  This helps with the process of maximizing production.  Although, there are typically ongoing costs with the hosted software solution, there are advantages to spreading costs out over time as opposed to paying a large upfront expense.  Spreading out costs is more beneficial to a lot of companies in a budget crunch with high fuel costs and other costs of doing business.  This potentially frees up money in the near-term for marketing, growth, or other important business investments.

Another benefit to the cost structure of SaaS is that the cost can be more linked to demand.  Some solutions offer a pay-for-demand approach or solutions that are scalable for upgrades based on transactions, users, or the like.  Any business practice that allows the company to only pay for what resources are used is advantageous.

Other strengths of SaaS include that a hosted solution is much easier to implement and offers the best security advantages.  It is easier to implement a hosted software solution because all the hardware and software requirements are already in place and maintained by the service provider.  The business solution and customer interface is most often delivered via the Internet.

Security is greatly enhanced with SaaS as the service provider typically has secured firewalls and other protections in place that eliminate opportunities for data compromise.  More importantly, a good software service host has storage back ups that enable it to better protect all customer and transaction data collected.  Data that is collected through the web interface or portal is sent to some type of database and is often backed up at multiple levels to ensure no lost data.

Finally, speed of transactions and response to business needs can be improved with the efficiencies offered by an accomplished software service host.  The technology set ups and expertise delivered by a hosted solution provider can improve processing, response times, repairs, maintenance, and interpretation of data.

7)    Give employees needed resources

Many industries now have access to great technology and other resources that can make each employee much more productivity, which can help reduce labor costs and wasted resources.  In transportation industries, real-time mapping and software solutions helps drivers and support staff ensure efficient routes and schedules.  Cell phones, GPS tracking, PDAs and other tech enhancements have helped employees in many companies maximize production and save time and resources.

So you have recruited the brightest and the best. You’ve spent money on training them. Now your not really going to let them go to work for you with poor quality tools and solutions are you?  Use technology to empower people. Empowered people make things happen! and in this market – you need things to happen faster and more effectively than ever before.

6)    Train effectively

Many fast-paced organizations are so concerned with meeting business demands that they do not put enough time into properly training employees.  Employees are often rushed into day-to-day work before they are fully equipped for the challenges that come up.  This can lead to frustration, poor performance and wasted time, and ultimately, turnover.  High turnover is a domino of waste as it forces managers to constantly replace and train new hires and work with inexperienced staffs.

We all know how much it costs to train someone today – so make sure you use best practises to ensure that new recruits get to the level you need them to as soon as possible and get them contributing to the business and not being a burden.  Use technology to train effectively and capture the material so that others can contrinbute to it.

We have introduced a new and improved welcome section with more video content and more generic tutorials on maximising your experiences on the Internet.

We also have a link to our development roadmap, a quick tour of TravelManager and information on how to set up the webex environment for online demo’s/

Take a look under the “Welcome” tab within TravelManager and give us some feedback icon smile New Welcome Section Live

Regards

Mike

5)    Have a clear path of business operations

Business structures and hierarchy vary from one company to the next, but one thing is consistent – processes and communication must be efficient.  Too many organizations do not clearly indicate to employees the process of workflow and communication.  Customers that attempt to communicate with an inefficient organization may find themselves having to talk with several people to get a simple question answered.  Inefficient workflow can also lead to bureaucracy and wasted time and resources.

How many times have you spent expensive minutes / hours looking for that important piece of information which somebody scribbled on a piece of paper or how many times have you had to duplicate work uneccessarily?  All of this time could be better spent marketing to your cusotmers or getting new customers.

Hi Guys

Thought I would introduce myself with a short overview video on TravelManager

Get the Flash Player to see this content.

All the best.

Eamonn

Over the past 9 months we have been working closely with uTrack in Dublin, Ireland on a number of initiatives to include within the TravelManager umbrella such as GPS integration and our North American / European expansion programmes.

Today we build upon that relationship further and welcome them to the TravelManager team as full development partners in all areas of TravelManager’s evolution. Eamonn and Conor bring a wealth of experience to the team and will help us to build upon past successes.

The guys will be providing regular updates on new initiatives and more media rich content to these pages very soon icon smile New Members to the team

Regards

Mike

4)    Be efficient with automated communications

One of the problems with the high-tech solutions that have been designed to speed up communication with consumers is that they are often not effectively used.  Website designed to share information and answer questions are often too hard to navigate and not useful so customers end up calling 1-800 numbers and taking up resource time.  Automated voice messaging systems are intended to reduce labor requirements but are often a turn off to customers who find them to be frustrating and not helpful.

Why not use a click to call service or automate emails?  Why not use technology to help you as opposed to letting it get in the way?