Author: James

Document management -€“ implications for your IT performance

A document management system allows you to store all of your office documents, physical and electronic, on the same network. Physical documents are converted to electronic ones via a set of document processing technologies, which can take a number of different forms. (Invoice processing simply applies these technologies to your accounts department.) The resulting files may be Word documents, if you have more advanced software such as optical character recognition, or they may be JPEGs, TIFFs and PDFs if they are regular scans.

The advantages of document processing are significant. Businesses can literally become paperless, since everything can be uploaded and kept centrally, allowing anyone with permission to access it as they need it. However, it’s not a panacea, and used unwisely there are some problems. One of the reasons you’ll want to consider using such a system is because it is more environmentally friendly, since it doesn’t waste paper. Another is that documents can be found and shared quickly.

However, there are knock-on effects to other areas of your business. Your IT infrastructure will need to be up-to-date and future-proofed to prevent issues. A major problem to head off is storage space.Â

Document processing turns physical papers into electronic outputs. The software involved does this in a range of ways and with a variety of outputs. Some outputs (file types) are more suitable than others. So, for example, a simple scan programme might output a TIFF or PDF. These images can be optimised – or they can contain a huge amount of redundant information. Where files are larger than they need to be (and they can run to many tens of megabytes) your storage space will fill up fast. Sooner or later you will have to do something about it to keep your system running. That might be adding further storage (which is relatively cheap but can come with the complications of restructuring), moving to the cloud (costly) or carrying out a complex de-dup.

The solution is to think long-term when you are moving to a paperless system. Document processing technology should be selected on your future needs, not just current ones or simple price level. Otherwise, your document management system will become overloaded and you will end up paying more for extra storage. Invoice processing, too, could become over-complicated, with customer and supplier goodwill eroded as a result. Since this is something you probably wanted to address and streamline with invoice processing, it’s as well to ensure it doesn’t become a problem further down the line when the new system has been implemented.

Please visit http://www.bottomline.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

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Sales presentations can glow, or be lacklustre

Powerpoint presentations are very simple to throw together, but outstanding Powerpoint design is extremely hard. Pushed for time, most of us will put together a bunch of slides based on our talk, perhaps illustrating some major points. The versatility of Powerpoint makes this easy – too easy. Thanks to the user-friendliness of the product, you can very quickly build up slides with text, images, audio and video, transitioning to each other with a variety of special effects. But that’s not enough. Good sales presentations are more than window-dressing, and if you don’t know what you’re doing your audience will find out pretty fast.

Bad Powerpoint design just repeats what the audience hears in your spoken presentation. Good design has a narrative: a story that continues through the presentation and that is communicated with brevity and clarity. The visuals matter, but only in enabling this primary aim. People take in information in different ways, so don’t presume that the slides are an optional extra to the talk you deliver. In many cases these snapshots will be most or all of what a viewer/listener takes away.

This isn’t something that just anyone can do – at least not without training. If you work in an organisation of any size, you’ll already understand that. Although you can create your own copy, it’s far more effective to hire a copywriter to do it for you. Anyone can write; not everyone can copywrite (although in smaller organisations they may try). Powerpoint is the same. The problem is that the ease of using the software means there are a lot of beginners out there, with unfortunate results. Creating a really brilliant slideshow is actually quite an art; it’s just that creating a mediocre slideshow is within anyone’s reach – just as writing a lacklustre sales pitch or website landing page is something anyone can do.

If your Powerpoint design is letting you down, there are experts who can either do it for you or train someone within your organisation so that they can put together high-quality sales presentations. Great Powerpoint presentations don’t just happen by themselves; they are crafted, just like any other worthwhile product – copy, artwork, software, a website. As in anything like this, the proof of the pudding should be in the eating, and very quickly. Return on investment is the only worthwhile measure of success when hiring a service like this, and you should see it almost straight away in the form of successful bids and convincing presentations.

Please visit http://www.eyefulpresentations.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

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Bacs software is a must for modern organisations

It wasn’t so long ago that book-keeping was carried out manually – it actually was book keeping – and payments were made by cash or cheque. This was time-consuming and laborious, and vulnerable to errors that could cost you and your organisation a significant amount of money. Not only that, but dealing with cash or cheques could be insecure and slow. Fortunately, with the advent and popularity of bacs, this is no longer the case. Bacs payments are fast and secure, and bacs software can be integrated with most accounting software – meaning that all of your book-keeping practices can be neatly brought together so that there is no ambiguity and no surprises.

Bacs, or bankers automated clearing system, has been around for decades now but has only relatively recently been adopted on a large scale. Until a few years ago it was normal for employers – particularly smaller ones – to pay workers in cash or by cheque. In the 21st century there is no call for this, or for the problems it brings. Bacs payments mean that you do not have to keep large quantities of cash on the premises. Neither do you have to wait to have cheques countersigned, or have to wait for them to clear. Bacs is not instant, but it is predictable. (In fact, in many cases bacs payments will go through in just minutes, rather than the three-day standard. In any case, if you need quicker payments then the SWIFT system is available for an additional fee.)

You may be able to manage, just about, on your own without bacs. However, issues typically happen when you try to mix old with new – when you are paid by cash or cheque but your accounts are automated with bacs software, or when you don’t use bacs payments but clients and suppliers do. In these cases it is easy for payments to be overlooked, perhaps because one or other of you isn’t used to dealing with cash or paying in cheques, or else isn’t able to check accounts online and keep track of their cash-flow electronically. Since bacs has become the standard and most businesses and other organisations now use it, it makes sense to switch to this system. The savings of time and money it brings should soon pay for any one-off costs to your accounts department and will future-proof your organisation.

Please visit http://www.bottomline.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

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Document processing that allows employee voices to be heard

Offices used to be disordered and complicated places with machines and filing cabinets in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Cumbersome photocopiers would stand next to great switchboard systems, and computers with voluminous monitors would occupy whole desks. Going back further still, some parts of offices would have been reminiscent of craft shops, as employees made carbon copies of worksheets. Document management in those days represented a formidable task, requiring memory and handwriting abilities at the top of their game. Now, of course, these skills are not outright disregarded but they can be overlooked among people whose analytical thought as well as their pragmatism is deemed to be more of an asset. Indeed, document processing really requires staff to have their wits about them, especially if the documents are going somewhere private. Confidentiality is certainly important these days, and perhaps more than ever since ‘hackgate’ (The Leveson inquiry). Even fellow employees must be protected in this department, for the safe invoice processing of their wages and fees is an important marker of any given institution’s reputation.

A company that can secure a healthy reputation in terms of its relationship with its employees will be sure to have a weight lifted from its shoulders, as well as a better sight of its future aims. Speedier invoice to pay systems, used by temporary workers and freelancers will be very helpful in terms of granting a clear vision looking forwards. Thus the modern working environment that utilises document management systems efficiently will literally and metaphorically have more capacity to grow – paper transformed into electronic content will give clear sightlines and an uncluttered environment while fast payment systems will keep the company in the good books and ensure that external services are proposed ever more eagerly. Put simply, decluttering and getting on top of admin and accounts means empowering the mobile workforce.

What the majority of companies should be striving for in this day and age is a transparent system and a realistic, though vigorous approach to allocating budgetary funds. Different departments of individual companies have extremely varying needs and it is important that the management acquaints itself with every department’s requirements, individually. If that sounds like a problem, consider document processing whereby elected individuals could be speak for their department and interact directly with document content in a location visible to the directors. When document management occurs in this way, the management proper will have more knowledge and be able to do a better job. Invoice processing is slightly different of course but can be handled in an equally fair and transparent way.

Please visit http://www.bottomline.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

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Brise soleil adapt with changing weather.

If you were around in the ‘90s, the chances are you’ll remember Baz Luhrmann’s long running chart topper titled Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen). The song split audiences: there were those who loved its pop philosophical bent and positivity, while others despised its patronisingly didactic nature. But whatever our criticism of this song, rarely did we think, well, it’s one thing for us humans to wear sunscreen but what about the buildings we all work in? The fact is that buildings need sun protection too if their employees are to stay safe. External louvres for buildings are a totally different kettle of fish. Commonly known in varieties such as brise soleil and glass louvres, they protect buildings’ external shells as well as the things and people inside them.

Brise soleil carry out their function by shading the external façade of a building in a stylish and streamlined fashion in keeping with the rest of the existing building. Often abstract in their design, they are brilliantly well-suited to public art galleries outdoors. In fact, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park gallery is one example of a building that uses a brise soleil to excellent effect. The shade is designed and positioned such that it works with the changing light and temperature according to the season. In summer, much of the large exterior window of the gallery will be kept in shade at noon. In winter, on the other hand, when the light is weaker and the temperature colder, only the top section of this window will be cast in shadow. A possible added feature (not so desirable in an art gallery but rather more so in a corporate space such as a lobby or reception room) with a brise soleil consists of a special design feature that allows patterned light into the room. If you’re the manager of a building that’s been purpose built for a particular company, you might consider trying to tailor the pattern of light to the company’s needs: why not reproduce the corporate logo or make a new design suggestive of their brand values?

Glass louvres and external louvres are slightly different from brise soleil, meanwhile. Glass louvres can in fact function as independent structures; think of the famous glass pyramid in the courtyard of the Paris gallery known as the Louvre. One difference is that in Paris, the pyramid actually connects to the main building and is visible when you look upwards from a position underground.

Please visit http://www.maplesunscreening.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

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ICT infrastructure that improves wellbeing in hard to reach communities

Having decent access to the internet has become nigh on as essential to daily life as having an efficient heating system or constant water supply. Clearly, the latter have an impact on our actual capacity to survive but when it comes to leading a progressive existence as responsible and free thinking citizens, the internet provides a fundamental service too. So many things are made more difficult if you are not online: from checking your bank balance and paying bills, to the more pleasurable social matters of keeping in touch with friends and family. This is why it is quite scandalous that, prior to the launch of community broadband projects concerned with improving ICT infrastructure, whole swathes of the nation were being deprived of technological wealth that should have been available to all from the start. It is little surprise that the areas worst affected were the regions: rural Britain is used by now to being low down on the list of priorities in comparison with London and other large cities. Happily though, the companies behind next generation access initiatives are making sure that broadband services are becoming more evenly distributed. Finally, we can look forward to a Britain that is both linked up internally as well as a Britain allowing its inhabitants to reach out to resources worldwide.

The lessening of the gap between those able to get a speedy internet service and those who cannot is really fundamental in our existing climate of austerity. While permanent contracts in established enterprises are proving difficult to secure for the young and mature alike, there is an ever growing possibility for individuals and small groups of people to be proactive and launch projects on their own initiative online. With the required skills, a small idea can grow into something great once it has secured an online presence and appropriate audience. This is because the world wide web functions in a cross-border way: ideas, products and information are disseminated in a totally different way here than do documents and other physical entities reliant upon national and international postal systems or fax.

So, if you suppose that the area you occupy is still being ill served in terms of internet provision, it merits telephoning your local authority to ask when you can expect a positive shift. ICT infrastructure does take time to ameliorate but increased interest will increase the speed with which next generation access is delivered. It’s time to fight for your community’s access to community broadband.

Please visit http://www.broadbandvantage.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

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Duplicate payments prevented early

Mistakes are rarely, even never possible to defeat entirely. There are always things that with hindsight we would have done otherwise, a turn of events that we would rather reverse. And luckily, mistakes that happen in genuine error where it seems fate has conspired against someone are usually quickly forgiven. There are instances, however, where errors are less easily put out of mind. Take any instances involving our finances – a sudden loss of money, a mislaid or unpaid sum will provoke bad feeling, particularly in these times of austerity where many people feel an extra strong need to mind their assets. For those in business, accounts payable audit systems can help errors be avoided. When the books don’t add up, recovery audit software can rescue an unwanted situation from getting out of control, while also detecting any duplicate payments processed. The last of these mistakes is akin to throwing money down the drain! A careless act at any time, especially in the current economic climate.

Even small scale businesses should avoid trusting a single worker with the colossal responsibility of managing their accounts using excel spreadsheets, notepaper or a calculator. The danger of human error in this scenario is simply far too large. Instead, companies – whether of international standing or local nature – should come together in embracing excellent software that takes care of their accounting in the most streamlined of ways. Supplier fraud and compliance issues are two aberrant potentials in business that can be kept at bay once accounts teams start using accounts payable audit software. To put it simply, processes can be simplified by embracing this technology: control is increased and errors can almost always be prevented from happening.

An accounts payable audit can easily be spoken for. Recovery audit software allows businesses to assert themselves. Normally, a company will pay external auditors to help them identify any expensive over-payments made. But this is an expense that can be saved by the companies that decide, very sensibly, to internalise the process. duplicate payments can be spotted within the company when the right software is used that draws the attention of accounting teams to any mistakes. Unfortunately many payees will not own up to receiving a payment twice over so it falls to the paying party to rectify such a costly mistake.

Please visit http://www.fiscaltechnologies.com/ for further information about this topic.

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School uniforms for better behaviour at home and in the classroom

School days are some of the most significant days of a child’s life. Having gotten the right start at home in a loving and praising environment the next stage in a young person’s development is his or her schooling. The shift from the family core to the classroom can be hard; involving exposure to new concepts that ask for significant periods of concentration to understand and, perhaps most challenging of all, encounters with new people. These people will for the largest part be other children and although some of our longest-lasting friendships are formed at school, the preceding phase of mingling and getting familiar with one another can be a difficult time. school uniforms make this phase easier for small ones: they can focus on their classmates’ personalities and positive qualities rather than their appearance and, all-importantly, be comfortable in their school clothes during breaks. Children may object occasionally at having to leave regular clothes for the weekends but once provided with a long-lasting, breathable and simple uniform from a London schoolwear supplier – like everyone else’s – they are sure to stop complaining.

Indeed, school uniforms are all about simplicity and performance: they allow children to forget what they look like and value discovery, creativity, play and friendship. Uniforms also give teachers a helping hand: studies have shown a meaningful correlation between adherence to school uniform regulations and good discipline. And we all know that a well-behaved class tends to be a high-achieving class. Reasons for this correlation are doubtless multiple but among them stands the idea that respect for one’s own dress sense breeds respect for others and respect for teachers. In such a respecting environment a child can be more productive. In brief, uniforms typically make school days simpler and more enjoyable.

Parents of school-age children will also appreciate a school with strict rules about uniform. Initially mothers and fathers may dread the expense and time it will take to find all the right garments but once they discover London schoolwear supplier who take orders for school uniforms online and deliver school clothes to the door they need worry no more.

Please visit http://www.uniform4kids.com/ for further information about this topic.

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Kickboxing is open to all ages and levels of fitness

If you are in search of a new way to keep fit, relax, spend some leisure time or simply try something new, kickboxing could be for you. What’s more, a kickboxing club has the added advantage of offering you the chance to learn some useful self defence techniques. Kickboxing London classes are open all day, and accessible to all ages, abilities and genders.

There’s no reason to be intimidated. The classes are tailored to your standard and ability, and are usually non-contact, so there is no danger of getting hurt. On certain days of the week, personal classes are available. At other times, classes offer slots based on age and ability that begin at four years old! As well as classes for tiny tots, there are classes for older children, teenagers, students, and parents. The range is broad, and there is something for everyone. Ability-based classes include beginners, intermediate and senior levels, so whether you’re an amateur or a pro, there’ll be a class for you.

On top of this wide selection, more specialised classes – such as sparring classes – and more technical theory lessons will be on a good kickboxing club’s timetable for real enthusiasts.
The benefits of kickboxing are at least twofold. Firstly, it is a fun and engaging type of exercise that improves not only physical but mental health. The exercise is aerobic and increases flexibility, co-ordination and speed. All in all, kickboxing is a great work out. It also challenges you to seek your limitations, and develop beyond them.

Secondly, this fun sport can teach you how to actively defend yourself. The self-defence aspect enables you to deflect threatening situations or, if they prove unavoidable, to effectively deal with threatening behaviour and protect yourself, your children and your property. Due to this self-defence aspect of kickboxing, more and more women are signing up in order to protect their independence. Kickboxing is also the ideal extra-curricular activity for children, teaching them useful skills as well as reinforcing self-discipline and positive behaviour. Kickboxing is never off-limits, and neither are the benefits that come with it.

Acquiring these skills can boost your personal confidence, and not only in terms of self-defence. Kickboxing classes are a great opportunity for social interaction, and to have a good deal of fun.
Kickboxing is a martial art that has a very special set of traditions and history behind it, and each school evolves this tradition in its own way. Your local kickboxing London club will have its own particular interpretation of these teachings, and how they should be applied. For an insight into a culture, as well as a fun way to stay fit and stay safe on the streets, visit a kickboxing club – often the first lesson is free – and stay one step ahead.

Please visit http://www.zendokickboxing.com/ for further information about this topic.

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London kickboxing club for all ages and stages of fitness

When it comes to exercise, it almost always feels like hard work. Whether you go running, swimming or to the gym, it’s often a long slow slog to keep fit and healthy. London kickboxing classes, on the other hand, are a fun and engaging way to exercise without all the pain. You’ll be too busy thinking of your next move at a London kickboxing club to count down the minutes. To look into kickboxing London is to find a wealth of classes on offer.

London Kickboxing classes are designed for each level of ability, so whether you’re a beginner or want a hard workout, you’ll find a class to suit your needs. Exercising in an interactive group situation will ensure you don’t feel unmotivated or unsupported, and hopefully encourage you on to challenge yourself to go beyond your limits.

As well as being lots of fun, kickboxing is an aerobic form of exercise that will rapidly improve your fitness level. Kickboxing is a fusion of Western boxing and Eastern martial arts that takes the best of both worlds to give you an incomparable sport for fitness, speed, flexibility, co-ordination and strength. Thanks to the Oriental influence, this is a sport that stresses not just physical but also mental health.

The central self-defence aspect of kickboxing means you’re not just exercising for the sake of it. In a kickboxing class, you will be learning how to defend yourself from attack at the same time – essentially doing two things at once! We all know what a windfall that is in our time-strapped culture.

Having mastered a new skill that may be (although hopefully not!) applicable in a wider context, kickboxing is also great for improving your confidence. In the knowledge that you know how deal with possibly tricky situations, you may feel more positive and able to protect yourself, your property, and your children.

Neither is this an activity that excludes children. On top of student, adult, parent and teenager classes, there are a great deal of classes that are tailored specifically for younger children from the age of four upwards. This martial art is a very relevant extra-curricular activity, teaching courtesy, respect, discipline and life skills to children in a supportive environment.  London kickboxing classes are the key to all your fitness needs, and more – joining a London kickboxing club can profit you in all sorts of ways. And there are plenty of kickboxing London opportunities out there, with a extensive range of lessons available – get out there and learn how to look after yourself!

Please visit http://www.karmaa.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

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