Key Stone Foundation

Improving Your Business Intelligence via Web Analytics

“The more you know, the more you grow.”

Although it may be a little cliché, the saying is true. Any time you need to make an important decision in life, gathering and considering the facts improves the likelihood you will make a wise judgment.

For an organization, this means gathering business intelligence: collecting information, mining data, generating and analyzing reports.

Unfortunately, businesses often struggle to deliver the right business information to the right employees at the right time. This is usually due to challenges with master data management resulting from integration problems with their Web-based data.

The Challenge of Master Data Management

In order to enable the smart use of business intelligence within all levels of your company, data must not only be accurate, but also stored in a unified system. One of the biggest challenges companies encounter with this “master data management” is integrating their Web analytics and other online data with other solutions, while maintaining data integrity. This is often due to the cross-platform challenges that arise when shifting between IT environments.

Gartner Inc. recently released its review of enterprise level business intelligence platforms. As you can see in the chart above, the majority of popular enterprise-level business intelligence software solutions operate in a .Net environment. In contrast, your Website and related online applications may use other languages, like Ruby on Rails, to collect and store data.

Both business intelligence software and Web analytics programs like Atlas, Doubleclick, Omniture or CoreMetrics can be a large investment. And in order to get the most the most of your business intelligence, you must be able to leverage both.

Web Analytics + Business Analytics = Success

When it comes to identifying opportunities for business growth, your Web analytics can be just as important as your sales data. It can help you:

• Drive research and development – Keyword data can supply you with information about products and services that your customers want, but aren’t included in your current offerings, resulting in innovation.
• Increase marketshare – User click-path data can help you identify and resolve barriers in the conversion process, leading to higher online ROI.
• Identify the best investments – Goal-based Web analytics data can help you determine which marketing initiatives are driving real sales and leads.

Unfortunately, Web analytics programs come with their own pitfalls. All your different marketing campaign channels – SEO, PPC, email, display advertising and affiliate marketing programs – have data encoded within tags on your Website. Managing all of these tags is cumbersome; reconciling data provided by disparate systems is challenging; and all the tags can slow down your Website. It also could be costing you money in the form of duplicate payments.

This content was written regarding Stone Crossing Solutions, a technology consulting firm and digital marketing agency with deep experience and insight in all aspects of professional Web analytics. Get a free Web analytics assessment today!

The Benefits of Using a Telephone Answering Service

If you are a small business owner or even a receptionist in an office, you know how easy it is to miss important calls when you are otherwise occupied. This is why the telephone answering service industry was created. The answering service it a business service that answers your telephone calls and manages them just as you would if you answered the calls yourself. Through call forwarding, calls are routed to the call centers and your virtual office staff makes sure that you never miss another phone call again. If you don’t have a service in your office, get one. There are many reasons why all businesses can benefit.

First, the telephone answering service is your first line of defense for customer service and new customer acquisitions. If you are expecting voicemail to comfort your clients, think again. If you are expecting voicemail or an automated answering service to close a sale, you are wrong. A live voice is important to capture leads and build a relationship with your customers. People want to know that your company is available on their schedule. If you are working 9-5, you are missing out on any calls that come in after hours or any important calls when you are on the other line of just cannot reach the telephone. In a world where automation is king, imagine how much you will stand out from your competition of someone is always at your office (or virtually there) to help.

What do you do when you reach automation? My guess is you hang up the phone or promise to yourself that you will call back. Not only will an answering service tell your customers that you treat them with respect, it will capture the lead or address the customer service issue right away, as opposed to having it linger and have a blemished customer turn into one that abhors your company. Your customers deserve to be treated with respect as that is the common thread that holds any business together. Customers want to feel special. They don’t want to be another number or invoice. A reliable answering service will help your customers feel like their needs mean something. And, the more your customers are happy, the larger your profits. Who would have thought an answering service could do all of this!

But wait, there’s more! A call answering service is also able to reduce your operating costs. If you are thinking about managing your own call center services in house, think again. There are labor costs, equipment costs, insurance, salaries, software, etc. Outsourcing to an outsource answering service makes financial sense. If you ran your own center to handle your calls, you would need at minimum 3 years to recoup your initial operating expenses. While that is not a long time in the business world, it is in the technology sector. You will need to upgrade your terminals, your software, your trunks & outbound lines and all other telecom equipment. Outsourcing makes financial sense and makes the actual cost of using an answering service sensible to any business model.

A business answering service can also reduce staffing costs by eliminating the need for extra staff to manage your calls. Businesses using the virtual office model consistently save money each year by essentially operating with an efficient skeleton crew of employees. Your answering service staff will become your permanent staff and your own employees can invest their time growing your business.

My now, you have realized the need for a live answering service over a voice mail service. If you have a small business, or large business, you know some form of outsource telecommunications services can greatly benefit your company. So how do you know what a good service is? Well, with all of the telephone answering service companies in the world, it is hard to know find the best answering service. Regardless, the best is a relative term because what works best for my company may be a horrible solution for your own. We always  recommend seeking out any businesses that offer free answering service periods. Companies will often let prospective customers use their service for a period of 7 days, 2 weeks, or sometimes even a month so they can experience the value added business experience. Find at least 3 companies (a Google
search should generate plenty of results) and take a trial. Even if it is a one month trial, you are not committed to use the answering service for the whole month. Try them for a few nights and if they work, great! If they don’t, just forward to another service.

One aspect of answering service that I forgot to discuss was their position as an emergency backup protocol for any company. If you are in an area plagued with natural disasters or just in an office where your phone lines go down more often than not, an answering service can manage your calls when you cannot. Imagine your company still being able to take calls even if all the technology in your office was inoperable. Does this sound like a fantasy? No. It sounds like an answering service is answering your calls.

Again, there are many advantages to using a telephone answering service and there are many companies out there that provide such services. If you are worried about the extra business cost, you can usually get great answering service for dollars a day. Isn’t that amazing to think about? For a few dollars a day, you can drastically change your business!

Urgent Medical Help

Los Angeles is a very populated area to reside in, so as someone raising a family there, it is a great idea to keep your eyes peeled for urgent care facilities that can cater to all of your medical needs. Whether you are looking for urgent care Glendale or urgent care, it is nice having the peace of mind of knowing that you and your family members are protected and able to attain medical attention at any given time of day, on any day of the week by utilizing services like urgent care Los Felis

Almost all of us have been in need of some type of spontaneous medical attention. Particularly, if you have children, the importance of health care is taken up a notch. Children love to push the limits of what their little bodies are capable of doing, and let’s face it, kids are still going through the experimental stages of their lives, so not all children are keen on making the brightest and most practical choices. From bouncing too high on the trampoline, to slipping off a  skateboard, to an accident with the scissors, kids are a handful. Even as a good parent, there is only so much one can do to prevent children from doing just that: being kids. With this in mind, being a parent comes along with an added level of stress. There is no doubt about the fact that all parents want to keep their children out of harm’s way, but the worry of “what if” is always present. If you have found yourself in this position, as a parent, it can be reassuring to know that urgent care facilities give twenty four hour care to those in need of medical attention.Aside from children leading adventurous lifestyles, it is important not to exclude ourselves, as adults, from being prone to accidents. Just as children find themselves experiencing unexpected injuries, adults sometimes find themselves in the same boat. There is always the possibility of experiencing a work related injury, or a slip up with a knife while preparing dinner. You never know when an accident is going to pop up in your life, so urgent care Glendale CA is a great thing to make yourself aware of. With urgent care facilities spread throughout Southern California, urgent care can truly be a life saver. No matter what the issue seems to be or when it occurs, people are making the most of urgent care Glendale California to patch up their mishaps and move forward with life.

MANAGING THE FEAR AND ANXIETY OF THE UNKNOWN By Stanley Popovich

All most everybody worries about what will happen in the future. The prospect of not knowing if something good or bad will happen to you in the near future can produce a lot of fear and anxiety. As a result, here is a list of techniques and suggestions on how to manage this fear of dealing with the unknown.

Remember that no one can predict the future with one hundred percent certainty. Even if the thing that you are afraid of does happen there are circumstances and factors that you can’t predict which can be used to your advantage. For instance, let’s say at your place of work that you miss the deadline for a project you have been working on for the last few months. Everything you feared is coming true. Suddenly, your boss comes to your office and tells you that the deadline is extended and that he forgot to tell you the day before. This unknown factor changes everything. Remember that we may be ninety-nine percent correct in predicting the future, but all it takes is for that one percent to make a world of difference.

Learn to take it one day at a time. Instead of worrying about how you will get through the rest of the week or coming month, try to focus on today. Each day can provide us with different opportunities to learn new things and that includes learning how to deal with your problems. When the time comes, hopefully you will have learned the skills to deal with your situation.

Sometimes, we can get anxious over a task that we will have to perform in the near future. When this happens, visualize yourself doing the task in your mind. For instance, you and your team have to play in the championship volleyball game in front of a large group of people in the next few days. Before the big day comes, imagine yourself playing the game in your mind. Imagine that you’re playing in front of a large audience. By playing the game in your mind, you will be better prepared to perform for real when the time comes. Self-Visualization is a great way to reduce the fear and stress of a coming situation and increase your self-confidence.

Remember to take a deep breath and try to find something to do to get your mind off of you anxieties and stresses. A person could take a walk, listen to some music, read the newspaper, watch TV, play on the computer or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things. This will distract you from your current worries.

A lot of times, our worrying can make the problem even worse. All the worrying in the world will not change anything. All you can do is to do your best each day, hope for the best, and when something does happen, take it in stride. If you still have trouble managing your anxiety of the future, then talking to a counselor or clergyman can be of great help. There are ways to help manage your fear and all it takes is some effort to find those answers.

BIOGRAPHY:

Stan Popovich is the author of “A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non Resistant Methods” – an easy to read book that presents a general overview of techniques that are effective in managing persistent fears and anxieties. For additional information go to: http://www.managingfear.com/

Much fun in LA

Finding an acclaimed party bus LA service brings a new level of convenience and amusement to your life. If the standard limousine is not meeting your expectations for the particular event you will be attending, there are now other cost effective limousine options to focus your attention on. No matter what your reason is for needing a limousine, there are options to immerse yourself in that will suit your particular circumstances. With cost effective rates and one of a kind services, taking  a limo from an acclaimed limo service will have a positive impact on any chosen aspect of your life. If you are more drawn to the sophisticated edge that a sports utility vehicle offers, you can now look into the realm of SUV limos. Not only will a SUV limo get you to your destination in a flashy and contemporary form of style, but this more spacious ride will be more accommodating for a larger group of people. If your party is still too large for an SUV limo, or you will be in transit for a long period of time, there are limousine buses to choose from as well that make fantastic ways to enhance any celebratory event. A party bus Los Angeles makes a night of partying into a fun filled and unforgettable adventure.   Making use of a LA limo bus can be an ideal option for people who are going to be spending a wild night
on the town, or need a classy ride to an event, or even to the airport.

Limos are more affordable today than ever before and the exude a level of class and sophistication that no other method of transportation can quite compare to. No matter what your reason is for needing a limousine, there are options to immerse yourself in that will suit your particular circumstances. With cost effective rates and one of a kind services, taking  a limo from an acclaimed limo service will have a positive impact on any chosen aspect of your life. www.labestlimo.com You can base your decision upon on your destination as well as how many people will be traveling with you.

Party bus rental in Los Angeles for a prom

A prom is an event which young girls and guys look forward after graduation of their high school, as this a grand celebration to end school years in style. These are mostly college level events, so it is always a desirable option to choose party buses Los Angeles for a prom. These party buses cater to needs of college students who have family members to help them with the cost or even offer them as a gift for performing well in college. One of the benefits of using a Los Angeles party bus for proms is that they offer college students comfortable and luxurious ride to give them a taste of what they could expect in their professional life. Perhaps, one of the popular concerns people have before renting one is whether are not they are able to dress up in party buses. Indeed you can, as long as you have some privacy to change. Of course, anyone who is arriving at the prom in luxurious party buses will get the most attention. You should know that this not an exaggerated or overstated fact, as it’s the simple truth. Just imagine that you getting out of a bus and you are the center of attraction. Well, this could cause you to feel excited and bewildered at the same time, especially if you did not expect that this could happen in your wildest dreams. So, if you are planning to travel in one of the Los Angeles party buses, then you can prepare for this kind attention. All of a sudden, you could transform from an unknown boy or girl to become the center-stage at your prom. This exactly how the prom party buses in Los Angeles could be beneficial for attention-seeking college students. These students will have no problems to hire this luxurious bus, if not they might have parents who can afford to spend some money to help them experience what could turn out to be a life changing event. Party bus in Los Angeles can help to make virtually any special event a memorable one. So, since you are celebrating prom night which is one of the important days to end your High School years, you should definitely have a memorable one. With a party bus, you could even start the celebration before arriving at the event. You can find special offers for prom, such as package rates designed for eight to twenty four passengers. This a good option to consider if you want to share this special night with your close friends. To avoid the last minute hassles, it’s best to book early to ensure that you are traveling in style to your prom or graduation.