Leaders have to wear multiple hats to grow their business and this leads to multitasking to manage goals. Intuitively, it makes sense to accomplish as many tasks as possible at the same time. But the reality is that working in this way makes you less effective and productive. In this post, we’ll look at why…

Technology is progressing quicker than ever. This is especially true in the area of communication. Just fifteen years ago, nobody really knew what a podcast was, let alone how to use it to create content and promote a brand. From incorporating a business VoIP server to digital television, technology in communication is changing fast. That…

Effective organizational communication is crucial for any successful business. Not only will it lead to more effective outcomes, but it will also help to boost employee engagement, collaboration and workplace satisfaction. Organizational communication refers to all types: from verbal to written, from formal to informal. Making sure that you have an effective strategy is key…

We’ve all heard this from one person or another, COMMUNICATION IS KEY, in any relationship. In these times of confusion and uncertainty, it is so important to communicate what is going on with your business, to your customers. In fact, the best thing companies can do is communicate to their customers by using clear, timely,…

It’s a common myth that employee monitoring software is for spying on employees and micromanaging how they spend their time at work. In reality monitoring employee computer activity provides companies with the insights they need to understand how their workforce operates. In this article I’ll provide you with examples of how organizations use employee monitoring…

I wrote before about bad Scrum and other abuse of the Scrum Framework. One of the common abuses that I see in organizations using Scrum is that they don’t properly use the 3 Scrum roles. To be effective, these three Scrum roles need to be implemented properly and protected. Like bowlers in a bowling alley,…

When you go to any of of the world’s great museums you will see abstract art which shows off the wild imaginations of their creators like Pablo Picasso. Somehow we have gotten to the point where some people believe their website should be this type of artistic creation. Wrong! Many times your website is the…

What’s holding you back from creating a course that will greatly benefit your ideal client? Fear of failure? Fear of success? Fear of looking like an imposter? Feeling like you’re not expert enough? Believe it or not, most entrepreneurs struggle with mindset roadblocks at some point. I know I’m guilty of this myself! Even more…

If you own a business with internet access there’s a strong chance that your employees are browsing YouTube videos at work. In this article, I’ll break down the key reasons why YouTube can be either productive or unproductive. I’ll also provide you with resources you can use to either block YouTube entirely or monitor employee…

With the inception of next-gen technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data, the network security landscape has become more complex and vulnerable in recent times. As a result, there has been an ever-increasing jump in the number of internet security threats. This includes malicious malware, attacks focused on IoT devices and…

When it comes to powering your online business, selecting the right content management system (CMS) is essential. A content management system is a type of software that allows you to develop, manage, and publish web content without technical knowledge. Typically, it requires a third-party host and empowers you to customize and control your website. However,…

Recently, the NY Times had a fascinating article: “Faces Of Power, 80% Are White As The Country Gets More Diverse.” There were a couple of interesting data points, of the 25 highest value publicly traded companies in the US, only 6 were people of color, none were women. In the Fortune 500, there are only…

That RFP process is a grind, eh? The peak experience is when you finally get to call your new strategic partner and let them know they are the successful bidder. After that, it would be nice to take a breather. But you’re ready to implement and transition into your new outsourced customer care program so…

Instagram can be so much fun, right? Even just scrolling your feed, playing with filters, or creating animated images can keep you entertained for a long time. But what if you’d want to take things to a whole new level? What if you’d like to have fun and engage your audience at the same time?…

When it comes to increasing your organic eCommerce traffic, SEO for product descriptions is vital. A good SEO strategy isn’t stuffing your product pages full of keywords and hoping for the best. It should be a strategic plan that speaks directly to your potential shopper while also being optimized for search engines. You can technically…

Although COVID-19 will be the defining news story of 2020, we can’t overlook the extreme weather and natural disasters sweeping the United States this year. As I write, Hurricane Sally is making landfall on the Gulf Coast, barely two weeks after Hurricane Laura rocked the same region. That’s not to mention the two other named…

I read an article about how to be a successful sales manager. One of the pieces of “insight” was to manage and coach by results versus micromanaging or counting activities. He goes on to say, “people will find their own path to the target…..” Well, yes, but…….. There are a lot of problems with the…

Agili’s open concept office in Richmond, VA We’ve all seen the headlines about the need for office environments to adjust given the coronavirus pandemic and that building owners and managers are trying to adapt quickly. Many of us are likely still working from home. When will we all return to our offices? What will those…

As small businesses do more business virtually, being able to process payments electronically is a must. Watch the 4-minute video to learn about five options, or read on for the tips! #1 Credit Cards No mystery here. Credit cards are the obvious way to pay for things electronically. You’ll need a credit card processor to…

The insurance industry walks an often-challenging line. It’s a fast-moving and competitive industry with limited customer touchpoints. That means every interaction your policyholders have with your organization — and the technology your organization uses — needs to contribute to a positive experience. Improving policyholder experience is so critical in a competitive industry like insurance, because…

Every entrepreneur’s dream is to run a business that feels incredible and satisfying. But is this actually achievable and how can it be done? When I asked this question to my entrepreneurial followers on Facebook, I was not surprised to see that the key criteria for their happiness and satisfaction was to work with people…

Poor communication kills businesses. When leaders don’t know how their teams are performing (and team members don’t know what their leaders want or need), then communication suffers, initiatives fall through, and the business loses money it could have easily gained. Business reports can provide a critical communication tool for business leaders, giving them the insights…

A common question we get at the start of a B2B web design project is, “How can we maintain our SEO during a website redesign?” If you’ve already put the effort into building a strong SEO foundation, you don’t want to lose it when you update the look and functionality of your website. As an…

The rapid growth in remote work in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a massive increase in the use of Microsoft Office 365 as both a platform for collaboration and as a repository for sensitive and confidential information. As a result, we are seeing more apps being used with Microsoft’s identity platform…

The expression “mental health” is most often, in popular parlance, associated with the idea of mental disorders. However, like physical health, mental health refers to an overall state of well-being, not illness. In fact, mental health is more than the absence of disease. It is now increasingly recognized that people diagnosed with a mental health…