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Lasco Newsletter: Summer 2012 Edition
Greetings,

I hope your summer has been relaxing and enjoyable.  Too often we get caught up in the fast pace of the business world with not enough time to enjoy the life we have.  I hope all of you agree that it is a good thing to take a step back and enjoy life, and summertime seems to be the perfect season for doing just that. Our newsletter this season is packed with great information to help you succeed. Our goal is always to meet your needs and help you thrive, so sit back for a moment, relax, and enjoy our latest newsletter. If you have any suggestions for future editions of the Lasco newsletter, or if you would like to know more about how Lasco can partner with your business to help you succeed, contact me using the information below. Enjoy the rest of your Summer!
 

Regards,

Dennis VanLandschoot
President & CEO
Lasco Development Corporation


800-800-6197 Ext. 1051                                                             dennis@lascoinc.com
 
National Technology Search Findings...
The Tale of a Lasco Client's Recent Technology Review  


Recently, a valued Lasco Client (of 25+ years) conducted a national search for the best Technology Partner to suit their needs. Their specifications: the most value and most competitive pricing. What they found.... Lasco was already offering this client the most value, the best pricing, and one more thing.... the highest level of service in the industry. We pride ourselves on open and honest communication, going above and beyond what is expected, and offering our clients the best in every area of our business. And one more thing... we share life together. We are small enough to still care about you, our clients - and that will never change! So here's to many more years with this particular client, and hopefully many more years with you as well. We enjoy serving you, and we look forward to continuing to find new ways to meet your needs.

 

 

Partner Update
Enterprise Systems Group

 

Here at Lasco, we pride ourselves on having strong partners, and ESG certainly fits that category.  A growing product portfolio and dedicated staff has led to ESG having its most profitable year in 2011 and ranked them among the top 10 Mitel dealers nationally. They have also ranked among Lead411's technology 200 for the past two years, which ranks the fastest growing tech companies in the nation. When it comes time for your communications to receive a facelift, Lasco has you covered!

According to a Foster and Smith report, of the companies that use advanced Unified communication and collaboration(UCC) technologies 72% experience better performance from employees, 77% believe UCC technologies enhance employee mobility and 86% experience improved innovation from the organization. ESG has responded by growing their product offerings to incorporate a more diverse video collaboration solutions, which now includes Polycom videoconferencing and Microsoft Lync office chat.

Both Virtualization and Collaboration have been hot-button issues as of late. From financial to education to manufacturing, all verticals are prioritizing building richer, more interactive communications platforms and also gaining the benefits of virtualized voice and data networks.

To meet demands for virtualization solutions ESG now offers VMware network and desktop virtualization. Organizations that deploy virtualized networks have seen reduced datacenter costs, increases in availability of hardware and applications, more operational flexibility, improved desktop manageability and security as well as better utilization of existing resources. 

For more information and to upgrade your current communications system, please call Tim Shandonay (Vice President, Lasco) at 800-800-6197 Ext.1044 or email TimS@lascoinc.com.

Article courtesy of Enterprise Systems Group and Lasco.


Event Opportunity
 
Lasco Invites You To Attend...

 

Tackling Technology: This event is held on August 16th across the street from Lambeau Field and is followed up with tickets to Green Bay's largest tailgate party in the Bart Starr Tailgate Zone. This event is coming up quickly so please register as soon as possible.
 
Register now: To Register, please reply to this email requesting to be registered for "Tackling Technology". 

Agenda:  
                   
11:30a-12:15p - Welcome/Lunch
12:15 - 12:45  - Round Table 1
1:00 - 1:30     - Round Table 2
1:45 - 2:15     - Round Table 3
2:30 - 3:00     - Round Table 4
3:00 - 3:30     - Closing/Prize Giveaway
3:30 - 6:00     - Bart Starr Tailgate Party

Roundtable Discussions:
   
 - VoIP Applications and Integrations
 - Microsoft Integrations
 - Videoconferencing Applications
 - Voice and Data Monitoring


Lasco's Ticketing System
How Lasco's New Ticketing System Benefits Users

 

We have been slowly integrating our new ticketing system and I hope, by now, many of you have had the opportunity to test it. We are very proud to offer you this advanced system and believe the financial investment was well worth the convenience to our clients. See below for some of the highlights of this new system:
  • Automatic Escalation
  • User-Generated Tickets
  • Reduced dial-in wait time in the Support Center
  • Automatic Alert to Management if an issue escalates to the highest degree

This is just one more way Lasco has proven their loyalty to their clients. Please contact Tim Shandonay (Vice President of IT) if you would like to discuss this new ticket system. He can be reached by emailing tims@lascoinc.com or calling 906-228-1044 (toll free option: 800-800-6197 Extension 1044).

 

Hot Topic: Making the Most of your Online Presence... (Cont'd. from Spring 2012)

 - Keep up with the latest comments about your company. You keep up with the news already, just make sure you are keeping up with the comments from both happy and unhappy customers. It will save you a lot of P.R. cleanup if you respond right away.


 - Use Social Media to Build Your Reputation. Networking at its finest... Your friends tell their friends and suddenly you have more friends! But it isn't just about making friends, it is about making connections and aligning your products and services with those who are "in the market". People like to be loyal, give them somewhere to go: such as a Monthly YouTube video, or a Facebook Fanpage, or utilize Twitter for announcing sales or offering a handy tip of the day.

 - Connect Your Website to Your Social Media! This is a no-brainer, you want to drive traffic to your website to make sales, use Social Media to help you! (And Vice/Versa) Always make sure you have a link to your website/social media site visible and easy to find.

 - Start a Blog.  Or if you have one, keep it current! It does not need to be a lengthy report of the day's agenda. You want it to be fresh and fun, keep people coming back, but also be informative. This is something that can be helpful with uniting your staff as well as your clients by getting them "in the know" and keeping everyone informed. It is also a great way to post your achievements or donations to those who might not know otherwise.

 - Write and Submit Online Press Releases. Free media attention? Yes, please! Utilize your local newspaper, radio or television stations. This will not only help drive traffic to your website, but also increase your SEO (search engine optimization) which makes your website and your business easier to find.

 - Utilize Your Google Places Listing. This is a free service on Google (maps) which allows you to claim, verify and optimize your location which makes it easier for clients to find you!

 - Track Website Performance and Marketing Statistics. You can utilize Google Analytics to track how many site visitors you have, what page they land on, which pages are not being visited, etc. This helps you to discern where your site needs more work and also where you are excelling.

 

 

*Original list used in presentation:  "Local Business SEO Insight: Leveraging the Power of Search Engine Visibility" by Carder Consulting Group

 
 
In-House News
Old Mission Bank has chosen to add the Consumer Debit Alerts Product to their arsenal of banking products from Lasco. Congratulations OMB and thank you for your continued business!!
 
 
Golf Outing Raises $1,690 for UPAWSUPAWS Donation 

Lasco, Associated Bank, FIS, Case Financial, The Form House, First Service Corporation and Enterprise Systems Group held  it's annual Charity Golf Event in Marquette at Greywalls.  During the event attendees donated approximately $1,700 to UPaws.  

Pictured from Left: Kellie Johnson (VP Bank Services of Lasco), Lareina VanStrien (Manager of UPAWS), and Tim Shandonay (VP I.T. of Lasco)

 

 
 
 
Lasco Donates to Marquette County Habitat for Humanity through employee donations. Habitat Donation 
Pictured from Left: Robert Baer (VP Bank Services of Lasco) presents a check for $370 to Linda Frey (Executive Director of Marquette County's Habitat for Humanity).

 

 

 
 Free Drawing!
Reply to this email with the word GIVEAWAY to enter our free drawing. ALL ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY 5PM ON AUGUST 9TH. This time we are giving away two tickets to the Seafood Fest Gala to one lucky winner. The Seafood Fest takes place in Mattson Lower Harbor Park in Marquette and is a fundraiser of the Marquette West Rotary Club. The Gala will take place on Thursday, August 23rd 2012 from 5:30p-8:30p. For more information on the Gala or Seafood Fest, please refer to the following website: http://www.marquettewestrotary.org/?page_id=11.