Succeeding in Chicago’s Poor Economy

The recession continues in the United States, and confidence is low making the future uncertain. Chicago is no exception to the economic downturn, and it is reflected in the downsizing of businesses at all levels. The occupancy rate of commercial real estate in Chicago is already low, and it is expected to keep declining, and foreclosures are looming in neighborhoods that were promising just a few short years ago. Chicago has seen the collapse of the major financial institution Washington Mutual, and is anticipating layoffs from Chicago-based United Airlines. Chicago is the headquarters for many companies, large and small, and CEOs have warned that layoffs will continue into 2009.

Some companies cannot afford to support an in-house staff anymore, and have already made layoffs. All businesses are seeking cost cutting measures to survive. Companies need continued coverage for incoming and outgoing calls despite any financial problems, and this is where outsourcing to a Chicago call center can really make a difference to the bottom line.

Chicago Call Centers Save Money

Chicago call centers increase efficiency in a company by offering low cost and high quality communication solutions. Using a call center maximizes the bottom line, and does not compromise the image a company wants to portray. A call center staff is trained to knowledgeably promote products, and professionally represent companies. Using a call center increases customer satisfaction by giving a constant presence to a company and allowing more interaction with customers. Customers’ needs are met consistently and promptly, which results in customer retention and approval.

Using a call center costs a fraction of what it would be to staff in-house. Studies show that when comparing variables such as call length, number of calls per hour, staffing costs, and administrative costs, outsourcing call center needs saves around 70 to 90 percent! Call centers can be used to replace internal staff, or they can be used to fill in during peak periods or after hours. The cost difference is significant also taking into account the need to hire, train, and supervise permanent employees.

Exactly How a Outsourcing Through a Call Center Saves Money

An average mid-cap company receives on average 40-50 calls per hour in their peak months, 20-30 calls per hour in their average months, and anywhere from 5-15 in their slow months. The national average of work production by a standard employee is roughly 45 minutes of each work hour (please note – 45 minutes is the high end of the scale). If you figure anywhere from $7 to $30 per hour for infrastructure costs & $25 to $75 per hour for administrative costs, you start to see what real costs savings outsourcing these calls can achieve.

What all this means to your bottom line is very simple. Once you have moved your current solution to a full outsourced solution we have found savings from 75% to 79% at peak months, 80% – 89% at average months, and well over 90% savings in your low volume months. Then if you add in the “X” factor of if your higher “Worth and/or Skilled” employees are currently performing this function your savings can end up on low months over 105% and increase productivity.

Yearly cost savings by outsourcing calls can be around 2.8 million for enterprise companies per year, about a quarter million for companies making around 100K per year, and 10-50K for startup companies.

The amazing thing is that even some call center companies can outsource and save money by using Chicago call centers model. This not only saves money, it improves call quality, and thus customer loyalty. Many call centers offer inbound and outbound solutions as well as web chat, conference and Internet Bridge, email, faxing, and credit card processing.

Grace Enderlein
http://www.articlesbase.com/customer-service-articles/chicago-businesses-can-take-advantage-of-chicago-call-centers-693497.html

With the benefits of outsourcing fast becoming a common topic of conversation in the business world, it is no wonder that corporate concierge and virtual PA services are in great demand.

A corporate concierge service allows businesses to delegate their to-do list to their very own personal PA who is highly experienced in handling a diverse range of tasks.

Businesses need to be as competitive and efficient as possible during an economic downturn. However, taking on or keeping highly qualified staff such as an experienced PA at times like these is virtually impossible despite the fact that it could make a substantial difference to the business, which is why outsourcing provides the perfect solution.

Access to a high level of expertise

A corporate concierge company will provide access to an exceptionally high level of organisational expertise that may not be available in-house. Because the service is offered on an as-and-when basis, there are no recruitment costs or employer’s contributions to worry about. The services offered usually include diary management; managing travel itineraries; preparing presentations and proposals; sourcing and interviewing service providers; managing office relocations and much more.

Access to a vast contact network

One major benefit of using a corporate concierge service is that they are operated by personnel that have been in the business for many years and have built up a vast contact network. This means that even the impossible can be organised, at the last minute if necessary and that businesses have access to competitive deals and last-minute solutions.

There are numerous benefits involved in outsourcing to a corporate concierge or virtual PA service and businesses that wish to stay ahead of the competition and survive the economic downturn would do well to employ their services.

Shelley Morris-Wingfield
http://www.articlesbase.com/outsourcing-articles/businesses-save-money-by-outsourcing-to-a-corporate-concierge-and-pa-service-746113.html

These days a lot of small businesses are going on the path of e-business in order to get a reach to new markets and a global presence. In such a scenario, ecommerce software development companies are coming up with creative ecommerce shopping cart solutions. These shopping cart solutions on the websites of small businesses allow them to get more orders and also expand and enhance their business.

Anyone who would want to give a boost to his small business would realize that investing in ecommerce software development programs such as ecommerce shopping carts has actually got a lot of advantages. Not only does it make your company gain customers, but also makes your user-friendly features and improved services famous across the world, so that more customers would want to be associated with your business.

One of the prime advantages is the prompt and immediate services. Unlike the companies promising you to deliver the products on a certain day, and then failing to do so, shopping carts will always help to get your products to you on time. What’s even better is that the software is extremely easy to use and is also customer friendly.

The second advantage is that of the “Auto Responder”. The Auto Responder is extremely important in maintaining good relations with clients and also to gain customer feedback. The Auto Responders basically deliver newsletters, messages, mails etc. in your customer’s or client’s inbox.

Besides all this, comes another advantage, and that is flexibility in up gradation. Good ecommerce software development companies give you ecommerce shopping cart solutions in which there is freedom of customizing according to one’s requirements. Modifications in terms of designs, functions and features etc. can be made to suit one’s desired specifications.

Most of the times, one can also get good deals on shopping cart software from different companies which helps to save costs. The trick basically lies in doing adequate research.

Anirban Bhattacharya
http://www.articlesbase.com/software-articles/get-more-orders-online-with-ecommerce-shopping-cart-solutions-684176.html

There are plenty of marketing solutions offered on the worldwide web today. By using technology you can use several tools that are available on the internet.
These techniques are available to businesses that have website or are planning to have websites in future. Internet marketing attracts traffic to your website and this translates into more customers and more revenue.

Broadly speaking the content of your website will determine which marketing solution is right for you. You might indeed decide to opt for a selection of different tools to make the most of your website.
These tools can assist you in thinking of marketing ideas and increase your rate of growth. You might find your business growing exponentially as a result of your website.

These tools can also help you get closer to customers and future customers as well. Providing customers with information about products and services on your website is the end product of a marketing drive. With experienced assistance you can drive people to the site.

New marketing solutions are constantly being generated. Many businesses with a large internet presence are finding that they need to hire additional manpower just to cope with all the different devices and techniques.
Nonetheless, you should consider adopting internet marketing devices so that more customers can get to your site and walk into your shop or office ready to make purchases.

Usually marketing solutions are created by a marketing agency. Many of them even manage your financial programs on the web and conduct offline analysis of the site. Strategic business sales will probably also form a part of the strategy.
With the help of a qualified internet marketing agency, the income as a result of your website should increase. Some marketing agencies act as internet coaches so that you can promote your website with your available manpower for better effectiveness and sales. No good marketing agency will tell you in detail what to do. They will instead present a range of options and it will be up to you to decide how to proceed.

You might be put off by this, saying that the marketing agency cant lose if they dont commit themselves to any specific program of action. In fact there are so many options that it would be impossible for them to be prescriptive and tell you what to do. And rest assured that whatever you do the traffic to your website is bound to increase.

Marketing solutions are not meant to take control of your website. Rather regard these as a selection of tools that can help you improve your website and encourage traffic and sales conversions. No matter the size of your company or the visibility of your website you can only benefit from approaching a qualified internet marketing agency for assistance.

James Copper
http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-articles/can-internet-marketing-solutions-help-your-website-attract-customers-342732.html

According the Evan Garber, President of Escape Velocity Systems, Inc. (EVS) (www.evs-sw.com), “We find that working with MicroAccounting Solutions (www.microaccounting.com) is a terrific fit for our process manufacturing clients. As a significant strategic alliance partners, MicroAccounting Solutions understands the specific complexities of various types of process manufacturers and can utilize the O2 software to fulfill clients needs and expectations. In addition, Micro Accounting Solutions represents Escape Velocity Systems with the values and integrity we expect from our VAR partners.”

“Historically the solutions we provided our food and beverage manufacturing clients required some combination of significant custom programming and external database management in order to satisfy all their needs. We became aware of O2 Process Manufacturing shortly after its initial release. We already had a high level of comfort with Sage Software’s applications – and once we saw the O2 applications in operation we knew we finally had the complete offering our clients had long been seeking. Escape Velocity Systems staff is highly talented and very professional,” noted Paul Ziliak, President of MicroAccounting Solutions.

Process Manufacturing describes a manufacturing process whereby materials are blended, cooked, or mixed as opposed to assembled from discrete units. Some needs common to process manufacturing industries are:

• Formulas (or recipes) are ratios, not static bills of material

• Split bill of material: several products can share one formula, yet have different packaging

• Flexibility with units of measure

• Stringent quality control, with recall ability

• Lot grading / attribute tracking and calculation

Escape Velocity Systems (EVS) was formed in 2001 to combine specific industry knowledge related to process manufacturing, distribution, and ERP implementations with cutting edge software development. The company focus is to create tools that enable mid-market enterprises to achieve their goals, focusing on lean processes and ROI. According to President Evan Garber, “We realize that good ERP software is the hub of information in any process manufacturing enterprise. Timely, reliable, and centralized data are non-negotiable elements for businesses competing in the 21st century.”

The term escape velocity refers to the speed that is necessary for an object to overcome gravity and soar into space. EVS provides direct applications for businesses looking for a catalyst, not just a software package. Process manufacturers require the best software solution coupled with industry experience that will accelerate the velocity with which they race towards their goals. The gravity of status-quo opposes aggressive, cutting edge organizations as they strive towards high quality and short lead time delivery while reducing inventories and operating costs.

Thomas Cutler
http://www.articlesbase.com/technology-articles/process-manufacturing-erp-escape-velocity-systems-finds-good-fit-with-microaccounting-solutions-134598.html